Charm Of Sensuality

Chapter 23

Eden laid out the leather-bound notebook before her. She was given several tasks today, each ranging from planting new herbs, extracting herbs, and spell writing. She twirled the ballpoint pen in her fingers, staring off in the snowy distance. Time didn't seem to follow the rules in this place. It was night far longer than it was day. Out in the human realm it was still in the throes of summer, and here fall was quickly settling in. Her hair and nails were growing at almost twice their speed. She often could not remember what day it was. Everything felt eerie, as if she were stuck in an inexplicable trance.

She threw the pen down and stood, the chair she was sitting in scraping the marbled floor. She was in a room covered in hanging plants. Each plant had vines that connected to the nearest pot, and it went on like that completely around the length of the room. The lighting in the room was dim, as most of this dark realm was. Large candles sat on various surfaces, some hanging from candelabras. And mirrors, of different shapes and sizes, always in reach.

She moved toward the nearest full body mirror. Her eyes looking herself over. Some days she did not feel like herself. This place and its strange magic felt as if it were seeping into the very nature of her being. It was terrifying. It was cold... sometimes, she secretly felt herself yearning for it.

Kane had insisted on her wardrobe being full of color. She hadn't expected him to really mean it. In this realm dark colored clothing was an expectation. A right of passage. Every man, woman and child adorned black throughout the week. Women dressed in body hugging apparel. Always seeming desirable, always sexy, mysterious... wanton. Men consistently wore variations of suits. High fashion prowled the streets. None of this felt real. She had never grown up with designer clothing. And she had barely owned the color black aside from underwear and shoes.

But now as she looked herself over in the mirror before her, she didn't recognize the woman staring back. The dress she wore was a lavender color, floor length, completely covering her feet. It was form fitting and rounded the little curves she had. The sleeves were slightly off the shoulder, stopping just at the apex of her collarbone. The sleeves were long and open down to her hands. The material was akin to silk, soft, gentle on the skin. The dress sported a slight on her right hip, her waist pulled in and her small bust pushed up and out.

Even the thick brimmed heels on her feet were lavender encased in silver. Around her next was a silver pendant along with the stone charm her grandfather had given her all those years ago. The earrings in her lobes were silver surrounding amethyst. On each of her fingers was a ring, silver, a stone of some kind gleaming back up at her. She placed one of her hands on her cheek, leaning into the coolness of the metal of the rings. In the mirror was a kaleidoscope of her image being reflected at her from all the other mirrors. She pressed her fingers to her lips, the white color painted on her rounded nails staring back at her.

Her breathing began to quicken, her chest tightened. This wasn't right. Something wasn't right. She turned from the mirror, both of her hands raking through her too long hair. Her eyes met another mirror, and she turned, only to meet another one. She circled the room, trying to find a reprieve but found none, just reflections of herself. A woman she didn't know anymore.

The sound of the door being opened pulled her from her trance. She turned, wrapping her arms around herself. Sera stood in the doorway, leaning against it. Eden had noticed one thing in particular about Sera, she never wore long dresses. They were always knee-length, made with a leather material. And she always wore knee high combat boots, the heels varying from block to stiletto.

Sera's auburn hair was pinned up into an intricate updo. Her lips covered in sultry red lipstick, her lashes long and curly even without mascara. She blew a bubble from the wad of gum in her mouth before sighing as she looked Eden over. "I can bet some ass you haven't written a single incantation, golden girl."