~~~
On the night of the company Christmas Party and Winter Soiree, the first snow fell, and it fell hard. Starr didn’t think Marla and Mica would show. She just hoped that they didn’t crash. Neither of them could levitate yet, so they had to take the company jet.
That night she was just as miserable as she was before. Her cheeks were once more bone and her eyes sunken with not even a trace of vampire’s catnip to uplift her. She meant to hunt, but the weather had kept her indoors. The stores of blood they kept in the castle just didn’t do it for her anymore.
At her dressing table, she stared at her gaunt face in the mirror. Somehow, her grey eyes had returned, replacing the red of the Primordial in her. Could it be the demon inside her was dying? Others noticed it, too, but didn’t say anything; their silence was enough, though.
Sadly, her once beautiful greys lost the sterling in them, and were now like old rocks in a rusted setting.
The guests started to arrive over an hour ago. Lately, her thing was being more than fashionably late. This way, she could give her greetings all at once, and have legitimate excuses not to linger in the same circles for long.
Starr, it’s time to stop hiding and come down, Shane whispered into her mind.
She put black slippers on her feet. She didn’t care. Let them dare say anything about her attire. Besides, her dress was fancy enough; it was two centuries old, restored and fitted. The most elegant black silk she’d ever seen; so fine and rich in its darkness.
She clipped a diamond leaf into her hair and left.
In the middle of the armory, which was much larger than the ball room, there they were.
“Starr!” they exclaimed.
She walked across the room and gave them hugs.
“I’m so glad that you made it safely,” Starr said.
“Thanks, Starr,” said Marla “The weather was terrible. We were preparing to jump, just in case.”
“The storm came on suddenly,” said Mica.
“Suddenly?” asked Shane. “Looks like I need to have a talk with the pilot, Ben. Storm warnings have been reported since yesterday.”
Then she walked off.
“What’s this, I sense? A boyfriend?” asked Starr.
“Oh my, Starr, your telepathy has improved,” said Mica.
“Who is he?”
“Someone special, I hope,” she said, waving the back of her hand. On her ring finger, a glittering princess cut diamond.
“Does he know?”
“Tuh,” spat Marla, rolling her eyes. “No, she doesn’t plan to tell him.”
“Why not?”
“Come on, Starr, what would you do?” asked Mica.
“Are you in love? Because everyone says vampires can’t fall in love, but then some say it is possible.”
“It doesn’t matter. All I know is I’m 28 years old. People our age are getting married. How am I supposed to live a normal life? I like him well enough, so let’s just leave it at that. Besides, business at The Clip Side has been slow. A marriage would be good publicity.”
“And if he finds out?” asked Starr.
“Then I’ll kill him.”
“Well, okay then, as long as you have your priorities straight. What about children?”
“We’ll adopt.”
But Starr senses disapproval from Marla.
“Sounds like she’s got it under control, Marla. Just let it go.”
“I see someone is still on her high horse,” said Mica, looking at something behind Starr.
She turned and saw Michelle yelling at Chanler, as usual.
“Yeah, it’s been over ten years and nothing has changed between those two.”
Starr excused herself and went about making other introductions and greetings.
Stewart from Norway was there, and he was with someone familiar to her.
“Emil!” she almost yelled.
“Starr, hey!” he said and pulled her into an embrace.
Once a part of the Fleet, he’d since retired to spend more time with his family in a ski town they owned half of. He was also ¼ Primordial.
“I didn’t know you were invited,” she said.
“I wasn’t, but who’s gonna stop me?”
About midnight, Shane started calling for speeches.
Starr tried to disappear, but Shane whispered to her, Where do you think you’re going?
So she made her way to the podium. Shane handed her a tablet; on it, her speech was stored.
“Welcome, everyone. I’m happy you could make it! This year has been a tough one, with challenges and new alliances and new enemies, but we as a civilized society stick together. As a leader, looking into the next year, we will… we will…” she stumbled. “I should do my best to… to… honor our ethics and guidelines that promote welfare, and over the next…”
Starr stopped a moment.
Over the next year, she read to herself.
“Um, look, the truth is I haven’t been very good as head councilwoman. I’ve been absentminded, willfully complacent, and many of you know that. I’ve heard the things people are saying about me, some of which is true. That’s why I’m going away for a while. I have some personal business to attend to. While I’m gone, I’ll be leaving my duties to Shane. She’s ethical and efficient. You can rely on her to be a respectable and well reasoning authority figure. She’ll report to me, and in the meantime, if there are any personal needs or requests, I’d appreciate that you direct them to her. I will be vacating this castle temporarily starting on the 1st of the year. Thank you. Live well and drink swell.”
She finished to loud applause, though she noticed that quite a few, from her own cabinet did not.
“Starr,” said Marla. “What am I gonna do without you? You brought me here, and now you’re leaving?”
“Are you kidding? We still have a week and half before Christmas. Plenty can be done in that time. After, if you’re still here, you’ll work with Shane, come visit me if you need me, or we’ll talk by laptop or phone. I mean, really, is this not the 21st century? What’s everyone all worked up about?”