Ascending

Chapter Six

"Nickole!" Ana yells sharply over her shoulder. "You were right. I need the color correcter."

Ana holds my chin between her thumb and fingers examining my face. "All due respect Princess. But what the hell did you do last night? These bags under your eyes are tragic."

I don't tell her about the sob fest of the entire bottle of champagne I drank. Which didn't fare well at two in the morning after I ate all the food I ordered.

"She was probably out all night partying!" Brady says running a brush through my hair.

I just nod and stare into the mirror. My face hurts and so does my body. I haven't spoken to the boys since I kicked them out yesterday. The ball that signifies the end of the conference is at eight, I know that I'll see them tonight. It's noon and the team got here an hour ago.

It's going to take me a while to look presentable. So I let them work. I'm not able to doze with my face being sculpted my hair being styled. But I can daydream. I close my eyes and try to find some peace.

The winter islands. My mother's parents live there. My nana loves to ski, but my papa and I are all about having lodge days. We dress in our best winter mountain outfits and sit in front of the the the biggest window watching people ski down the mountain while drinking coffee and eating souffle.

The fantasy doesn't last long though. I'm pulled back into my reality far too quickly. My hair is being curled into tight ringlets with a twist wrapped around the back of my head and it burns the back of my neck once they're released from the iron.

I focus on what Ana is doing to my face in there mirror instead. Unlike the past two days, my makeup is subtle. A warm brown covers my eyelids and my lips are colored a natural pink.

By the time they finish, I still have an hour to spare before the ball starts. A couple of servants help me into my dress, as not to damage my hair or makeup. It's an apricot orange dress with brown glass beading around my waist and at my neck. The skirt is long and clings to my legs. It fans out onto the floor when I stand still. But when I spin the skirt flies out like an ejected parachute. These dresses are the best for dancing.

I walk down to the courtyard where the event will be taking place. The bricks have been swept and lights have been strung above our heads. Long rectangular tables line either side with food and drinks. Smaller circular tables are scattered about, and there are four elevated ones with golden tablecloths instead of yellow ones. I walk out to the center of the cleared dance floor and spin in a slow circle.

A few servants stop to watch me before remembering their place and continuing with their work. I tip my head towards the sky and the twinkling lights slide in and out of focus. The tiny lamps are casting the entire area in a warm glow.

"You look like you're on fire."

I look towards the place where Felicity is standing. "I was going for dessert."

"Then why is your tiara made of flames?"

My tiara is twisted glass to match the beads of my dress. But it does resemble a leaping fire. "I didn't mean to steal your theme."

Felicity looks like a candle. The top of her dress is pure white, fading from yellows to oranges, going all the way down to blue at the very hem. The dress is gorgeous, she has no business wearing such a thing while pregnant. It's infuriating.

Felicity cocks her head, she's trying to read me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just perfect," I reply. "The dances have always been my favorite part."

"I know." She nods. "So why are you so upset?"

"I'm not," I reply quickly. Too quickly.

"It's all right to have feelings you know." She says taking a step towards me.