Lost In Purple

Chapter 70: Empuress

Johnny's POV

The gasp is asinine, seemingly over exaggerated, and long-winded. Her hands are over her mouth, her eyes are wide and sparkle radiantly as she refuses to stand still for even a single millisecond. I have to brace myself before she decides to pinch my cheeks and become this squishy, squeaky…mess of a mother that's nothing short of cringeworthy.

"You want me to go pick out a suit and dress with you?!" My mother exclaims.

"Y-yes, just…please calm down…please…I'm not doing this again…I still have nightmares from when you did this in high school," I groan.

I'm starting to regret telling my mother about the Spring Formal that's going to happen in a few days. I only asked because there's so much for me to do before I graduate, and I was thinking that bringing her along would relieve some of the stress coupled with it all. However, every time I mention anything of the sort she finds some way to make me embarrassed, and somehow, I didn't think this would happen again.

"Oh what are you talking about? My little kitten is all grown up and is so in love that he's taking a lucky lady to his school dance! Why wouldn't I be excited for yoooouuu?!" She beams while hugging me with that divine motherly strength that leaves you breathless.

"Ooooookay, OK OK OK OK…Mom…Mom…Icantbreathe…please…MOM!" I sputter.

"Alright, alright, I'm just happy for you that's all. I've only been waiting for you to have a legitimate girlfriend for years," She responds while releasing me. With a swift lunge, she snatches the two cups of tea that peacefully stood on top of the living rooms coffee table and dashes into the kitchen. "We'll go in a second John, just give me a second to make myself look presentable!" She proceeds to hollers.

I open my mouth in order to tell her to take her time, but I start thinking about that a bit harder. She has some the worlds fluffiest, softest, and most well brushed white fur along with the most refined fashion sense. How is she not 'presentable' right now? "Wait what? You look fine though. Are your whiskers not in the right position or something?" I ask.

"You'll never get it John. An old woman like me can't go outside unless I look like a queen," She replies while leaving the kitchen and towards the houses main staircase.

"Mom we're not going anywhere fancy! Melanie will get angry with me if I spend anything more than a couple hundred dollars," I shout.

There's an echoing scoff that bounces off the houses walls, followed by argumentative tones from my mother. "We've seen you spend thousands of dollars in the past on dresses and suits, John! I'm sure she'll survive if we get her something worth more than a single piece of fabric. Also, in case you've forgotten, your MOTHER owns a fashion business and brand that specializes in formalwear, so we are getting you something expensive if it's the last thing I do!"

Not only is that a good point, I also don't want to suffer the insufferable wrath of my mother's fury, so I guess we're going above and beyond for this formal. I listen closely and confirm that my mother has indeed disappeared upstairs to freshen up, so I take the time to see how Melanie is doing. It's six o' clock in the afternoon, meaning that it's been a few hours since I went and visited Melanie during her shift at that horrendous diner. I still wish that she could be with me over at MU; Its not the same without her there and I miss hearing her voice. Damn, I hope that I'm not becoming clingy.

I take out my phone and begin typing away in hopes that Melanie isn't swarmed with more psychopaths ready to snap at her at any given time. "Still doing alright?" I ask.

I don't get anything back right away, but there's a prompt showing me that Melanie is in the process of responding which is nothing more than exciting. "Other than feeling like I'm about to fall asleep, I'm doing fine," Melanie texts back.

"Do you need me to drive over there so you and I can have some more fun together?" I question while feeling sad for her.

"John, how exactly would we possibly have fun at the diner?" She answers.

My mind wanders a little and can't help but laugh when I think of what to say. "I can think of a couple things, but they all consist of the both of us going out in the back and or making you abandon your post. I'm personally feeling adventurous and would like to take the option of going out to the back."

I stare at my phone for a minute but get nothing back. Just before I lose all hope, Melanie is in the process of answering again. The suspense kills me up until the point where her message is finally sent to me. "Why are you trying to embarrass me even within our texts?"

"It's my job. How else can I prove to you that I love you from such large distances away?" I ask.

"Have you ever considered sending flowers? Or maybe just saying I love you instead of pulling out all these subliminal messages that catch me off guard," Melanie sends back.

I would rather say I love you to her in person than over text, so I'm not going to do that, but the flowers suggestion is actually a good idea and I will likely do that in the future. As for now I just say, "Yeah no, I would rather embarrass you. It's way more fun. Regardless, all those offers still stand."

"John, I'm not gonna give you an answer to that," Melanie instantly responds.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Since I can't have fun with you during work, I'll just have to do that when you aren't working yourself to death. Is there a day that you aren't working?" I send.

"No. We're short staffed remember? The only time I can think of where I wouldn't be working is whenever you get your degree and go through with whatever it was that you were planning for me," Melanie explains.

I sigh and throw my head back before typing up a storm. "Alright then, how about taking Friday off? I feel like we taking you out to dinner and maybe seeing your parents again."

"I'll see what I can do. My manager, for some reason, isn't trying to hire anymore people so it might be difficult, but i'll try. Anyways, I'll see you later. It just got a little busier," Melanie texts.

"Alright. Love you, Mel," I type with a disappearing smile.

"Love you too," She responds.

My heart flutters after reading that, but I immediately remind myself that I have business with my mother this evening, and it's taking her four centuries to get ready! I put my phone in my hoodie's pocket and stand up to saunter over to the front door. When I pass the main staircase that spirals to the upper floor, I scream, "MOM!"

"Hold ooon Jonathaaaaan!" My mother sings loudly.

"No I'm not holding on, this is important to me and by the time you're finished doing all this, everything will be closed! LETS…GO!" I yell while clapping my hand rhythmically at the end.

My mother appears at the staircase and flies down them at top speed before arriving at the front door with me. Her furs has been noticeably brushed, and she's also put on a little extra makeup. She also changed into a black evening gown for some reason. I don't understand the mentality of trying to look like a celebrity everywhere she goes, so maybe it's worth asking about it.

"Ok really Mom? You were just as pretty as before," I groan.

"Hush darling, I can't show up at my own store looking like a pig. I'm sure you feel the same way when going out at school," My mom blathers.

"Ugh, you can't be serious," I say while placing my fingers in between my eyes.

My mother raises her head snootily. "Of course I'm serious! I can't go around embarrassing you! You'll get mad at me!"

Being pulled along to one of my mother's designer stores in Thornberry was beyond stressful. Every intense swerve we took on the drive over here left my heart pounding relentlessly against my ribcage due to my mother wanting to drive. If my father was around to see her drive, he would likely say that she's becoming too old and senile to be a stunt driver. I'm joking of course; It was obviously because she's excited to actually do something with me for a change. However, I'm genuinely surprised she didn't get pulled over or sent us through a brick wall at mach speed.

After rounding into the parking lot, my mother puts her luxury car in park and bursts out the door at a rapid pace. I almost make it out by myself, but I'm unfortunately grabbed and dragged all the way to the entrance of the store. It honestly wasn't as bad as I'm making it out to be. I'm over exaggerating exponentially considering that all we truly did was walk to the entrance with abnormal speed. It's just that this has become anything but relaxing and simple for me. I open the door for my mother to enter, and take a quick look at the building. It's modern in that it's built with marble blocks that are smoother than countertops, and there several large glass windows that leak sunlight into the sweet darkness. There's display windows showing off some incredibly opulent looking suits and dresses along with jewelry and other accessories. I also notice that the sign above me says 'Empuress' which… defines my mother so well.

I return back to reality and infiltrate the store to find my mother staring at me with those wide eyes again. "So what are we wishing for, John? Something classic? Ooo, what about something unconventional, that seems more like you. Maybe something chic? Minimalistic? Artsy? Oh wait no, you're a Scarer like your father and I so maybe something with a spooky flair to it."

"Uh… well," I say with an exhausted sigh, "I wasn't expecting to be asked that today."

"Oh Jonathan, do not tell me you were going to come here without even the slightest idea of what you wanted," My mother winces.

I look around the place and see that the large open floor is made of white tiles and bright oak wood walls. There are shelves and metal racks that house a plethora of formalwear and the walls even have well-lit cubbies that hold stacks of suits and hang many dresses. I also look around to see that almost every suit and almost every dress has a different theme going for it. Some are more eccentric than others while some are more bland than others. I guess it was a good idea bringing my mother along with me.

"I mean, I…always end up finding something that catches my eye. It's what happened during the fall, I found an alluring Victorian purple vest and suit and just went with it. Melanie ended up finding something similar that also complemented what I was wearing. Honestly, there wasn't anything to worry about anyways," I explain.

My mother gives me a confused look and stares off into space for a second. It's almost like she's trying to solve some great mystery that hasn't been exposed to the public for quite some time. "Well that's good and all, but I still refuse to spend a couple hours attempting to search for something that you might wear. I want my baby boy to feel comfortable and content with what he wears, not just OK," My mother responds.

"Don't call me your baby boy. And it's just a suit, Mom! Whether it's comfortable or not, I will survive wearing it for more than an hour!" I growl.

"My my, even after all these years you're still such a stubborn kitten!" My mother laughs, "Fine then, how about telling me what your Melanie likes to wear then hmm. Does she have the same tastes as you?"

I huff a little. We're almost legitimate opposites from each other, which is something that I never thought would happen. Usually when I met someone who's personality is the opposite of mine, I never get along with them. "Nope, her tastes are nothing like mine. She acts like such an innocent little princess, but looks like someone with a dark past. Her tastes are more suited to staying in the shadows and avoiding any kind of exposure to the general public while I would rather wear something that would get me noticed. I'm certain that if you and Dad saw her in her normal attire, neither of you would be happy," I answer.

"Maybe your father would feel that way, but not me Jonathan," My mother chuckles, "But now you've got me interested! Do you have a picture of her? I have yet to see what she even looks like you know!"

"Ugh…you're so needy," I groan.

"No I am not!" She responds with a weak slap to my face, "It's your father who's needy! Now show me your amazing girlfriend right now before I beat you senseless!"

I roll my eyes and pull out my phone. She couldn't beat me. Her fuzzy little fists would feel like cotton candy bouncing off my body...right? Anyways, I start scrolling through the endless ocean of photos and eventually find a photo of Melanie and I during the Fall Formal. I think it was Chet who took it when we were dancing the night away, and it perfectly encapsulates how happy we both were to be there with each other. The photo also shows our outfits in a very satisfactory way…maybe I should frame this photo somewhere. I couldn't possibly think about forgetting such a memory.

"Oooo gimme gimme!" My mother screeches in exhilaration.

Her eyes take a moment to adjust and continues to take a second to analyze the photo in its entirety. It isn't until she lets out a loud gasp that I know she's finally seen Melanie. She squeezes my forearm and lightly shakes it around with a smile that children can't compete with. Ok…I guess she likes Melanie.

"Jonathan, she's so pretty!" She screams.

I have to put my hand over her mouth and look around the building to make sure we didn't disturb anyone. However, we're the only ones in here aside from the cashier who's blissfully unaware of our existence, playing on his phone while bored out of his mind.

"QUIET…," I aggressively whisper, "I know nobody is around but we're in public! Do you really want people to think you're crazy?! How am I the one doing the parenting here?!"

My mother swipes my hand away with her ungodly strength and says, "Oh stop it, I can be as loud as I want here…and besides, I meant what I said. She is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, GORGEOUS! Does she want to be a model perhaps? WAIT HOLD ON, she's a Scarer like you so that certainly won't do. Maybe she just has a liking for fashion. Doooooh, where is her cellphone number?!"

"NONONONONO! She will not be comfortable with that! Give me my phone back?" I whisper loudly, struggling to get my phone back from her grubby paws.

"PLEEEEEASE I NEEEEEEEED IIIIIT," My mother begs.

We both look like infant siblings fighting over a toy for a little bit. Every time I'm about to snatch my phone, she swings her arms in the opposite direction with it trapped in her fingers. There comes a point where I'm tempted to just push her down in hopes of her letting go, but that would likely cause the cashier to intervene and maybe call the police on me. It's best to just outsmart her. I have to grab her and turn her horizontally like a plank of wood and moderately shake her up and down while growling, "GIVE…ME…MY…PHONE."

Yeah, thank god nobody important is around to see this.

"J-Jonathan…," My mother laughs and snorts, "Put me down!"

I've caught her off guard and swipe my phone away from her. Relieved, I turn her upright and place her on her feet while also noting that she's unscathed. Her fur, which was just brushed not too long ago, has now been a little messed up but that's what she gets for being a little sly thief. I don't think she'll mind though because has more of a rocker look now.

"God! How do I not remember you being this annoying?!" I seethe.

"Oh lighten up Jonathan. Can a mother not have some fun with her son? Can…I also not have a little assistant who happens to be your best friend and is beyond divinity in terms of beauty?" My mother mutters.

"NO! We're here to get clothes! How have you already forgotten?" I groan in pure, unadulterated frustration. Putting my face into my hands is the only thing I can think of doing because holy mother of god I'm so embarrassed. It's like she's turned into an uncontrollable child that just festers and burrows into your brain like a parasite. I then feel an arm wrap around my own and I'm pulled further into the store.

"Well if it's clothes you want to talk about, then I think I understand what she would want to wear. Something edgy, yet heavenly…would you want to wear something that matches like in that photo?" My mother questions.

"I would wear whatever makes Melanie happy," I state while sounding annoyed.

"Mmm…how adorable. Alright then, follow me," She responds, walking over to the cashier.

My mother interrupted the cashier and his crusade for finding something to pass the time. Apparently nobody comes to Empuress in the evening to buy formalwear…who would have thought would happen? It was interesting to watch her converse with the cashier. He nearly fell out of his chair, dropped his phone to the ground and looked like he wanted to salute to her like a soldier. Is this a curse that my family can't escape? Does everyone really shiver in terror whenever we're around? Like seriously, the poor guy must have thought he was about to lose his job for slacking off during a time where nothing is happening. Regardless of what he thought, my mother acted like she was a mother to him. A large smile and calming tone was all it took and he was at ease. After a couple of apologies, my mother was able to ask if he could accompany us to search for the perfect outfits. The cashier obviously felt obligated to accept so now he's off looking around with my mother, A.K.A, his boss. I originally wanted to look myself, but I was told to sit and relax in a dark blue armchair near the changing rooms. It took them a literal hour to come back and find me nearly falling asleep.

"Oh thank the heavens you guys are done," I groan.

"Oh stop being dramatic, we weren't gone that long," My mother replies.

I turn on my phone and show them the time which flawlessly gets my point across. It's now 8:30 PM, which is just comical because this trip to the store would have only taken 15 minutes if it was just me. The cashier looks like he's about to burst out laughing because I am, in fact, not being dramatic. I am instead showing her how unnecessarily long it took her to decide what was good and what was not.

She scoffs playfully before saying, "You're just like your father you know, always finding a way to be a smartass."

"Mom pleeeeeease…I just want to go to bed," I whine in exaggerated pain.

The excitement emanating from my mother doesn't stop though, and she picks up on my exhaustion. "Ok ok, we'll make this quick. I picked out a couple dresses for Melanie, and my friend here picked out some suits that would go well together with them, so why don't you choose the ones you're interested in seeing yourself and Melanie in and we'll go from there."

Observing the gigantic selection laid out before me is nothing but a chore though. Every suit and dress is either something that every affluent monster would wear, or something that would make people believe Melanie and I are lunatics. The dullness of the classical suits and dresses give me archaic, old-timey vibes while the others make me think of those celebrity award red carpets where everyone has these insane outfits that people somehow consider to be innovative. Of course there are some diamonds in the rough, but I'm not going to have Melanie and I look like comedians.

"I'm not going to lie Mom, I hate all of these," I sigh while shaking my head.

"Oh come on, you don't even want to try any of this on? I made sure to pick out some of the more 'darker' stuff for you two," My mother spouts.

I stand up from the arm chair and take an unnecessary closer look. "Yeah no. The normal suits are boring and I've worn things like this since high school. Those quote on quote 'darker' ones would actually make Melanie and I look like walking coffins. Like seriously, what's with the leather? What's with all these metal accessories, buttons, and spikes on them? If anything we would be attracting the wrong kind of attention wearing these."

"Oh is it all too much?" She asks.

"Yes. We would not be comfortable in these," I answer, realizing that an hour of my life has just been wasted.

"Hmm…alright then," My mother beams before turning to the cashier, "Would you be a dear and put these back for me?"

The cashier nods his head and grabs the stacks of suits and dresses. He disappears towards the back of the store while my mother takes my arm. "How about you pick then."

That's what I should have been able to do from the start, but whatever, I'll blissfully indulge her. The two of us explore the floor around us, and it's looking kind of grim. Everything's becoming a blur as we seem to stare at the same outfits every five minutes. "Ugh…maybe we should continue this another day. Nothing's striking me as something I would wear. It's the same with Melanie too," I say interrupting our search.

"No no no, I promise you there will be something!" My mother urges.

I shake my head while chuckling. I guess my stubbornness doesn't just come from my father, but also my mother as well. I don't let her win though because I begin pulling her along to the entrance while ignoring her refusals to leave. "Come on, you and I can peruse the shelves another day."

The temper tantrum resumes, but I keep pulling. Her arms continuously flail around and I notice that her soft-feline fur is standing on end. I take one last look around the place because I don't know if I will ever actually be back. My mothers fashion brand seems to be more for classical people, which isn't who I am. I can only assume people her age really shop here anyways. There's a lot of people nowadays that consider the younger generations to be too odd and too far gone to enjoy stuff like this, and I guess I've proven that to be a fact. Right as we're about to pull the door open, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. I screech to a halt, causing my mother to run into me with enough force for her to let out an 'ooph.'There's a sky blue dress on a mannequin standing behind the front glass window the far corner of the store. It almost looks like some kind of bridal dress but I don't think my Mother's business would put an expensive bridal dress right up front for thieves to see.

"Hey Mom, what's that one?" I ask while pointing into the somewhat dark and dusty corner.

With my guard down, she's able to fling her arm out of my grasp and point at me with her super fuzzy finger. "AHA! I told you we'd find something!"

The tables turn, and I'm instead the one being pulled around. Within an instant, I'm taken right behind the dress and watch as my Mother carefully reads the tag before taking it off the mannequin. "I remember conceptualizing this poor thing and being excited to see it in reality when it was all done. I think I've had it in stock for a few years because nobody has wanted it. Did you know that I always wanted to go into bridal fashion?"

So that's why it looked like a bridal gown. She attempted to dabble in the more romantic field of clothing but nobody really wanted this kind of style.

"Obviously it's ball gown, but a mother can dream," She adds, "Anyways, it's a long sky blue ball gown accessorized with black rose lace patterns."

While her description of it is probably accurate, it doesn't do it justice. The silhouette isn't just flat, it folds in and out to make it look like a princesses dress. The hemline rounds up to make the end of the dress looks like mini versions of clouds, and the black rose lace runs from the sleeves to the waistline. It's almost as if there's some harrowing and decaying black ivy running down the dress. I can see Melanie wearing it right now, blowing away the whole school for the second time. I can see many girls uttering jealous remarks to their friends while other guys would be relentlessly staring at her for the whole night. Wait…I don't think I want that…but I can't possibly let her wear the same dress or some boring old evening dress. I can also envision what she would look like during her…ghost thing. The sky blue color would make her sapphire blue glow look even more beautiful. I take the gown from my mothers paws, and instantly notice how light it is. She could easily move in this, and she could even dance till she drops in this thing without any bit of discomfort. This also checks off all the marks when it comes to her style; It's beautiful yet it brings about this calamitous and mysterious feeling whenever you look at it. Melanie's always been hard to describe, but that's one thing I love about her. She's a mystery, and so is this dress.

"Don't worry about the size either. The dresses I make are made for body types, not body sizes. It can be tightened or loosened to her desire," My mother adds.

"…It's perfect," I grin.

"Yaaaaay! I'll go get my friend over at the cashier, we'll stop here and figure out what you want for your suit. If you want…I can custom make it for you," My mother sings discreetly.

She trots off and leaves me to my daydreaming. Seeing Melanie wear this would be a dream come true. She'll be more celestial than the stars in the sky, and that will satisfy me more than getting my scaring degree. I want nothing but the best for her, and I hope she understands how much I love her by doing this. I also hope I'll be able to compare to her in terms of vanity. I can't possibly be second best at the Spring Formal, but I'm sure that my mother will help me out with that. As long as we'll both be royalty reincarnated, I'll be satisfied with how this Spring Formal turns out.