Knife's Edge

Chapter 10 ◈ Fancy Casual Birthdays

"Tuesday, March 23. Sergea— No wait, chief's log. It's Ella's birthday today. Now, under normal circumstances, this would be an uneventful day for me since I'd be at home doing some mundane activity and she'd call me up the day after about how tasty my gift is. Last year was a tray of baklava. I planned to bring a tower of croquembouche this year, but these aren't normal circumstances. Now, I have to mull over what to wear to a white-tie event."

I paused the recording using my watch and ran the faucet once more, splashing my face with ice-cold water intensified by the minty sensation left behind by my face wash. My eyes met their reflection in the mirror and for a moment, it almost looked as though their rounded brown copies asked them if they're really sure about doing this.

"I'll probably make a fool out of myself later. But eh, fuck it, I guess."

Tried my best with what little makeup I had in my bathroom. Slathered some concealer – which was likely to have been expired for well over a year now – here and there, painstakingly blending it to make it seem like it matched my fair olive skin. A hint of pink on my cheeks and a touch of gold on the outer edges of my lids. Stole – I mean borrowed – Nala's graphic liner and had a go at drawing (at least, trying to) two black lines. After the third wipe of my makeup remover, I just gave up on the thing entirely.

No one said eyeliners are a must in events like these, right?

A tinkling beep – it was my phone.

- Jiro's gonna pick you up in 20. Also, don't be too fussy with how you look, yeah? You might make my outfit look like rags – kidding. See you in a minute!

Beside it was my invitation. An ebony black, rectangular envelope – whose golden wax seal had already been cracked into two after I opened it – which contained a neatly-folded, translucent plastic where the details of the event were inscribed in iridescent grey.

It's Ella's 24th birthday today. Usually, she and her father host these grand birthday bashes that would make it seem like it's the last party they'll ever have – last year they rented an entire waterpark and they invited no less than a hundred guests. One has never seen more exorbitant spending on seven-foot-tall cakes and grand museum halls than Ella's birthday parties. And of course, her parties wouldn't be complete if her boyfriend wasn't there.

Or wait, is it her fiancé actually? I don't know how arranged marriages work. I mean, he does accompany her every time his schedule permits it and they exchange cringe-inducing endearments when they've had a few chugs of whiskey so I guess he counts as a boyfriend? Plus, he hasn't really proposed to her anyway – maybe a pseudo-boyfriend then.

This is getting off-topic.

This year – for some reason that Ella's yet to discuss with Ivy and that Nyx already knows – he bailed. And now, I have to fill his shoes because Ella – and I quote – doesn't want to stand around surrounded by people she either barely knows or absolutely loathes all by herself. That is why I am now standing in front of my carnage of a closet looking for a half-decent outfit. "What does fancy casual even mean?" I thought aloud, recalling what Ella told me yesterday when I asked her about the dress code.

I glanced at my watch. Ten minutes left – shit. I grabbed my only pair of white slacks from its hanger, tossed on a white cropped top that could pass as a bra if it weren't for its satin shine, and took Nala's emerald green pseudo-kimono coat that had dragons embroidered on it with fine silver threads. "Nala can pull off these things. Surely it would work on me, right?" Checked myself out from head to toe in the mirror, winking as some sort of self-approval, before dashing for the door, making sure I had my invitation and keys in my bag as well as my suede green kitten heels.