Acacia
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
Emotions unaccustomed
Compelling me to acquiesce
To forfeit a life of solitude
And omit all of my regrets
As I curled up on the mattress, scrawling my latest poem into the pen-covered pages of my notebook, I couldn’t help but let out a dreamy sigh.
Even though nearly five minutes had passed since my encounter with Dante, my heart continued to race, pumping water through my veins at an incredible speed. Never had I ever anticipated someone asking me to go on a date. I had always thought it to be... absolument ridicule. Yet, the Italian man, my l'ange déchu, had done the opposite of what I’d always expected.
How? How could a creature so... so torturé et merveilleux ever have time to spare even a sliver of feelings for me? I was worse than the rest of the club. Though they all could hide, don disguises and the like, my complexion would never cease to give me away.
While everyone in this club was just as strange as myself, I would always be a freak, a banni, because of my strange appearance. Without my “medication” from Paris, I would never be able to rid myself of my curse.
However, it wasn’t the time to dwell on my negative thoughts or the possibility of a romance. The hour was soon approaching, the sun slowly ticking closer to the highest point in the sky, and, with a curse, I jolted out of bed, hastily trying to make myself presentable for Colette’s little tea party.
Giving up, I stuffed my notebook under the mattress, racing out the door and up the stairs to the third level, ignoring the clenching in my stomach as I changed altitudes. Breathing heavily, I rapped loudly on her door, the blue-haired vampire answering it almost immediately.
“How lovely it is that you’ve showed up just in time for—” she began, her smile faltering as she eyed my muddy clothes. “Oh, dear. I hope you didn’t intend on wearing that... attire.” Though she tried to hid it, her disgust was evident, and, immediately, I felt ashamed. “No matter. Come, I’ll lend you a dress, just as I promised, though I’d imagined you’d have brought your own by the way tried to decline.”
Remaining silent, I knew it would do no good to argue, and, as she ushered me to her closest, I felt my heart plummet to my stomach.
Rows upon rows of ornate, colorful dresses. Just what I needed.
Hiding a groan, I allowed Colette to place a frilly, ivory gown in my arms, staring down at it with an eyebrow raised.
“Yes, that one should do nicely. Go on, you may use the powder room next door. Hurry, now! I wouldn’t want you to miss out on any of the activities!” she instructed cheerfully, pushing me softly into the hall. Sighing, I obeyed begrudgingly, figuring it would be best to get it over with.
Once I stripped off my damp jeans and shirt, I peered into the mirror, pursing my lips as I gently prodded the thick, green vines that crawled across my stomach, climbing from the balls of my feet and up my legs, their texture rough compared to the smooth, soft skin of my stomach.
Yet another thing that separated me from the others.
Sighing yet again, I hesitantly slipped on the dress, relieved the zipper went the whole way up with ease; after all, the vampire was considerably smaller than I was, though I supposed she had enough dresses to open a small store and the sizes to stock it.
After I was certain the dress was secure, I dared a peek in the mirror, dreading the result.
It was just as I’d feared.
“Je ressemble à une boule de coton,” I scoffed, a small smile creeping onto my lips. With pale blue stripes and an enormous gray bow, the knee-length dress screamed bégueule prima donna.
Shrugging, I tossed my filthy clothes under the sink, fully intent on retrieving them at a later time.
By the time I reentered Colette’s room, all of the other ladies, all clad in equally fancy dresses, had arrived and were currently sitting around a quaint table. Taking the incentive to do so, I took the last remaining seat beside Karin and Ela, feeling unbelievably awkward.
“Nice dress, Veggie Girl,” Ela sneered, plucking at the bow. “It makes you look a little moldy.”
“Ne commencez pas avec moi, cerveau de pigeon,” I snapped, slapping her hand away. “Je n'ai pas de temps pour vos insultes inutiles.” Incredible, how a simple sentence could ruin my good mood in a heartbeat.
“Ladies, please, do not fight,” Colette pleaded, resting a hand on each of our shoulders. “This is a time for relaxing and bonding. Please, try to get along.” Grumbling, we hastily agreed not to argue anymore, and, satisfied, Colette smiled, releasing her hold.
After ten minutes, the fille de poulet fled the room, leaving the rest of us to fare against the Victorian vampire’s outrageous politeness. Throughout the tea, Karin was the only one I bothered to talk to, the others ignoring me for almost the entire time. Though I hadn’t pegged her to be the kind of person I’d get along with, she was easy to relate and talk to, and, surprisingly enough, I enjoyed our conversations about frivolous ideals. Just as it had been with Akira a few weeks ago in Transylvania, it was refreshing to talk about unimportant matters.
Though so timid and fragile
A girl who’d be only mild
Provided carefree conversation
To break free from the wild
While I’d been terribly opposed to the idea of the tea originally, I shocked myself in the end by being glad I’d come. When the time came to leave, I found myself almost disappointed, but I certainly was glad to escape the unnerving stare of that predatory temptress and that soulless Upir. For some reason, I had a feeling I’d never be quite comfortable enough with them to become amies.
As soon as I had changed from the itchy dress and returned it to Colette, I made my way downstairs, determined to enjoy the rest of the day in silence as I reclined on the couch.
“Hey! Hey! Acacia! You’ve got a package! It just came in the mail! Ooh, it says it’s from Paris! Is that where you’re from? Was it nice? I wonder what’s in the box!” That voice could only belong to Kateri. Sighing, I rose to my feet, eying the nymph with distaste as I took the parcel from her.
“Sinon, pourquoi aurais-je parler français?” I questioned, turning on my heel and racing up the stairs before she could answer. And that was only if she even understood my native tongue.
S'il vous plaît...
When I reached the safety of my room, I tore open the box, sighing in utter relief as the orange bottle tumbled out.
Since I had already checked to see if I still had the dress from Russia, even though he’d said I didn’t need to dress up, I was now completely ready for our date.
I just hoped I wouldn’t screw everything up when the time came. In all honesty, I was more nervous than I would ever let on.
An unfamiliar experience
Wings to guide me on a new flight
Could this really be what love is?
Will doubts prove me wrong or right?
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
Wow, YAY FOR CRAPPY POETRY. Sorry, guys. Hehe. :3
Just for future reference, if I ever portray your character(s) incorrectly, please don't hesitate in telling me! Thanks! <3
