i've got to say, this is one of those chapters where you just know that I've had a hard time putting together
the original chapter ten/eleven was ACTUALLY over 75 pages so i decided that the fashion show will NOT be a major role in this story ....
i had a writers block during this chapter ... you can kind of tell ... but as always READ AND REVIEW!
~Our Notion~
*Conneticuit*
I yawned as I pressed my foot on the gas with my heels, hurrying along on the highway as rush hour was coming close.
I had been driving all night, and I'd stopped once at a mall to get something to eat. I had picked up a burger and three liters of Dr. Pepper, and needless to say, I was finished with what I bought. The Dr. Pepper and radio that was on, made me sane . . . I think.
"Welcome to Conneticuit," the computer GPS said. "15 miles to destination."
While I was at the mall and got somethign to eat, I also stopped at some stores on the way; I mean who can resist going to the mall with out getting clothes? I went to a solon and clothing store before I had my feast, knowing that I needed to have a chance to experience mystery like Sylar did.
The salon had given me products to volumnize my hair after they had made my bangs brushed to one side, my hair flaring out in a hot way without cutting any hair.
I was always the one to be laid back and innnocent, always afraid of what others would think of me, but I needed to see how Villias felt when they wore the too short skirts and low cut shirts. But I knew I didn't need to change myself, but it was fun shopping for things I didn't need, it was lmost like shopping for a Halloween costume.
For my Villia outfit, I chose a dark colored plaid skirt and a tank with a black vest and long black boots that went up to my knees and other things that looked gothic and were appealing to my eyes. For Nathan's sake, my Solitude outfit was a bit stereotyping because I didn't hang out with many (any) Solitudes. I chose a type of waitress outfit, a white blouse with a tie and a black skirt with red designs along with black pumps. Another Solitude outfit was something typical, at least I hope the Solitudes wore it: a pair of very skinny jeans and a low cut shirt with a beaded necklace and another pair of heels. Finally, for my Neutral outfit, I shopped for anything I liked: dresses, tops, shoes, heels, jewelry, nearly everything.
I felt as if I were spoiling myself, but I only ended up with a few of each and different sets of things that could perfectly go together. Most of the colors were dark color, red, blue, purple, and black, seeming to fit my mood, even though some of the colors were bright, but not much.
I ended up wearing a short strapless silk black dress by Julie Haus with black leggings under it, white jewels studded at the ends and black heels with diamonds embedded across the strap that ran across my foot, the straps wrapping and coiling around my ankle. I had a single silver bracelet on with a few jewels on it in a heart shaped design. The earrings hung from my hears, the two short pieces clanging together as I set my elbow on the open window, threading my hand into my hair, the nails gleaming.
The salonist had worked on my face and nails also, giving a me a small sample of make up to use, not enough to last a week. The bronze eyeliner was drawn on my eyes, a golden eyeshadow, and my skin smooth, my lips plump and juicy with gloss.
"Ten miles to destination."
"Great," I grumbled as a traffic jam of cars came into view when I turned a corner in the city.
I pulled out a pair of white lined sunglasses, trying to block the sun out of my eyes as I jolted to a stop, moving slowly forward with the sun in my face, the tall buildings reflecting the sun off of any surface, making the sun seem to be everywhere.
I needed to make a reservation at the hotel before I went there, even though it was short notice.
"Hello, I'd like to make a reservation at your hotel," I said sweetly, pulling on my inner persuasion. "It's very short notice though."
"Name, please?" he muttered in a thick Scottish accent. "The Blue Dragon promises you a room in a zoom."
"Vasanti Gray," I whispered.
"Ah, Vasanti!" he cried out. "It'll be a pleasure to have you here. Please stop at the front desk to check in."
"Thank you, sir," I sighed. "You don't know how much this means to me."
"It's my pleasure," I detected a hint of a smile in his voice. "You have a wonderful day."
After I hung up, I took out the batteries to my phone, shoving it in my
It's my pleasure, echoed inside my head. The exact thing that Nathan had told me. This was going to be a horrible week.
***
After 30 minutes of a traffic jam, I pulled up to the blue dragon hotel, stopping at the front of the entire building.
The dome protected us from the melting sun and the sign outside in the sun was labled The Blue Dragon in ocean-blue letters, the G in dragon made out of a dragon and flying about throught the letters.
Before I could step out, the handsome chauffer smiling at me through the window, I pulled out the Neutral crest that was shoved away in a pocket with the Solitude and Villia crests, wraping around my head and tying it behind my head. I finally walked out, nodding the the chauffers as he drove my car into the parking lot, another grabbing my bag and escorting me in.
"Hello, Richard," people said as they passed by, eyeing me like I was a freak show.
He was wearing a blue jacket, his name on a metal plate on his chest, clearly printed. Richard had dark brown, shaggy hair and dark blue eyes, seeming to compliment me silently as he looked at my headband.
"Are you here for the fashion show, Miss Gray?" Richard asked. "I don't remember you including that in your speech."
I looked up at him, surprised. He shrugged and looked forwards.
"Uh, no," I muttered. "I just needes ome time off of politics. This was the perfect place."
We stepped into the otel and I smiled, feeling like I was walking into a palace. The walls were a shade darker than gold, the lobby carpeted with an amazing tesselating pattern, the railings glinting as we walked down the isle, and the front desk was large and in the middle with a bell and a freakishly large man behind the counter, behind him was the seats for the lobby, elevators lined up beside each other.
"Well, have a nice stay at The Blue Dragon," Richard nodded, setting my bags on a cart. "I'll . . . see you around."
The man behind the counter eyed my clothes as I took off my sunglasses to get a better look at him. He had dark skin and was bald, the suit he was wearing making him look professional and strict.
"Hi, I'm--"
"Vasanti Gray," he smiled, shaking my hand. "A pleasure to meet you. How long are you planning to stay?"
"Two weeks at most," I huffed, handing him my credit card.
He swiped my card, handing it back to me as he typed in a couple of things, nodding as he reached from under the desk and handed me a card with my roon number engraved on it
"Room 513," he said. "Have a great stay at The Blue Dragon."
I stopped my self as I started to walk away.
"Say, do you have any job openings?"
"Well . . ." he thought about it for a moment, scrolling down on his screen. "Miss Gray, I'll call your room if there are, we have many of our workers designing for the fashion show next week."
"Okay, thank you."
***
I stepped into the room and smiled, throwing my card onto the shelf next to my right, hooking my keys on there also. To my left was a small kitchen and then there was a wall, a bed braced up against it with pure white sheets spread evenly. There was a desk that sat next to the sliding door to a balcony with a worklamp. Across my bed was a large door leading to the bathroom and a closet large enough to cover the entire wall.
I pulled out my new wardrobe and threw them into the closet as robotic hands grabbed them and sorted them out, shoving them into drawers.
"Thank you," I muttered to the machine, slipping out of my heels and smiling at the desk. which had a laptop on it.
I turned it on and opened the sliding door, stepping onto the balcony, looking into the backyard. They had a pool . . . interesting. I typed in , pulling up my page with a million comments from Liz and Sarah. All of the comments were from today, how I didn't answer my cell--and they might call the cops.
Sarah: where r u?
Vasanti: hotel, srry
Liz: god, u suck
Sarah: when will u b back?
Vasanti: a few wks
Liz: we miss u! ;(
Vasanti: u've gotta check out my new wardrobe though!
Liz: great, u went shopping w/out us too!
Sarah: u do suck! we hate you!!
Vasanti: o, realy?
Liz: she was kidding, show us a pic!
I pulled out a webcam and snapped a picture of me next in front of the wardrobe, sending it to them, my hand shaped in a heart.
Sarah: that's awesome
Liz: wait a sec . . . u don't go spoilin urself unless sumtin's wrong . . .
Sarah: yea, what is it?
Liz: is that a NEUTRAL CREST?! That's soooooooooo cool!
I scoffed, fighting back tears as my friends understood me so well, and didn't seem to judge me at all.
Vasanti: fine, i have dirt . . .
Liz: waiting . . .
Sarah: *ten years later*
Vasanti: well . . .
Liz: let me guess . . . it's bout senator boy?
Vasanti: yepp
Sarah: omg! u totally went all over each other, didn't u?!
Liz: say WHAA?
Sarah: *cough, cough*
Liz: a kiss?
Sarah: Not a KISS!
Liz: u two made out?
Vasanti: omg, you people are good guessers . . .
Liz: NO FLIPPING WAY!!
Sarah: liz is totally hyperventilating right now . . .
Liz: v, u kno what will happen rite?
Sarah: don't REMIND her, liz
Vasanti: it doesn't matter, it's already happened.
Sarah: aww . . . v, THIS is what it's about?!
Liz: it wasn't your fault you made out with him, let alone kill ashley!!
Sarah: plz, get over it! we need u!
Vasanti: I luv all of u . . . but i gotta go . . .
I sighed and turned off the computer as the phone rang, pushing the chair in as I picked up the wireless phone, plopping myself on the bed.
"Hello, this is Vasanti Gray," I muttered.
"Ah, yes, Miss Gray," the manager whispered. "We have an opening for modeling, and Alex wants you in it, no exceptions."
"Wait!" I cried. "You want me to be a model?"
"Well, Miss Gray, it's a small show, and you get a discount on your stay, and free room service," he said, persuading me.
"Fine," I huffed. "When do I start?"
"The show is next week, and you have this week and a few days next week to practice," he ordered. "You start tomorrow."
I sulked in my bed, groaning as I flipped to my favorite station. As I listened to the station, I unzipped a pocket in my bag, pulling out the two picture that I had to look at. I threw my bag into the robotic closet, the whirring from inside seeming to be ripping apart my stuff. I laid down to stare at the pictures, both of them laminated and still in perfect condition, even through my journey.
Blinking away tears, I looked at the picture of Sylar and I, a few years ago when I had decided that we should plant a Weeping Willow outside my window. After they were done planting the 50 year old tree outside, Samuels snapped a picture of Sylar and I, in front of the tree. The picture was only from our waist up, and I was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, my hair straightened and blowing in the wind, a smile that could make someone melt, planted on my face. Sylar was smiling like there was nothing to it, his arms crossed as his hair was swiped to one side by the wind. The leaves and branches of the willow seemed to sway the same way all of our hair was blowing, making our eyes dry up.
My arms were wrapped around him, my head leaning on his shoulder as I tried to make a good impression for the camera. We were so young then, and everything was so . . . different. I was the happiest girl alive--but what happened to her?
I turned that photo over, looking at the picture of Nathan at the ball. This picture was so familiar, and I could feel all the feelings that came with it. Someone had managed to get a picture of Nathan and I, in our little dance circle, my arms around his shoulders as his arms were around my waist, my dress flowing across the floor gracefully. I was so scared that night, but I loved every moment of it.
It was so horrible to look at all these pictures and actually find joy out of them, because someone was going to be hurt when it was time for me to choose. I shoved all the pictures away, laying on my back as I burned holes through the ceiling with my eyes.
I vocalized with myself, singing along with the radio. My voice leapt along with the melodies, my singing voice seeming to be more charming than my usual voice. But I stopped as an unfamiliar song played, the lyrics making my feeling stir inside, even though I'd never heard this song before.
"What Hurts the Most-By: Rascal Flatts," the machine voice said as I pressed the 'song' button.
I closed my eyes as I listened, tears welling up at the corners of my eyes, wanting to spill as Nathan's smiling face stuck in my head. My mind drifted and I dreamed that we were on a beach, my arm hooked with my father's and walking down the isle wearing a dress so white, that it could be heaven itself. Nathan stood ahead of us, his hands folded and in an elegant black tuxedo. I beamed at him through my veil as the ceremony started and everyone sat down.
The sun beamed on the tent as everything seemed to be perfect. Nathan didn't have his crest on, as well as everyone else here, we were just who we were, jut normal people without choosing sides. The wind ruffled my veil, swaying it to the side as the priest said the verses.
"Vasanti Gray. Do you take Nathan Petrelli to be your lawful wedded husband? Or--"
OR? There was no or in a wedding vow! Never! I looked up, bewildered at Nathan, his expression now blank, but hurt.
"--do you take Sylar as your lawful brother?"
"WHAT?" I screamed. "This is . . ."
"Vasanti, choose," Sylar growled, stepping out from behind Nathan. "Choose."
"What?" I cried, stepping away, down the isle. "You can't make me choose!"
"Vasanti, listen," Nathan whispered. "You have to choose. Now. There isn't much time."
The scenery suddenly changed, ruins surrounding us as the world spun, two separate groups facing each other, 25 feet apart, staring at each other, and I was in the middle. I had to choose. It was a rumble.
"No, Vasanti," Mia whispered, stepping through the Villia side as they parted for her. "This is what you are. The answer has been there for you the entire time."
She smirked, opening her palm and revealing to me, all three crests, a flash appearing as she slowly merged them all together into one. Mia patted me on the back and dropped the pendant on the ashes in the ground. She disappeared and I gasped as the pendant disappeared. I scrambled to my hands and knees to look for it, my white dress now a dark, gross color of ashes.
I pulled out the pendant in exhasperation, brushing off the dark residue that covered the design, my finger wiping it off. As the image was clearer, I gasped, dropping the pendant, the chain linking around my arm and showing everyone else what the crest's image was.
It swung back and forth, glinting off of the sun, mocking me. Then, everyone burst out laughing. They laughed and laughed, pointing at me like I was a freak. Nathan, Sylar, Rachel, Peter, Liz, Sarah, Dal, Liam, Samuels, and Mia--they all laughed at me.
This is what I was . . . what I am . . .
The crest was empty . . . nothing to see--I was nothing.
***
I jumped up before I could fall off of the bed, answering the phone that had been ringing for quite some time. I swiped my bangs from my face, trying to collect myself before I spoke.
"Miss Gray, here," I muttered.
"You have 30 minutes to get down here and train!" the guy yelled in a girly voice. "Tops! No, girls, settle down and get your booty in. A. Chair! See you in the ballroom, honey!"
I set the phone down and sighed, grabbing a towel from the robotic closet and slipped into the shower, setting my timer on 25 minutes. I rubbed the shampoo and conditioner into my hair, the salonitst was right about her products, it smelled sexy and luscisous, but at the same, sweet and innocent.
Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and hair, smiling as the bathrom was large and roomy . . . just like Nathan's bathroom. I blowdried my hair with the one they had provided for me and brushed my hair into a ponytail and spraying a light layer of Aussi hairspray on it before changing into a bright yellow short dress with sleeves near my elbow, my back bare as the opening was like a large teardrop on my back, from my shoulders to the middle of my backbone with diamond jewels on the edges.
I pulled on white tights to match my dress and stepped into white-diamond flats, tapping my foot to settle my feet in the new shoes. I pulled out my card if I wanted to get back in my room, and stepped out the door, clutching the card as I waited for the elevator.
Was my dream really accurate? Was I really nothing?
I'd have to choose between . . . Sylar and Nathan? But I could never choose, I knew that. That's why I was nothing. I wouldn't be able to choose, and I'd have to be kicked out of our society--go in hiding. I was a nobody.
And that's all I needed to know.
***
"Wait, wait, wait!" I cried. "You want me to wear that?"
"Well, those to be exact," Alex muttered. "It's a two-piece."
I stared at Alex. I just got here and sat in the chair for five minutes, and already, they had introduced me to many varieties of clothing. Alex was teh director of the show, he had short, cropped hair that was a dark color and his face was a dark Middle-Eastern tan and ha dan amazing attitude that made every model jumpy and excited.
My assigned dressers were two older women who looked at each other and smiled frequently. Both of them wore some type of classy clothes, their hair curly and a red color.
"Honey," Alex said. "We don't have time for this!"
Oh, and if you were wondering, Alex was the best gay manager I've ever had. And I have no problem with that.
"Fine, I'll wear the skanky swimsuit," I muttered. "Let's practice."
"Okay, girls, huddle up!" Alec yelled, signalling us to turn over our chairs to face him from around the room.
The room was lit up by light bulbs on top of the mirrors that we all got, and a chair with a big space to quickly change into quickly--talk about bad hygiene.
"Give the crowd what they want," Alex smiled. "They. Want. Attitude!"
The girls giggled as they changed into their swimsuits, their dressers helping them. Marie and Maria gave me my suit and stood there.
"Umm . . . a little privacy please!"
They crossed their arms and turned around, talking in a foreign language--Portugese? I slipped into the suit, sighing as I couldn't get it right, so Marie and Maria just had to but in and help me, making me feel even more lost and insecure.
In the end, I still looked like a skanky bitch. I waved to Marie and Maria after practice, rushing out of the room and taking in a sigh of relieve as I passed a bar/club on the way back to my room. The music filled the halls and it seemed to fly through the entire first floor. I stepped into the club, a bar on both sides of me, serving drinks to people who had their backs turned halfway towards the stage that was in the middle, a band playing a slow melody as other people sat in tables and cheered them on.
A girl was singing the melody alone, her fingers flying across the piano laid out in front of her, her blonde hair brushed back to reveal a pale face with small pink lips moving.
The song they were singing was called 'Song of a Heartbreaker' by a band called Swimshine. The song told the story of someone who thought she found her soul mate, but was never feeling right about it. The way that she was singing it made me want to sing or dance along, it was almost like a calling of some sort. I smiled at the sound of her voice, crossing my arms as I sat down in a chair.
"Thank you, everybody," the girl said into the microphone. "Come backstage if you have any questions for us."
I crept backstage after they had cleared up their set of a guitar, a drum set and a piano. The two men stared at me as I walked in, the girl smiling, her head swaying as her fingers pressed against the piano keys. The two men had dark, sad-looks on their faces, one of them, Dave, had gold-red hair, his turquiose eyes blazing with excitement as I walked in, setting his guitar down and greeting me, shaking me warmly by the hand.
Raquel had dark brown hair with black highlights, his blue eyes nodding to me as I smiled at him, his dark skin glowing.
"Hi, I'm Channing," the blond giggled, standing up to hug me "and you're vasanti."
"Umm . . . yeah," I said. "You're an amazing band.:
"Well, thank you," Dave smiled, stringing his guitar.
"What would you like to know?" Raquel whispered.
Channing played a note on her violin, plucking some notes.
"Actually--I was wondering if you'd play this song, and teach me how to play the piano and sing with it," I smiled, being consumed into the circle of talk.
~End of Chapter Ten~
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