Angel of darkness

3

"Another bouquet of flowers?" Gwendolyn looked up from her vanity as she noticed the vase filled with lilies and lilacs, wrapped up by a black ribbon and in a pure white vase with patterns of roses. "Yes, my lady. The managers requested for me to give these to you. where would you like for me to place them?" Asked June. "Place them on the windowsill, i shall look at them after rehearsal today." Instructed the ebony-haired woman as she looked at herself in the mirror. That day, they were doing a rehearsal of Carmen and she was given the lead part of Carmen so she needed to look fiery yet seductive because she was told that she was to sing the habanera, an aria.

As the soprano applied her bright rose petal lipstick, she could swear she heard a laugh as she pouted. "Not funny." she called out into the room as she finished the final touch of her makeup. Gwendolyn pinned up her hair and added a blood red rose, her sapphire eyes lined with charcoal and cheeks a petal pink. Her ruby dress, complete with sheer sleeves reaching down to her elbows as the ruffled and layered ankle-length skirt was lying on her divan along with a few pieces of jewelry on the table. Taking the dress in her hands, she went behind her folding screen and removed her pale blue dressing pleated silk dressing gown, tossing it up onto the top of her screen and put on the ruby dress as she smoothed the skirt out a bit, liking how the seamstresses remembered that she didn't mind any color as long as it wasn't black.

Gwendolyn stepped out from behind her screen as she approached the jewelry on the table before she stopped, applying a bit of spicy perfume to really get into the part of Carmen onto her wrists, neck and behind her ears. She slipped on a pair of bangles, and traditional spanish earrings with red glass flowers at the ends as she left her dressing room, closing the door behind her. She got on stage as she put on an seductive and teasing look on her angelic face before she began to sing the aria perfectly, her sapphire eyes glittering like pure jewels. as she sang the aria, she could see a figure of a woman wearing a mask on the catwalk from where she was standing.

Erika and Gwendolyn locked eyes with each other as the sapphire-eyed woman's dark piercing jewel-toned eyes met Erika's molten amber ones as the Mirage could feel herself blushing in the presence of a beautiful woman like Gwendolyn Swan, especially since Gwendolyn was wearing the dress that looked like it was made for a beauty like her. Erika wanted to jump down from the catwalk, kneel down before Gwendolyn, and worship her so much that everyone in this opera house would know that the soprano belonged to her, and the Mirage belonged to the soprano which was something she wanted to happen.

Every single night, Erika dreamed about Gwendolyn's soft as silk porcelain skin, her long flowing dark ebony hair, her gorgeous sapphire eyes... and what lied underneath her dresses. As the rehearsal reached it's end, Gwendolyn was dragged away by many of the boys in the ballet as they viewed her as a lily among thorns, a goddess among humans. Erika understood how they felt about her since she felt the same about this beautiful yet untouchable angel in front of them who looked like she was sent from grace. June stepped in to keep them away from Gwendolyn as she escorted the dark ebony-haired angel back to her dressing room.

Erika followed them as she found the two-way mirror in her dressing room, overhearing their conversation. "Lady Gwendolyn, you were amazing! at the rate you seem to be going, the production is going to be a success!" June chirped as she heard a breathy laugh escape Gwendolyn as she removed her makeup from rehearsal.

"June, there's still a lot of things that have to be done.. that is IF Carlos doesn't bust my poor eardrums by the time we are done with rehearsals." Sighed Gwendolyn as she poured what seemed to be makeup remover onto a cotton pad, using gentle motions with her hand to remove her makeup. a sweet giggle escaped the red velvet haired girl as Gwendolyn said that. "Agreed.. i hate to be mean, but Carlos's voice sounds like nails scratching on a chalkboard."

Erika stifled a laugh upon hearing that, she did agree with June and Gwendolyn. As the sapphire-eyed beauty put the used cotton pad in the wastebasket, she applied a bit of toner that had witch hazel in it onto her face as June smiled. "A little bird told me that last month's production of Romeo and Juliet, you caught the eyes of everyone in the crowd." an laugh was heard from Gwendolyn. "I am not shocked to see that. but.. i wanna take my time.. to find a lover." She said, adding a bit of her lavender scented face cream, gently massaging it into her skin. she had her hands in her lap which was covered by her dressing gown.

"So, how is the courtship between you and the Countess de Chagny?" Asked Gwendolyn as June smiled. "She sent me a letter today while i was helping Genevieve put on her ballet costume! May i read it?" Gwendolyn nodded her head, letting June open the letter and proceeding to read it. The letter read:

'Dearest June..

With burning lustful desire and the pain of your absence, i bathe this canvas in my love-soaked thoughts.
To gaze upon virgin rays of morning light, illuminating thy body like a temple, is heaven on earth.. for each second,
Life is a game of survival, with only thoughts of fiery kisses from thy petal lips keeping me alive. What mortal could
resist worshipping thy velvet hair? Even if the devil himself tears out my heart, it would still beat for you a million
Times and call out your name in the night.

I Shall now conclude this letter as i try to hide my yearning for your emerald gaze, my sweet June..

Countess Penelope De Chagny.'

Gwendolyn was slient before she bursted out laughing. "What in the world did i just hear?" Gwendolyn said that in between the fits of laughter she was having. "here, i'll help you write a responce." she added, taking June's hand and guiding her to her writing desk, placing a piece of pale green paper with lily patterns on the upper left corner and bottom right corner. she handed June a pen as she began to write a responce with Gwendolyn occasionally helping out. as June concluded the letter, she folded it into a red envelope with a lily wax seal pressed on the back.

June added a bit of her honeysuckle perfume on the back and smiled.

Gwendolyn decided to see what might happen to her and the figure she had seen before on the catwalk.