A Web So Dark and Deadly

Chapter One

Energy. Luxury. Power.

Those are the vibes my red dress is giving off, and I am so here for it. I twirl in the mirror, the high-slit, satin ruffles spinning around my legs. Gold stilettos and a black mink shawl solidify just how expensive the look is. I've never felt this chic in my entire life.

The door of my bedroom opens behind me, and my friend, Saige, enters the room in a short black dress. She bends down for a second to adjust her silver heel then pauses.

"Oh my gosh, Cleo! You look amazing!"

"I told you I had the perfect outfit for the evening."

"I should've taken you up on your offer to borrow a dress." Saige flops onto my bed, brushing the tassels on the pillow decorating the blue-and-gold comforter.

"It's fine. You're stunning in your dress, too."

Truth be told, it's one of two dresses she's worn to every special event we've gone to together for the past two years. Homecoming, graduation, girl's night on the town, you name it.

A few short weeks ago, I had an "everything" dress just like those. Wow, has my luck changed, and I hope hers can, too.

"Man, does your boss need to hire anyone else?" Saige asks.

"I don't think so." Guilt pangs through me as I fasten a gold necklace around my throat. She's being a really good sport about this, and I'm happy to share as much of the opulence with her as possible, but it isn't the same as having the luxury specially bestowed upon you.

"And to think all of this is free." Saige shakes her head. "It's almost too good to be true."

I chuckle. "And yet it isn't. Hey, why don't you help me pick out a purse." Saige bounds over. My new closet is so huge that it's divided into three sections that fill an entire wall of my giant room. On the left side, there's a floor-to-ceiling section that only contains purses.

After a moment, Saige grabs a shimmering black clutch. "This will match your coat, while the gold clasp in the center ties in with your gold accessories." She lets out a laugh. "Gosh, I never thought I'd live to see the day when you had a legit fur coat."

"It may be you someday," I say in a sing-song voice, lifting the bag. "And good choice." I stalk to my bed. The heels add an extra three inches to my height, and combined with the dress, I've never felt so confident. It's crazy how much of a difference a wardrobe change can make.

"What are you going to do with your old clothes?" Saige asks, trailing after me.

"They'll probably fit in the closet in the spare bedroom."

"Good grief. Who ever heard of an apartment with a spare room?"

I glance over my shoulder, grinning. "More common than you'd think."

"Not for our price bracket."

I grab my phone from my bed, turning it on. The screen lights up with the time, six-twenty. I slide it into my clutch along with my driver's license, two earpieces, a couple spare dollars, and two opera tickets. "We'd better get going. The show starts in almost an hour."

We exit my bedroom to the living room, where two couches and a coffee table sit in front of the terrace. I step toward it, breathing in a whiff of clear, chilly air before I pull the French doors closed. I'm about fifteen stories high in the air, so the normally balmy air has the slightest nip to it, just enough to make me feel refreshed. The fact that I don't have to be sweating or paying top dollar for AC truly puts the "luxury" in this apartment.