Fangtown

The Perfect Dress

I wake up in a room filled with dresses and the others are looking at me, relief flooding their faces. I'm lying on a pink couch and I start to get up. Kat is there, helping me up and I notice a black dress. It's poofy but a good poofy, less princess more ballerina and it has a gold bodice with black lace and ribbon. I really like it and Kat sees me looking at it.

"I knew you'd like that one," A woman walks in before stopping and staring at us. "Mrs Reed?" I remember blowing her son's brains out and I remember my promise, tell his mom that he loved her. I walk over to her, feeling guilty but knowing what to say.

"Mrs Reed, I killed your son because he became a vampire," She claps her hand over her mouth and I continue. "He asked me to tell you that he loved you. I really wish I didn't kill him but he tried to kill me," I turn to walk away but she grabs my arm and looks me in the eye as she tries to stab me with scissors. I dodge them and remember the woman I had met who liked me, became friends with mom, this woman isn't her but is her. She wraps her hands around my throat. "I'm sorry, I really am." She squeezes and I see a guard walk in. He raises his gun and shoots her in the head. It's all my fault. Calliope walks over to me, concern written on her face and tries to touch my neck. I step back and walk over to my friends, my family. Kat hugs me, we're both shaking.  A girl walks in, I don't know her and she's talking quietly to Calliope. Calliope nods and points at me. The girl walks over to me and smiles showing no fangs.

"I'm Vasilissa but please call me Vasya," She gestures around at the dresses. "Any that you like?" She has a russian accent and seems to not like vampires that much.

"I like that one." I point at the dress and she walks over to it. She takes it off the mannequin and hands it to me.

"You need to try it on," She points at the bathroom. "In there is the best place. It's private." I walk towards it and close the door. I turn around and almost scream when I see Dante.

"What are you doing here?" I whisper and he hugs me. He stops and kisses me on the forehead.

"Vasya brought me in here with an excuse that my suit did not fit," He touches my neck and the slight pain is gone from the attempted strangling. "She told me she wanted to give you something in return for doing something for her in drama class, any ideas?" I'm about to say no when I remember the exchange student from Russia that I saved from breaking her neck when the Bubblegum Bitches pushed her off the stage and I caught her. She promised to make it up to me and she hugged me a lot.

"I saved her from breaking her neck," I hate myself about not recognizing her. I put my head on his chest, listening the beat of his heart. The beat of his heart. "Do vampires have heart beats?"

"No, why?" I take his hand and hold it to his chest. He looks shocked. "It is not possible, I died and I should not have a heart beat." There's a knock on the door.

"Hurry up, Jaden," Calliope growls. "Or your boys are dead." I know who my boys are and I automatically look for somewhere Dante could hide while I get changed but there isn't anywhere.

"I'll turn around," He turns but notices the mirrors everywhere. "And close my eyes," I quickly put the dress on and look at myself. I really look good in it and it's confirmed by Dante who turns and smiles at me. "Beautiful." He kisses me quickly on the mouth and hides behind the door. I open it and step out, closing the door behind me. My friends blink a couple of times like they don't know me. Calliope blinks as well but it's like I look like someone she loved.

"You look like Jess, your aunt," She looks on the verge of tears but doesn't cry. She looks at Vasya. "Perfect fit. Help her choose a mask, we'll be outside." She leaves with the guards on her heels. Dante opens the bathroom door and walks into the room. Maria runs and hugs her brother, tears streaming down her face. Dante is crying too and their reunion is what I always thought me and Ruby's would be.

"I missed you, sorella," Dante chokes out and Maria realises she's hugging him too tight, probably cracking his ribs. Once Maria releases Dante, he turns Vasya. "How do I get back into my cell?"

"The only way is in a garbage bag or body bag, don't hurt me, Jade," I had crossed my arms without realising and I quickly uncross them. "Or you could brave the sun and use the window to get in."

"What if we just get the guards to drag him out?" Kat is the most logical person in the world but I have the logical reason to not do that.

"They could kill him, then I could become the broken person I used to be," Dante walks towards me and takes my hand, pressing it to his chest. "Or there mightn't be me anymore, there could be an emotionless robot until my body dies." Kat walks over to the door and flings it open.

"Dante escaped, you should take him back," The guards shove her out of the way and she accidentally knocks a knife off the table which gets kicked over to me. I pick it up and press it against the inside of my wrist, not drawing blood. "Jade, what are you doing?"

"You can take him if you promise not to kill him or I'll kill myself," I turn so they can see me, also so I'm still in front of Dante and Calliope looks worried about me, no probably the prospect of not becoming human again. "Your choice, I'd rather not get this dress bloody."

"Don't kill him, just bring him back to his cell with the boys," Calliope orders and all weapons are in holsters so I set down the knife. Calliope picks it up and walks over to me while the guards take Dante away which breaks my heart. She offers me the knife, blocking everyone else's view and I take it, ready for anything. "Kill him before he kills you and bring me down too," She hands me another knife, I don't know where she got it but I don't question it. She leans close to my ear and I notice she's wearing the necklace Grandpa gave her before he drove off a cliff. "Only if you ever loved me or if you pity me." She walks after the guards who all left the room and I show the knives to Kat and Bec, my heart feels heavy but I loved Granny and I pity Calliope so I'm going to kill her.

"Kat, hide them in your boots," I hand them to her and turn to Vasya. "Can I see the masks?"

"No because there's two that go with that dress, so you can look at them," She goes over to a box and takes out two masks. "Choose." One is black lace while the other is gold with black lace flowers. It also has fabric black rose with black feathers.

"The one with the black feathers," She hands it to me and I put it on. I look at a mirror and barely recognised myself except for my green hair of course. "I understand why you guys looked confused when I walked out of the bathroom. I barely recognise myself." The three of them are choosing their masks that goes with their dresses. Kat chooses a gray one with a flower pattern that goes with her gray dress with beads on the bodice. Bec chooses a dark blue lace half mask which goes with the dark blue lace dress she's wearing. Maria chooses a purple and black mask that goes with the purple and black dress she's wearing. We're ready for the Masquerade and I'm ready to save my own life but I'm not sure if I'm ready to kill Calliope and Kazimir, I'm going to find out.