Belle Morte

Part One; Unwanted Invitation

"So you really think Jack likes me?" Azi asked her friend, her face clearly showing she was unsure of how to feel. Chloé in turn, giggled, kicking her feet up and down from where she was sprawled horizontally at the end of Azi's bed.
"Of course--! I saw the way he was looking at you in math the other day. Plus when you dropped your papers coming in, he was checking out that ass of yours!" She spoke of Azi's embarrassing display in class yesterday.
"Chloé, I made a fool of myself! First I was late, then I tripped on the garbage can coming in, only to finally have all my things go flying!" She tried to deny the fact that Jack Roux might have taken interest in her. She had never really had a boyfriend, or even noticed when these boys supposedly took notice in her. While Chloé was always talking about how great it is to have a boyfriend, Azi never really took time to find one. She would usually pull the excuse of "I'm too busy with school to focus on boys", but she knew that wasn't true. All her free time was her either hanging out with Chloe when she wasn't hanging out with lover boy, or drawing. In fact, while her and Chloé were chit chatting, she was sketching her friend out in a worn notebook.
Seeing that Azi would have no reason, Chloé leaned up in a quick motion, the curls framing her face bouncing all the way. Putting her hand on the edge of her notebook to grab Azi's attention, she tried to convince her friend.
"Listen Azi, it's okay to let loose a little. Tell you what, Jesse and I are throwing a party on Friday. You should come--get you out of your shell for once!" Chloé looked at her with hopeful eyes. Azi shook her head a little at her friends idea. While hanging with sober Chloé was great, drunk Chloé could be quite the hassle. There were other worries on top of that.
"Chloé, you know Friday is the--" Chloé cut her off in a posh, yet mocking tone.
"La Royale Danse De Mort, I know--We thought it would be a bit of a 'Up yours, Leeches!' you feel?" She declared her idea as if she was some kind of revolutionist. Azi almost laughed at her friends attitude, but knew it wasn't safe.
"Chloé, you know if they get any sense of you going against them, it could go really bad..." She tried to talk some sense into her. Azi knew Chloé had her mind set on this though. She could see it in her bright blue eyes. They looked icy with the contrast of her crimson hair. Defiantly, she protested Azi's worries.
"Azi, you know that people have parties every year along with the Royal Ball. Jesse's won't be any different. Except for the fact that you're coming this year." She started defiantly, then telling Azi her new agenda for Friday as if it was now in stone.
"Last year you called me up crying for me to come get you! There were Rogues at the party, Chloé! They could have arrested you with them." Her voice was full of concern, and even flat out worry for her friends life. Chloé sighed, leaning to wrap her arms around Azi. Hug was calming, making Azi want to relax. The idea of loosing Chloé to those...Monsters...it was just heart breaking. With a deep breath, Azi held her tighter, getting a nose full of her sweet perfume. She really hoped that Chloé wouldn't go. Enough to lean her head into the crook of Chloé's neck, whispering,
"Please don't go..."
Chloé was obviously unhappy at the fact that her friend was so worried, but she decided to lighten the mood instead. Taking her thin, pale fingers, and a devilish grin, she brought them to the back of Azi's neck to tickle her.
Azi laughed, trying to avoid her touch. Wiggling, Chloé found other places to tickle, such as Azi's sides.
"No! Stop, Chloé--! You know you have cold fingers!" Azi was laughing hard enough to snort. Chloé paused, their position having changed from the tickling. Chloé now looked down at Azi, who was laying on her back breathing hard from laughter.
"Say you'll come with me? Then I don't be going anywhere without you--" Chloé coaxed her with a soft voice, fingers twirling insinuating another wave of her wrath would be coming if she said no. Azi finally sighed out, nodding her head against the bed.
"Alright, but if I get even a vibe of something wrong, we're out." Azi spoke trying to copy Chloé's tone when she decided to make the rules.
"Okay, Captain Azi!" She gave a small salute with her right hand, the left propping her up over Azi.
"You know, I like it when you're the dominate one--" she teased, causing Azi to push her up so that she could sit.
"Oh hush--!" Azi responded with a laugh, the worry only living in the back of her mind now. It surprised her when Chloé spoke of a depressing topic. Choosing her words carefully, she spoke with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Do you think someone we know will get picked?" Her words lingered in the air, silence filled the rest. Both girls knew that it was possible. They knew that at anytime, this worlds government could bring pain to them. Azi knew this on a personal level. The Queens reign and Court were the reason her mother was so careful with her. Why she didn't let her out at night until she was 18. Why the way Chloé talked about the system made her nervous. Why it was only her and her mother in this two story home.
"I hope not..." Azi whispered out. Chloé took in this response, laying back against Azi's bed frame. Her hand mindlessly reached over to Azi's.