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"I'm Madeline," she responds, and I notice her perfect, French-manicured nails.
"How did you know it's my first time?" I ask. I need to know not to repeat my mistakes.
"Oh, it's just...that look on your face." She shakes her head slightly as if telling meIt's nothing to worry about. "You look like a lamb surrounded by wolves."
Do I? I start panicking immediately, and my throat goes dry.
"Don't worry." She calms me down, watching my reaction. "You're not alone. It's the main celebration of the year. A lot of young vampire girls came for the first time."
It doesn't calm me down. Those girls are vampires since birth whose parents waited for their twenty-first birthday before presenting them to the public. They are young and naïve, while I was born as a human almost three hundred years ago. I'm technically only twenty-five, but I'm an old maid compared to those pretty young girls.
But Madeline doesn't need to know that. I hope she won't ask, while I'll try to keep my mouth shut.
"Are you here with your family?" she asks casually.
Calm down; it's just socialite talk, I tell myself and smile, hoping she won't notice my worries.
"They couldn't come, unfortunately, so I'm here alone." I shrug, trying to figure out how to change the subject.
What else can I talk about? Whether? Politics? Bullshit, no one cares about that stuff at events like this. Moreover, I know nothing about politics. The only thing I can talk about confidently is books.
"That's so awful, honey." She makes a face full of pity. "It's your first ball; they should've supported you." She exhales as if she cares, which I doubt is true. She’s just trying to seem nice.
The most dangerous are those who pretend they want to be your friend.Raphael's words arise in my head right away. If he only knew what I’ve gotten myself into five minutes after getting in here—drawing too much attention with that champagne glass and getting into a conversation about personal stuff. He would be outraged.
"But don't worry," Madeline continues, interrupting my thoughts, "I'm sure they'll be busy with other important stuff."
"They are." I nod, thinking about my late parents. They must be in heaven now. They were good people. They'd probably die again if they knew that their kids had been turned into vampires, the kind of monsters who’d murdered them.
"And what exactly do they do?" she asks again with a slight smile.
This woman, why is she being so inquisitive? Please somebody help me.
"Mother!" some girl exclaims loudly as she rushes to us with excitement written all over her face. She's young, thin, and pretty, like a little copy of Madeline.
"Don't shout, Margaret," Madeline hisses angrily. "Where are your manners?"
Here we go. I thought she'd save me from this unpleasant conversation, but I guess I'll have to deal with both of them now.
"It's just..." Margaret starts but stops, looking at me.
Her mother introduces us to each other, and we exchange a smile. Then Madeline says quietly, "What's wrong?"
"I heard Leonardo is looking for a wife!" Margaret exclaims once again, and her mother shushes her anew.
"Who told you that?" Madeline asks, and I see a hint of frustration on her face. It seems like they have already forgotten about me.
Can I leave now? Or would that be rude?
"I overheard two gossip girls talking about Carrisi's family and their plans for the future."
"What if it's Darius who needs a wife?" Madeline's eyes glitter with anticipation.
"Who needs Darius? He's old! Leonardo is hot!" Margaret whines in response.
"Darius is a copy of his brother, slightly older, but he's only thirty-six; it's the best age for marriage." Madeline cuts her off immediately. She raises her hand to wipe that dissatisfied expression from Margaret's face. "Moreover, he's the new head of Saint Philip. What an honor it would be to give my daughter in marriage to such a man."
Margaret pouts her lips but says nothing.
