After Dark

by Nancy A. Collins

  CHAPTER 11

  “I’m sorry I’m late, Sis,” Cally said. “Getting set up took longer than planned, but I’ve got the rest of the collection here, ready to go!” The undead servant accompanying Cally trundled a wheeled garment rack out of the freight elevator as she spoke.

  “Perfect!” Sister Midnight fingered the blue suede dress. “My seamstress team will handle the actual fittings once the runway models are selected,” she said, motioning to the undead who sat hunched over the sewing stations and cutting tables that filled the huge, open third-floor space. “Tonight you need to decide which models you’ll be using and which look each girl should wear. Plus you need to confer with the dressers about the makeup and hairstyle you want for each look. It’s very important to get all this right. Remember, you only get one chance to impress the audience! It doesn’t matter how wonderful a particular outfit is if it’s being worn by the wrong model.”

  “I understand, Sis.”

  “Come with me, then,” the older woman said, ushering Cally down a corridor, away from the hum of the sewing machines. “I’ve set aside part of the loft for an audition. You’ll be looking at girls I normally use to model clothes on the shop floor….”

  “Are they undead?” Cally asked.

  “Sweet hell, no!” Sister Midnight laughed. “My customers would never buy anything modeled by the undead, no matter how chic! Undead models lack the necessary joie de vivre. Now, where was I? Oh, yes! As I said, most of the models you’ll be reviewing are from my usual pool. However, I’ve called in a few talented amateurs, if you will: younger girls who are leaders in the market we want to reach. I would like to use as many of these girls as possible, if you don’t mind.”

  “Whatever you say,” Cally replied. “I trust your judgment on the matter. Speaking of which, I promised my friend who was with me last time that she could be in the show….”

  “The one with the exquisite skin?” Sister Midnight was leading Cally into a large room that was empty save for a table and a couple of folding chairs. “She’ll be perfect! Just have her show up the day before the show so my seamstresses can fit the ensemble she’ll be wearing.” Cally sat down at the table as the boutique owner turned to her assistant. “We’re ready to start the auditions.”

  As the assistant opened a door at the far end of the room, Cally asked as calmly as she could, “How many models do I need to pick?”

  She didn’t want to come across as giggly and geeky to Sister Midnight, but she struggled to keep from bouncing in her seat like an excited third grader.

  “With twelve different looks, I recommend selecting ten more girls. The girl you choose to serve as the feature model will do double duty, wearing the first and the last outfits, preferably one casual, the other dressy.”

  The first model was a tall, thin young woman with long brown hair who moved with the practiced stroll of a runway veteran: head up, eyes front, shoulders thrown back, and her pelvis pushed slightly forward. She put one foot in front of the other as if on a balance beam and walked with a commanding stride, her weight on the balls of her feet, not the heels. As she made her turn in front of the table, Cally smiled and nodded.

  “She’s good,” she said. “We could use her.”

  “Don’t make your mind up too quickly,” Sister Midnight advised. “You have plenty more to choose from. Next!”

  Cally soon discovered that the older woman wasn’t exaggerating. Since mature vampires couldn’t reflect, there were no mirrors anywhere in the store. In order for customers to get an idea of how something might look on them, a wide selection of “demonstration models” in every possible height, weight, hair color, race, and age was made available. And all of them, from the tallest to the shortest, were as adept at strolling the catwalk as the first girl who had auditioned.

  After three hours of watching the same perfect walk down the same imaginary runway, Cally’s eyes were about to cross from exhaustion. As the last model, a petite brunette, left the table, Cally turned to Sister Midnight with a quizzical look.

  “Is that everyone?”

  As if in reply, Lilith Todd breezed into the room, acting as if she were the one holding the audition, not the other way around.

  “You!” Lilith squawked in disbelief when she saw who was sitting next to Sister Midnight at the table.

  “Yeah, me,” Cally replied sourly. “And I’m as thrilled as you are.”

  Sister Midnight’s smile dropped from her face. “I see you two already know each other….”

  “You could say that,” Cally said dryly.

  “Forget it!” Lilith said indignantly. “I’d rather march down the catwalk wearing a catcher’s mitt and a bandanna than this one’s label!”

  “Don’t give me ideas,” Cally said with a crooked smile.

  As Lilith turned to leave, Sister Midnight launched into action. “Darling! You can’t back out now! You’re an integral part of this show!”

  “Too bad!” Lilith replied hotly. “If I’d known she was involved, I never would have agreed to participate!”

  “Very well. If you feel that strongly about it, then there’s no point in trying to talk you out of it.” Sister Midnight sighed dramatically. “It’s a shame. Why, I just heard back from Lady Elysia about the show….”

  “The Lord Chamberlain’s wife is coming?” Lilith gasped.

  If Jackie O, Princess Di, and Queen Noor were put into a blender, the result would be Lady Elysia, the most glamorous and aristocratic woman in Old Blood society.

  “Why should that matter?” Sister Midnight replied with a shrug. “You said you don’t want to be involved in the show.”

  “I didn’t say that, not exactly….” Lilith backpedaled.

  “So you do want to be part of the show?” Sister Midnight prodded.

  “I want to look at the clothes first before I make my final decision,” Lilith replied, glancing meaningfully at Cally. “After all, I can’t be seen associating myself with something cheap and inferior.”

  “Very well,” Sister Midnight agreed. She motioned for Lilith and Cally to follow her down the hall to the alteration room, filled with workbenches and tailor’s dummies already dressed in Cally’s designs.

  Lilith prowled about, alternately scowling at the outfits on the dummies and glowering at Cally, who was standing next to the door, arms folded.

  “Okay. I’ll do the show, but under one condition: that I walk the runway in that dress,” Lilith said, pointing to an ethereal, white diaphanous chiffon gown with a sweetheart neckline that was as beautiful as it was simple.

  “It’s not my call,” Sister Midnight explained. “It’s up to the designer to decide which model wears what ensemble. Cally? What do you think?”

  Cally rolled her eyes in exasperation. Of course Lilith would pick that one! It was the best piece in the entire collection!

  “I promised my best friend she could—”

  Before the words were halfway out of her mouth, Sister Midnight pulled Cally aside. “I realize that this is an awkward situation for you, my dear,” she whispered. “Had I known there was, ahem, history between you two, I might have made different arrangements. But to be frank, we need Lilith…she carries a lot of weight with the crowd I’m looking for. Plus she would look incredible in that gown! Still, the decision is up to you.”

  As much as Cally would have loved to tell Lilith she couldn’t be in her show, she realized that would guarantee its doom. Despite her mega-bitch personality or perhaps because of it, Lilith was the most popular girl at Bathory Academy and one of the most recognizable faces of the VIP crowd.

  Having Lilith involved didn’t mean the show would be an automatic success, but having her actively dissing it spelled disaster. Cally knew from personal experience that Lilith would do whatever was in her power to make sure the market Sister Midnight was banking on would stay away in droves.

  As Cally watched her demi-sister examine one of the dresses, she knew that in the end, the best way to keep Lilith f
rom sabotaging the show was simply to make sure she was a part of it. Although she was a conniving bitch, there was no way Lilith could pass up a chance to be the center of attention, especially if the audience consisted of super-elite trendsetters.

  Besides, she had to admit Sister Midnight was right: Lilith would definitely rock that gown. And in the end, wasn’t that what it was all about? Picking the right model for the right outfit, no matter how she might feel about her personally?

  “I guess I can put Melinda in the burnt orange….” Cally giggled.

  “Perfect! It’s all settled, then!” Sister Midnight exclaimed with a clap. “Lilith—Cally has decided that you’re to be our feature model! That means you will open and close the show! All you have to do is come in the day before the show for your fitting and dresser consultation.”

  Lilith beamed. “I can’t wait to tell everyone at school about Lady Elysia!” She already had her iPhone out so she could call her newest crop of friends to inform them of the good news.

  “Yes, you do that,” Sister Midnight said encouragingly as she escorted Lilith back to the elevator. “Invite all your young friends! And tell them to invite all their friends as well! It will be the event of the Dark Season!

  “Well, we dodged a stake on that one,” Sister Midnight said as the elevator doors closed.

  “Lady Elysia is really coming to my show?” Cally asked excitedly.

  “Of course not, dear,” Sister Midnight replied matter-of-factly.

  “But you told Lilith you heard from Lady Elysia….”

  “Yes, that I did,” Sister Midnight admitted. “She notified me that she can’t come. As for claiming the Lord Chamberlain’s wife would be in the audience—I never once said that.”

  “You sure played to Lilith’s ego to get what you wanted out of her.” Cally chuckled admiringly.

  “I should hope so,” Sister Midnight said with a wink. “Vanity is my business.”

  ***

  “You heard me, Armida: Lady freaking Elysia is going to be at my fashion show!” Lilith rode the elevator up to her penthouse, cell phone clamped to her ear. “No, I’m not the designer! Besides, who the designer is doesn’t really matter, anyway! I’m the feature model! I’m the star of the show! Yes, I know it’s awesome! You and Lula and the others have got to come and be my cheering section! I’ll get you seats close to the runway. I’ll—I mean, it’ll be so cool!”

  After she finished talking to Armida, Lilith hit the next speed dial.

  “What the—!” she yelped, trying not to drop her iPhone as she nearly tripped over the set of Louis Vuitton luggage parked inside the front door. “Who left this shit sitting here?”

  “I did,” Victor Todd replied. “I’m leaving this evening for Russia.”

  “Russia?” Lilith frowned. “Why are you going there?”

  “I’ve got HemoGlobe business in St. Petersburg,” Victor said frostily. “As I told you the other day.”

  “You’re not expecting me to go too, are you?” Lilith asked warily. “There’s this fashion show this weekend I’ve agreed to be in…”

  “Fashion show?” Victor exclaimed in disbelief. “After that foolishness with the photographer!”

  “No, it’s not like that—I swear! I didn’t have anything to do with this! Sister Midnight asked me to be the feature model for a show at her boutique. Everyone is going to be there!”

  “Honestly, Lilith, every time I think you couldn’t be any more selfish, you still manage to surprise me. Do you think the de Lavals are going to like this?”

  “But I’m not being selfish!” Lilith protested. “I am thinking about family! When Sister Midnight first asked me to be part of the fashion show, I wasn’t that interested,” she lied. “But when I discovered the designer was Cally, I felt obliged to participate….”

  Victor frowned. “Cally’s having a fashion show at Sister Midnight’s?”

  “You didn’t know that?” Lilith asked, genuinely surprised.

  “No, I didn’t,” he said uncomfortably. “I’ve been very busy lately. And Metzger didn’t bother to inform me.” Victor studied Lilith for a long moment, trying to decide whether he should believe her or not. “Given what you’ve told me is true, why the sudden change of heart?”

  “I realize now, all that’s left of the Todd family is you, me, and Cally. She is my sister. I accept that now,” Lilith said smoothly, but seeing the skepticism in her father’s look, she added, “I’ve decided it’s better to have her as an ally than an enemy since she can kill people simply by touching them. Things haven’t been that great between us up to now, but I want to change all that. I understand Cally’s not supposed to know Baron Metzger isn’t her real dad, but that doesn’t mean I can’t start being a sister to her. I thought by working with her on this project, I could start to make things up to her….”

  “Princess, you don’t know how much it means to me to hear you say that,” Victor said, embracing his daughter. “Very well. You may remain in New York, with my blessings.”

  As her father hugged her tight, Lilith smiled triumphantly to herself. It was good to know that even after all that had happened lately, she could still wrap her dad around her little finger.

  CHAPTER 12

  As the sun began to sink behind the towering skyscrapers, the undead in the service of Sister Midnight awakened from their daylong hibernation and immediately set to work preparing their mistress’s place of business for that evening’s fashion show. There was much to be done before the doors of the store opened at the witching hour.

  The racks and shelves containing merchandise were moved aside to clear a space for the presentation stage and catwalk. The audience seated closest to the catwalk was given padded chairs, while those farther back had to make do with folding chairs set on metal risers.

  Draperies were hung from the ceiling to block off the rear of the stage so no one could see the models before they appeared on the catwalk. The sound system was set up and tested for feedback and to make sure the announcer—none other than Sister Midnight herself—could be heard over the music playing in the background.

  “There you are, dear!” Sister Midnight exclaimed, hurrying to greet Cally. She was wearing a wireless headset and held another out for Cally. “Put this on immediately! The dressers know to take orders from you if there are any problems backstage.”

  “What kind of problems?” Cally asked as she put on the headset.

  “Broken zippers, late models…” Sister Midnight said, beginning a long list of possible disasters. “You know: the usual.”

  At their best, fashion shows are as perfectly timed as the finest Swiss watches. If everything goes as planned, the models strut down the runway, impressing the audience with their impassive stares, perfectly coiffed hair, and flawless makeup as well as their taste in clothes. Everything is cunningly designed to make it all seem as effortless, simple, and easy as putting on clothes and walking down the street. As if!

  Cally already knew that backstage at a fashion show was supposed to be chaotic, but actually being dumped into the middle of it—and being expected to answer questions and solve problems—was something else entirely. Cally made her way behind the curtains to the models’ staging area, crowded with clothing racks and makeup tables. The dressers were flittering around their assigned models, adjusting belts, buttons, zippers, and shoe straps like drones in a hive, each in the service of a queen bee.

  Cally saw a dresser busily scraping the bottoms of a pair of Prada high heels with a scissors blade so that her model wouldn’t slide on the runway. The undead servant didn’t so much as glance up as she walked by.

  After a little bit of looking, she finally found Melinda, who was being helped into a strapless gown in burnt-orange silk. Mustard-yellow velvet ribbons were sewn across the bodice, and Melinda’s dresser was fluffing them out carefully, per Cally’s earlier instructions.

  “You look wonderful!” Cally said.

  “I’m so jittery!” Melinda said as t
he dresser carefully slid a pearl-studded heel onto her foot. “What if I get out there and fall down?”

  “It’s a catwalk, Melly!” Cally laughed, patting her friend on the shoulder. “What could be more natural for you? Just go out there and wow them with your feline grace!”

  “Thanks, Cally.” Melinda smiled. “You always know what to say!”

  “Places, girls! Places!” Sister Midnight darted back and forth amid the pandemonium, shouting orders into the headset. “The doors are going to be opening in a few minutes, and I need everyone lined up in order! Cally, make a final pass to make sure everyone looks like they should!”

  Cally walked up and down the lineup of impossibly beautiful, perfectly coiffed, immaculately made-up young women dressed in her original creations, making minor adjustments, tweaking collars, and straightening seams as she went.

  As she approached the head of the line, she paused. Lilith, dressed in a black silk shift dress decorated with hand-painted abstract flowers, was submitting to the ministrations of her dresser with a passivity Cally would never have imagined possible. It was like watching a fierce bronco meekly surrender to the currycomb of a stable hand.

  “I wanted to thank you for agreeing to be a part of the show,” Cally said. “It means a lot to Sis—and to me, too.”

  “Yeah, well—you did save my dad’s life,” Lilith said.

  “Cally! Come here!” Sister Midnight called. “Take a look at this turnout!”

  Cally gasped as she peeked out at the audience. They were already close to maximum capacity, and the doors to the store had been open for only a few minutes. Baron Metzger was seated near the front, chatting with a handsome, well-dressed man she didn’t recognize. She also saw Bella and Bette flanking a dark-haired woman she assumed was their mother. She looked around, hoping Lucky was there as well, but she didn’t see him. She recognized a good number of her fellow students from Bathory Academy, but not in a way that made her feel warm and fuzzy. Sitting close to the runway were Lilith’s newest running mates, Armida Aitken and Lula Lumley.