Lion's Gift

Chapter 21

Two Months Later (August Eighteenth, Vivienne's Sixteenth Birthday)

"No! The streamers go over there! My god... Yes, now the banner, above the chandelier, and don't mess it up! It's worth at least triple your yearly salary. The balloons go there, there, and by the other tables, and make sure to get the new cloth for the tables! Ma'am doesn't like this orange one; a blue one will match the theme much better. After that, arrange for the catering, they are still wondering what time they are supposed to set up. Write the number in the contacts, idiot, not the guest list! God, I need more competent people,"

I sit in the corner of the grand hall my dad booked for my birthday celebration in the afternoon, listening to the organizers we hired bicker and yell out orders in a mix of Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, and even a little Sanskrit, fixing things to perfection. Many of my relatives from all over the world are coming for my sixteenth birthday, kin from every continent except Antarctica. Three days after my day out with Caspian and Belle, I went to India with my mom, dad, and brother and we stayed for a little less than two months, just returning home about five days ago with both sets of my grandparents, though they are leaving right after my birthday party.

The hall my father booked is in the closest city to our small town, about twenty minutes away from the northwest border. The organizers have about thirty minutes before people start arriving. The entryway is very posh, with marble tiling, grand mosaics on the high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, luxurious furniture, and well-trained staff always ready. We booked out the entire building, with areas for the reception, kids' party, adults' party, teens' party, and a large lounge. The whole area is covered in blue decorations, ranging from sea-foam blue to navy blue, robin egg's blue and royal blue, turquoise, and ocean blues and greens. Specially bought cream and sea-foam blue furniture line the rooms, and even the staff are dressed in blue dresses and coats of their choice.

I am wearing a long Indian lehenga skirt that reaches my ankles, with different layers of peacock blue and green with a gold trim on the bottom. The top is a deep royal blue with gold and silver wave designs on the trim, rising up in the back, and covers my shoulders but leaves my arms open, covering my stomach like a crop top, leaving my belly button bare. It doesn't show much of my muscles, so I'm very much comfortable in my attire. My chunni, a long veil-like scarf, is an ocean-blue net with the same gold and silver wave pattern on the border and it is pinned to my left shoulder, reaching down to the edge of my skirt.

I wear no make up besides a little lotion for my hands, and I have my hair out in waves, down to my knees, with a small crown made of the top portion of my hair, making a mini crown with the rest of my hair flowing down, and a small diamond flower pinning it together. In my ears I wear ornate gold earrings with emeralds and sapphires my grandma gifted me along with the matching necklace, and they both aren't too heavy. In my nose a gold ring the size of a water bottle cap is fixed in, with a gold chain hooked into the hair behind my ear.

On my arms I wear a few gold bangles and on my ankles I wear silver and diamond anklets, not like the ones I use for dance, but much more fragile and small ones. To finish up the look, my mother insisted I wear the gold heels that she bought me, with studded diamonds and block heals that raise my height to six feet. I have practiced for a while and I can proficiently spar in heels if needed, so I can walk with grace, elegance, and poise amongst my family today.

I look around the room while the preparations continue. Large windows open to a balconies with a view of the city line against the sky, mountains in the far distance. The walls are a seafoam blue in honor of my birthday, and many round furnished dark oak tables sit in rows on the far side of this room, the reception room. Blue balloons in every shade lurk around every corner while a few doors lead in and out of the kitchen, where private chefs will prepare food for everyone. The floor is black and white marble, giving a nice look to the entirety of the room.