Sequin dress

The party was so dull, and everyone needs an adventure.

 

The sky was pinkish yellow, but not the usual pinkish yellow colors of a normal sunset.  These colors were so brilliant that they caught the settling pollution of the air and turned the whole world the color of the sky.  It made the small lake in the middle of the suburban city look as if it had caught fire, with its pale glow and dead winter trees. 

 

 It would all disappear when the lights of the city turned on, blotting out the already black sky.  The sky was at least nice enough to give you stars and a softly glowing moon to light your way though, all the blaring sitting lights did is blind one while they were out walking. Almost like the blinding phosphorus lights used in the gala rooms that the well to do business people used at tacky overpriced hotels. 

 

Almost anyway, since Katchya would have preferred to be outside, in the cold soon-to-be-night in her flimsy and thin dress, than in a large room with corporate CEOs “learning the family business” as her father had said.  Really why couldn’t this had been left up to her younger brother?  He was the one going in to business, Katchya was the black sheep of the family going in to art, and willing to wait tables for a living as long as she could sing in her band and paint her pictures.  It wasn’t glamorous, but she could think something else up in the future surely.    

 

The room itself wasn’t bad and Katchya may have actually liked it under different circumstances.  It was warm looking, with soft golden colored walls, and cream colored pedestals along the walls holding ceramic pots with bouquets of purple flowers on top of them.  The whole left side was lined with windows covered by transparent off white curtains that usually protected the room from the invading city, but tonight were pulled and held open by light, almost white, blue ties.   

 

It was also on the third floor giving it an amazing view if one were to go on the balcony, but tonight was too cold for any of the elegantly dressed people to stand upon it.  Maybe if it had been wood instead of concrete, or the banister wasn’t an intricately crafted and white painted piece of metal she would have braved the cold. Than again her grandmother would most likely have drug her back in the second she had stepped foot outside, she was after all here to act a part. A part she was going to have to play now due to the man walking up to her. 

 

She stood straight from where she had been leaning against the wall, smoothed out her shimmering green dress, and smiled perfectly with her upper lip slightly tucked to hide an oddly angled tooth. It was just like singing on stage; you smiled and sang according to plan until the atmosphere took over, than it was all about going with the flow.  She just needed to remember not to nod off to this flow or else it wouldn’t turn out with her getting smashed later with fans and bandmates, or in this case figuring out how to get the hell out of dodge before the party ended.

 

The man as she found out was the owner of a famous store, named after himself, which her father supplied many things too.  She wasn’t really listening, so most of the details about himself he had told her skipped off the surface so to speak.  From what she could gather though was that he was old, if the grey hair and pot belly had anything to say, he liked to talk about himself, and he was just like everyone else here, full of something that was impolite to say in such company.  Katchya told the man she would talk to her father about him and that she whished his business the best.  It was a lie of course, but it stopped the conversation before she passed out from boredom.

 

It wasn’t that Katchya was delusional about how important her fathers business was, or the people who depended on him.  A lot of the businesses were needed and as such so was her fathers, or else a lot of people could be out of a job and areas that were starting to develop would crash.  It wasn’t that she was against the businesses themselves either or capitalism in general, she just didn’t want any part of it was all.  This wasn’t her world and she wouldn’t allow it to become as much either; her world was one of imagery and energy, not grey suit jackets and slacks.

 

She wouldn’t dare say that out loud though.  Her father had always brought his children up to love his business and wish to take it over when he died, he would be devastated and more than a little angered if she voiced her thoughts.  This is why she was hoping her father survived until she was able to pass it off to her brother.  It was cruel to think such a way about ones relations, but she was passed caring about others thoughts of her…to an extent anyway.  

 

Though there was still the pesky problem of telling her father that she couldn’t take over when the time came.  It was doubtful that she could just say “gee dad I’m sorry, but it’s not my thing you know?” No that approach most definitely wouldn’t bode well for her. She would need something gentle yet strong to show her convictions, while getting out alive and not making her father cry. 

 

“It’s about as lively as watching paint dry isn’t it?” Katchya laughed lightly, it seemed she wasn’t the only one dragged her.  The voice belonged to a young man around her age from what she could tell, with all the plastic surgery now-a-days it was impossible to though. Most of his features were gentle and he seemed to be the average blond haired, rich little brat that these people sported around as if their kids were a feat of god that they had made. Than again Katchya could say the same thing about herself and she liked to think she wasn’t all that usual.

 

“Kyle” The boy said as he extended his hand to her. Katchya debated shaking it since it would mean that there would probably have to be conversation between them, or worse their parents would come in to play.  She really didn’t want her grandmother to come over and start prattling on.  The woman was nice enough, but she was still a grandmother and she was bound to let something embarrassing slip.

 

“Katchya” she replied taking his hand.  What was life without a little adventure now and again?  He smiled sweetly, his brown eyes lighting up, and his lips pulled high enough to show his right canine tooth had a cap on it and was shorter than the other.  Katchya couldn’t help but think, that at least it was sincere compared to the other idiots in the room that only showed malicious half smiles. 

 

“That’s a nice name.  Is your family from Russia?” Katchya laughed slightly before she answered “hardly, my mother likes to pretend my nan on her side is from Russia instead of ‘Merry old England’” she finished rolling her eyes.  Kyle nodded, but didn’t say anymore which caught Katchyas attention more than anything.  Most people just didn’t know when to shut the hell up in her opinion, Kyle obviously did though and that might very well earn him some points if he didn’t say something stupid when he opened his mouth next.

 

Speaking of opening his mouth “you want to go out on the balcony?” Katchya looked out of the nearby window to see that it had turned from a chilly dusk to a snowy night that would most likely chill her to the bone if she went out.  “Maybe…” her thoughts were stopped when she looked over to see warm smiling brown eyes, and an equal warm hand waiting for her response, almost hopeful in a way.      

 

Slipping her hand in to his outstretched one she smiled back.  “Sure” well this solved at least one problem; she was able to leave the party, and who knew it may just lead to her getting that so called adventure everyone needs.  

Author's Note

Written as a prize for a friend

Reviews

[ganymeder]

I thought this story flowed nicely and revealed things about the character in a nicely subtle way. Other than some grammatical and spelling errors, I liked some of the phrases used. "full of something that was impolite to say in such company" struck me as a particularly interesting phrase.

Is there more to this? Are you going to write what her adventure becomes? I'd like to read that. :)