A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) Read Free Page B

I
volunteered so Catherine could go have fun with James. They both
work a lot,” I reassured her, and promised again that I would see her
tonight.
     
    If our goal was trying to blend, we failed
miserably. All eyes turned to us as we entered the room. Maybe it
was just curiosity over the new residents. But I think it was that
we looked as though we had walked out of a time capsule.
    James and Catherine wore their authentic
Fifties attire. Their outfits outshone any store bought costume.
Catherine had pulled her waist length, wavy auburn hair into a pony
and James had slicked his back, as was the style of the time. I
concluded that every Hollywood costume designer would pale in
comparison to Catherine’s skills.
    I dressed as the nobility of England once
did. Catherine had insisted on doing my hair, but I had insisted on
my normal, minimal make-up. I wore an amethyst necklace and
earrings set, that was quite intricate in detail, and amethyst
jewels in my hair as well. My dress was empire style, cinched just
under the bust line and flowed straight to the ground. There were
no over grown, wedding cake topper, petticoats worn with this style
of dress, hence why I chose early and not mid eighteen hundreds.
The fabric was the most beautifully embroidered lavender silk. I
was sure it had taken Catherine weeks, when she had designed and
hand sewn it. I felt proud to be wearing one of her creations.
    James and Catherine went straight for the
dance floor and I searched the hall for a familiar face. I stood in
the corner of the room waiting to spot someone from school, when
that odd sensation of being watched washed over me. “Of course you
are being watched. You just made a grand entrance,” I whispered to
myself as I scanned the room. Within minutes I spotted Summer and
the gang, waving wildly, and went to join them.
    “ Wow, Emily, you look
amazing. That’s like, a real costume,” Summer greeted me during the
lull in the music.
    “ Yeah, Aunt Rachel likes to
design period pieces. Did you see them?” I questioned, trying to be
heard over the DJ.
    “ We saw them dancing a
second ago. Did she do those too?”
    “ Yep... I’m thirsty. Know
where I can get some water?”
    “ This way,” fairy Delilah
shouted and led me to the refreshment area.
    As I followed behind them, I could still
feel someone’s eyes burning a hole in my back. I did a quick scan
of the room, trying to figure out who was giving me that creepy
feeling. I hated being the center of attention. I was entirely too
self conscious to have agreed to attend this party anyway. I
wouldn’t be completely at ease again until I was at home, wearing a
pair of pajama pants, and a tank top. I tried to let go of my
wariness and just have fun. After an hour or so it worked.
    I channeled my inner teenager, and danced. I
closed my eyes and gave in to the music. As I danced I sang the
lyrics to every song I knew - along with Summer, Rusty, Delilah,
and Burke. Toward the end of the evening Delilah let Burke lead her
onto the dance floor, for a song with a slow pounding rhythm.
Summer and Rusty soon followed.
    I moved to a corner, in the shadows again,
where I felt most comfortable and where I could observe almost
everyone in the hall. I watched the couples hold each other close
as the steady beat was pounding in my head. I closed my eyes,
imagined myself dancing with someone, and swayed to the music,
keeping my lids tightly sealed. I could almost feel hands gently
moving up the sides of my arms, to hold my face close. My skin came
alive and goose-bumps dotted the entire surface of my skin. I could
feel the tears starting to form.
    I pushed the memories away.
    I opened my eyes as the song came to an end,
blinking wildly to rid myself of the tears that threatened to flow.
I wanted to go home, I couldn’t be here anymore. I looked around
trying to find either Catherine or James but instead found him. A
tall, blonde, muscular, masked superhero was standing near the
exit, staring