Page 34 of The Howl
“Okay. Show me again.”
I picked three different dresses that would cover her neckline and back. When she went to grab them from the racks, I stopped her. I could tell with a glance that those weren’t department store dresses.
“No, you don’t touch the dresses. You wave one of the attendants over. They handle the dresses while showing you to a fitting room. Send me pics of each one, front and back, so I can tell you which works. I better get back to class.”
I’d reached the exit door to the parking lot.
“Thank you,” she said before disconnecting.
I hurried out the door and got in my car, shivering at the chill in the air. I hated lying. It went against everything my father taught me. And the shame I felt at lying to my best friend was even greater. Yet, with everything that Megan was dealing with, I couldn’t tell her my problems. At least, not yet. When she solved the mystery of the troll deaths and came home, then I’d come clean. Deciding that made me feel marginally better.
The first picture from Megan came through before I reached her house. I waited until I pulled into the driveway to look at the dresses. Each one was beautiful on her, just as I’d known they would be. However, of the three she sent me, the rose gold one was the most stunning,
Be sure to pair it with large diamond stud earrings and a soft updo because of the high neckline, I sent.
It didn’t take long for her response.
What exactly does an up do?
You’re hopeless. When you get home, we’re going shopping for a week so I can be assured you’ll not go out looking like a frump.
Frump? When did my grandma get here?
I’m texting Oanen that I need a picture before you walk out the door.
She sent back a laughing face.
With a smile, I got out of my car and let myself into her house. The milk, oats, and honey weren’t that old, but I still changed the concoction out with a fresh batch before making myself comfortable in her living room.
I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt as I wasted away several hours watching TV. I knew in my heart Megan would have cheered me on if I’d told her I’d ditched school and hung out on her couch. When it was close to the time I normally returned to the Quills’, I closed up Megan’s house again and made my way home.
The Quills’ house was unusually quiet when I let myself in through the kitchen. Thanking my luck, I hurried upstairs to my room. My first priority was to check my closet for my cute dresses. If those hadn’t returned, then I would change into some jeans and a new shirt.
Instead of doing either, I stopped just inside my bedroom door and watched Adira turn from the window to face me.
“I’m glad you’re finally home. I hope you used your time wisely and practiced the art of seduction as LuAnn suggested.”
I struggled to form a response that wasn’t a lie.
“You’ll be able to put that practice to use now.” She held out her hand. “Come with me.”
A portal appeared behind her just as her hand closed over mine. With a sickening twist in my stomach, my reality shifted, and I was pulled from my bedroom in Uttira to a bathroom in some club.
I grabbed onto a sink to steady myself. In the mirror, I met Adira’s gaze.
“Take a moment to freshen up,” she said over the thump of music. “I’ll be in the bar area to observe your progress.”
She left me there, disoriented and still clinging to the sink.
It took a moment for my surroundings to really sink in. The faint odor of smoke and alcohol, along with the generic row of sinks and mirrors and floor to ceiling tile with dirty grout lines, told a story of too much partying and very little concern about quality. What kind of place had she brought me to?
I saw the answer when the door opened and three women staggered in, laughing and leaning on each other. Their sparkly tops, light dusting of body glitter, and ample display of cleavage were standard club attire. However, the smeared makeup and drugs they openly traded were not.
I left them to their private party and braved the crowded main room. The scent of lust called to me, leading me to several men who idly watched the dancers on the floor from their places at the bar. Their gazes shifted to me, but I ignored them on my hunt for Adira.
A man stepped in front of me. At over thirty-years-old, his gaze had no business shifting down my top.
“Darling, you’re the stuff my dreams are made of. Tell me what you’re looking for in life, and I’ll make your dreams come true, too.”
