The Cotillion

"Bad day?" Raj asked. I had sat down rather hard and I think I was glowering.

"I am letting her get to me," I sighed, "I have to watch her trash my future and there is nothing I can do about it. Now she wants to trade some of my future so her daughters can fish for husbands." I chuckled when I thought about it. "It's not like they have a chance anyway."

"They do come off a bit needy," Raj agreed.

"A bit greedy," I corrected. Raj laughed then covered his mouth with his hand. He was never one to loudly disparage someone else. Anything above a whisper made him uncomfortable. His stalled laugh did make me feel better. At least someone in the world understood my troubles.

"I still think you should attend the cotillion," Raj said after he brought himself under control, "you need to get out and meet people and rescue your sister's poor targets." This time, I laughed while shaking my head no.

"Even if we could get away with it, I couldn't short the children's hospital $5,000," I responded. The thought of me running around warning men of my sisters approach was amusing. I could see Rag was disappointed in my choice. "You just want to use your new toy," I observed.

"For good. It must never be used by the dark side," Raj joked, "I can think of nothing more honorable than putting you on the dance floor where you belong." I liked how he could make me forget my stepmother. I smiled at his sincere humor. I needed more friends like Raj and Kiran.

*******************************

The weeks went by and I was confronted with new dresses, hairdos and shoes. My stepsisters seemed to enjoy modeling for me. My money, my house and they didn't stop to think I might resent it. I tried to ignore it all, but a small black pit formed in my stomach and I couldn't seem to fill it with happier things. I could forget my thoughtless family when I went to see Raj and Kiran, but I would eventually return to see my sisters all dolled up, practicing for the cotillion. As the dance neared, it only got worse. For the first time, I was truly happy I worked nights so I wasn't inundated all my waking hours.

"Two more weeks, Raj," I sighed as I sat down to watch him work, "I will be happy when this dance is over so I don't have to watch my sisters preening anymore."

"I've been thinking, Ella," Raj said quietly, "what if you paid for the charity tickets." He knew I didn't have that kind of money.

"Raj, I'm lucky to pay for the gas to get to work," I said. His smile was devious and he leaned closer.

"What if the company paid," Raj whispered, "it's your money anyway. Or it will be."

"You want me to embezzle?" I asked with a little shock.

"You would be stealing your own money," Raj justified, "my program will make it impossible to trace and you would be where you should be."

"There's not enough time," I wavered, "Agnus would see me there anyway and we would find ourselves in prison." The idea of attending the function did have a strong appeal. To see my sisters hopelessly flailing at men would be worth the entrance fee.

"Agnus only sees you as you are," Raj continued, "if you rid yourself of your ponytail and glasses, add some makeup and a new hairstyle, I would have trouble recognizing you." I shook my head.

"There's not enough time," I repeated. Raj smiled again.

"Kiran has a friend who is a seamstress. She does alterations for wealthy women," Raj argued, "you can borrow a dress for the night."

"Kiran is in on this?" I asked. Raj's smile was growing.

"She wants to see you all dressed up," Raj said, "she thinks you miss too much of life." I couldn't believe Kiran was in on the conspiracy. It made it seem more feasible.

"I can't see without my glasses," I conceded.

"Contacts."

"I can't afford contacts." I admitted. I would have to save up and a week wasn't enough time.

"Your company can." Raj was countering all my objections. "I can crack Coupon Crave's servers and get you in on a contacts deal as well as limo and hairdresser. I have to fit you in after the fact, but they will never know and I'll make sure you pay everyone." I stared at him. My friend was a master criminal and I never knew it.

"You owe yourself this," Raj continued, "you can't wait till you're thirty-two to start living. You'll get too used to being alone. Kiran and I don't want to see that."

"You sure we can't get caught?" I asked to reassure myself.

"It would take someone very skilled just to know they had been hacked," Raj replied, "even more talented to trace it back to the last proxy. No one has seen code like this before. They won't even know what they're looking at."

"It really is my money," I said, trying to convince myself. Raj looked pleased with himself. He knew he nearly had me over the edge and ready to say yes. "I would really enjoy watching Drizella and Anastasia bomb."

"And you might even meet someone," Raj added. In my dreams. Raj was already taken and everyone else works days. I questioned whether there was another vampire out there for me. A little flirting may not hurt, though.

"Kiran will help?" I had no idea while I kept piling requirements on. Raj just nodded. "Okay," I committed, "let's do it." Excitement replaced the black pit in my stomach. Raj turned to his terminal and went to work. He turned his chair around and handed me a phone.

"Type in a password, something unique," He said.

"Whose phone is this?" I asked, turning it over. It was just a slim black smartphone.

"Yours," Raj said, "present from Kiran and I. It's prepaid so it's not tied to your name." He always knew I was going to cave and say yes. I laughed softly. "Something somewhat long so that it can't be broken into. I have some encryption of my own invention running on it. Without cracking the password, it's contents are useless." I thought for a moment, then laughed to myself as I typed in the first memorable thing I could think of. It was fairly long but made me smile and I wouldn't forget it.

"What name do you want to use?" Raj asked as I handed the phone back to him. This was going to be completely cloak and dagger. I picked the first thing that came to mind.

"Cindy," I said, "Cindy Thompson." Raj began typing. He worked for over thirty minutes with joy in his eyes. He was impressing himself as much as he was impressing me. He went back to the phone and began working on it, then back to his terminal. Finally, he handed the phone back to me.

"All set Cindy," Raj said as proud as one man could be, "you have an appointment for tomorrow at the eye doctors, it and all the rest are in the Coupon Crave app on the phone. Your ticket for the charity ball is in the email account I created for you."

"You are incredible," I complimented.

"Just toss the phone away when you're done," Raj added, "it's the only thing that comes close to tying you to the fact you stole your own money." I had no choice, I hugged him. It made him uncomfortable, but I needed too. He was smiling when I separated, so no harm done.

*******************************

Kiran helped me choose a dress. Had I seen it in a catalog, I would have never picked it out. When it was on my body, I couldn't not choose it. A soft champagne pink fabric that was cut and sewn in such a way, it looked like it came over my shoulders loose and wrapped my breasts, then tied off in the back. Below the faux wrap, a pleated high shirt started and flowed ever more sheer to the floor. It was soft elegance. Kiran's friend, Samantha, altered it to fit snug around my waist and drop into my cleavage. Just enough showing, to tease, but not arouse. I felt beautiful.

"Now, no stains or anything," Mary reminded me, "and take care to not snag it when you enter or leave the car." It made me a little nervous. I knew it was an expensive dress.

"I'll take good care of it," I replied. I could see her apprehension. She was doing this as a favor for Kiran and didn't know me at all.

"It does look good on you," Mary smiled. Kiran agreed. I twirled a couple of more times in front of the mirrors. It was the best I had ever looked.

"You need to stop in and see Madam Winslet," Mary continued, "she would have the perfect shoes for that dress. She owns a boutique off Harlem."

"Sounds expensive," I said.

"You have to have the right shoes," Mary instructed, "she's a friend of mine. I'll call ahead and make sure she gives you her best price."

Mary was right. Madam Winslet sold me a pair of pink heels that really completed the dress. I would be paying them off of the next six months, but I did get a 50% discount off the $1,500 list. They became the most expensive piece of clothing I had ever purchased. Most likely, I would wear them only once.

*******************************

I slept in the control room, the night before the cotillion, under Raj's watchful eye. It wasn't comfortable and I was only able to grab a couple of hours, but I needed them for the day ahead. I would add a few more hours in the morning then off to the hairdresser. I had an 11:00 AM appointment. The Limo was supposed to pick me up at five. It would be tight, but the hairdresser was close to home and Kiran was there to carry me through the final stages.

The hairdressers accepted my phone's Coupon Crave coupon without question. I was a little hesitant when I handed it to them to verify, but Raj had done his job well.

"My name is Daphne and I will be taking care of you." The woman said as she approached. I smiled as the blonde led me to a chair. Her hair billowed out near her shoulders and seemed to frame her face well. I had high hopes for my hair as well. "Beatrice will join us in a moment to handle the makeup." Daphne smiled to set me at ease as I sat down. "Now what are your looking for, dear?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted.

"Something elegant," Kiran jumped in, "she's going to a formal ball."

"That will be fun," Daphne stated as she fluffed my hair, "maybe a high braided bun with a few accents strands running loose. It would look divine with your skin tone." She tucked some of my hair up high on my head, "we'll have to add some highlights to make it pop." The last time I had a high maintenance hairdo was when I went to prom. I would have to take her word for it.

"That sounds nice," I said, looking at Kiran for help.

"Lovely," Kiran agreed. I felt better about my decision.

"My head is yours, Daphne," I directed. She removed my glasses and started with a warm wash that felt so good I almost nodded off. My light brown hair was then professionally highlighted with soft dirty blonde streaks that seemed to blend perfectly, almost like they had been there all along. Daphne knew her job.

"Your first big dance?" Daphne asked. She was trimming away my split ends and cleaning up hair by my neck.

"Prom was the last one," I answered, trying not to move my head.

"We'll make you the star of the ball," Daphne smiled, "you'll have men throwing themselves at your feet." I tried not to laugh, not wanting to disturb her scissors.

"I'll just be happy to not trip on my own feet," I said with a smile in my eyes.

"Nonsense," she continued, "you have wonderful bone structure and with a smile like that, they will be fighting for a dance." I felt my face blush. I don't know how much I had embezzled for her services, but it wasn't near enough.

"It's been awhile," I joked, "not sure I remember what to do with a man."

"It's like riding a bike," Daphne quipped, "but a lot more smiling comes with the sweating." I couldn't stop the laughter this time. Kiran's face wasn't helping. "You'll have to be still if you don't want to look like Medusa." I settled down, struggling to hold my smile in check as Daphne went back to work.

Daphne pulled my hair into a tight braided bun with a few small trailers that were curled down the side of my face. It felt strange not to have a ponytail hanging behind me. My head felt freer with nothing to resist my neck from turning.

"Absolutely wonderful," a large woman said as she moved toward my chair.

"This is Beatrice," Daphne said, "she'll take care of your makeup." Beatrice walked around the chair looking at my face, her fingers drawing shapes in the air almost like she was finger painting.

"What color is the dress?" Beatrice asked.

"I have it in the car," Kiran announced.

"If you could bring it in, it would help," Beatrice added, not looking at Kiran. Kiran ran off quickly. "We don't want to do anything that would lessen the dress or the hair," Beatrice mumbled, "they should compliment, be friends and laugh together." I was a bit worried she might be insane. "I never try to build beauty, only bring it out. Gently steer the eyes in the proper direction, but never demand their attention."

"She's an artist," Daphne commented, "trust her and you will be pleased." I had little choice since I was already way out of my league. Kiran entered with the dress. Beatrice pulled back the plastic and held a small portion of the fabric under my chin. Her head moved wildly from side to side, then up and down. She was looking from every angle. She handed the dress to Kiran and wordlessly shooed her away.

Daphne brought over a large case and set in on the counter. The top opened down the center and it unfolded into numerous trays filled with all sorts of makeup products. Beatrice took one last look at my face, turned and grabbed a jar with acuity.

"Close your eyes, dear," Beatrice instructed. I did and relaxed as the chair lounged back. I heard a stool sliding up next to me. She went to work. She was humming some tune I almost recognized as she lightly applied something to my eyelids. Fingers, cloth, and brushes moved across my face with expertise. For all I knew, I would look like a clown, but she didn't seem to be making any deviations from her intended vision. She paused for a moment when I yawned. It was, after all, my internal clocks middle of the night. The work continued when my mouth settled.

I was almost to dreamland when Beatrice announced she was finished. I opened my eyes and saw three heads staring at me with smiles. Daphne raised my chair back into a sitting position and they all stepped aside. I could barely recognize the face in the mirror. Daphne's hair and Beatrice's face combined to give me sophistication with an air of fun. I smiled. The face in mirror glowed. I had never looked so good in my life.

"Camera?" I asked Kiran. She fished her phone out of her purse and captured my new look. It would only last for the night and I wanted proof.

"You're gorgeous," Kiran said as she examined the screen on her phone to make sure the picture came out. I turned to Daphne and Beatrice.

"Thank you," I gushed, "you're miracle workers."

"It's all in the raw materials, my dear," Daphne said, waving the compliment away.

"We did do good, though," Beatrice smiled as she nodded. I suddenly couldn't wait to get home and don the dress.

"4:15," Kiran announced, "we have to rush." I left a sizeable tip. I couldn't really afford it, but I haven't been this pleased with my looks since I figured out my parents were biased when I was five years old. I grabbed my glasses off the counter and headed out the door.

Kiran and I hurried to her house. I put in my contacts and stashed my glasses and a change of clothes in Kiran and Raj's guest room. When I came out of the room fully dressed, Raj gave me a wolf whistle. Kiran smiled and didn't even scold him. Aanya was wide-eyed, her expression said it all. I twirled, watching the hem of my skirt billow out. Everything was perfect. I had never been perfect before. Tonight, I would be a princess.

The doorbell rang. Our timing was perfect. Raj opened the door to two gentlemen in black chauffeur livery. "Elite Limousine at your service," the older of the two bowed. The younger, somewhere in his twenties was staring at me. He got an elbow from his elder. "I am Jaq, your driver," the elder smiled as he spoke, "and this is my son, Gus. He will be handling the doors."

"Pleased to meet you," I said and for the first time since a fifth grade play, I curtsied. It seemed so natural and the dress seemed to flow with it. Aanya giggled and I shared a smile with her.

"Are...are you ready, Ma'am?" Gus stuttered. His eyes were still taking me in. He made me feel even more beautiful. I smiled at him and his face went red. Yes, I was more than ready. Kiran giggled.

"I am ready, Sir," I said, moving toward the door. Kiran rushed forward with the small pink hand purse I had found at the store. The color was perfect for my dress and held my phone and some backup makeup. Everything else, I left with Kiran.

Gus held the door of the limo for me. He looked gallant doing it and had obviously been given instructions on how to stand. Jaq seemed proud of him. I thanked him as I entered which brought a smile to his face. There was room for ten people in the back of the limo. I was careful to tuck my dress carefully so it would keep its shape as I sat. Gus made sure my dress was completely inside before he closed the door and joined his father in the front seat.

"We should have you at The Fountains in twenty minutes, Ms. Thompson," Gus said and pushed a button which started a divider rising up behind the driver seat.

"Please," I said, startled at being closed in, "I would rather you didn't close me off."

"Of course, Ma'am," Jaq said with a smile and lowered the panel. He started the car and headed down the road. "It is a fine night for a dance," he commented, realizing I preferred conversation.

"I am so looking forward to it," I said with a formality that was born from the dress, "It has been a long time since I have attended one." I didn't tell them it was my high school prom.

"I think you will make quite the impression," Jaq continued, "Grace and beauty always play well at these affairs." I felt my cheeks warm. Grace and beauty.

"I borrowed the dress," I admitted, to embarrassed to accept all the credit.

"A shame you can't keep it," Jaq said, "you wear it so well."

"I...thank you," I said, unused to the compliments.

"It's really pretty," Jaq added. My smile was becoming permanent. Jaq was turning in his seat, I suspect to face me. A stern look from his father had him cease and return to facing front.

"I don't usually go to these types of things," I said, as I realized the ball was becoming a reality. A little apprehension was sneaking in.

"You will have no trouble fitting in," Jaq countered, "Though I suspect you will be exhausted from all the offers to dance."

"I am afraid I don't know anyone there," I admitted. I would know my step family, but I was intent on avoiding them.

"It's all in the advertising," Jaq said, "just say yes to the first dance request and make sure you're seen on the floor." He chuckled almost to himself, "The single men will go into combat mode to get the next dance. I must admit, I find you brave to attend unescorted." I wasn't sure if I wanted to cringe at the thought or bask in the glory of being brave. I looked out the window, now wondering if I had made the right decision. I did it more to have a secret fight with my step mother. A battle she wouldn't even know we were having.

"Gus and I will be right outside," Jaq continued. I think he sensed my apprehension, "If you need to take a breather, thwart a suitor or leave early, we are at your disposal." I smiled at him. I could use a couple of brothers for emotional support.

"That is good to know," I said, "I might take you up on that breather. Any other pointers?"

"Just smile," Jaq said. "It's usually pretty stuffy at these things and you are going to be like a fresh breeze." I blushed, happy I chose not to drive alone to the event. I needed my embezzled pseudo brothers.

I spent the rest of the trip learning about Jaq and his son. Gus was learning to take over his father's business and he made sure I knew he was currently unattached. I was flattered with his subtle flirting, knowing that his father would keep it in check. He was a nice guy, but not my kind of guy. I couldn't really define what I was looking for in a man. I only knew what wouldn't work. I wasn't even sure a perfect partner existed for me. Given my current work schedule, he would have to be part vampire.