Chapter 50 Only the Strong Survive
“How is it going with the Vampire Clown?” Emily asked, enjoying her unhealthy breakfast.
“Very good,” Byron said, “But those are two separate movies.”
“I’m just teasing you.”
“You know,” Byron said gently, “you don’t have to pretend to support me in my movie-making ventures. I can see you’re annoyed by them.”
“I’m not pretending!” Emily exclaimed. “Okay, maybe I was mad at you at first. But I meant what I said about you appearing more stable and well-adjusted. You can actually talk to your ex-girlfriend on the phone without freaking out or throwing anything!”
“I have to admit, you’ve made me feel guilty about the whole thing,” Byron said, “What I did was really selfish. But now the projects are in motion, it’s too late to cancel.”
“Nova seems to be taking it in stride from what you told me,” Emily said, “As for the terrible films, well, people make terrible films every day. Granted, they don’t do it intentionally, but maybe it’s the price to pay for the happiness of someone I care about.”
Or love? She almost said ‘love’ but she was nervous to admit it. Now that she experienced how caring Byron was, she had less fear about being in a relationship, but some uneasiness was still there.
The day of the fashion show came, and Emily couldn’t be more excited. She had been working overtime, teaching at the art studio and then crafting outfits for the show.
But finally she entered the convention center, carrying all her finished pieces.
“There you are,” Ruby greeted her in a surly manner, “You’re practically late.”
“But I’m an hour early,” Emily objected.
“In the fashion world, an hour early is late.”
Emily had heard of earliness being a bonus, but wasn’t Ruby being a bit ridiculous? She shook her head, trying to focus on the positive vibes all around. Models chatted happily as they put on their makeup backstage. The show coordinator introduced Emily to the women who would be modeling her dresses, and they started putting on the clothes. Everything fit well, and she barely had to make any adjustments.
She was curious about Ruby’s pieces, but all of Ruby’s clothes were covered up by protective sheaths. It was only when the models started putting them on that Emily got a bad feeling.
“That looks like one of my gowns,” Emily said, pointing to an evening dress that was supposed to be one of Ruby’s originals.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ruby snapped, “Come on, girls, let’s hustle!”
“It’s like the one I brought to your store to show you,” Emily insisted, “Maybe a slightly different hem.”
“Hey, a gown’s a gown,” Ruby said, putting one hand on her hip, “They all look the same.”
“Even if you copied me, I don’t care,” Emily said, “I have thousands of other ideas where these came from. You are just sad because you don’t have any creativity.”
Ruby ignored her and pretended to get on with her work, helping the models get into their gowns.
As the fashion show began, Emily had a growing sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.
All of her designs were influenced by Ruby’s advice, and as the models went around displaying her 1950s-inspired creations, the critics didn’t look too excited. Ruby’s designs came next, and they got a much lively reception. Emily couldn’t believe it: nearly all the outfits looked like ones she had shown Ruby! She had to admit at least Ruby had a good eye to be able to copy them so precisely.
Emily didn’t stay for the rest of the show. She knew she had been tricked. As she gathered her stuff backstage, Ruby came up to her.
“Maybe I used some of your styles for inspiration,” she admitted, “but you gotta do what you gotta do to get ahead in this game. Like I said, only the strong survive.”
“I think only those with real talent survive,” Emily said.
“Ha! You’re so naive,” Ruby replied, “Mine are the cutest and most whimsical fashions in town. I’ll do anything to keep it that way, and there’s nothing you can do to beat me.”
“We’ll see about that,” Emily said as she walked away without looking back.
