Hello everyone! To bring you the last chapter I had to overcome a HUGE
writer's block. The good news is that now I know where I'm going with all
this.
I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. My computer monitor decided to blow up on me, and I'm now posting this from my brother's computer. It might be a while 'til the next chapter, considering that I had actually prepared this earlier. Please be patient!
I'm afraid I don't have enough time to thank every reviewer separately today, since I will spend the rest of my computer time writing the next installment. But I can't help but give a quick listing of all the people who are encouraging me throughout this story. To you, my reviewers I dedicate this chapter:
Charmedfanatic3000 Prue101 Mickis Chantedly Slyslayer13 TanyaM LozzieLiz Sweetone41185 C236 Susan (hey, new reviewer?) Piper43 Barb6
And remember, the only thing I like better that a new reviewer, is a frequent reviewer! Please review!
Without further ado, here's my next installment to this story that I hope you've enjoyed so far.
Chapter 22: What a little make-up can do
"Never, as long as I live, will I understand girls!" cried an exasperated Wyatt.
To his annoyance Leo seemed amused.
"What could be taking them so long?" Wyatt asked, not really expecting an answer from his companions.
"I don't think men were ever meant to understand women, son," volunteered Leo.
That comment only earned Leo a glare from his son.
"You're not helping, dad."
"Neither are you, with all your pacing up and down," said Josh.
Wyatt glared at his friend too, but when Josh continued to seem unfazed, Wyatt finally had to admit defeat and sit down.
"I just really hate having to wait, that's all," he grumbled.
"That's the way it's always been, man," said Josh trying to console him. "I bet even Adam had to wait for Eve to get ready, before she let him take her out."
"Out where?" asked Leo, curious.
"To the forbidden tree?" hazarded Josh.
Wyatt couldn't help but smile at that image.
"Gentlemen, may I have your attention please," said Paige's officious voice from the top of the stairs.
The men looked up to see the redhead wearing a grin from ear to ear.
"May I present-"
"Aunt Paige!" Talia's voice called from out of sight. She sounded as if she had just about enough of hair, make-up and all things girlish. Paige's grin disappeared. "No, mother, my make-up's fine as it is!"
Talia finally appeared at the top of the stairs. She was a whirlwind of crimson silk as she swiftly glided down the staircase. She rushed past a surprised Paige to land gracefully in front of the men.
Wyatt grinned at his cousin's entrance. Trust Talia to make it into a big one, he thought.
She wore a long gown that hang enticingly on her every curve, showing off her perfect body to the shame of the world's so-called supermodels. The neckline of the dress plunged daringly, putting some of her best assets to good use. The crimson colour of the dress brought out her dark colouring to dramatic effect, and her long dark hair, usually as straight as a ruler, was swept up in an elaborate hairstyle from which an elegant mass of curls tumbled down.
Wyatt turned to see his friend's reaction to Talia's appearance. He almost laughed out loud. Josh stood in the middle of their living room, eyes fixed on the girl that had just assaulted his senses, his mouth hanging wide open. Well, what do you know, thought Wyatt, it's not just an expression after all!
Phoebe had followed Talia down the stairs. To Talia's dismay she seemed to be holding an enormous make-up brush.
"Talia! Don't be such a baby!" called Phoebe determinedly, hurrying after her daughter who, in answer, positioned herself between her mother and Leo. "You need more blusher, you look like a ghost!"
Wyatt disagreed. Talia's attempt at escaping her mother's efforts and her mad dash down the stairs had caused a particularly appealing shade of pink to rise to her cheeks.
Leo was already in a fit of laughter and so, not much help to an increasingly desperate Talia. It was to Wyatt, Talia then turned for help. To her relief, her cousin came to her aid.
"Aunt Phoebe, she looks great. She really does. She doesn't need anything else. Take my word for it."
Phoebe turned to the nephew she adored. Her resolve seemed to waver.
"Well, if you say so Wyatt," she finally said, lowering the ridiculously big brush.
Talia threw Wyatt a grateful look and he grinned back at her. Leo was only now getting himself under control under the wrathful eyes of Phoebe.
Talia proceeded to walk towards Josh who was still, to Wyatt's amazement, staring at her with his mouth open. As discretely as he could, Wyatt elbowed his friend causing him to finally close his gaping mouth.
"Hi," said Talia as she finally reached him.
"Hi," was Josh's intelligent reply. "I got you this," he said, giving Talia a small plastic box.
To Talia's delight the box revealed a corsage made up of a cluster of small, deeply red, roses. It matched her dress perfectly.
"Allow me," said Josh, who had seemingly just managed to get over the shock of seeing her.
He carefully took the corsage and slipped it onto her slim wrist. They both looked up when he had finished and smiled at each other. Josh still had her hand in his and he held on to it.
"Talia, you do know how to ruin a moment, don't you?" whined Paige from the top of the stairs. At least there was one more girl to present she consoled herself. "Right," she continued, "without further ado, I present to you-"
To her great disappointment and annoyance, Paige never managed to finish her sentence.
"What did I miss?" said a velvety voice from the top of the stairs.
Wyatt found himself looking at a vision of golden hair and pale blue, shimmering satin. Judy glided down the stairs in a much slower pace than Talia had. She was followed by Piper.
He seemed to gravitate towards the beautiful girl. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he gently put his arms around her and guided her to the rest of the group.
"You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear so that no one else could hear.
A telltale flash of pleasure rose to Judy's cheeks and her eyes twinkled as she let Wyatt guide her. Leo and Piper smiled to each other in a way that made Paige, unseen by anyone but Phoebe, roll her eyes. Phoebe grinned at her younger sister.
"Great! If everyone is ready, we can finally get to the party!" called Talia.
"It's a prom Talia, not a party," corrected Wyatt.
"Same difference," she said cheerily.
"Don't they have proms in Australia?" asked Josh of Talia.
Australia? mouthed Piper to Phoebe. Phoebe shrugged.
"Err. . . yes of course, we just didn't call them proms. We called them school parties, and we never used to get this dressed for them," said Talia quickly.
Nice save, Tal! thought Wyatt as everyone proceeded to the front door.
*************
A dark figure watched the four teenagers from the shadows as they got into the flashy car. The grown-ups waved their fond goodbyes. They all seemed so happy! She seemed so happy!
Valdis concentrated on the girl that sat next to the driver's seat. She was so beautiful she took his breath away. She smiled warmly at the boy who had held the door open for her. Valdis knew the boy was called Josh. He had overheard it at the club a week ago. Josh closed the door after her, before walking all the way round to his side of the car. He sat next to Talia, put his arm around her, and started the engine of the car. Valdis felt his fists clenching involuntarily. Jealousy flooded through him. At that very moment, he would have given every drop of his pure demon blood to be that boy sitting next to her.
Josh had everything Valdis had ever wished for. He had a normal life, friends, a couple of loving parents somewhere, he assumed, but most importantly, he had her. Valdis realized he had been grinding his teeth. He had to force himself to relax.
He waited until the car put a little distance between itself and the manor, but was still in sight, before starting up his motorbike. Valdis pushed an absentminded hand through his dark hair and the motorbike lurched forward.
His intention was clear: to follow the red convertible. A strangely sad smile crossed his handsome features. At a safe distance of course.
I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. My computer monitor decided to blow up on me, and I'm now posting this from my brother's computer. It might be a while 'til the next chapter, considering that I had actually prepared this earlier. Please be patient!
I'm afraid I don't have enough time to thank every reviewer separately today, since I will spend the rest of my computer time writing the next installment. But I can't help but give a quick listing of all the people who are encouraging me throughout this story. To you, my reviewers I dedicate this chapter:
Charmedfanatic3000 Prue101 Mickis Chantedly Slyslayer13 TanyaM LozzieLiz Sweetone41185 C236 Susan (hey, new reviewer?) Piper43 Barb6
And remember, the only thing I like better that a new reviewer, is a frequent reviewer! Please review!
Without further ado, here's my next installment to this story that I hope you've enjoyed so far.
Chapter 22: What a little make-up can do
"Never, as long as I live, will I understand girls!" cried an exasperated Wyatt.
To his annoyance Leo seemed amused.
"What could be taking them so long?" Wyatt asked, not really expecting an answer from his companions.
"I don't think men were ever meant to understand women, son," volunteered Leo.
That comment only earned Leo a glare from his son.
"You're not helping, dad."
"Neither are you, with all your pacing up and down," said Josh.
Wyatt glared at his friend too, but when Josh continued to seem unfazed, Wyatt finally had to admit defeat and sit down.
"I just really hate having to wait, that's all," he grumbled.
"That's the way it's always been, man," said Josh trying to console him. "I bet even Adam had to wait for Eve to get ready, before she let him take her out."
"Out where?" asked Leo, curious.
"To the forbidden tree?" hazarded Josh.
Wyatt couldn't help but smile at that image.
"Gentlemen, may I have your attention please," said Paige's officious voice from the top of the stairs.
The men looked up to see the redhead wearing a grin from ear to ear.
"May I present-"
"Aunt Paige!" Talia's voice called from out of sight. She sounded as if she had just about enough of hair, make-up and all things girlish. Paige's grin disappeared. "No, mother, my make-up's fine as it is!"
Talia finally appeared at the top of the stairs. She was a whirlwind of crimson silk as she swiftly glided down the staircase. She rushed past a surprised Paige to land gracefully in front of the men.
Wyatt grinned at his cousin's entrance. Trust Talia to make it into a big one, he thought.
She wore a long gown that hang enticingly on her every curve, showing off her perfect body to the shame of the world's so-called supermodels. The neckline of the dress plunged daringly, putting some of her best assets to good use. The crimson colour of the dress brought out her dark colouring to dramatic effect, and her long dark hair, usually as straight as a ruler, was swept up in an elaborate hairstyle from which an elegant mass of curls tumbled down.
Wyatt turned to see his friend's reaction to Talia's appearance. He almost laughed out loud. Josh stood in the middle of their living room, eyes fixed on the girl that had just assaulted his senses, his mouth hanging wide open. Well, what do you know, thought Wyatt, it's not just an expression after all!
Phoebe had followed Talia down the stairs. To Talia's dismay she seemed to be holding an enormous make-up brush.
"Talia! Don't be such a baby!" called Phoebe determinedly, hurrying after her daughter who, in answer, positioned herself between her mother and Leo. "You need more blusher, you look like a ghost!"
Wyatt disagreed. Talia's attempt at escaping her mother's efforts and her mad dash down the stairs had caused a particularly appealing shade of pink to rise to her cheeks.
Leo was already in a fit of laughter and so, not much help to an increasingly desperate Talia. It was to Wyatt, Talia then turned for help. To her relief, her cousin came to her aid.
"Aunt Phoebe, she looks great. She really does. She doesn't need anything else. Take my word for it."
Phoebe turned to the nephew she adored. Her resolve seemed to waver.
"Well, if you say so Wyatt," she finally said, lowering the ridiculously big brush.
Talia threw Wyatt a grateful look and he grinned back at her. Leo was only now getting himself under control under the wrathful eyes of Phoebe.
Talia proceeded to walk towards Josh who was still, to Wyatt's amazement, staring at her with his mouth open. As discretely as he could, Wyatt elbowed his friend causing him to finally close his gaping mouth.
"Hi," said Talia as she finally reached him.
"Hi," was Josh's intelligent reply. "I got you this," he said, giving Talia a small plastic box.
To Talia's delight the box revealed a corsage made up of a cluster of small, deeply red, roses. It matched her dress perfectly.
"Allow me," said Josh, who had seemingly just managed to get over the shock of seeing her.
He carefully took the corsage and slipped it onto her slim wrist. They both looked up when he had finished and smiled at each other. Josh still had her hand in his and he held on to it.
"Talia, you do know how to ruin a moment, don't you?" whined Paige from the top of the stairs. At least there was one more girl to present she consoled herself. "Right," she continued, "without further ado, I present to you-"
To her great disappointment and annoyance, Paige never managed to finish her sentence.
"What did I miss?" said a velvety voice from the top of the stairs.
Wyatt found himself looking at a vision of golden hair and pale blue, shimmering satin. Judy glided down the stairs in a much slower pace than Talia had. She was followed by Piper.
He seemed to gravitate towards the beautiful girl. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he gently put his arms around her and guided her to the rest of the group.
"You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear so that no one else could hear.
A telltale flash of pleasure rose to Judy's cheeks and her eyes twinkled as she let Wyatt guide her. Leo and Piper smiled to each other in a way that made Paige, unseen by anyone but Phoebe, roll her eyes. Phoebe grinned at her younger sister.
"Great! If everyone is ready, we can finally get to the party!" called Talia.
"It's a prom Talia, not a party," corrected Wyatt.
"Same difference," she said cheerily.
"Don't they have proms in Australia?" asked Josh of Talia.
Australia? mouthed Piper to Phoebe. Phoebe shrugged.
"Err. . . yes of course, we just didn't call them proms. We called them school parties, and we never used to get this dressed for them," said Talia quickly.
Nice save, Tal! thought Wyatt as everyone proceeded to the front door.
*************
A dark figure watched the four teenagers from the shadows as they got into the flashy car. The grown-ups waved their fond goodbyes. They all seemed so happy! She seemed so happy!
Valdis concentrated on the girl that sat next to the driver's seat. She was so beautiful she took his breath away. She smiled warmly at the boy who had held the door open for her. Valdis knew the boy was called Josh. He had overheard it at the club a week ago. Josh closed the door after her, before walking all the way round to his side of the car. He sat next to Talia, put his arm around her, and started the engine of the car. Valdis felt his fists clenching involuntarily. Jealousy flooded through him. At that very moment, he would have given every drop of his pure demon blood to be that boy sitting next to her.
Josh had everything Valdis had ever wished for. He had a normal life, friends, a couple of loving parents somewhere, he assumed, but most importantly, he had her. Valdis realized he had been grinding his teeth. He had to force himself to relax.
He waited until the car put a little distance between itself and the manor, but was still in sight, before starting up his motorbike. Valdis pushed an absentminded hand through his dark hair and the motorbike lurched forward.
His intention was clear: to follow the red convertible. A strangely sad smile crossed his handsome features. At a safe distance of course.