The Dance of the Keepers

Chapter 5 The Arrival

"Wow."
I breathed, staring at myself in the mirror.

"You outdid yourself Nina."

The older woman beamed with pride. My hair was curled and lifted off my neck in a half bun, my makeup (which had taken the longest) had been done elegantly to accent my pale complexion in a flattering way. There had been no complaints about my corpse like coloring from Nina. Then there was the outfit itself that was comfortable but well fitted. I was completed by a pair of sparkly silver flats, that though they were a half size too small, looked fantastic. I ran my hands over the smooth silk, marveling at the finery.

There was a knock at the door and Nina answered it for me.

"Good evening Keeper Kyle."
She said politely.

I turned round to face my mentor and offered a smile. He stopped dead in his tracks and simply stared at me. I wished I could have seen more than his eyes just at that moment.

"You look,"
His voice trailed off.

"Very nice."
He finished, seeming to recover himself.

"Well, that's the understatement of the year."
Nina stated with a look of disapproval.

"Are you ready to go? We don't want to chance being late."
Kyle asked, ignoring the servant.

I grabbed the light shawl off the couch that matched my outfit and draped it over my shoulders.

"Yes, I'm ready."

He held the door open for me as we exited into the hall where Kairos, Teagan, presumably Randon, and another Keeper were disappearing into the elevator.

"Have fun dear!"
Nina called after me.

Kyle knocked on Vienna and Jasper's doors and the two emerged looking quite sharp. Jasper wore a traditional black and white suit with a tie, his raven hair combed back, and shiny dark dress shoes on his feet. I couldn't say he looked very happy about the getup but it was far more attractive than his normal geeky trend. Vienna wore a pale yellow dress that was silk with a lace overlay and came down just past her knees. Her hair was done in an intricate up twist and she wore a set of small lemon colored heels.

"You look lovely."
I told her with a smile.

She blushed and shook her head.

"Not half as lovely as you."

I rolled my eyes, there was little chance of that. Even in this outfit, I couldn't compete with my lovely blonde friend. The four of us stepped into the elevator and descended to the ground level where our own personal limo was waiting to carry us to the Winter Palace. I refrained from chewing on my fingernails (a nervous habit) seeing as Nina had just filed and painted them so nicely for me.

"What are we supposed to do when we arrive?"
I asked Kyle.

"I wish I knew, I've been given as little information about this whole escapade as you three."

I didn't find that comforting in the least. The limo wound it's way through the streets of Los Eres, passing shopping malls, homes and grocery stores. It was all so modern and fancy to me, it was like another world compared to what I had grown up in, and despite my attractive outfit, I felt terribly out of place.

That was nothing compared to the feeling in the pit of my stomach as we rolled up to the guard house, ten feet away from the invisible steel wall that surrounded the palace. The driver spoke with guards, who in turn poked their heads in to ensure we weren't bringing along any extra persons, and then waved us in.

The limo cruised forward at a leisurely pace and I pressed my nose up against the window to see the view. There was a long row of blooming cherry trees lining either side of the driveway, rose bushes growing at the bottom of the trunks. The grass was a cheery shade of green, clipped close to the ground and I could spot a maze of hedges off to the far left, that seemed to be trimmed into different shapes and figures.