Les Belles: Growing Pains

Chapter Eight

Theodore was officially returned to the living world and Christmas had begun, along with the annual Lebellen family dinner. As the only son in a family of three children, Douglas had taken it upon himself to host the dinner after his father died and his mother moved into a smaller home. By six o'clock, Blaise and Jade were being introduced to two different sets of aunts and uncles, four cousins and their spouses or partners, and a few little children. Even Lux was overwhelmed. Heather and Theodore had never mentioned all this. 

They were all dressed in their very finest. Ellen was a dazzling, glittering hostess, and Douglas had elegance to match. Blaise had put on a eyeliner just to confuse and anger the posh, uptight guests, and Jade had stolen a bunch of Lucille's old jewelry. Even Lux wore a dress. 

Just to keep Lux worried about things other than the Lebellens, Blaise winked and announced he was going to mingle before disappearing into the crowd. He soon found himself having a conversation with Lux's Aunt Karen, her husband Richard, and her sister Mary and Mary's boyfriend, Mark. It took Blaise a while to realize that their complaints about the Christmas gifts they had already received were serious, but once he did he decided to play along. 

"A small diamond," Karen made a disgusted face then gestures to the large jewels hanging from her ears. "Do I look like a small diamond person to you?"

"Not in the slightest," Blaise replied, biting his tongue before saying that, by the looks of her husband, she did like a certain something to be a smaller size. Blaise caught Lux's eye in the crowd and grinned. 

"Doug said you're Muslim," Mark said, holding an empty glass of wine. From the stench of his breath, Blaise figured it had been refilled one time too many. 

He sensed trouble ahead. He quickly glanced around to find Lux to make sure she wasn't anywhere near, but she was already making her way over to him. 

Blaise cleared his throat. "No, not really. My mom is, though."

"Your sister, too, right?" Richard laughed. "The child bride?"

Blaise's face burned. He opened his mouth to protest before Lux appeared at his side. 

"What child bride?" Lux asked, smiling and clearly trying to seem pleasant. Blaise dared not look at her. 

Richard laughed again. "Just a little joke between me and Blaise. They sell off girls over in... Saudi Arabia, is that where you said you're from?"

"My mother's from there," Blaise corrected, trying to be patient. "My sister and I were born and raised in France."

"Oh yes! Doug told us," Mary smiled sweetly. "And thank God, too. You're one of the civil ones."

"One of the civil ones?" Lux echoed coldly. All politeness was gone from her face. She was back to being the cool-headed soldier that hunted the worst of Paris. Blaise couldn't blame her. He was swept along in his own anger as well. He was so sick of being treated like a child by these people. Who did they think he was, Lucille Lebellen?

That last thought was why Blaise let Lux march off, and how he knew she was going to find her father. It was also why Blaise threw his remaining wine in Aunt Mary's sweet little face.

***

Meanwhile, Jade mostly hung in the back with Heather or drifted to the couch to find Theodore, who was forbidden from walking around too much by the worried Lily Parker. She tried to avoid talking to anyone that seemed too stuffy or had drank too much wine. She bit her tongue as she overheard talk of politics and decided to keep her mouth shut by stuffing it full of shrimp. That was what Jade was busy doing when she heard a twack against the wall and shyly peeked her head around the corner, where the party was less crowded.