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chapter seven, rapture
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WHEN MARLENE FOUND OUT ABOUT the Halloween party, she lost her mind.
She's intensely passionate about parties. After all, it's her true calling in life — the blinding lights and copious drinking being just the thing to make her heart sing. The tacky couture of uncoordinated dancing mixed in with foreboding hangovers may make others feel uneasy, but Marlene's mantra is that it's all part of the fun. Character building, even! Nobody can deny that she's the life of every party she steps into, a crooked grin stretching over her face that can instantly revive a room inmereseconds. Although, putting all of these magical ingredients for a perfect party aside, getting all dressed up is by far the highlight of any night out — especially when there's a costume or theme involved.
Lily, on the other hand, isn't nearly as enthusiastic.
She peers at herself in the mirror uncertainly. Her auburn hair is in neat curls that frame her round face nicely, crimson face paint drenching her skin and dress to give off the eery illusion of blood. There's a spray rose corsage wrapped around her wrist and a thin silver chain twinkling on her neck, a lightweight pashmina shrugged lazily around her elbows. A pale pink dress that reaches down to her ankles hugs her tightly, her costume paying tribute to Carrie — a book she'd read a few halloweens ago and completely adored!
WhileLilyadmires Marlene's visceral dynamism, which in itself is an anomaly so infectious it may as well be classified as a plague, she just can't help but feel like a fish out of water.
Her own insecurity isn't her problem until the sun rises tomorrow morning, she supposes. For that night, she'd just have to soldier on and have a good time, even if it is a few hundred miles outside her comfort zone. She always ends up squashing her doubt into a little ball and throwing it into a dusty corner of her black-hole brain.
On the other side of the room, Dorcas sets down her makeup brush with a pointed click, fluffing up her hair and pursing her lips. "Oh, bollocks. Is my eyeliner uneven?"
