Crystal
The rotary phone on the nightstand crackled and sizzled when I picked it up. It was the sound of a bonfire of the vanities, a thousand banned books going up in flames.
It scared me a little.
It probably should have.
All of this the strange hotel room, the strange man in my bed, the incredibly weird gap in my memories from last night was scary.
But if what Lucian said was true, my phone was drowning in the sparkling waters of the Bellagios fountain, and this weird old landline was my only way to call out.
On the phones dial, each number had a different word under it in thick black typewriter font.
Some were positive words. Eight was labeled ILLUSION. Seven was MIGHT.
Others were a little more nuanced, though. Number six was labeled HERESY, and four was named AVARICE…Greed.
I rolled my eyes as my finger hovered over number two. LUST.
Lucian had claimed to be the Devil himself, I supposed. In my humble opinion, he was taking the metaphor a little far.
When he told me that this building was called the Inferno, I thought he was making some kind of joke about my dissertation. I was doing an entire masters degree on Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy. Everyone always liked to have a laugh at the expense of us classics majors.
But if this wasnt a hallucination, or worse, a joke
Apparently, Lucian and I had more in common than the rings on our fingers and the bed wed both fallen asleep in last night.
Hed named every floor of this building after some convoluted concept from Dantes vision of Hell.
It wasnt my degree that felt like the joke anymore.
This whole fucking racket was set up like some kind of cruel running gagand every punchline was at my expense.
I ignored the labels on the phones numbers and dialed out. I didnt know how to explain any of this to Adam yet, but I knew if I could get hold of Ava, shed probably be able to fill in the missing details from last night for me.
My thesis might have been in the useless classics department at UCLA, but Ava was doing hers in science. Her level head would be my saving graceand I knew shed be kind as she explained to me exactly how bad Id fucked up.
Then, I could start working toward getting my life back together.
Starting with finding something to wear and getting the hell out of this place. Immediately.
When I dialed Avas number, the phone didnt even ring, though.
Were sorry, a sultry, almost mechanical female voice said through the receiver. The number you have dialed cannot be connected on this line. To call out into Greater Hell, please dial six-six
I hung up the phone.
Divine fucking comedy indeed.
Still wrapped in the bedsheets, I wandered over to the vanity in search of my purse. As I caught a glimpse of myself in the vanitys mirror, I almost didnt recognize myself at first.
My blonde hair was wild and full of body beneath my bachelorette party veil from last night. It was bedroom hair, messy but somehow chic. My cheeks were flushed, and my boring gray eyes were especially bright.
I looked hot. Considering that I normally rolled out of bed looking like an undercaffeinated library goblin, I couldnt act like it was exactly a bad surprise, but I looked well-fucked. Like Id been ravished last night. Ridden hard and put away soaking wet.
And that wasnt all. On my cheek, over the place that Lucian had stroked with his thumb and set my body alight before he left, there was a little beauty mark that hadnt been there before.
I leaned forward to examine it more closely.
It was in the shape of a starburst, a supernova, paler than the rest of my skin. Like a white tattoo.
Oh, Jesus, I hissed as I tried to rub it away.
Hopefully, it was temporary.
The only thing that could make my situation more embarrassing right now was if somehow last night, Id lost my mind so completely that Id actually gotten a face tattoo.
The mark wouldnt budge, though. It was emblazoned on my skin. Permanently. Even when I hopped into the shower and turned the water up as hot as it would go, when I came back out, the tattoo was still there.
Everything I learned about my behavior from last night was getting worse and worse.
Who was I kidding? I was screwed and I knew it.
My bridesmaids were going to be worried about me. They wouldve stopped me long before I went full Mike Tyson last nightwhich meant that Id almost certainly wandered off on my own. They probably had no idea where I was.
To be fair, I didnt really know that either.
My parents, at least, didnt have the faintest clue that I was even in Las Vegasnor did they need to know. They hadnt ever liked Adam, even before we started living in sin together. But since they didnt know I was here, at least they wouldnt have to know what a complete fuck-up Id become.
If they ever found out, theyd be disappointed in me. That thought curled my stomach inward and made my heart pang with guilt.
But that didnt hurt nearly as much as it did when I thought about Adam himself.
Two months ago, hed bought me a beautiful diamond engagement ring that must have cost a small fortune. The Vegas thing had been his idea, but Id been happy enough to go along with it.
There were plenty of shitty men in this world, but at least Adam was steady and stable and safe.
Even if my friends and parents didnt like him, I couldve done a lot worse for myself.
Now, he was going to be expecting me at the wedding venue any minute now, and I had no phone to call him with. No clothes to escape in. The ring hed given me was missingand another, darker ring had somehow taken its place. When I tried to take it off, it wouldnt budge.
Even if I did find some way out of the Inferno, I had no way to explain to Adam what had happened last nightbecause even I didnt know.
I flopped back down on the bed and let myself wallow in my despair. Just for a moment.
If this place really was fashioned after Hell itself, at least despair was keeping in theme with the source material.
This wasnt like me. I was a first-year grad student at UCLA with a full course load and a classroom full of undergrads to deal with.
Sure, I enjoyed a drink or two every once in a while, on the weekends, but to get blackout drunkI must have downed an entire bottle of something last night. Maybe two or three.
I hadnt been this hungover since Id started partying with Ava, Joan and Bea during our undergrads.
I hadnt made a mistake this bigever.
So how the fuck did I get so drunk last night? I shouted at the ceiling. I grabbed a pillow off the bed and pulled it over my face so I could let out a scream.
Drinking, most likely.
I pulled the pillow away from my face as I heard the same female voice from the phone earlier there in the room with me.
She was beautiful. Tall and black with the muscles of a ballet dancer. She wore high-waisted palazzo pants, a white blouse, and elegant heels.
There were two other women with her. They all had the same faces and the same clothes on. Identically dressed triplets. But the other two women had their arms full of designer shopping bags. I was no label queen, but even I knew the logos for Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent.
Im, umsorry, but I think you have the wrong room. I drew my feet up beneath the sheet I was still clutching and scooted away from the women.
Being naked in front of strangers wasnt a whole lot of funbut I supposed it could have been worse.
It could have been men.
It could have been Lucian again.
Youre Evelyn St. John, arent you? the woman in the center asked.
I am, yes. Shed even pronounced my last name correctly. Not Saint John like the apostle, but the British way, even though her accent was American like mine. Sin-jin. And you are?
We are Leeg The center woman narrowed her eyes at me, then chuckled. Leigh. You can call us Leigh.
Sorry, what? I raised an eyebrow. If all three of these triplets were named Leigh, they had some truly shitty parents. Which one of you is
We all are, Crystal. Try to keep up. The main Leigh nodded to the other two, who began unpacking the shopping bags. Designer dresses, bags, shoes and even lingerie were suddenly draped across the room all around me.
You definitely have the wrong room. I stared at the haul wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
All of this stuff must have cost a fortune. There was no way it was all for me.
No, sweetheart, we dont, the main Leigh said as she nudged my destroyed dress from last night across the floor with the toe of her shoe. We hear youve had a littlewardrobe malfunction. Weve brought you some alternative options.
I narrowed my eyes. Did Lucian send you?
All three Leighs stopped and smiled.
Who else? they answered in unison.
No. I dont want anything from him. I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. You can take it all back to wherever it came from. I appreciate the gesture, but no thank you.
Dear, sweet Crystal, the main Leigh cooed as she took me by the elbow and pulled me off the bed. She was surprisingly strong. It was like I weighed nothing to her at all. Unless youre planning on leaving this place wrapped up in that sheet, were not sure you have a choice.
I scowled.
I didnt want to owe Lucian for all of these clothes. I didnt want to owe him anything.
But at the same time
I was naked, and she had clothes for me.
She did have a point there.
I tore my elbow out of the main Leighs grasp and collected myself. Then, with a sigh, I took a better look at the clothes the Leighs had laid out.
Each set of lingerie alone must have cost about the same as what Id paid in rent each month for my first apartment during undergrad, if not more.
The dresses were Armani, YSL and Alexander McQueen. The shoes were all either Jimmy Choos or Louboutins. An assortment of Chanel bags was piled around the bar cart for me to choose from, and on top of the vanity, the Leighs had left lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes galore.
I only need one set of clothes to get out of here, I pointed out. This has got to be likefifty thousand dollars worth of merchandise.
More, actually, the main Leigh said. We had no idea what your taste or style would be, this time aroundso we thought you might like a selection to choose from.
This time around? I asked, confused. They were acting like theyd known me before, but these werent the kind of women you forgot about knowing. This was definitely the first time wed met.
This color would be divine on you, one of the Leighs said, ignoring my question as she offered me a crimson velvet YSL minidress.
We should really start with your bra and panties first, though. Another Leigh held up two lacy black sets of lingerie. Do you prefer La Perla or Agent Provocateur?
I dont know the difference, I grumbled as I grabbed one of the sets at random. Do you mind turning around?
If youre wearing the Agent P, youll want the full set, the main Leigh said, like I hadnt spoken at all. She pressed a matching garter belt and a pair of sheer black thigh-high stockings into my hands. Go ahead. Put them on.
I stood frozen and wide-eyed in the midst of the Leighs as they bustled around the room comparing purses and shoes to the different dresses for me.
They showed no signs of leaving.
Okaaaay then.
It was going to be a little awkward, changing in front of them
But at least they seemed to be paying attention to the clothes and not me.
I let the sheet fall and put on the bra and panties as quickly as I could. They both hugged my curves perfectly, even though I had no idea how these women could have known my bra size34C.
The lingerie only made me think of the pretty white bra and panties that were probably still hanging up in the suite Adam had gotten the girls and me at the Bellagio. That was what I should have been wearing today, along with my grandmothers pearls and the cute, modest bridal gown Id found in a vintage boutique in Venice Beach.
I wouldnt be wearing any of that anytime soon now, though. Or ever, for that matter, depending on how furious Adam was with me for screwing everything up.
I caught another glimpse of myself in the mirror and ripped the veil out of my hair.
It seemed stupid to wear it now. I wished Id never let the girls pin it in my hair last night to begin with.
What do you think of these, Crystal? While I was lost in my worries, the Leighs were still focused on playing personal stylist. They each held up a different dress, all low-cut, slinky and sinfully short.
I shook my head and brushed past them toward the door.
A black Versace hung from a hook there. It wasnt as revealing as the otherswhich wasnt saying muchbut it had an edge and a sense of classiness to it that the others lacked.
It almost felt like it was calling my name.
I ran my fingertips over the golden buttons that went down the dress front and watched them glimmer in the light.
I could actually see myself in this dress. Or, at least, a version of myself.
The Crystal who wore a dress like that would be ruthless. Fearless. No more awkwardly smiling when my thesis adviser got too drunk at the faculty Christmas party and cupped my ass while he was pretending to fix my skirt. No more staying up late to cry when Adam treated me like a sex addict when I suggested maybe we spice things up, just a little, in bed
I blinked and took a step back, pulling my hand away from the dress like it burned.
Adam. How did I let myself get so distracted? I should have been wracking my brain for a way to apologize to him, not fantasizing about how a stupid dress might have the power to turn me into a completely different person.
This ones fine. I grabbed the dress and quickly put it on. Thank you. For everything. Ill get the dress dry cleaned and find some way to get all of this back to you once I get home.
Shoes first, the Leighs said in a chorus. They offered me three choices, and I grabbed a pair of black Louboutins with their infamous red bottoms without really thinking about it.
When I slipped them on, I wished Id considered my choices a little more carefully. The heels were slender and must have added at least six inches to my height. Not exactly a pair of heels for running away in.
But they fit perfectly, and I wanted to be out of here as quickly as possible. Carefully considering an outfit for the worlds biggest walk of shame was like coordinating your lipstick with your ski mask before you robbed a bank.
It didnt really matter.
What mattered was that I got away safely.
Thank you alland tell Lucian thank you for me as well. I wasnt sure that Lucian Dawnstar deserved my appreciation at the moment, since I was pretty sure hed led me down the path to my own destruction to begin with, but I hadnt been raised to be impolite. Ill find some way of returning them later.
Are you sure? one Leigh asked.
We should really do your hair first said another.
And your make-up, for that matter
Im sure. I pulled the door open and staggered forward in my heels. This is all very kind, but I have some things I need to deal with.
Like explaining myself to the man I was supposed to be saying vows to today.
The last thing I heard from them as the door closed behind me made me shiver, though.
Youre welcome to try.
The suite outside the bedroom was just as tastefully lavish as it had been inside. A fire crackled in a gorgeous white fireplace. Red velvet lounges were positioned around the fire, and the walls were hung with Renaissance-era paintingssome of which, like Solomons Ajax and Cassandra, I knew should have been hanging in museums somewhere. The painting of Napoleons coronation, for instance, I was one hundred percent sure was actually on display at the Louvre.
So. Either this Lucian Dawnstar character was the finest art thief who had ever livedor he was a master forger as well as a Satan cosplayer.
Great.
I only really hesitated when I saw the books on the shelves over the fire. Even from across the room, I could tell that some of them were very old, but still in excellent condition.
If I had one true viceit was definitely old books.
I bit my lip and crossed the room to take a closer look at just one. Just for a second.
My eyes fell on a copy of Petrarchs Il Canzoniere. This version still had the collections original title, Rerum Vulgarium Fragmenta, on the spine.
Fragments composed in vernacular. A humble title, considering that Petrarch had written the poems inside about the love of his life, Laura, who was already married and had turned down all of Petrarchs advances.
He first saw her on Good Fridaythe same day, years later, that she would die. Some scholars didnt think the two had ever even spoken to each other. Petrarch had just fallen for her at first sight and loved her ever since.
You may pick it up, if you wish, a warm male voice called out from behind me.
I jumped and turned to find a handsome elderly man with steely gray hair standing in front of what I assumed to be the door out of the suite.
He was dressed like a butler, white gloves and all. His dark eyes twinkled as he smiled kindly at me. He bowed low, the way I imagined Buckingham Palaces staff might bow to the queen.
Its too old to pick up without gloves on. I stepped away from the bookshelves before I let myself get sucked in again. It justit looked like it could be a first edition. Sorry.
Older, actually, the butler informed me. Those are all the original copies of the authors themselves.
Sure they are. I tried not to roll my eyes. Authors originalslike hell they were. If it was true, that copy of Il Canzoniere was over six hundred years old.
They were probably just reproductions, like the Le Sacre de Napoléon hanging on the wall.
This was just collection of a pretentious charlatan that I had, while blackout drunk, allegedly married last night.
Nothing more.
WellI was just leaving, at any rate. I pointed to the door behind the butler. Is that the way out, um
My name is Charon, the butler said. And yes, that is the door to the hall.
Charon I said slowly, emphasizing both syllables.
Sure it is, I thought to myself as I clenched my fists.
Lord. Lucian was even making his staff join in on his charade.
How had I ended up married to such an insufferable prick? I was beginning to think I hadnt gotten drunk at allto end up with a man like Lucian, no matter how gorgeous he was, I must have been drugged.
I rushed out into the hall as fast as my stilettos would allow. Behind me, I heard Charon follow me out.
Are you sure thats wise? he asked as I jammed my thumb against the down button outside the elevator. I believe your husband would prefer
I dont care what Lucian would prefer. I pressed the button a few more times for good measure, then tried to tug off my mysterious new ring again. It was still stuck. It didnt feel right leaving without leaving the ring behind, but Id have to try to find a bathroom somewhere safe where I could soap up and try to slide it off. Maybe I could leave it for Lucian at the front desk. And please dont call him my husband. Theres been a terrible misunderstanding. Obviously.
Or a terrible mistake.
I watched the numbers over the elevator light up, one by one. As far as I could tell, we were on the ninth floor. It would explain why the number nine hadnt been labeled on the telephone earlier, too.
If this Dantes Inferno theme held up, that would mean that Id managed to make it to the ninth circlethe frozen lake where those who had betrayed the trust of someone close and special to them were doomed to spend eternity.
Traitors.
My stomach churned as I realized how strangely fitting that was for me right now.
Id betrayed my parents by coming to Vegas to get married without telling them.
Id betrayed my friends by abandoning them last night.
And worst of all, Id betrayed Adam. I hadnt just cheated on my fiancé last night. Id lost my engagement ring and left him behind so I could marry another man.
It broke my heart to admit it to myself in full like that.
I had to make this right.
But first, I had to get out of this place. When I did, I could try to fix whatever Id done. I could throw myself at the mercy of my friends, my family, and my fiancé, and do whatever I could to get out of this personal hell Id created, once and for all.
When the elevator doors opened, it felt like salvation.
At least, it did until I saw Lucian standing behind them, smirking down at me, smug as ever.
Going somewhere? he asked, stepping forward.
Yes. I craned my neck to look around Lucian to the elevator operator. He was short and broad, dressed like an old-timey bellhop. His eyes were, thankfully, kind. Take me to the first floor, please. Im leaving.
Good luck with that. Lucian stepped aside as he stared at me expectantly.
Like he was waiting to watch me fail.
Fat chance. I strode past him with my shoulders back and my head held high.
I got two whole steps before something stopped me. There was an invisible force field keeping me from entering the elevator Lucian had just exited without issue. I strained against it but couldnt move forward. Only back.
I met the elevator operators eyes. He gave me a tense smile and a tiny shrug but didnt move to help me.
Hows that working out for you, love? Lucian asked from behind me. Still leaving?
Slowly, I turned to glare up at Lucian.
No, I said. I guess Im not.