It was in the early hours of a Saturday morning, the very day that changed my entire life.
A glimpse of darkness still covered the clouds, and I watched it cast shadows in my humid room.
I had gotten up earlier than I usually do to prepare for a wedding, and it was a wedding I knew nothing about. A client had hit me up in one of the "rent a friend" sites I worked for and requested I accompany him to a wedding. It was hard to come by those calibers of clients.
He seemed to have a fat pocket, I also felt it would be an opportunity to make friends, and I was eager to go.
I took a steamy shower, which lasted for some minutes, and began my makeup. Packing my long black hair perfectly to the back, as I didn't want the pieces interfering with my makeup. I had picked up a make up fixer, which was the last item needed for the process when my phone buzzed.
My client, Ken, had called to inform he was parked in my apartment, which was located at the heart of Buffalo. I quickly dressed up in a short black gown, which rested on my moderate sized butt, accompanied by a pair of gray heels I got from my best friend on my 25th birthday.
I needed to look as hot as possible.
This was not just a wish, it was rather an order from Ken and I needed to see to it. Ken had instructed me to dress to kill and my slim thick figure did justice to that.
The makeup rested on my oval, smooth face, giving it a barbie doll look. My nipples were seen poking out in the slim, silky dress, but I didn't care.
"Anything to satisfy my client," I said.
On getting down, my gaze rested on a black Mercedes parked at the lot, which flickered its luminance into the thin air. I could tell it was Ken, as those kinds of luxury hardly come by my apartment. He quickly got down to greet me, offering his masculine hand for a shake.
"I'm Ken, and you must be Adira," he said.
"Yeah, nice to meet you Ken" I replied, as I offered him my hands for a shake.
He ushered me into the car and ignited the engine.
We arrived at the wedding venue, and it was a beautiful sight to behold. I had never seen such a beautifully decorated event before. Everything about it screamed luxury as I allowed my eyes to wander through the perfect blend of black and gold.
Ken ushered me into a king sized chair which faced a busy table, signaling I made myself comfortable, which I did. I had just taken the second gulp from my glass when I started feeling uneasy.
The guests seemed to be unusually familiar with each other, with each person exchanging a warm hug and even a peck. I observed Ken greet about twenty guests at a spot, and I found it hard to make sense of it.
I quickly got rid of the initial euphoria of the venue and wondered why someone would admire an all black wedding. This was a question I had asked myself when Ken instructed me to be on black. It just didn't sit well with me. I quickly brushed it off. After all, "I would get my full payment at the end of the party," I thought, but little did I know that fate had a different game for me.
The couple arrived shortly after we came in, with the groom looking like what I would call unnecessarily tall, while the bride, petite. At first, I wondered what an awful combination it was, but later resolved within me to my business.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
This came from the officiator, after what seemed like a five minute ritual.
"Just like that?" I thought.
At that point, it dawned on me that a lot about the wedding was awkward, except the decorations, of course. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry.
I had also noticed the guests paid some respect to a woman that was in her mid fifties, but I couldn't figure out why. She was neither the mother of the bride nor the groom.
"Adira, meet my friends." Ken sounded as he walked to me, interrupting my thoughts.
He introduced two men to me. One was in his early thirties, just like Ken, while the other looked quite older.
"Nice to meet you, Adira." the younger guy said as he stretched his hands for a shake.
"The pleasure is all mine." I replied while offering my hands to him.
The older man didn't seem to be interested. I noticed he gave me a long, dark stare, which sent cold shivers down my spine. I found it rather awkward to treat a stranger in that manner, but resolved he might be having an awful day. He stalked around me for a while, even after the others had left, while making some sniffling sounds with his nose.
"Is everything okay, sir?" I asked, fixing my vulnerable gaze on him.
"You better watch your back, miss." He grunted as he sniffed further before leaving.
My gaze watched him walk down the aisle. I had become outright uncomfortable, and I felt the feelings were justified. It was obvious I was in the wrong place. I quickly picked up my phone with the intent to call Ken when my phone buzzed.
"This girl never calls at the right time!" I murmured under my terrifying breath.
If there were a title for best in wrong timing, I believed my best friend Victoria would have won it hands down. It was always an emergency with her. Although she never called for the wrong reasons, the timing never ceased to be bad.
I wore back my pair of heels, which I initially pulled off to relax, and I began to scan through the venue, searching for a calm place to return her call. Perhaps I knew the call wouldn't be possible if I didn't get a quiet place for it
"It's over there Ma'am." an usher instructed, while pointing towards the restroom.
I nodded emphatically, with my racing pulses, and began to walk towards the restroom.
On getting there, I overheard some conversations I knew they did not mean me to hear.
"You should ask all the external guests to leave in ten minutes!" A lady's voice sounded in the background.
"Yes, ma'am."
It was more of an order than a request. I pondered briefly on what I heard. I didn't understand what external guests meant in the context, but one thing I was certain of was my resolution to leave the venue as quickly as possible.
"I can perceive a human here!" her voice echoed again in the restroom.
"Do you think she saw us, Ma'am?" the male voice asked.
"I can't even turn back without the rituals. The human must have seen me and we need to find whoever it is immediately," she replied.
A potent force landed on the toilet door, leaving it wide open to my face. What I saw struck me.
I had seen the most dreadful thing I could ever imagine at the time staring deep into my eyes.
The lady whom everyone worshiped appeared half human and half wolf before me.
"This has to be a dream," I whimpered as a wave of fear enveloped me.
I couldn't understand what I saw, but that was definitely not the right place to process it.
But before I could say jack, the werewolf jumped on me and was eager to attack me.