Chapter 35 - Dressed To Kill

"After you've showered, you can change and then get ready for training," Serenity announced, sweeping her gaze over me.

I eyed her suspiciously. "Ready, how?"

"You cannot wear that to challenge Vycandor."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I said in a huff, unwilling to give up the dress that Carmen had given me. "I don't have anything else to wear. And besides..." I opened my mouth, trying hard to think of another excuse.

She put up a hand to cut me off. "Just follow me."

Glaring at her, I snapped my mouth shut. But only because I didn't think it was smart to argue with a witch.

As Serenity weaved through the house with me in tow, I couldn't help staring at all the magical type stuff. There were rows and rows of crystal balls, black iron cauldrons, broom sticks, chalices, tarot cards, dream catchers, and handmade gemstone jewelry. She even had bookcases stuffed full with beautiful crystals. Despite all the colors and sizes, I only recognized glittery quartz and sparkling amethyst.

My eyes danced with excitement. Everything seemed so...so magical.

One wall held shelves lined with tiny packages of herbs and vials of oils. Another wall held shelves stuffed with books from top to bottom. One book in particular caught my eye because it sat all by itself on a table draped in a deep purple velvety looking material. Larger than all of the other books, it appeared truly elegant in its simplicity. Painted a glossy black, the thick cover appeared as if it had been handmade entirely out of wood. Along the left side of the binding were three brass hinges. On the right was a brass clasp with a large old fashioned padlock. There were no words on the cover, only a shiny brass pentacle.

For some strange reason I couldn't stop staring at it. I'd only seen books like it in movies. Never in real life.

"It's called a Book of Shadows," Serenity called over her shoulder without me having to ask.

Across from the bookshelves stood a lighted display case full of wands. Curious, I wandered over to take a look and picked one up.

"Is this a wand like in Harry Potter?" It felt amazing in my hands. Like it really was full of magic. "I could do some serious damage if I had my very own wand." Waving it around in the air, I thought about Brian and Mindee. "Can these be used to put a hex on someone?"

Serenity appeared suddenly at my side, making me jump. I could only stare as she took the wand out of my hand and carefully placed it back in the display case.

"I'm sorry, but these are not toys." Her voice sounded like a warning.

"Do they really work?"

"Under the right circumstances and with proper training, yes. They really work." She spun around, flipping her long hair at me and glided away.

"I was only kidding." Geez lady, take a pill already.

I followed her into yet another room, this one full of candles and every variety of incense. The combination of familiar aromas like precious lavender, patchouli, and dragon's breath created the most amazing fragrance I'd ever experienced. All I wanted to do was walk around and sniff everything.

Serenity disappeared inside a walk-in closet, only to re-emerge carrying a large white satin box. She handed it to me without saying a word.

"What's this?"

"Open it and see for yourself."

I walked over to a waist high glass case containing more crystals and sat down the box. Pulling off the top, I peered inside at what appeared to be some kind of costume I wouldn't be caught dead wearing.

"What's it for?" I paused to frown. "Halloween's over."

"It's for you," she replied, sounding cross. Judging by her tone, I could tell she was growing tired of my questions.

Too bad. It just so happens I was full of stupid questions.

"This is your idea of a joke, right?"

Serenity picked up the box and shoved it at me. "No. I'm not joking."

I glanced down at the contents and pushed it back at her. "You expect me to wear that and look like some kind of freaking dominatrix? Thanks, but no thanks."

I had to find out the hard way that you don't argue with a witch. I tried...it didn't work.

Serenity took the box in one hand, grabbed me roughly by the arm with her other hand, and pretty much dragged my not-so-happy little ass all the way down a darkened hallway. Stopping outside of a doorway, she let me go. But only long enough to toss open the door before shoving me inside.

I stumbled into a large dressing area too shocked to react when what I should've been was pissed. This time when she thrust the box into my chest, I took it. It's not like she gave me much of a choice.

Reluctantly holding it, my eyes filled with anger. I started to open my mouth to tell her just what she could with the costume, only to snap it shut when I saw her epic scowl.

She'd said everything with that one look and then some before she turned around to leave, slamming the door behind her.

Irritated, I dropped the box on the floor and stuck my tongue out. It wasn't much, but at least I felt better.

When I finally looked around, I found myself standing in an elegant suite of rooms so beautifully luxurious they rivaled ones you would only see on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Infested with the color pink, the walls had all been painted with a high gloss finish that reminded me of candy.

Pulling off my boots, I stepped barefoot onto a pink marble floor so shiny it sparkled. At first I expected the surface to be cold. Instead, to my surprise, the heated floor felt as warm as beach sand.

One corner of the room was completely engulfed by a glass shower so huge it looked like twenty people could fit in it, while a pair of pink marble sinks flanked by a set of matching glass vanity tables adorned the opposite wall. An elegant mirror in a gold frame hung above the sinks, flanked by a pair of crystal wall sconces that provided soft lighting.

Displayed on multiple tiers of glass shelves was every kind of makeup, lotion and potion imaginable. A separate glass counter displayed hundreds of beautiful perfume bottles in all different shapes and sizes.

Drawn to the delicate bottles like bees to honey, I picked them up one at a time to sniff the many fragrances. Some smelled sweet, some fruity, and some even smelled like flowers. The sweet scents were my favorite.

When I finished sampling the perfumes, I decided to explore the rest of the rooms. A short, narrow hallway opened into yet another spacious room. This one even more breathtaking.

An exquisite chandelier hung from a cathedral ceiling in the center of the room. On the left was an oval jacuzzi tub already filled to the brim with steaming hot water, and foamy bath bubbles. Hundreds of French vanilla candles completely surrounding the tub gave the room an elegant rosy glow, the delicate scent in the air so sweet that it reminded me of Thomas.

I pulled Carmen's dress up over my head, carefully placing it on a lounge chair before stepping into the water. The temperature was exactly the way I liked it. Hot enough to make your skin turn bright red like a lobster, but not hot enough to burn. Just right.

I slid under the water to wash my hair, followed by the rest of my sticky body. Not that it did a fat lot of good. My skin still retained that strange color of green like split pea soup only, now, thanks to soaking in the tub it was all spongy too. Once finished, I used a luxuriously fluffy pink bath towel to dry off...careful to avoid pulling out the soggy stitches.

Padding back over to the box, I stared at the contents and pouted – holding up what I initially thought was a black catsuit. It actually turned out to be more like a skimpy, one-piece bathing suite. If it wasn't for two thin straps on either side that barely connected the top to the bottom, it would've been a bikini in my book. Made out of an insidious shiny black material, the bra portion featured multiple thick buckle closures in the front, while the bottom looked more like boy shorts. Fishing around in the box, I pulled out a pair of black fish-net stockings – cringing as I put them on. The stockings had the same slimy feel as the suit.

Last, I pulled on a pair of heavy knee high boots that fastened up the sides with six wide silver buckles. Hands down the boots were my favorite thing about the entire costume. If it hadn't been for the three inch platform heels, they would've been perfect. Fully dressed...uh, make that mostly dressed, I took a moment to study my reflection in a full-length mirror.

I hate when I'm right.

The costume did make me look like a hooker. The only exception being the material, which felt bizarre. It resembled leather, but upon closer inspection I could see tiny veins that felt squishy. Like they were filled with some kind of strange fluid. Just the touch of the material next to my skin seriously weirded me out.

If I didn't do something, and fast, my biscuits were about to see the light of day.

Like magic, Serenity suddenly appeared in the dressing room beside me. I hadn't even seen her enter.

"I refuse to be seen in public wearing this," I insisted.

She ignored my rant and started fastening the buckles across my chest that I'd missed, then moved lower to fasten the larger one high on my waist.

When finished, I realized I'd been holding my breath. I had to exhale slowly because the buckle was so high up that it pushed in on certain areas, causing others to push out.

Glancing down, from this angle I decided my chest was way too exposed.

Totally unacceptable.

"If I move wrong in this thing, part of me is going to fall out," I said flatly.

Still ignoring me, Serenity prowled around the room with the grace of a tiger, tugging on the costume here and pulling there to check the fit, which was a good thing because I didn't need any wardrobe malfunctions.

Satisfied, she shook her head. "Nonsense. It fits as it should. You will not...fall out."

All I could do was glare at her and mumble something under my breath.

Serenity pointed an accusing finger at me. "Do you think it's possible that the Dark Ones, as you call them, deliberately created you be bitchy, moany, and mumbly? Or does it just come naturally?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. Maybe I've been genetically designed to piss people off with my bad behavior on purpose."

She arched her brow. "You don't feel it, do you?"

"Feel what?"

"The power," she replied in a sharp voice.

I stared at her confused. "What power?" And then I thought about it. "Which one?" Lately, I'd been feeling all sorts of strange powers. I couldn't really narrow it down to just one. "Can you be a little bit more specific?"

"You are not just wearing clothes, Chaos. You are wearing body armor that has been specifically designed just for you," she explained like I was a child.

I pictured a medieval knight wearing a fortress of shiny armor and choked back a laugh. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice. Pulling on the bottom of the shorts now riding up my ass, I gave a snort of disapproval. "If it's supposed to be body armor, then couldn't there at least be more of it?"

Serenity stood back to admire me. "Do you not feel the power?"

I wasn't sure if she was asking me or telling me. I thought about it and decided I definitely felt something.

Naked.

Placing her hands firmly on my shoulders, I began to sense a vibration in the armor. A weird humming sound in my ears made me feel like the material was coming alive. As it continued to vibrate, the armor actually molded itself right to my body - encasing me - almost as if becoming a second skin. Instead of me wearing the armor, I got the distinct impression that the armor was wearing me.

"What's happening?" I had an overwhelming urge to rip my skin off.

"It's bonding with you."

"Yeah, I got that part," I snapped, shaking my arms at her while the armor continued to cling to my skin. Wearing it felt like having your body strangled. "What I want to know is why does it feel like it's assaulting me?"

"The material used to create it is alien," she admitted in a dark voice.

"Alien!" I shrieked. "I'm wearing an alien? Get if off!" I started to jump around, swatting at myself like I had a bug in my hair.

At the sound of Serenity's high pitched laughter, I stopped abruptly to concentrate on my scowl. "What's so funny?"

"The armor is not an alien," she corrected. "The material is alien in nature, meaning it's not of this world."

"Well, la-di-fricken-da. As if that makes it any better." At the risk of sounding hostile, it took a lot of effort not to scream at her. "It's still grabbing me." I held out my arm so she could see. "Get it off. Now."

Serenity stood her ground, shaking her head. "The armor is intended to protect you. It has the ability to sense your energy and will amplify your power. Besides, it's fireproof."

I shot her a look that said I thought she was bat-shit crazy. I'm not a touchy-feely kind of person, and the armor was seriously crossing a line with me.