Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

The European New Year came, and Marc and I decided to have yet another party to celebrate it, only this time we rented out a large and posh hotel. Invitations were sent out, and buffet and music sorted. It was again a party of mostly university students, with few of my friends, but there were enough. Marc and I had taken rooms at the hotel, so we wouldn't have to get home afterwards, as had many of the other guests. Between us, my friends and I had a whole floor to ourselves.



I changed in my hotel room, and pulled on a floor length strapless black gown, that laced up at the back, and had a long slit up the left hand side. It had a fringe of beads along the bust line, and also on the bottom. I put on a pair of black stilettos, which laced up to my knees. Sat down at the dressing table in my room, and began to curl my hair into ringlets, and I then fixed them in a swirl at the back of my head, threading white feathers in with them.



I surrounded my eyes with a bit of kohl, and extended my eyelashes with mascara, before adding a silver eye-shadow and very dark red lipstick. I opened a box that had been sitting on the dressing table, and pulled out an extravagant diamond necklace/choker. As I did up the clasp around my neck, I thought about how expensive it was. Pulling on a pair of elbow-length white gloves, I put a matching bracelet on as well. I walked out into the corridor into the hotel room, at the exact same time as Honda came out of the room opposite (he had come early to help). He had styled his hair differently, so that it was slightly less triangular, and had little less quiff and a bit more backcombing. He was wearing an electric blue shirt, with a black suit and tie, and trilby. He looked like the perfect Rat Pack member, and was even trying to perfect a Chicago-style drawl. I smiled at him, as he checked me out, “You look amazing!” he exclaimed



“You're not so bad yourself.”



He took my hand in his, and we walked in the direction of the elevator, and climbed into it, asking for the ground floor. When the doors again opened, we walked out, and I went to stand next to my brother, who was already greeting guests that had started to arrive. He wore black trousers, and a black and white stripy top with a beret and a string of onions round his neck. “You stink,” I told him.



“You look nice. My little sister all growing up.”



I kicked him. And then smiled as another guest walked past.

Finally my friends started to arrive, and they all looked out of breath, “What happened to you guys?”



“We were all chasing Sakura, `cause she thought the guy who worked here had stolen the car, when in fact he was going to park it.”



Sakura looked sheepish, yet radiant on Yami's arm, with him dressed as an Egyptian pharaoh, and she as his princess. Her blonde hair was loose and glowing; looking stunning with the gold and turquoise jewellery she was matching it up with, and the long white dress.



Yuula was wearing a golden coloured dress with cat ears and a tail. The top of the dress was like a corset, and the lower part flounced out in many layers. She was laughing about something with Ryou, who had come as a cricketer, in cricket whites and a funny looking cap thing.



Joey had come as an America footballer, and looked extremely strange with the mask on and the pads that padded out his shoulders, and increased the weirdness of his look. He looked fine, until he noticed Kaede and Seto and then he bristled with hostility.



Kaede was wearing a kimono, and he hair was down and very straight. She had tied to her back what looked like two swords. I hoped they weren't. Seto was wearing a tux, that looked really good on him. He had obviously come as 007.



Duke, it appeared had forgotten that it was a costume party, and Tea was wearing a pink frilly tutu. We all walked into the ballroom together, and I laughed as my friends gasped at the sight of it. There were hundreds of balloons on the ceiling, and lots of glitter, ready to be released at midnight. The room was lit by white lights, which were reflected in the mirrored ceiling, and bounded off all the light fittings.



The party was just getting started and few people were on the dance floor yet, so I grabbed Honda's hand, and laughed as the other couples in our group did the same, as we fled to the dance floor, at the exact same moment as an upbeat and hard piece of music started. It was an old song, one of the classics, called `Mambo Italiano'. At once the girls started twirling, and swinging to the music, as the boys slowly got into it. The music was perfect for the clothes that Honda and I were wearing, in our 1930s style. We swung in style, and didn't notice that my brother's friends had all stopped to watch, and then every-one else who had been dancing stopped to watch, as us, the youngsters, swung in the old-timers way.



The music changed, and I wandered over to the bar, and perched myself one of the stools. Seto came over, and lent on the bar beside me. We began to talk, and when the bar man came over to see what we wanted I laughed when Seto put on his best Sean Connery voice, “I'll have a martini, shaken, not shtirred.”



The barman had looked at him blankly, and when Seto and I had stopped laughing, he again asked for a drink, “I'll have a champagne, and whatever the lady wants.”



The barman looked at me enquiringly, and I wasn't sure if I'd get away with buying alcohol, as I was only 15, and the youngest out of my friends. I hesitated and then asked for a cool breeze, a cocktail with lime and sorbet.



Whilst I was elegantly sipping my drink, Honda came up, and took my hand, leading me back to the dance floor. It was a slower number this time, and as he held me in his arms, I lent my head on his shoulder, smiling at Sakura as I waltzed past her and Yami. The song ended, and another fast one came on. People left the dance floor, and soon the only people left were Sakura, Tea, Kaede and me. And the music. So we danced, and boy, did we dance. We danced the Macarena, to a very upbeat piece of music. By the end of it nearly everyone had joined in, and we were in hysterics.



The evening went really well, and everyone seemed to be having a really good time. As it came to a close, towards 11.45, Marc and I tried to assemble everyone in the main ballroom, ready for the countdown. We had done our best to explain the concept of such a new year and most people had grasped it. We all stood in a huge circle, everyone in completely different costumes, and as it got to 11.59, we began the countdown, and as we got to shouting Happy New Year, the balloons fell, landing on kissing couples, and hugging friends. It was perfect. The perfect end to the perfect evening.



After that, people began to drift off, and it was only the people who were staying at the hotel left behind. Honda and I were once again slow dancing, and holding each other close. When the music stopped, and we noticed that nearly everyone had gone, we too decided to go upstairs.



We went to my room, and closed the door behind us, pulling across the `Do not Disturb' sign, and putting the chain on the door.

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