Author's Note: I have never been to New York so if you're reading this and you're thinking "New York isn't like that!" I'm sorry.
Model
Chapter 3: Freeze To Death On Top Of The Earth.
Characters
Human Guys- Halo Hayden, Mirage Zurie
Vampire Guys- Onyx Embryl
Human Girls- Gwinn Hayden, Autumn Blaire
"So, it looks like you two are buddies now. That's great! And to think Gwinn was completely against letting you stay." Autumn faked her enthusiasm. She didn't like that they had become so close at all. Or the fact that Onyx had decided to stay with Gwinn. This made it much harder to get to him.
When they were all climbing into the car Autumn told Onyx he could sit up front with her on the way to the interview, but he refused.
"I'd rather sit next to Gwinn, if you don't mind." He had said. That ticked her off, but she held it together. There was no way someone could like Gwinn better than her, or rather, she wasn't going to let someone like Gwinn better than her. She'd think of something to tear them apart, even if that meant ripping Gwinn to shreds in the process.
"Wow traffic's really clear!" Gwinn exclaimed. "Today must be my lucky day. We might even make it a bit early."
"Yeah." Onyx laughed. Ugh!, Autumn thought. She adjusted the mirror above the dashboard and glanced in it at the "happy couple" that seemed to be in the back seat. Gwinn was staring out the window and smiling at the passing scenery. Onyx was staring at Gwinn. He looked like a statue whose eyes were permanently glued on the figure beside him. Autumn could have puked. What does Gwinn have that doesn't look a million times better on me, Autumn wondered.
Autumn glanced back at Gwinn and spotted something hiding under her white turtle neck sweater. A Band-Aid? That could mean only one thing to Autumn. That little bitch!
"Oh, Gwinn, what happened to your neck?" She faked her worry. "Did you get hurt?" She needed to know what kind of situation this was. She knew something was going on, but if Gwinn lied she'd have to find a different strategy. if she told the truth, Autumn would be able to terminate this relationship easily. All she needed to do was tell Gwinn their friendship was over because she stole Onyx from her. After all, she claimed him first. Then Gwinn would break it off with Onyx to make her feel better. Leaving Onyx sad, lonely, guilty, and broken. Which gives Autumn the chance she needs to put him back together. Then when she found someone better she could get rid of him like yesterday's garbage.
Gwinn glanced at Onyx; he nodded. Onyx had given her the bandage to cover up the bite mark. The mark was too deep to be normal. The bandage would mislead people as it had Autumn. Gwinn could live with people noticing a covered up hickey than an exposed vampire bite---since Onyx wasn't leaving her side the bite would be visible. "It's nothing really. I was just doing my hair while in a rush and burned myself. I'm sure it'll get better soon." She lied.
You lying bitch! Curlers my ass! "You poor thing. I hope it does get better."
It was 30 min. before the interview when the group finally made it to the magazine's headquarters. "Here's your stop, Gwinn." Autumn said happily. She was eagerly awaiting some alone time with Onyx.
"Thanks Autumn. C'mon Onyx let's get in there!" Gwinn said, to Autumn's astonishment.
"H-He's coming with you?" She asked, barely able to keep her cool.
"Yeah. I wanted to introduce him as my official model." Gwinn told her.
"Official model?" Autumn asked incredulously."When did this happen?"
"Awhile before you came in." Onyx answered her question. " She was really good at drawing me, so I agreed to be her model." It wasn't a lie. Just not all of the truth. Gwinn was really good at drawing Onyx, and he did agree to be her model. "Gwinn, we should really get going." He said to her.
"Okay. I'm a little nervous though." She laughed. They were doing it again. They were completely forgetting Autumn's presence and locking themselves in their own little world. Onyx took her hand and rushed her into the 10 story building.
The building where Gwinn was trying to get a job at was owned by a woman named Emerie Labelle. Her age: She'll never tell. Her birth year: She'll never tell. Her interests: Amazing, astounding, and awing everyone. Emerie Labelle was always praised for her amazing use of style color and fashion. That's why when she decided to start her own magazine and store company she wanted its pages, racks, and models to be filled with beautiful artwork, clothes, and people. She had been known to use people as her canvas, and now her magazine has become famous for it. Only persons whom she's seen with a unique and special gift for capturing beauty could work for her.
Not by looking outside at the building could you tell that Emerie had an artistic and fashionable sixth sense, but by looking inside. The outside was pretty normal. Emerie's building had a set of automatic double-doors and a large picture---topped with snow---of their latest top male model, Mirage Zurie. The sign above Mirage's portrait read, coincidentally, La Beauté Est Ici.
Gwinn and Onyx walked into the comfortably warm building hand in hand. There were people everywhere: Reporters with notepads an cameras, beautiful people---who were obviously models---being crowded and asked questions. But apparently they weren't supposed to be, and a big guy in a security uniform forced them out and scolded the young models about using the other door especially for them. There was a short line at one of the strangely elegant front desks in the lobby. The lobby was beautifully decorated with the loveliest flowers and the most amazing artwork---created by the owner, obviously because of the the creative imagination drawn in them---hanging pridefully on the walls. The chair Gwinn sat on to wait her turn was even beautifully made.
It was finally her turn. She squeezed Onyx's hand, let go reluctantly, and headed to the front desk---with Onyx following behind like a lost puppy. The woman sitting at the desk was old-looking, maybe in her forties, and wore her hair in a tight bun with those small glasses that hung on your nose like a librarian's---pretty out of place for a fashion/art type magazine. She looked tired and crabby, and when she looked up and saw Gwinn standing there, trembling, she sighed with frustration and said, "What are you here for? Do you have some kind of appointment?" in a voice that sounded like a strict, old school teacher.
"I-I'm h-here f-f-for the i-in-interview." She stammered over the words while trying her best to keep eye contact. Gwinn was even more nervous than she thought. The only time she'd ever been so nervous was at her chorus recital when---like now---she was so eager to showcase her skills, but shook so much with stage fright the teacher feared she was having a stroke or a seizure and canceled the production to have her taken to the hospital. This was her first ever job interview. She never really needed to have a job.
"Oh." the lady at the desk said, and she pushed a button and spoke in a forced delightful tone, "Ms. Labelle, there is a young woman at the front desk who says she has an interview."
"What's her name?" asked a Joan Rivers voiced woman from the speaker. The lady at the desk turned to Gwinn.
"Uh, Gwendoline Hayden." She spoke, sounding surprisingly clear to herself.
"Gwendolen Hayden." The lady echoed incorrectly, but Gwinn didn't have the heart to correct her.
"Hayden? Send her in. Send her in." The voice of Ms. Labelle rushed.
"Right away, Ma'am." The lady at the desk looked at Gwinn again then finally noticed the handsome man beside her. "Your boyfriend can't come." She told her. Gwinn turned red. She was about to explain her relationship with Onyx when Onyx spoke up in his beautifully undeniable voice.
"I have to go wherever she goes." He said, not denying at all that he was her boyfriend. The woman was bewildered by the way his extraordinary voice turned normal words into voiced elegance.
"Okay." She said in trance like way. Onyx was simply enchanting. "Just go into the elevator and get out on the fourth floor." She continued, while pointing with her pen.
Thank you." Both Onyx and Gwinn said as they walked to the elevator on the right side of the front desk and pressed the fourth button. Once they were in Gwinn nearly collapsed onto the floor.
"Are you alright." Onyx asked anxiously. He knew she was nervous, but he didn't think it would be this bad.
"Yeah. Thanks Onyx, I'm really glad you're here with me. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't." She said while getting up. There was music in the elevator: Fur Elise. One of both Onyx's and Gwinn's favorite classical song, so it relaxed her a bit.
After a bit, the elevator stopped and the scale like object above the door read that they had stopped on the 2nd/3rd floor? Gwinn took a look at the buttons. Each button had the name and number of the floor it sent you too. Level -2 and -1's button read "Underground Parking garage (employees only)". The button for floor 1 read "Front Desk" and the next button, which was lighted, was for floor 2/3 and read "Artiste Workplace". "How can there be a floor two slash three?" She asked Onyx curiously, but the door opened and showed her.
It was a lovely and elaborate example of architecture. They were two floors that were only separated by two large diamonds connected by a broad strip as the floor/ceiling. Leaving gaps so you could see the other floor just by looking up. There was no need for them to have different buttons. In the middle of the bottom floor was a spiral staircase on one side if a pole and a sort of spiral ramp on the other that seemed to be for wheelchairs. They ended at the floor of the upper room leading onto the broad strip. The floors were also surrounded by a breath-taking view of New-York City. You could see enormous buildings and the beautiful afternoon sky without the sight and smell of pollution. It seemed like the perfect view for a landscaping sketch, but that wasn't the only thing that caught Gwinn's eyes. The other thing was the astounding use of colour. It was as if someone took all the colours and styles of spring and summer, fall and winter, nostalgia and now, and splattered it all of the walls, floor, furniture, and ceiling.
It was beautiful! All the colours seemed to be made for each other like the perfect puzzle pieces. Like me and Gwinn if I were human, Onyx would have thought if he were thinking like Gwinn. But he was too busy staring at the crazy woman giving everyone a hard time. Not the room she was in. Gwinn hadn't even noticed that all of the artists and all the writers and editors were having some sort of crisis. Gwinn only saw art most of the time. A very tall, slim, and beautiful woman was on somewhat of a rampage. She threw all kinds of work equipment and pieces everywhere. At first, aiming at nothing in particular, but just out of rage. Then specifically at a terrified figure standing beside the open elevator door, then rushing in.
Gwinn didn't realize any of it until the woman threw a paint can with bad aim. The can would have hit her if Onyx hadn't quickly caught it. Gwinn snapped out of it and saw what was happening. She recognized the model as one she'd seen in La Beauté Est Ici's latest magazine. She was the model they were using to advertise their new winter wear. What's up with her, Gwinn thought, frightened.
"YOU STUPID BASTARD! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I HATE YOU! WHY DON'T YOU JUST CRAWL IN A HOLE AND DIE SOMEWHERE?!" She screamed with angry tears streaming her face, ruining her make up. She continued to throw things. "I HATE YOU MIRAGE!" She shrieked again. Mirage had tried his best to let her down gently. They had been dating for a month, but Mirage wasn't feeling any chemistry. He liked Tiffany, but she wasn't the person he wanted to have that kind of relationship with. Instead of understanding, like he'd hoped, she through a tantrum.
There's nothing I can do for her, he thought, it'd be best to leave her alone. He also didn't want to get clobbered with paint cans and chairs, so he pressed the elevator button as many times as he could till the door opened. Once it did, she had nearly missed him with another paint can. She almost hit the face of a girl in the elevator, but there was a man behind her who caught it just in time. The door finally closed when the deranged model through a glass jar of red paint at the elevator. The jar hit the door with a loud crash and shatter. Mirage sighed relieved and sat on the elevator floor.