Chapter 126: What Normal Feels Like
Chiffon, satin and sparkles fell around my hips and legs in a bouncing, flouncing swirl of blue. I barely noticed. I was too busy trying to breathe inside the form-fitted shell of the bodice, squeezing me so hard I actually looked like I had something called cleavage. Real diamonds glittered in the mostly ignored holes in my ears. Why did I insist Mom let me have my ears pierced when I was ten? This was probably the first time they'd seen earrings since... okay, I couldn't remember when.
But the crowning jewel of this whole affair? My long brown hair sat in glossy, elaborate curls, a few dangling down the side of my face while the rest foamed over in a frothing pile on the top of my head.
Darling.
And then there were the shoes. Shiny silver with more sparkles. Heels adding at least three inches to my height while pinching my toes, making the balls of my feet ache just looking at them.
I'd never in my life worn that much eyeliner. Or foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, mascara, fake lashes, eye shadow, lip liner, lip stick, lip gloss... if Erica painted on one more layer my face would stop moving behind the mask of shellac she applied.
Mom hovered over me where I sat at her dressing table, a mouth full of bobby pins at the ready, one already poised in her hand. She examined my hair curl by curl as Erica finished with my lips. Mom dove for an errant lock and jabbed it with the pin, making sure it wasn't going anywhere by anchoring it to the skin of my scalp.
"Ow!" Protest ignored. Like every other attempt I'd make to keep these two away from me. The moment they heard I had plans to go to prom with Brad, my mother, the most powerful witch around, joined by Erica, reverted to giggling teenagers who couldn't wait to transform plain old me into a work of art.
"There." Erica sat back and clasped her hands to her chest. "Oh, Syd. You look so beautiful."
Mom hefted a can of hairspray and shot a jolt at the general area the last pin went in. I coughed and waved at the mist of stink as she too stepped away. "Perfect."
Erica held out one hand to Mom. "Give it here."
The hairspray changed hands. It amazed me Mom was so willing to let Erica mess with my hair at all. They'd fought bitterly over who controlled what for at least a week. I finally had to put my foot down.
"You two play nice, or I go to a salon."
Horrified, they agreed to split the difference.
As Erica came at me with the can I wished the threat I'd made hadn't been idle. Anything to escape the clutches of these two.
"Close your eyes and hold your breath." The perky blonde didn't give me a chance to ask why doing so would be important before holding the nozzle directly in front of my nose and cutting loose.
I managed to squeeze my eyes shut, but ended up coughing and gasping from the coating she gave my makeup.
"Now it will last all night." She beamed at me.
All night? Chances were with the lacquer she added I'd still be scraping this stuff off next week.
"Thanks," I said through my stiff and uncomfortable face.
Mom took my manicured hands and dragged me to my feet. I wobbled on the stilts, toes complaining loudly while my lower back begged me to sit back down. The skirt hem fell to the floor with a soft hiss, covering the shoes completely.
So I was wearing them why?
Mom and Erica proceeded to hug each other, dabbing at the corners of their eyes with tissue. Seriously.
"She's stunning," Mom gushed.
"I know," Erica practically squealed. "We did a fabulous job."
Did they just double air kiss each other? I wanted to gag, but couldn't move my cheeks.
"I'm not sure about this." I ran my hands down the shining satin. "Are you sure?"
Mom stepped aside, her full-length mirror suddenly exposed and reflecting back at me.
"See for yourself."
Her smirk was almost too much. If she and Erica patted themselves on the back any more I was calling this whole thing off.
Until I looked at myself.
"Holy crap," I whispered. That was me? My eyes looked huge and really blue. My hair was so shiny Brad would be able to see himself in it. The bodice made my waist look non-existent. Even my lips looked bigger. And yup, cleavage. Wow.
Mom and Erica crowded around me, their beaming faces next to mine.
For the first time in my life, I realized how much I looked like my mother. Which made me think about my demon and how I would never be like Mom ever again if I didn't get her back.
For the first time since I'd started asking to be normal, I actually was. Looking at myself in the mirror, unable to feel my magic or my demon, deaf and blind to the power all around me, as beautiful as I looked, I wanted to cry.
I just wanted my demon back.
Instead of bursting into tears and getting yelled at for ruining my mascara, I forced a smile at them.
"Thank you."
I turned slowly toward the door, swaying on the unfamiliar heels, hoping I'd grow used to them soon, when Mom stopped me. "One last thing." She spun me away from her far faster than I thought was safe in my current footwear. Before I could protest, something cold slithered around my neck before tightening. For a second I thought of the fights we'd had in the past and shuddered at the feeling. Honestly, looking back, if I was her I would have choked me a long time ago.
Instead, she did the clasp on the necklace and stepped away. The metal quickly warmed to skin temperature. She seized my shoulders again and turned me back to the mirror. The choker made me gasp, in a good way. Woven silver thread surrounded a sapphire stone in the center. It fit me perfectly.
My fingers grazed over it. "Mom, it's amazing!"
She hugged me gently around the shoulders. "It was your grandmother's. And her grandmother's before her. In fact, it's been in our family for many generations." Mom caught and held my eyes in the mirror. "We love you, honey," she said. "It's perfect for you."
I might not have been a materialistic girl, but I really loved that necklace.
I turned to her, the tears threatening for real this time. At some point while I admired my new jewelry Erica slipped out and I was grateful.
"Mom," I whispered around my thickening throat. "I love it."
This time when she hugged me, neither of us worried about mussing my hair or my dress. I clung to her a little longer than I needed to, but she didn't complain.
"Syd," she said as she finally leaned back. "It's going to be okay, honey."
How did she know what I was thinking about? Because. She was my mom. And it's not like I thought about much else these days.
I bobbed my head, feeling the mountain of my hair sway in one solid piece. The familiar frown creased her forehead as I did, her fingers reaching for a pin. I backed up before she could attack me with it.
Saved by the limousine engine. Mom dropped the pin and came forward, sliding her hand under my elbow to help me out and down the stairs.
Stairs and heels are nasty. Nasty. Thank goodness she was there or I'd have resorted to sliding down the steps on my satin-coated ass.
As we reached the bottom, Erica rushed out of the kitchen. She pressed a small silver purse into my hands.
"Essentials." She winked and I blushed. Erica had odd ideas as to what was necessary for something like this. I remember she included an actual negligee for me one time she was responsible for sending me to a sleepover. So embarrassing. Don't believe me? I think I was ten.
I'd have to go through the stupid purse in private and make sure she didn't put something even more humiliating in there. But I hugged her and kissed her anyway.
I drew a breath and squared my shoulders, trying to think attractive thoughts. Not so pretty was my language on the way down the hall as I tripped three times over those cursed shoes.
Dad stood with Brad in the kitchen. They both looked a little uncomfortable. I met my father's eyes as he looked over and smiled at me.
"Syd," Dad said. "Cupcake, you're gorgeous."
Cupcake. Did he do it on purpose? The whole embarrassment thing? I was positive he did.
Brad turned around when Dad spoke. My eyes shifted to him and I felt my cheeks flush.
He looked fabulous, wavy blond hair perfectly styled, tall, muscular body super hot in his black tuxedo. He smiled at me, the smile I adored since we moved to Wilding Springs.
"Wow, Syd," Brad said.
I knew I blushed under my makeup, but was pretty sure he couldn't see it.
"This is for you." He produced a clear plastic dish with flourish. Inside was a single red rose. Not my favorite flower, but it's not like I could wear a daisy to prom.
We had an awkward few minutes as he slid it over my wrist, Mom and Dad and Erica snapping so many pictures I could barely see from the spots in my vision. Naturally, we had to have our photos with everyone in the household, both as a group and individually.
Dad wasn't so bad, and Mom was great. Even Erica stopped giggling long enough I figured the picture with her turned out okay.
After I caught her peeking, my little sister Meira locked herself in her room and refused to come out. She'd been acting like that, distant, angry, ever since my demon left. Like she blamed me for losing my power or something. It hurt, it hurt a lot, considering how close she and I always were. It was as if I didn't matter to her anymore, wasn't worth her time. I hadn't bothered to confront her about it just yet, so tied up in my own crap, but was tempted tonight. I let it go at last, not sure what annoyed me more-the fact she'd been avoiding me or that she didn't want to see me in my dress. I was just vain enough to know it was more the latter than the former.
Minus a Meira photo op, I had to settle for a picture with my demon cat, Sassafras. Not by his choice. When he poked his head into the kitchen to see what was going on, I risked cat hair on my dress for the chance to scoop his chubby silver Persian body into my arms and hug him.
He hissed at me, suitably irritated. Perfect. My job was done.
My last shot was with Gram. She seemed grumpy these days, and nothing drew her out, not even her favorites of chocolate and tequila. As much as the crazy lady had never really been stable since her battle with the Purity coven, she at least had her happy moments. But those seemed to be over, especially when she was around me.
I think the thing troubling me most was the fact she stopped asking me the question she'd been bugging me with since I was a little girl. Why she thought I had something of hers I had no idea. Now that my demon was gone, it seemed like the thing Gram lost went with her.
When Mom suggested we call the family, as in the coven, for more photos, I finally force-marched Brad out the door to the waiting limousine.
The car was filled with giggling cheerleaders in dresses as frothy as mine and football jocks squeezed into their own penguin suits. I slid in on the end next to Brad, wondering what I had gotten myself into. My only saving grace was Alison. I spotted her further along the line, close to the front of the limo. She waved and blew me a kiss, looking gorgeous, as usual.
I felt like a fraud.
Oddly, Brad made no attempt to put his arm around me or even really talk to me. I passed it off as prom night jitters and tried to enjoy myself.
My heart wasn't in it, though. Every time I looked at Brad I thought of Quaid and what we almost had. How close we were. I know I would have been happy, even with my continued aversion to magic, if only I could have been with Quaid.
That dream was as dead as the flower on my wrist would be by morning. I fingered the petals as the rest of the people around me laughed and talked.
This was normal. This was the life I wanted. No worrying about being hurt by magic, attacked by those who felt threatened by my power or the power of the family. Just a girl and a life, school and a job. Two point five kids, a white picket fence.
Yup. This was it.
And I swore if I got my demon back, I'd never complain again.
***
