Secret Silver | hiatus

xxi. reflections

"Orange? Or red?" Lucy held one dress in each hand at her sides, biting her lower lip and she looked between the two gowns indecisively.

I shook my head, refraining from rolling my eyes. "Neither."

When I saw her shoulders sulk and disappointment in her eyes, I continued, "Our objective is to blend in as well as we can. Not stand out. The darker the color, the better."

"Yeah," she sighed hanging the dress back where it belonged, "you're right."

The initiation was to be presented in the form of a masquerade ball, which was both beneficial and detrimental to our plan. It would be easy to conceal our identities, but difficult to pick out the enemies.

My fingers ran across the row of dresses, not particularly interested in one. I was always picky, especially when it came to dresses, and it would be difficult to find one equally extravagant and easy to fight in. This little boutique was the only option we had in such little time. Six days until hell broke loose. And we had to dress the part.

Finally, my eyes landed on a black dress peeking out from the corner of the row. I carefully removed it from the rack and held it in front of me.

The satin ballgown was floor-length and had full sleeves made from lace that extended towards the neckline, and there was a silver diamond belt at the waist. It was simple, yet beautiful and elegant.

The long sleeves could be used to conceal weapons, and I could create pockets inside the gown for more gadgets.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lucy squealed, by my side within seconds, startling me. Her eyes were wide and she nodded her head vigorously. "Please try that one on!"

So I did. I found myself in the dressing room with the dress hugging my body, looking better than I'd expected it to. It was a second skin to my curves, but modest enough to not draw attention. The last time I'd worn a dress so fancy was at my mother's promotion dinner, and I couldn't help but wonder what she would've thought of this one.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the room to be met with Oliver and Thomas, who were gracing tuxedos. I didn't bother to look at Thomas, and focused on my friend, who spun around for me to get a look at the entire ensemble.

"What do ya think?" He grinned cheekily, putting all of his weight on his left foot and placing his hands on the flaps of the jacket as if he was a model. Which he easily could have been. The elegant black suit matched his jet black hair, and the blue tie complimented his light eyes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucy's cheeks redden at the sight of him. She was wearing a dark mauve dress similar to mine, but with a plunging neckline and no belt. It was gorgeous on her.

"Perfect," I directed the complement towards Oliver, then looked at Lucy as she tried to recover from her blush, "and you look fantastic, Lucy."

Oliver nodded in agreement, making the poor girl's blush deepen a few shades of red.

"Where's the third musketeer?" Lucy asked, her eyes pleading for me to change the subject.

"Zara, could you go help him out with the tie?" Oliver smirked down at me, knowing too well what he was doing.

"You better stop playing games with me, Fleming," I punched his ribs a little forcefully, eliciting a grunt from him, and walked into the bright dressing room to see Silas standing in front of the large mirror. His hands were fumbling with his tie, and his eyebrows were furrowed as he stared down at his neck.

Taking a deep breath, I managed to walk over to his side.

Since my breakdown after our meeting with Arc, things were... different between Silas and me. Quiet. Not in the awkward way they were before, but it felt as if our silence spoke much louder than our words ever could. I stopped questioning his presence, and he continued to prove himself useful.