Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new one-shot, Glitz and Glamour. Actually, I made this for English class and just switched the names, but I thought you'd like to see it. The story has three Super Smash Bros characters included, while the time is 1922 so it is AU. My character descriptions are different since I didn't feel like changing anything, so don't kill me, please! I am extremely sorry that it's been twenty days since I've updated Fallen Angel which I'll find time for, I swear! I'm just busy. So please enjoy, Glitz and Glamour.
"You are fashionably late." I commented, removing the curler from my hair.
My boyfriend, Link Haddison, the cutest boy in downtown Manhattan, had just come swinging in through my front door, a new pallid bowler hat atop his head. It adorned his fascinating smile, his gleaming white teeth.
"Well, Miss Zelda, if you wanted me to come home quicker than I normally do, you should have just called." Link smirked, kissing me on the cheek, before disappearing into the bathroom to change.
"You know I'll never use a telephone, darling." I teased.
My name is Zelda Northington, a simple girl in Manhattan, living in an apartment that I rent for $20 a month with Link. Fresh out of college, I was going out tonight to celebrate my 24th birthday. I felt so old, and withered. I cringed, thinking of what I'd look like at thirty. I'd have gray hair!
"Anything interesting happen while I was out?" Link called from the bathroom.
"Yeah," I called back, tossing my mahogany hair over my shoulders. "Some new type of magazine came in. It's something I've never even heard of."
"What is it?" Link asked back.
I grabbed the magazine which was resting on my kitchen counter. "Something called Reader's Digest. Apparently, the first addition came out last year, February 5th, 1922. You won't believe who it is by!"
This peaked Link's interest, and he swung his head around the wall, his maple hair covering up his beautiful cerulean eyes. "Who wrote it? Do we know them?"
"Better yet," I smirked. "Our neighbors, Ike and Samus Wallace. That's why they moved last year in March, this magazine made a killing!"
Link, who was about to take a shower, frowned. "How come they never told us about it? They seemed so happy last year."
I shrugged, running my hands through my hair, trying to undo all the knots. "I don't know why they never told us, and for a matter of fact, I don't care. This magazine has so much information. There is some information I've never even known."
Link, who had closed my bathroom door, to shower, shouted over the noise of the water, "Like what? Do you care to tell me?"
I flipped through the dainty booklet, of about twenty pages. Each page was filled with color and pictures. I was partly mesmerized by one particular page that was talking about some African American musician. It slightly intrigued me that someone like an African American would be featured in a piece of American culture.
"The article talks about some man, his name is Louis Armstrong. He's an African American, born on August 4th, 1901. He's some jazz musician, orienting from Louisiana! Man, that's really down south Link!" I exclaimed
"That doesn't sound like much, Zelda. Why is that man so important? They should add me in there, Link Haddison, Broadway and tap dancer. I'm famous." Link glorified himself.
I scowled. "You are only famous in your own mind honey. Keep on dreaming."
Link poked his tongue out at me and I simply brushed my hand against his face, before kissing him to vanish into the restroom. Undoing the curler from my hair, I brushed my hair with a dazzling comb encrusted with diamonds. Entering the mansion that was my closet, I chose a small and short-cut ruby dress that cut off at the thighs. Placing my forever infamous diamond pendant around my neck, the shimmering stone illuminating my skin, I was ready. I grabbed my treasured pair of stilettos, a five inch heel sprouting from the ivory shoe. I presented myself to Link, who was sitting on the couch, flipping through the Reader's Digest magazine. When I coughed to get his attention, the magazine dropped from his hands.
He whistled. "Miss Northington, you simply look stunning in that. Where did you ever get it?"
I shrugged. "I really do not know. Do I look like someone who is going to remember where I bought this dress and how much it cost? It's a shame if you thought I was someone like that."
Link stood, lapping an arm around me. "We should leave. The party starts at seven and I hate being late to Marth's parties. They are so outlandish, you'll fit right in. Come, my lady. Our chariot awaits!"
I giggled, but I had to give him a snarky comeback. "Actually, you mean that 1920 Ford you bought at a retail sale. That chariot?"
Marth Madison is one of the richest men in upstate Manhattan. He happens to be Link's boss, a stinky rich businessman who throws parties for the heck of it. My boyfriend is involved in the shady business of clubs and hotels far out west in the prosperous 'Sin City', Las Vegas. It's a treat when he comes home to me and sometimes his boss, Marth, will throw a lavish party. Nearing his mansion which was three blocks from the Empire State Building, my jaw dropped immediately, when Link turned the car up the gravel road to his estate.
Estate might be too small of a word to describe how massive Marth Madison's house was. With columns the size of the Eiffel Tower, lights lacing the sides of the house in a colorful explosion. Acrobatics began jumping over the entrance, spiraling thirty feet in the air, doing side aerials in front flips. Their suits made the acrobatics look like birds, diving through the sky. Link parked the car and let me out, my mouth still gaping open at the mansion.
"Well, isn't it grand?" Link asked me, moving his hand around the whole picture.
"It's marvelous, Link. I-" I praised, then I stopped, and cut my speech.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone staring at Link and I. The figure, when the person realized I was staring at them, closed the curtains. Velvet, the curtains were velvet, a fabric I happened to adore. Why the man was staring at me was mysterious. Link eyed where I was looking.
"What are you looking at darling?" he asked.
"Nothing. Nothing," I dismissed. "Let's go into the party. I'd like to meet Mr. Madison."
"Of course, right this way." Link agreed, leading me to the front of the steps.
If I thought the outside of Marth Madison's mansion was pretty, then the interior must have been a designer's heaven. Mirrors lined the walls, so the guests could have a 360 degree view of the action outside. A crystal chandelier was swinging from the ceiling, the shimmer of the silver giving the metal decoration a lustrous glow that adorned the entire room. Three massive staircases lined the wall and one down the middle, where the man I saw outside was standing. I stopped abruptly.
Link frowned. "Zelda, what's wrong?"
"Your boss, Marth, was staring at me through his bedroom window in the upstairs part of the mansion." I whispered.
"Would you like to meet him?" Link asked.
I nodded. "Sure. He seems very… presentable."
Marth Madison was the dream guy any girl probably ever wanted. He was… wonderful looking; he looked like a god in the myths my mother used to tell me. His navy hair was combed in a suave wave, matching his electric blue eyes which flashed in amusement. His skin was the color of cinnamon and I could smell, even from where I was standing, that he took a shower and lathered himself in lavender. He was wearing a neat tuxedo, the color of gray smoke, matching a tweed jacket and white pallid gloves. I almost, for some reason, expected the pallid gloves to turn a deep blood crimson.
Link's voice jutted through my thoughts, and I snapped awake from my fantasies. "This, Mr. Madison, is my girlfriend, Zelda Northington."
"Ah, Miss Northington; it's a pleasure to meet you." Marth replied, taking my hand. His gloves were sticky and almost slippery. I frowned, removing my hand from his grasp, to Marth's immediate annoyance. His voice was British, with a hint of Manhattan leaking in.
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Madison." I smiled, kissing his glove. I regretted the decision.
"So Link, since I leave again tomorrow, I'd like to chat with thy. Care to come out on the balcony with me?" Marth asked.
"No, I'm fine," Link smiled. "I think I'll do fine having Zelda by my side."
Marth's eyes flashed, in some sort of angry burst. His lips pressed and he smiled firmly. "Why of course. How did I forget that I must respect customs?"
So the two began to chat over nonsensical, incoherent nonsense. I droned out, thinking about Marth and how mysterious he presented himself to others. Only when Marth asked me a question, did I snap awake.
"Miss Northington, what do you think on this Prohibition Act Congress passed about four years ago?" Marth asked me, leaning against the banister.
"I dislike the idea, but it's a law. You have to follow the law. I'm not much of a drinker anyway." I commented.
"Oh, well, then you will probably hate me for this," Marth smirked. To my horror, he grabbed a wine glass off one of the passing maître d' and took a long sip. "I love my wine."
I slapped the glass of wine out of Marth's hand and then kneed him in the crotch. "You filthy little man."
Link drew me back. "Zelda! Apologize to him!"
"No, she does not need to," Marth said, agonizingly. "My fault for ever asking. She is, however, going to hate me for this, and so will you Link."
"What do you mean-" Link and I both stated at the same time.
It was sudden, but suddenly Marth had pressed his hand against my back and he pushed me closer to him. Suddenly, we were kissing, our bodies pressed up against one another. Link's cries of indignation became drowned out as all I heard was the sound of Marth's voice, speaking invisible words in my brain. When we broke apart, Link was steaming.
"Zelda, let's go!" Link fumed.
I took a moment to consider the truth, and decided something which would change me forever. "Actually, I think I'd like to stay. Marth, if I may, will you care to do this again sometime?"
Marth was bemused, slightly taken aback. "Of course Zelda, anything for you."
I turned towards Link, whose hand had faltered in mid-air, my answer cutting the voice straight from his throat. "Sorry Link, but I'm breaking up with you. Marth is much better than you'll ever be."
Link's voice caught into a croak, and his hand fell. "Well, if that's how you feel about things, I'll simply allow you to make amends and become buddy buddy with Marth here. Goodbye Mr. Madison, expect my notice tomorrow and a not so nice note on your desk tomorrow morning."
He was gone, he ran out of the party, and I heard wailing sobs running from his lips. Before I could do anything and turn back toward Marth, the sound of a loud crash resonated through the ballroom.
Some random guest outside came running in. "Link Haddison just crashed his car into one of the pillars outside, Mr. Madison! He's not responding, we think he is dead!"
My heart exploded in pain, and I clutched my chest. My brain was rattling with Link's last words, and now I just went and killed him. A crystal tear formed and slid down my cheek.
Marth was behind me, his gloved hands on my shoulders. His breath smelled of blood, and his whisper sent chills down my spine. "I was once told that all of the glitz and glamour in our lives is a nasty curse, Miss Northington. I simply wanted to experiment what would happen if I toyed with the emotions of one of my coworkers, and it worked. I'm sorry to say that he's now dead, but you just decided to play along. The curse went to your wind and took you over. How can you forgive yourself now? Remember this Zelda... reminisce about this night as you try to travel through life. Behind everyone's glitz and glamour, there is a monster. There is a monster within everyone, you just have to be good enough to see it."
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please if you could, review and maybe hit that favorite button? Can I get three reviews at least, or two favorites? While you are it, please follow me so you don't miss any of the stories or chapters I may or may not publish, and answer my poll on what story I've created is your favorite. Thanks again, love you all!
~Paradigm