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I smile at both of them. Maybe they are right. Although the reality that I am about to go out to a room full of strangers, who can trace their lineage back to Transylvania and any other ‘vanias’ doesn’t give me confidence.
These guys want the kind of girl that knows how to braise a batwing. Not a chicken wing. There is no way they are going to give me a second glance.
I see girls with bandages wrapped around their heads. Others opt for corsets and mini skirts. One even feeds the snakes on top of her head. I assume it’s to help them behave as she waits for her winning bid. Luckily, the small mice were already dead. I don’t know if I could have stomached a live feeding.
The jewelry in the room is huge, clunky, and mostly gold. If it weren’t for the fangs, snakes, and neck bolts, I would have thought I was at a hip-hop concert. Most designs are snakes, a few crosses, but mostly just large link chains. I wonder how their necks don’t break under the weight?
We form a line from the stage, which stretches back to the back emergency exit door. I’m somewhere in the middle. Veronica is behind me and Carolyn is in front of me. I nervously stand behind the girl with snakes for hair. The cluster of scales politely writhe in various directions.
A few months ago, I would have run screaming in terror. But now I know a gorgon’s ‘pets’ are trained from a young age to mind the whims of the gorgon attached. Those snakes will only hurt me if the girl in front of me wants them to. As far as I can tell she is just as focused on the stage as I am. I’m safe.
I smile at the bit of trivia Chet taught me. He really was a good friend. My stomach punches me with regret. I miss him. I flush a bit when I think about our first time back at my house. Well, Auntie M.’s house. Although, the more entrenched I am in this community, the more the quirky house feels like home. Somewhere along the way, I found a place here. But I’m not entirely sure that place is on a stage in front of an entire community who see me as a freak.
Why did I agree to this?
One by one, the girls take their places center stage. A few catcalls echo through the community center. Especially the girls who opt to wear spiked collars. Alright, an odd thing to cheer for, but no kink shame here.
Carolyn takes the stage. A few wolf whistles ring out. Wolf whistles, is Chet in the audience? Is he cheering on his friends? Is he getting ready to place a bid on Carolyn?
A sudden pang of jealousy knocks me back a bit. I quickly apologize to the girl behind me. I glance at her mummified wrapped beehive hair. Seriously, is this what it feels like to be a high-fashion model?
She side-eyes but I don't care.
“A hundred and ten dollars. Sold to the number eleven on the front row,” the auctioneer announces. I look at Carolyn’s reaction. She isn’t ecstatic, but she seems pleased with her date. I smile at her. It’s a lot of money. I just hope I break fifty dollars.
“Now our next bachelorette is a newer addition to our town. We all know her as the sweet soul who took over Ms. Maria’s cafe. Please welcome to the stage, Miss. Gabriella Perez!”
I step out on the stage. I feel the heat of the spotlight the moment my feet touch the wood floor. My Mary Janes tap slightly as I reach center stage. Thankfully, they switch to regular lights once my entrance is complete. Every girl is getting a dramatic introduction. I suddenly understand why some girls are being so dramatic in their fashion.
With the lights up, I can see the eyes on me. Human, crimson vampire, gold shifter, every variety of color and creed this place has to offer are all staring at me. I feel like a defenseless ant under a hot magnifying glass. I feel even worse when I realize this crowd would probably pay money to see me combust into flames. And I would probably bring more money that way!
“As we mentioned at the beginning, Miss. Perez is the new owner of Ms. Maria’s lovely cafe. Her hobbies include cooking, hiking, and latch hooking.”
I cringe at the last item, why did I put that down on my bio sheet?
“We’ll start the bids at twenty-five dollars?”
I keep a smile on my face when no voices answer. The men in the audience refuse to look at me. Even Dylan keeps his eyes on his hands. I nervously wipe my sweaty palms on my skirt while the silence continues. How do I gracefully get out of this?
“Come on, folks, pity the girl. It’s only a measly lunch. I’m sure she would even cook it for you,” the auctioneer prods. I add an uncomfortable laugh with my nod in agreement. “Do I hear twenty?” the auctioneer calls out with a tinge of desperation in his voice.
I consider just walking off the stage and going home. No sense in holding up the event. “I bid one hundred!” a voice announces from the back. My smile only widens when I realize who it is.
“Sold to the generous man in the back!” the auctioneer replies. Instead of stepping off the stage in defeat I practically skip to Chet. He meets me on the side of the stage and hands the auctioneer a rolled hundred dollar bill. He turns back to me with a self-satisfied smile.
“Always my knight in shining armor,” I tease.
Chet throws a warm confident arm around me. “What can I say, I have a thing for damsels in distress,” he quips.
12
CHET
After our last encounter at the cafe, I’ve done my best to avoid Gabriella. Since I’ve survived this long without her sunny smiles and indomitable spirit, I figure it shouldn’t take too long to put her out of my mind altogether. A shame it hasn’t quite worked out that way yet.
Even without stopping by for my usual visits that have quickly become routine, she dominates my thoughts and dreams. So in the meantime, I’ve taken to running a lot more, spending most of my nights shifted while I exhaust myself, roaming the countryside listlessly. Apparently, I have also developed a pretty short fuse, according to a few of my closest friends.
“Seriously, am I going to have to check you for rabies? You’ve practically gone feral lately, snapping at people left and right,” Veronica retorts sharply at me.
