Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 44009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
The edges blackened and curled until the paper disintegrated into nothing. The letter no longer existed. The order to kill Biba didn’t exist physically or in my mind. Instead of killing her, I needed to track her down. She was my only way back into Zephyr’s good graces, and that was how I was going to help her survive.
CHAPTER 6
BIBA
The town of Wachsbrunnen came into sight as the black car that Zephyr arranged as my transport today headed down the main road. He insisted that I enjoy my day in town and do some shopping while he and Arvo discussed King affairs. One upside to being a King’s girl, especially Zephyr’s, was that I could afford to shop at fine boutiques.
The car rolled to a stop in front of one of said boutiques. Expensive outfits posed on mannequins were displayed in the front windows. I needed a gorgeous cocktail number to wear at the holiday soirees at the end of the term, and I wanted to go all out. Every once in a while, I had to act like my life was somewhat normal.
I thanked the driver before walking into the boutique, which had an in-house tailor. Racks and racks of expensive, elegant clothing made from the finest fabrics filled the store from back to front, and at first, I felt overwhelmed by all of the options. I wasn’t used to being in such an environment, given the choice of the most luxurious things. I supposed that I should enjoy it while it lasted.
A flowery fragrance filled the air as soft, fluorescent lights reflected off the black and white tile floor. They looked spotless, gleaming with cleanliness and expense. I almost didn’t want to walk on them in fear that I would dirty them up, but I was here for a reason.
“Hello, dear. Looking for anything specific?” a woman in an ironed blazer and pencil skirt outfit asked me. She had a dazzling smile and a flawless customer service voice.
“I’m looking for a cocktail dress. Something… unforgettable,” I told her with a polite smile.
“I can help you find just the thing,” the woman replied with an excited expression. She motioned for me to follow her through the store to the far-left side where dresses upon dresses were hanging on racks. “Certain color? Style?”
I wanted something that popped. I was never one to blend in, whether I wanted to or not. If I was on Zephyr’s arm, I needed to be the talk of the party. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I let my eyes glance over the array of dresses until a certain color popped out at me.
“Red,” I said.
“Nice choice,” the woman told me before showing me a few options. All of them were beautiful, but her last choice just struck me.
“That one,” I replied, nodding to the backless, red dress with a deep V neckline, a thigh split, and thin straps. I didn’t know how it would look on me, but I wanted to give it a try, to see if it was truly me or not.
I was a different person than who I was when I first enrolled at this school. Perhaps, that was a good thing, despite everything that had happened to me. I wanted to be stronger, especially after how hard fear and guilt had been striking me lately. I had to have my own back, to be my own protector too. I couldn’t guarantee that Zephyr would always be around to help me.
This dress was my evolution, my growth. I wasn’t bold when I first stepped through the school’s doors. I would’ve blushed at the thought of being involved with people like the Kings, but here I was. I was more than involved, and I wasn’t going to shy away from my position. I fought to even stay alive, and it was too late to back down anyway. I might as well own the type of person that I had become.
“The fitting room is right back there,” the woman said as she handed me the dress. “I believe this is your size, but let me know if you need to try on another.”
I thanked her before carrying the dress down a small hallway that led to three different fitting rooms. I went into the one at the very end of the hallway, shutting the door behind me and hanging the dress up on a hook on the door. Its long length nearly reached the floor, and the satin material seemed to gleam under the light. It looked as expensive as it was, not lacking on quality or its striking beauty.
I started to take my shirt off when I suddenly heard footsteps, making me freeze. Maybe it was the store worker. That thought went up in smoke when a folded piece of paper was slid under the door of the fitting room. I stared at it for a moment as I heard the footsteps hurry away. There was no way that the store worker did that, but who knew that I was here besides Zephyr and the driver?