The Last Wild Flower

011| Prelude to the first bloom

Silver eyes.

Why hadn't I ever asked for his last name?

I know why, because I'm that socially-inept.

So now here we were, looking at each other for what could have been the first time. We'd shared something in the last few weeks, but with a look, were reverted to strangers all over again.

And I had been worried about Cole figuring me out.

I'm relieved when he breaks eye contact first, because I didn't know how long I could have kept that going. I'm still sitting next to Galvin Fitz, who is saying something to me now in a placid tone, when Lincoln walks away from the bar, down the steps, and disappears from my line of sight.

"We'll have several of those stuffed lobsters," The plump man was saying to a waiter, "Oh, and more wine. Keep the wine flowing!"

I took that as my cue, and got up with the intention of going anywhere that wasn't this table.

"Whoa, we're you going sugar, we haven't even made it through the entree." He proceeded to wave a goblet-covered hand over the table. Even after all that I'd eaten, it was still stacked with food. So this man really likes to eat. I wonder if that's the sort of thing that Alderidge was looking for?

I pivot, and march forward into the sea of dancing limbs, completely ignoring the sounds of protest behind me. It's not easy to make way through a packed dance floor, because as soon as I can see an opening, the body of another person shields it, leaving me trapped once more.

As I'm pushing through, I wonder if Lincoln is here somewhere in the crowd. Or maybe he'd headed for the exit, and was driving off as it occured to me. I don't know which I would prefer.

When I finally manage to cross the other side of the room, the food that I was force-fed threatens to rush back up. Bathroom. Were are the bathrooms?

A loud group of women pass me, and I overhear one of them mention the 'powder room.' Logically, the powder room and the bathroom would be located in the same vicinity, so I follow them.

Beyond the main floor, and away from the chaos of the Garden, there is a large archway leading to a wide hall. On opposite corners, two doors are located. The group of women ahead of me takes the right one, so I do the same.

Upon opening the door, I catch sight of what appears to be a stting room decorated with elegant sofas and a coffee table. And just ahead of that, an entire wall is covered in mirrors with glowing lights, and multiple chairs are aligned against a long marble counter. Each individual section of the long table is decorated with a bouquet of white flowers. Another door is burst open, and from it emerges Alexa with her cane.

She's laughing at something the girl behind her has said, but catches sight of me almost immediately. "Charlie." She grins, and heads for me with open arms."Oh, I'm so glad to see you again."

"Me too," I say, hugging her back.

She draws back, to take in my disheveled appearance, no doubt. "Charlie, what on Earth are you wearing?"

She looks thirteen in that dress." Says the curly brunette next to her, with disapproval in her eyes. I notice that she is wearing a strapless black dress with a lot of cleavage. "And the braces don't help her cause." I hear her murmur under her breath.

"Not that," Alexa is shaking her head," I meant that there's chocolate syrup on it."

Shoot, Julie's going to kill me. I think.

But looking down, it doesn't seem that noticeable, Alexa probably has twenty-twenty vision.

"Oh, it's totally horrible," the brunette says. "Like I would die, if I were seen looking like that." One of the women sitting by the wall of mirrors nods her head, and 'mhm's in agreement. The others just stare  at me like if I weren't human, but something from a laboratory.

I want to say something defensive, but settle on an exhale. It's always easier to let it go.

"It's not something I can't fix," Alexa murmurs with a reassuring smile, and then sends the waiter-there's a waiter in here-to fetch some stuff from her hotel room.

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With Alexa Hughes' astonishingly fast outfit-assembling skills, I manage to slip out of Julie's dirty dress, and into a pink sequin top and flowy skirt very quickly. She even ties my hair back with a silk bow.

"I thought we were trying to make me look older?" I ask, referring to the bow. We're now standing in the sitting room, with clothes scattered on the sofas. The other women cleared out when a famous singer was rumored to have arrived.

"I think this look suits you perfectly" She says thoughtfully, leaning against her cane. "I'd call it: toned down harajuku."

I nod my head, deciding to take her word for it. Then I begin to pick up the mess we'd made, but Alexa stops me, and the waiter does it instead.

"Thank you," I turn to her, with gratitude. "For today, and for Wednesday."

She smiles brightly. "My pleasure." We begin to walk out of the 'powder' room, and back into the nightlife of the Garden. "Oh, and Charlie?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to be your stylist, if that's alright with you."

"Does this have anything to do with the chocolate syrup?" I ask, half-joking, as we reemerge into the crowded dance floor.

"Not at all," She stammers, and then adds, "I imagine you live your life differently. But in here, people are shallow and they will judge you based on how you look on the outside."

I meet her careful gaze. "It doesn't matter to me-what people say, I mean."

"I know, but in the Garden, what people think of you holds value." I think she's going to elaborate, but her eye finds something, and suddenly she's marching forward, using her cane to clear a path. It looks like she's headed for one of the tables in the back, and I decide to follow her.

I really wish I hadn't.

There are only two people seated around this table, and no, it's not Fitz and his dazed wife. Rather, Asher with his pale blonde hair, and a dark blazer. He's staring somberly into the distance. A chair apart from him sits Lincoln, also staring off, but more like he's calculating something.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Adam showed up out of the blue with a big smile, and asked me to dance with him.

I don't get enough time to observe them, because they notice Alexa approaching their table, and then me trailling behind her.

Two sets of eyes bore down on me, and all I can do is cross my arms to keep me from running in the opposite direction.

****A/N: So you probably noticed this chapter is much shorter, and that's b/c I'm thinking of publishing 2x a week, and it would make it easier if my word count weren't as high as it's been.
Thank you! As always, please let me know what you think, and vote if you liked the chapter :)