The Green Girl ✓

Dinner with the Peacock

Alice POV

“Hello!” I tried to say into my phone but was cut off mid word.

“You were supposed to call!” A very peeved voice sounded from the mobile.

“Cade, we agreed I’d ring you up to tell you about what progress I’ve made with Elanor, but so far… Well, nothing has been decided.”

“You mean nothing at all?” Keegan’s anxious voice came through the receiver.

“Are you on speaker?” I asked.

“Yeah, now answer the question!”

“No, nothing yet, but she wasn’t exactly ecstatic about me spending time with you guys.”

“Well, that was to be expected,” a more level tone responded.

“Hey, Ash! So all three of you are there, huh?”

“Never mind that!” Caden commanded. “Just tell us what your mother said!”

“She said that you guys are bad influence.” I briefly explained, skipping her remark that I might not go back after a week here. That wasn’t definite so there was no need to make them worry, right? “Anyway, I have to get ready for dining with the Peacock, so I’ll call you guys later, okay?”

“The peacock?”

“That’s what I call Elanor’s fiancé.”

“About that,” Ash piped up. “Beth told me to remind you not to call him Charlie.”

I snickered. He hated being addressed that way. The first time I greeted him with “What’s up, Charlie”, he looked completely mortified… And Elanor seemed the same. But I guess, I’ll have to restrain myself tonight; I had to win my mother over and get back home.

“Yeah, thanks for the reminder! Anyway, I’m off now so…”

“Hold up a sec!” Cade ordered and I heard the sounds of him moving and of a door being closed. “Okay, the speaker is off and I’m alone so just tell me: was that everything Elanor said? And don’t even think about lying to me, Alice; I’ll know if you lie!”

I gulped, knowing the boy was right: even over the phone, he would be able to tell if I wasn’t saying the truth or was holding back information. But I really didn’t want to mention that my mother might make me stay here for good. I didn’t even want to think about that.

“Long story and I have to go.”

“But, Alice…”

“Caden, if I want to go back, I have to get on my mother’s good side. Being late for dinner with her fiancé is not the way to do that. So I’m going to go now, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“After dinner.”

“What?”

“Call me right after dinner!” He commanded sternly, but his voice came out much softer after that. “Please, Alice… Call me as soon as possible!”

“Okay,” I agreed and hung up.

*****

Sixth. I was currently being scrutinized by modeling with the sixth outfit for tonight. The previous five I’d chosen for dinner were not up to my mother’s standards. So now I was wearing a light green dress that reached just bellow my knees and a matching pair of stilettos. Yes, you’ve heard right: I had to wear stilettos for an unofficial dinner, inside our own house. It didn’t matter how uncomfortable the darn things were or that I had to walk slowly, so that I wouldn’t stumble down and fall. And of course Elanor insisted on me putting on some make-up, so I used semi-transparent lip gloss, black eyeliner and even bothered to put on some green eyeshadow. Not that she appreciated that. She had also insisted that I wear some jewelry which was why I had on my right hand a silvery watch with a fancy strap and a small green amulet, a gift from my aunts, around my neck.