“Put me out?” I laughed.
“Mmm hmm… Enough for him to threaten to keep you locked away so nobody can see you but him. Are you calling our best friends? My girls?”
I wanted to laugh at the idea of Lovely claiming Asha, Souxie, Isis, and now Ayira as her best friends, but instead I shrugged.
“I think…I just want to be with…my family,” I said. Bellamy smiled. Lovely gasped while Carmilla rolled her eyes. The man with her said nothing as he licked his lips. He was going to bea problem but nothing I couldn’t handle. It felt more like an attraction than anything sinister from him.
“Ignore him, Maggie. His connection to you is unhealthy because of Wilhelmina’s failed experiments…a piss poor excuse for a progeny belonging to Carmilla.” Bellamy said with a wave of his hand. “It’s unfortunate Auntie is not here to ask why his connection to you is stronger than any of us…but I guess another mystery for another day, right Milly?”
“Shut up, Bellamy.”
“You were there, helping Wilhelmina, right? You remember–––”
“I said shut up!”
I was going to respond when Lovely held my arms out, spreading my legs shoulder length apart. I could feel my body tingle with chills as she came around to pull my thick hair up. I wasn’t sure of the type of magic or charm this was, but she pulled out a small box with locks and latches on it. Sitting it down on the floor, she said a word I never heard of as it expanded to the size of a fully loaded trunk. One by one, she poured through different outfits I was made to try on.
Before I knew it, I was standing naked in a black seamless thong, and tired breasts unfortunately drooped freely as I tried to push them up with my arm. Lovely yelled for my hands to be out until one by one, I was made to try on different white dresses. Strapless, mini, bodycon, gowns, everything you could think of. That is, until we landed on a dress that barely covered my body. My sides and back were out with a simple tie around my neck. It barely covered my thighs as the white heels wrapped around my ankles and tied into a bow on each side. Lovely tied my hair back, slicking it with gel and a brush until it was in a tight bun. My skin glowed with some sort of gold cream shemade me put on. She said it would help with my lack of scent or mask it. My makeup was light except for the smokey eyes and plump lips and suddenly, I found myself fully put together. She gave me a white chewable pill that caused fresh breath like I’d been brushing my teeth for hours.
“Brotherrrr ohhh brotherrr!” Bellamy sang as he grinned at me.
“He’s seen me in a dress and heels before,” I said as Lovely continued to fuss over my edges with a toothbrush. “It’s not like I haven’t gone out.”
“Yes, but he hasn’t seen you like this before. No one has. If you’re going to make a statement to the Underground and represent our family, you need to look like this… Desired, wanted, money, sex…”
“Represent our family?” I repeated. Dorian kept his eyes on me while Carmilla tried her hardest to stand in front of his view.
“Mmmm hmmm,” Lovely hummed as she stood in front of me, still trying to fix my hair. When we locked eyes, she smiled like I made her the happiest person in the world just from looking at her. “What is it cousin? You have a question for me, yes?”
“You are Andrew’s daughter which would make my grandfather…your Uncle?”
“Mmm hmmm…”
“Which would make you a first cousin once removed…”
“Sure,” she chirped.
“So how old are you, really?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Why do you ask?”
It was worth a shot of asking.
“Do you remember what it was like growing up, or…maybe your first taste of blood?”
Her face became still as I saw the horror flash across her eyes like she was seeing the flashback in real time. Suddenly she broke into a small smile and continued to fuss at my hair.
“There is a reason I always pretend to be so happy and cheerful…whimsical and maybe even a little childish in thinking everything is just fine…fine! FINE!” She suddenly let out with a laugh before sighing. “If you lie long enough to yourself, you start to believe it to be true.”
“But you’ve probably seen everything,” I whispered, wondering exactly how far back her age goes.
“I had a few siblings that I watched die… I cannot have children and any attempt at dying is futile…I’ve tried… The only way to go when you’re ready to leave this hellhole is to starve or do it yourself and even then…”
“Oh…” I let out, hating how dark the conversation suddenly turned.
“That is why I am so…thankful for you being related to me, to us… You are the last bit of life left in our clan. You make it possible for us to want to feel alive again.”
I nodded, unsure of how to respond to that.
