The Disappearing Act (Vampire Academy Fan Fiction Book 2)

Chapter 19: The Queen

Chapter 19: The Queen

“We meet back here in two hours.”

                If one pair didn’t show up, we each had a set of car keys. We were to leave and go back to safety outside the city. We could call Hans or someone back at Court; we would do the responsible thing and leave the others to their fate to call us if they got out safe.

Those had been Mia’s last words to Cassie and me.

Since then, they’d successfully gotten inside the building while we’d snuck in behind a pair of dancers. The Strigoi guards at the doors had eyed us briefly, but their red gazes mostly lingered on our breasts before they let us pass.

I didn’t know how well Mia and Eddie were doing; we hadn’t heard any sort of commotion on our way through to the dressing rooms. We followed the other girls down into what appeared to be a poorly-lit basement, the only light coming from sconces on the walls. They chattered in front of us, riding the high of some fresh Strigoi bites by the looks of the new wounds on their necks. I had to keep myself from scowling in disgust.

Cassie and I walked silently, making our way past the other guards and deeper into the cavern. There was nothing special about the walls; just tunnels and plain doors and Strigoi bouncers around every corner. It didn’t look like the party came down here very often.

The girls finally turned into set of double-doors, shoving them open to reveal the complete chaos on the other side. Down the center was a row of vanities, each in their own state of disarray with boas and garters hanging off the bright lights. Along the walls hung costumes and shoe racks; it was a hooker’s closet on steroids.

But, what was strange wasn’t the room; it was the dozen dancers cowering in the racks of clothing as a very distraught Moroi woman screeched from her makeup chair.

                Our escorts froze with us peeking over their shoulders, everyone’s eyes glued to her as she wailed again.

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to look!” she screamed, her voice hitting three octaves as her cry rang again. “You ruined it, you disgusting blood whore! You get paid to be good; this is horrible! I’m going to have Adr–“

Another Moroi girl, crashed on the floor and cowering with a pair of hair shears in her hand, whimpered, “Please, miss, no! I thought you wanted–“

“You thought wrong,” the first snapped back. She stood from her stool, clutching her silk night gown around her thin frame as she turned her face to the rest of the room.

                Cassie’s jaw dropped as Jill stood to her full height, her stance mimicking one I’d seen Lissa in more than once. Jill’s face was caked with makeup, her hair loose with one side much shorter than the other. Her bright red lips were pouted out as she surveyed the group of frightened strippers; they were her subjects and she their queen.

                That Dragomir blood really did a number on Royals these days.

“You four.” Jill’s manicured hand pointed to us at the door and I quickly tried to duck out of sight. “You’re late. You’re going to miss the opening act.”

                The girls in front of us muttered a “Yes, ma’am” and scurried to the garment rack nearest us. Cassie and I followed, rifling through lingerie and slutty costumes like we fit in. We changed silently as the rest of the room came back to life, a quiet hum picking up as they dolled themselves up for the opening act.

                I could feel eyes on me as I moved, trying my hardest to blend in with the few dhampirs that were present. They looked at me suspiciously, but didn’t say anything; I had a feeling girls rolled through here like tumbleweeds before escaping. That, or they were killed before they overstayed their welcome.

                I whisked on makeup, my eyes rimmed in black and lips in pink. Cassie stood beside me, working in the same mirror as her hands shook. Out of everyone, she had the most clothing on; I guess someone was trying to look fiancée-approved.

                Jill watched over all of us, her sky-high heels clipping against the tile floor as she circled the room. She yanked scarves off girls or forcibly pulled their faces to fix their makeup. Everyone obeyed; they didn’t even cry out from her sharp claws on their skin.

                When she made her way over to us, Cassie and I were already coated in eyeliner. She came behind us, looking in the mirror as we finished our lipstick. As she bent forward to touch up another girl’s face, I could see Strigoi bites on her neck where the hair was sliced short. She was Queen of the Blood Whores.

“See something interesting, Blondie?” her voice whispered harshly in my ear.

“No, miss,” I replied as I froze. Her breath was icy, and I could smell the disgusting Strigoi sweat that lingered on her clothing. She was obviously one’s pet, like I had once been with Dimitri. The only difference was, she was here willingly and her Strigoi wasn’t the love of her life.

                In the mirror, our eyes locked on each other’s. She studied me, pupils flickering between my caked face and the blonde hair. Please don’t recognize me.

“Good,” she said and straightened up. I watched her eyebrow quirk as she backed away and continued on her rounds.

                Queen Jill was as bad as Queen Lissa.