Vampire Prince and Red-Haired Snow White

Chapter 14

After school, as promised, Ethan was going to bring Angelina to Kirkland's Threads. Angelina saw Ethan waiting outside in the school front courtyard. He was swinging his cricket bat about, and almost hitting a senior. Angelina shook her head at his stupidity. Gérard followed closely behind her. Ethan saw Angelina and walked over.

"So, what do you at home over the weekends?" He asked Angelina, throwing his bat over his shoulders. Although she knew that he was trying to flirt, she still played along. "Homework. Housework." She replied. Gérard stopped behind her. Ethan looked uncomfortable. "You're Max, aren'tcha?" He asked. Gérard nodded, clinging onto Angelina's arm. "Okay?"

Angelina blushed at his actions. Ethan took a step back. "Guess we should go?" Ethan pointed towards the direction of the car park. Angelina nodded in agreement. They walked to the car park and saw a black Ferrari. "I'm not even going to be surprised." Angelina muttered, observing how personalized the Ferrari was.

Ethan gave a sheepish grin as he unlocked the Ferrari. The trio got into the Ferrari, and Ethan drove to downtown. Before long, they arrive at a ivy green shop with a large glass window. In gold, on the glass, was the shop's name imprinted on it.

Kirkland's Threads
Home to Self-Tailoring

There was a sign on the door that said "on lunch break". Still, Ethan entered the shop as if he had owned it. Although uncertain, Angelina and Gérard still followed him. A bell rang, signaling their entrance. "I'm sorry, we're closed at the moment!" They heard a thick British accent. Ethan swayed about, hands in his pockets, and almost tripping over a mannequin. Angelina and Gérard saw it.

Ethan flipped out when he tripped over the mannequin, with his hands in his pockets. He fell, but broke his own fall with his hands (fortunately). He let out a heavy sigh of relief. Ethan helped himself up. He dusted the dust off his vest. He acted as though this is his house. Angelina thought.

The owner, supposedly, came out of a dressing room with a brunette. She was very beautiful, anyone could say that. However, Angelina and Gérard were stunned to see the owner. Are those bushy caterpillars...? Wait, they're his eyebrows... Angelina thought.

"May I help you?" He asked, looking at the couple. "Arthur," Ethan smiled, walking over once he gained the attention of the British. "Ah, Braginski, my favourite boy." Arthur smiled, welcoming the Russian with a warm embrace. "Never seen you with friends before. What's the occasion, lad?" He asked, parting from the embrace. Ethan thumb pointed at Angelina.

"She wants a dress, for a school play we're doing." Ethan replied. "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." "Ah, that one... come, I'll have your measurements then." He smiled. "Anything for the boy?" Arthur asked. Ethan nervously looked at Gérard. "Anything Max? You're Romeo aren'tcha?" He called. Gérard shook his head as he shook his hand in refusal.

"None for him then. Young lady, over here please." Arthur said, gesturing Angelina over to him. She shyly walked over as Gérard sat on a chair near the dressing rooms. Ethan looked at the half tailored suits. He noticed the brunette staring at him. She quickly turned away and covered her face with a hand. Ethan ignored her. "Is there a certain design you want, miss..?" Arthur drifted. "Angelina." She prompt. "Yes." He smiled, now taking the measurement of her waist. "Somewhere between not too revealing and not too clad up, mr..." she stalled.

"Kirkland. But Arthur is fine." Arthur smiled. "How is it like in New York?" He asked. "Nice, I guess... I was born in California. Grew up there half of my life before I moved." Angelina replied. "Must've been a nice state. I'm from London, and this is one of the few shop branches I have in the world." Arthur added, taking her arm measurement. "You have other branches?" She quizzed. "Why yes. The one in London is my main, this is my second branch." Arthur answered.

"How many branches do you have?" She asked once more. "About 10. I'm trying to expand into Asia." He answered once more. Arthur measured her body length. After which, he took a step away from Angelina and took some time to think. He went over to the main desk and did a quick sketch. He came back with the sketch and showed Angelina.

"How is it?" Arthur asked as she took the paper. Arthur had sketched a collared dress with long sleeves and the skirt reaching up to her thigh. "It's nice... I guess...-" Angelina stopped to think about it. "-We're buying it." Ethan cut Angelina off, making Arthur look a little surprised.

"Alright. At least let Ms. Angelina choose the fabric." He said, leading her to another room. Ethan watched Arthur leading Angelina away. Gérard didn't look too much affected. "I'd preferred that you choose light colours for your dress. It might match with your hair." Arthur said, leaving Angelina at the doorway as he entered the fabric maze.

"Just curious, how close are you to Ethan?" Arthur asked. "We're classmates, in the honor class." Angelina replied. "Is he the best?" The tailor asked again. Angelina heard a roll of fabric tumbled onto the floor. She peeked in between the hanging fabric and saw Arthur fumbling with large rolls of fabric. "Near the top, I would often take the top. Our classmate Myosotis is usually competing with him." She added, looking around elsewhere.

There was a lot of rolls of fabric, all colors of the rainbow, varying from tone to tone, different texture and different designs. "How long have you stayed in America?" She asked Arthur. "Not long. Recently came here after working in Russia." He replied. "Maybe cream? How about it? Or off white?" Arthur asked, sounding far from her. "I think cream." Angelina replied, almost shouting. "Would you like silk or maybe cotton?" He asked again.

"Isn't silk expensive?"
"Well, I managed to get the finest, yet the cheapest, so there's not much difference in price, love."

Arthur came back with a roll of cream colored fabric, possibly silk, in one hand. In the other was probably cotton. "Have a feel." Arthur let her touch the fabric. Unlike any other fabric she had touched before, the silk and cotton felt much finer than the usual ones. "They're both... nice.." she muttered. Arthur withdrew the rolls from her. "Here's the deal, love. I'll tailor one silk, and the other cotton. No extra payment needed." He winked.

Angelina blushed and smiled. "Thank you, Arthur." At the counter, Ethan paid with his (own) credit card as Angelina awoke Gérard who was sleeping against the wall. "Gérard, we're going back now." She whispered. He smiled, as if he was dying to hear that sentence. The trio returned to the Ferrari.

Gérard peered over his shoulder to notice the brunette arguing with Arthur. Arthur saw Gérard staring and pulled the blinds down, hiding themselves. "Max! We're leaving!" Ethan called from his Ferrari. He gave them a ride back home.

・・・

Camellia was writing words with a bold red marker, littering her floor with written paper. She was writing down the words she had heard all day. Her room was dead quiet, not even the sound of the marker squeaking as she wrote. Then, she heard an unfamiliar car engine, outside the house, amongst the voices. She walked over to her window.

Camellia saw Angelina and Gérard coming out of a Ferrari. The voices suddenly stopped. Camellia experienced pin drop silence for a brief moment. Then, she heard Angelina calling out. "Cam! We're back!" Camellia kept all of the papers into a drawer before she got out of her room.