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"Good night, bébé," I heard just before I sla on er

"Merde"

It was a s with Style" was printed in gold on the cover, along with a hand n

I ran downstairs to screw his brains out and confess s, in that order

The hall was eood to wake refreshed and without a headache, even if I was sleepy and still conflicted over ood-bye I was alert enough to slip the book back under my blankets before Blaise entered with my teacup of blood When he presented a second vial nestled in his tiny blue hands, I shrugged and drank that one, too Wholesome wared to taste bloodwine tinged with Lenoir’s special cocktail of absinthe To was a flurry ofdresses and skirts, and the occasional sting of a pin when Blue wasn’t satisfied with the fit Fully dressed ina quick cup of perfectly warmed blood handed over by the surly bartender The afternoon belonged to two run-throughs of the chandelier act in e Charline and Sylvie kneell enough now to avoid the fury they would have caused by requesting that I start my practice just a few feet from the floor I never slipped, never faltered The confidence and grace of a predator ell suited to perforh-quality blood had done its work Even Charline was pleased, and when the curtain went up on a packed house, I was ready

Every perforht I had mine No one missed a cue The daiirls had never sasp as I descended on a giant golden chandelier covered with dripping faux diamonds--well, I drank up their adoration and wonder with the hunger of a daimon They loved it They loved us

They lovedfor theht in Criminy’s caravan A packed house, a sea of tuxedos and faces suffused with red The hot kiss of spotlights, the breathless exultation of a standing ovation I was a star, and no one could take it away fro was Cherie, and as they lowered the chandelier to the stage for our final bow, I felt a stabbing ache deep in h tied hairbob, two pulled fangs that less notes that didn’t give ht be As I bowed and was buffeted by the patting hands of ht and the insanity of the ball, I would redouble my efforts to find my partner Stardom was empty without her

Normally, I hurried to the elephant once the curtain was down, but tonight I let the avalanche of laughing daiirls carry ht Mel and Bea helpedblack-and-white ballgown, and Blue double-checked the seams and retied the ribbons before I was allowed to leave The dress was a wonder; the white organza fit perfectly and spread froht corset waist to a wide bell skirt that was so out-of-date as to reinvent fashion in one night Deterate, as if one need only grasp my waist and pull to open me wide Kohl-riht red in a Cupid’s bow at my lips e, I noticed; all the girls earing them, albeit in more colorful and ridiculous versions than my plain black ones

As Blue pinned up et dressed at another mirror They helped each other tenderly, with little touches and sestures, so familiar after a few hours with the book Theythe words cleverly I saw Bea sign the words for scared and night and rubbed her back before kissing her gently on the lips When Blaise ran by, they pulled him into their embrace, and my heart wrenched at how nice it must be to have a relationship of such easy affection and trust

"Good luck tonight" Blue’s grus as she slipped a half- to need it"

I thanked her and headed to join the gaggle of girls waiting by the door

"You go first," Mel said, dragging me forward a little "It’s you they want"

I turned to look at ht and sparkling, their half-uise who they were Their skin and smiles couldn’t be hidden

"No Please Y’all--"

Bea pointed at me and shooed me toward the front

I smiled and fluffede, where a wide, curving staircase had been brought in to cover the orchestra pit and connect the stage to the theater floor The seats were gone, cleared away and stacked along the wall to leave roos, as I’d been told to At sorand processional that, to be quite honest, sounded like the "Is proudly, I sashayed onto the stage and stopped at the top of the stairs Thecroent quiet, every ry silence The daiine what it must be like to be in the audience In front, in shades of black and white and red, the vampire starlet prolittering rainbow of dancing girls spread like angel wings, ready to provide pleasure just for the joy of sharing the out of a movie or a fairy tale, except that I felt less like a star and ht and paid for