Seize the Day

Chapter Nineteen

A chaotic light illuminated Clarice's eyes as she stepped towards me.

There was no hope for survival.

                                                ————————

"Come on, Lannie," Clarice chided. "It isn't that bad."

"Isn't that bad? Isn't that bad?" I flung my hands to indicate the monstrous...thing on me. I wasn't even sure what to call it. I felt inhuman amongst all the silk and ruffles.

"We'll try another dress," she said, acting nonchalant with the entire situation. She began rifling through the pile of remaining dresses on the lounge, holding several up for inspection, then discarding them with a dissatisfied Hmph!

Didn't she realize this was torture for me? "We've been through at least twenty dresses, Clarice! I am not going to your stupid ball."

The duchess' daughter looked at me with a firm glare. "Yes, you are." Her lip curled in that way when she was threatening me. "I can always tell my mother about all the heinous things you've done to me."

"Heinous things?" I had been tutoring her for how long now? What an ungrateful brat! "What did I ever do to you?"

"For starters, you yell at me whenever I say things to you and—"

"I do not yell at you!"

"—give me extra homework that you don't even grade."

"It's called bonus work, numskull!" I clenched my fists.

She was ticking the items off her fingers as she went on. "You call me names."

"If you weren't such an idi—" I cut myself off, realizing that I was falling into her trap. "Just stop it!"

Clarice was on her fourth finger. "And you are very close with Titus. I could easily spread a rumor about you two, and my mother wouldn't even take a second glance before firing you."

My cheeks warmed. "What are you? A two-year-old? Who starts rumors and—" I remembered that she was sixteen, and what sixteen-year-old girls did best, I'd heard, was spread rumors with their friends. Instead, I snapped, "You have no grounds to say that, Clarice. Knock it off!"

"Oh, and you order me around—"

"Stop." I disappeared behind the dressing screen and all but ripped the dress off my body. "I order you around because I'm your tutor."

"Yeah, whatever." Her voice took on a tone of concentration, and I knew she was looking at dresses once more.

I was about to put on my blouse and trousers when a squeal came from the other side of the dressing screen. Soon after, something flew over the screen, silk and all. I pulled the garment from the edge and marveled at its beauty. It was a sleeveless dress in a deep shade of red with a gathered satin skirt. I couldn't deny that it was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was simple, but so...pretty. Then again, I hadn't seen many pretty dresses.

"Put it on! Put it on!"

I gulped. I had to be strong on this one. I had to remind myself that I hated dresses, no matter how beautiful they were. "No. I am not going—"

"I swear, if you don't do it now, I'll come in there myself and make you do it."

I sighed and pulled it on. I waddled out from behind the dressing screen, feeling like a newborn foal. I never felt comfortable in dresses.