Rouge's Trail

VIII

November's POV

Marathon, Ontario, Canada

Sofia brushed a soft pink color onto the upper cheeks of her twin, Isabella smiling as the soft dollar store brush caressed her cheek. They had made a quick run to the store earlier and now had to make themselves as desirable as possible.

I admired how well the twins got along. It was like they needed each other to fully function. Once Sofia finished Isabella's make up, she jumped onto the bed to allow Isabella to apply a gorgeous smokey eye to her pale lids. It went well with her tight, dark purple dress. Sofia wore one that was just a shade darker then her actual skin tone. Both walked expertly in higher then life heels.

Unable to watch two people getting along so well for long, I picked up the bag of supplies I had bought myself at the store and went into the bathroom.

Makeup wasn't something I was taught when I was young like the girls were. My mother didn't have access to much, we were lucky to have had what we had. Especially after dad died. Our keepers didn't offer us much.

Picking up the lipstick reminded me of when I was taught. It reminded me of him.

My hand was shaking so bad when I brought the tube up to my lips that I had to put it back down. My eyes looked almost red in the mirror from the tears I refused to cry. I haven't cried in years. Not in real life.

Sucking in a breath, I managed to put on the rest of the make up. Eyebrows filled in, acne concealed, lips glossed, eyes glamoured, and highlight shining, I picked up the dress I had gotten back in Canada almost a month ago.

It was black but the top part was off shoulder and tight to keep everything together. The sleeves were long and lace, making them slightly irritating to the skin but very fashionable and a little sexy to look at. It was short and fit like a second skin. I knew everyone else would approve. I released my hair from the braid I had pulled it into earlier to make it a full look.

I strutted out of the room on the heels they had bought. I didn't have a choice in the matter but they were tall enough to make me almost Ajax's height and the same shade of black as the dress. 

Ajax was leaned against a wall to the side, his party outfit ready almost an hour ago. A pair of black dress pants and a button down blue shirt that was buttoned down to show the smallest bit of chest hair. He doesn't have much opportunity to shave but Isabella seems to like it just fine. Maybe chest hair has a certain appeal?

The twins stood and spun in front of Ajax, looking for the approval that they both looked good. He smiled warmly at each of them, eyes dancing with mischief. His hands reached out and grabbed one of theirs, holding them high to twirl before holding them in a friendly grasp.

Ajax might have something extra going on with Isabella but him and Sofia are close. They have all been together for years. Long before Sofia met me that day years ago. I remember so much about that day.

Sofia had her hair up in a bun, low on her neck and close to her grey jacket. The jacket was very required in the Russian weather. She was 13 and I was 16. A child helping someone who thought she was so grown up. Ajax and Isabella didn't accept me at first. Ajax, being a year younger then me, didn't like the prospect of having someone older around to take control of their little group. I didn't want that, though.

I just wanted to hide in peace.

"You look good, too."

I looked up at Ajax. He was still holding the twins and they were smiling at me. I returned the smile but didn't reply. Ajax still hasn't really accepted me. Not like they have.

Maybe that's a good thing. Once we find the haven, who knows what will happen to our little group. We have no idea what we're walking into. 

It's best not to be too attached.

"Our window is closing," I looked at the digital clock on the bed stand. It was almost midnight. "If we're going to meet up with Sofia's man then we had better hurry. He leaves at dawn."

Sofia and Isabella released Ajax, Sofia first then her sister. Ajax gave me an annoyed look before brushing past me on his way out the door. Sofia placed a necklace that had a small knife concealed in the head of a dragon around her neck. It was too small to kill a man on its own so it was jam packed with aconite. Isabella put on her matching one, this one shaped like a phoenix.

I thought back to my dagger, lost somewhere in that woman's house back in the Jade Forest. We got all of our weapons at the same place at the same time. They found theirs right away but I couldn't decide between all of the choices. There were vials of poison that could kill a man in half a second, knives made out of vampire teeth, a gun that tranquilized lycans. So many choices that were all lethal in their own ways.

But I chose the dagger. It had belonged to the shop owner's daughter. She died trying to save her mother from a vampire. That was how I decided-

If I was gonna die, I'd die saving my mother.