Behind the Lace and the Lies

1 - Thinly Veiled Lies: Alyssa

Was her eyeliner smudged? She couldn't tell. She ruffled through her bag, hunting for her little mirror. Even with it, the jostling of the carriage and the dim lighting prevented her from getting a good look at it. Alyssa sighed. Why couldn't anything ever be easy?

She decided to redo it, even if it was good now, her uncertainty implied that it wasn't perfect. And it needed to perfect, everything needed to be perfect. This was her first public outing since the ordeal with her father, so she needed to be composed as possible.

The carriage came to a stop. Good, now was the time to fix the eyeliner. She pulled her charcoal stick out of her bag. The end wasn't pointy enough; she rubbed it against the burgundy velvet padded wall of the carriage, leaving black streaks. Someone else could clean that up.

Someone knocked at the door. Alyssa didn't even need to look through the window, she knew it was the driver. He needed to be patient – perfection doesn't occur instantly. "One moment," she called out. It would be more than a moment.

Her eyes strung from the makeup and threatened to water, she cautiously blinked; she would not be redoing this again. She shaded in the charcoal outline, noticing how her soft skin moved with the charcoal stick, reluctant to pick up the color. A glance at her eyes in the mirror turned into an examination of her whole body. Her hair was fine, makeup fine. Was her dress sending the wrong message? No, she needed to be bold. Everyone needed to whisper about how beautiful she looked, how strong her presence was, how composed she was, not about what her father did.

Another knock at the door. "Open it," she commanded.

"Yes, ma'am," came the quiet response. The door swung open and the cold night air rushed in, filling the space.

Alyssa closed her eyes, feeling the flutter of her eyelashes on her cheeks. She allowed a moment to pass, then another. Then she opened her eyes. She knew how piercingly beautiful her eyes were – she was often complimented on them.

The driver kept his eyes on the ground but offered his hand. Alyssa mindlessly took it, stepping out of the carriage and onto the ground. The evening had a crisp bite to it, but there was thankfully no wind despite the changing of seasons – she didn't have to worry about her hair or dress being blown around.

The entrance to the Goldski's inner orchard was surprisingly bare. There were no servants greeting guests, or offering food, or declaring their presence, or even guiding the way to the main event. The twisted metal gate between the two stone brick walls was open, and the lamps on each side were lit. The ground was mushy and moist – some of the large stones laid upon sunk in as Alyssa walked on them.

She grimaced. Her boots were ogre-skin, which wasn't exactly easy to come by anymore. If Mrs. Goldski couldn't take care of her mansion, then Alyssa shouldn't wear nice things to it. She had to remind herself that the impression she made on everyone else was crucial, not the actual experience of the party.

She looked down at the pale, fine grain of her boots. It was western klozar ogre-skin. She sighed. It was going to be a long night.

The sound of her heels clicking against the stone was drowned out as she approached the party. It was already in full swing – as much as a Goldski party could be – because she had arrived fashionably late.

Despite the lackluster entrance, the orchard itself was much better decorated. There were neat rows of apple, cydonia, incana, and persimmon trees. The leaves were a beautiful blend of green, orange, pale pink, and yellow-green. The last fruits of the season hung heavy on the branches.

She remembered running in the garden, the late afternoon rays of sunlight highlighting every falling speck of dust. Long shadows stretched out behind the trees. She remembered the sting as she bit into a fresh incana. She had played with some cousins of Mrs. Goldski – what were their names again? That didn't really matter anymore. She brushed a stray strand of hair back.