Chapter Three
The New Year Parade
Bare feet tapping against the cold wooden floor the two little girls of 6 and 9 run through the house doing their best to keep quiet so they could make a surprise attack on Grace, Destini, and Paradise. Selena the youngest, has golden blonde curls that go down her shoulders and rest in the middle of her back, her bright hazel eyes searching the room carefully as she runs past them, sliding her pudgy fingers against the wall she looks out the window. Her sister Clarisse following close by had blonde hair as well but hers was not as curly and a little shorter. Her eyes were the color of the morning sky, holding up the bottom of her torn dress she stops next to Selena and looks out the window.
"Come on Selena, before they wake up…" she said grabbing her sister's hand and continuing down the hallway towards the bedroom.
Selena nodding her head runs with her hand in her sisters, "do you think they are already awake?" she said in a low tone.
Clarisse slowing down when they approached the door, "okay now you have to be quiet okay?" she said too her little sister who put her hands over her mouth. Clarisse slowly opening the door peers in, not hearing anything she walks in all the way letting her sister in as well. Looking back over at the bed they see it's empty. Their smiles slowly fading from their faces, "I think we did miss them Selena…"
Both of the girls slumping their shoulders forwards, begin to turn around and walk out of the room. When they turned around and looked up the frowns that once took place on their faces, faded back into a large smile.
Grace, Paradise, and Destini looking at the girls with a wide smile on their faces, "did you think we forgot about you two?" Destini said with a laugh.
Grace throwing a large sheet over the girls Paradise and Destini run at them and quickly pick them up tossing them on the bed. Grace jumping on the bed after them pulls the sheets off to see the faces of excitement and shock. The three girls working their fingers around Selena's and Clarisse's belly buttons, making them laugh until they could tell it was getting hard for them to breathe.
Grace sitting up looks over at the two little girls, "so what did you come here for?" she said slowly.
Selena sitting up quickly, "we wanted to help you guys get ready for the parade, and mommy told us that we should go out and play today…" she said scooting off the bed and stretching her little arms in the air.
Clarisse following her off the bed stands next to her and smiles at Destini and all of them, reaching for her little sisters hand, "we wanted to help you guys choose out a dress…" she said slowly.
"Well you know if we have to go that means you guys are going with us," Paradise said scooting off the bed as well and moving to her purse that she kept her money in. "Well lets get going then, it's going to take Destini all day to pick out a dress that she likes," Paradise said looking through her purse, nodding her head that she had enough money.
Grace standing up walks over to Selena and Clarisse kneeling down she pulls them into her and gives them a hug, "you guys come over anytime you want okay?" she said in a smooth tone.
Selena and Clarisse nodding their heads against Grace's shoulder, "okay…" they said at the same time.
Destini watching Grace smiles and nods her head, "she's getting to be a softy when it comes to those two…" she whispered to herself. "Okay let's get going, because Paradise is right. It's a good thing that I looked at a store that I like already," grabbing her own hand bag and walking towards the door.
Grace, and Paradise following Destini, while Selena and Clarisse run up to catch up with her, holding her hand. Walking out of the house they let the warm sun shine down on their faces for a second and then continue out down the streets to shop for dresses. Grace looking around the streets looks into the windows of shops with weapons, then the shops with clothes, surprisingly she hasn't been in one of them yet?
"How long do you think their mom has?" Paradise said to Grace.
"I don't think she has long at all, what are they going to do when she dies?" Grace said.
Paradise looking at her shocked, "I'm surprised you would ask that question, why can't they stay with us?"
"You know damn well why." Grace's voice crisp when she said it.
"No, I don't why don't you try explaining it?" Paradise snapped back in a whisper so they wouldn't here her.
Grace grabbing Paradise by the arm and pulling her behind a shop building, "they would be too much danger to us don't you see that?" she said in a fierce tone.
Paradise shaking her head, "Grace, you should here yourself, they need people that can protect them, who better then the people they trust most?"
Grace turning her back to Paradise at this point, drops her eyes to the ground, "Paradise, if they knew that we had a weakness, they wouldn't pause to use them against us…you have to look at it like that, if I wasn't who I am today then I would gladly watch after those two…" walking back out onto the street she looks up to see Destini and the two girls just turning into a store.
Paradise following out behind her she didn't say another word about the subject, she could see that it was hurting Grace the same to tell them that they couldn't stay with them. Even though Grace was right Paradise couldn't help but still want to help them some how. Looking up at Grace walking towards a shop she follows behind her giving her time to cool off and think things through for herself.
Destini walking into the shop looks down at Selena and Clarisse, "you two go and pick out your dresses, while I go and get mine…" she said lightly.
Clarisse and Selena nodding their heads run off into the store and started looking through all of the dresses, taking some of them down and trying them on. It wasn't to long before they had picked out the dresses that they wanted. Clarisse picking up an orange dress, with ruffles on the bottom and on the sleeve, she liked it though mostly because it had the bow in the back and long ribbon that hung from the bow. Selena picking out a pink dress with ruffles at the bottom as well and on the sleeves, but instead of a bow in the back she had little pink bows all along the bottom of her dress.
Destini finally picking out her own dress, it was light blue with a v neck line, it was a strapless dress, that lightly ruffled at the bottom, on the back of her dress were laces were she would lace up the back to make a little design. "How do you guys like it?"
Grace turning to look at it nods her head in approval, "it looks actually pretty nice…" Picking up a black dress with white ribbons flowing down the back were the bow was, her dress was also a v neck with no straps on the side, the dress slightly puffing out at the bottom, their was a slit going up the side, "what do you guys think of this?" she said holding it up to herself.
Paradise nodding her head along with the other three, "it looks good on you, you know black was always your color…" Paradise said laughing.
"Come on Paradise, what does your dress look like?" Destini said putting the items on the counter for the old women to total up.
Paradise picking up a ruby red dress that touched the ground slightly when she held it up to herself, the neck line of her dress doing a scoop instead of a v looking more like a u, the back of the dress taken out showing everything down to the lower back, "well…" she said calmly.
"We like it, now come on, all this shopping is making me hungry," Grace said pushing her up to the counter to lay her dress down.
"Okay, okay…" Paradise said setting her dress down and the old woman ringing it all up grinning at the price that she saw come up on the piece of paper.
"This is going to be a pretty penny you know…" the old woman said in croaky tone.
"Come, tell me the price I'm sure I'll be fine thanks…" Destini said looking into her hand bag at all the gold pieces she had and some jewels.
"It's going to come in as 506 gold pieces or 56 jewels," the old woman said with a smile on her face.
Destini looking shocked at first, "are you serious, that's all it's going to cost me…" laughing lightly she set the money down on the counter and then took the dresses, handing them back out to the people that picked them up.
Selena and Clarisse being very careful with their new dresses they held them up so that not even the bottom is dragging against the ground.
"Do you think we are going to look pretty tonight Paradise?" Clarisse said softly.
Paradise looking down at them with a smile on her face, "you two are going to be the prettiest ones out there okay…"
Clarisse nodding her head with a smile happily walks next to Destini again looking for a place to eat with them.
The five ladies walking back to the house they set down their dresses on the bed, Destini walking to the kitchen with Selena at her side. Grace, Paradise, and Clarisse walking into the eating room and setting down the plates, napkins, and cups so everybody can get something to eat. The three girls waiting patiently for the food to be done, they could smell it out in the eating room, and it started to make their stomach ache just a little more. Selena walking out with the pitcher of water and she sets it on the table spilling a little as she set it down. Letting everybody know that dinner was ready and it would be out soon. Destini walking back out with platters on food in each hand she sets it down in the center of the table. Grace serving Clarisse and Selena first then she served herself leaving Destini and Paradise to serve themselves if they wanted anything.
A short man standing at the window of their house peering in with mysterious eyes, "they couldn't be…" he said with a smile on his face. The three girls with their back turned towards the window he looked at the tattoos that marked their bodies, "the slayers huh? Well let's just see how long they last tonight and even better we'll use the kids as bait…" Malcolm rubbing his hands together happily, he quickly turns away from the window and walks through the streets heading towards the forest to tell the vampires of his findings.