The Blood's Elegance

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

SPRING IS FOR FESTIVAL II

Ayuna and I stood silently at the end of the hallway, kind of far from the eyes of our company. I hadn’t been this close to her since I don’t know when because I did not care about her. I tried to avoid her as much as possible or not talk to her with all my might. Both of us knew that the word ‘friendship’ can’t bind us together. Every time she’s near, my blood automatically boils like she was a fire meant to burn me.

I turned to her and stretched a smile on my lips. “What are you waiting for? Don’t you want to go inside and bond with them?”

Her raised eyebrow aimed to taunt me. “Is that how you say that you are befriending me?”

“What?” I couldn’t help but raise my voice. The girls didn’t hear it thankfully. “I think you should go back in high school to comprehend what I said.”

She flipped her hair and crossed her arms. “Instead of minding me, why don’t you give your attention to yourself?There is no other person in this place who needs awareness more than you. Those who are nice to everyone opens path to ignorance. Be careful.”

Just a faked smile on her lips, she turned her back against me and joined the ladies inside our room. Not so long after, I walked in, and to my surprise, I got hit by a pillow initiated by Ayuna.

“Pillow fight!”

I screamed and ran to the bed to grab my weapon. Trying to defend myself from the hits from other girls, I shielded myself with the soft encaged feathers. One hard attack, and I nearly fell on the bed. An arm prevented my head from reaching the floor. It was Leslie. We continued playing until all of us admit our defeat. You couldn’t say you are tired with these girls because they will pick on you. Sweating and breathing hard, we dropped our dirty bodies on the mattress. Some remained sitting while their backs were reclined on the wall. The closed-door opened. My head lying on the edge of the bed saw a reversed standing image of Seth. We all fell silent under his questioning gaze.

“What happened?”

I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

“Nothing,” we answered in chorus.

He moved his head side to side and laughed at our childishness. “There are only three bathroom; one each floor. The bathroom in this floor is the largest. You can take a shower now, so we can go to the event.”

I saluted at him. His eyes dropped at me. He c****d his eyebrow.

“Dibs on the shower!” Mary shouted.

The bed shook a little. She walked past my sight and grinned at Seth holding a towel in her hand. Soon, Ann followed her best friend, then Leslie, too, leaving me with Ayuna and Seth.

“I’ll go downstairs.”

I suddenly panicked because only he and I were left, and this was my position in bed. I pulled the bed sheet to raise myself; Seth approached me. He knelt on the floor, enclosed my cheeks in his palms, and placed a light kiss on my lips. My mind processed what we just shared. We were both staring at each other; my eyes widened at the realization.

I was freaking out inside, but he maintained his calm demeanor. He flashed a sweet smile and uttered, “That was our first. Always remember that.”

Still speechless and stunned, my mouth only gaped. His stare moved from my eyes to my lips, and he pressed his lips on mine longer than earlier, partly licking it before he distanced himself.

“Second.”

He left me flabbergasted. I gathered my strength and sat on the bed thinking about it. Ayuna, wrapped in a towel and drying her hair, arrived and with her curious eyes, studied my face.

“Something happened?”

“When did we get close?”

She ignored my question and fixed herself in silence. I searched for my towel in my bag and brought my clothes to the unoccupied bathroom on the second floor. Everyone was done taking the shower. Seth, who I assumed was just fresh from the bath, knocked on the opened door of our bedroom before allowing his self inside.

“Did you bring your costumes?”

The girls said ‘yes’ while I had no idea that we are to bring our costumes. I thought we’re just here to visit, and visitors were not required to look like the citizens of the place where the festival is.

Seth met my glare.

“You didn’t tell me.”

He smiled. “I bought you one that matches mine.”

The people inside our room let out a soft flustered reaction of their envy, wishing their boyfriends did the same.

“It’s inside my room. I purposely didn’t bring it here because it’s heavy.”

I stood and walked to him. “What material is it made of? Metal?”

He shrugged. “Who knows?”

I hit his shoulder, and he only laughed it off. The voices of the boys playing downstairs reached the second floor. We took a left turn and entered a very neat bedroom colored gray and black. He gestured me the couch on the wall as he entered his closet. I stood to roam my eyes around his room which was bigger than mine. On the right corner, near the closed door to which I assumed was his bathroom, sat a small bookshelf. My hand touched their spines. I automatically turned around upon hearing him back again.

“You love reading?”

“Not really. I just bought them as a design in my room.”

I bent down. The books were about politics.

“Politics? Do you have plan on running someday?”

He told me to stand, so I wouldn’t get numb squatting. He placed the costume on his clean bed covered with a gray comforter. He went back to his closet and returned with something in his hand. “Our family is associated with politics. They have high expectation on me, but that’s not currently our focus.”

The volleyball design on his bedroom wall caught my attention. It was large and fit the theme of his room so much as its stripes were gray and not blue like what most balls have.

“Volleyball?”

He also gazed at it. “My favorite when I was a child, but as we grow older, we realize that some things that we like as a child are now one of our hates or least favorite.”

I nodded. “So what do you play now?”

“Soccer.” He flexed his biceps and shoulders, wiggling his eyebrows at me. “Can’t you see?”

I shook my head laughing. “I can’t. You seem like a skeleton actually. What is your role there? Goalkeeper?”

He pointed his finger at me. I bit it, and he glared. “Do not underestimate the role of the goalkeepers. They play an important role in the game.”

I tilted my head and continued his words. “They prevent the opposing team from scoring. I think the highest pressure among all the players is on the striker and the goalkeeper. Everyone from the team is expecting them to score or not make the other team score.”

“Yes, but they also rely on teamwork.”

“Right.” I held the hanger of the costume in front of me; the plastic sealed it, and I couldn’t see it properly. It’s really heavy. Heavier than a gown. “Isn’t this costume so extra?”

He shook his head and handed me a golden cane similar to what I saw outside being held by the people. “We need to wear the costume, so we can feel more the meaning of the festival. You should wear it. Everyone must be done when you’re done.”

I nodded my head on his door. “I’ll go ahead.”

He smiled at me before I left his room to climbed back to ours. W hen I returned, they were already changing their attire, asking one another to help themselves fit in the tight clothes. I locked the door.

“Seah, can you please help me?” Leslie asked.

I put mine in our bedroom and walked to her to assist her. “What should I do?”

“My corset.” Her hand reached for its ribbon. “I can’t tie it.”

“Sure.” I inserted the lace on the holes of the corset and attempted to ribbon it. “Tell me if I’m suffocating you.”

“Yes, yes.”

I forced the ends and tried to tie them.

“Tighter.”

I loosened the laces from below and gave my strength to shape the corset tightly according to her waist.

“Tighter, Seah.”

I frowned. “You will suffocate your intestines. This is alright.”

“No, I need to be sexier!”

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I let it out, and again, tried to make it tighter than earlier.

“A little more…”

I didn’t let her finish her sentence. I pulled the laces strongly and made her cough.

“That’s enough.”

I rolled my eyes. “What is this for?”

She giggled. “Don’t you notice that I am thinner than this? I wear corset to shape my waist, and of course, to look sexier. If I don’t wear it properly, then people would think that my fit body is a bluff.”

I couldn’t tell if she has a curvy body. I wasn’t close with her, and I did not pay attention to other’s bodies other than Ayuna. “As far as I know, a fit body means a healthy body and one that can perform and enjoy daily activities. Can your body do that?”

“No, but it can attract men’s attention.”

I ribboned the corset and pat her back. “Done.”

She faced me with a wide grin on her face. “Thanks. Do you want me to help you?”

I shook my head as a sign of refusal on her offer. “I can manage.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I positioned it on a corner and brought out the costume from its container. I heaved a sigh after seeing how many layers of clothes I need to put on my body. I undressed first and left my undergarments. I put on my chemise. I stared at the other parts and breathed out another sentiment.

“Seah~” Leslie hopped happily to my location, holding a waist corset. “You should wear this!”

I uttered a firm ‘no.’ I could imagine how I would be breathless when I am already dressed. “I don’t want to die in suffocation.”

She slapped the air and shook her head. “Nah, don’t overreact. If you feel suffocated, just call me, and I will remove it from you.”

“Even in public?”

“Even in public,” she swore.

Before I could make another protest, she had already wrapped the corset on my waist and tied it. I choked on the process.

“I’m going to die,” I growled.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She tapped my chest and winked at me. “See? Nothing happened to you.”

“Nothing happened yet.” My chest looked bigger than usual. I loved the effect of my corset, but I wouldn’t risk my ribs and breath. I raised my head and saw Leslie staring at my chest. “What?”

“Bless your heart, your soul,” she said, “and your chest.”

I poked her side. “Go away. Your chest is big enough, so don’t stare.”

She cupped hers. “And my boyfriend could make it bigger.”

I widened my eyes at her, and she left me on my post. She laughed out loud back to where she was earlier. Goodness, her effort in going here just to force me to wear a corset and tease me about my chest.

“She’s hilarious,” I whispered and thought how I saw her differently earlier because she seemed strict and too serious.

My eyes dropped on the costume. For a moment, I forgot about it. Next that I put were the violet bodice and the black stomacher with gold floral embroidery. I’d only worn these pieces, but I was already running out of breath. I inserted my body on the black ruffled petticoat and asked someone to help me. Mary approached me and went to my back. She was nearly done with her costume, and I must say that it is turning very beautiful and more appropriate for the event.

“Can you handle this?” Her voice was coated with concern. “The first time that I wore this, I fainted. I’m worried you’d suffer the same.”

My lips curved in a genuine smile. “I’m not sure. This is my first time, you see, and I couldn’t understand why we had to put so much effort just to attend a festival.”

She stood in front of me after tying the hoop skirt. “Yo won’t enjoy the festival if you do not understand its purpose.”

I only stared at her, waiting for her to continue her answer.

“If you need help again, call me.”

She carried my gratefulness with her as she did her make-up on our bed.

The last but not the least to wear, I meant on my lower body from neck to down, was the violet overgown. I leaned on the floor, raised my head, and breathed deeply for the air to enter my complaining lungs. I donned a pair of black gloves under the open bell sleeves. The last ones for real were the black sequin half mask, hat topped with violet feathers, and my flat shoes that somehow gave me comfort under this dress.

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