Chapter 1 Wet Weather and Airy Apparitions

ERINA -

"It wasn't supposed to rain tonight," Richard said as he peered up at the sky through the windshield. "Damnit." He cursed, his deep voice growling as he did.

The rain was hammering against the window while hard, angry winds shoved at the car.

"The news says something about low-pressure causing early showers?" Erina said as she scrolled through the weather app on her phone.

"Well, this is more than just showers", Richard responded.

She locked her screen and glanced out the window again to watch the dark, angry storm as it raged across the sky.

She was watching a particularly dark cloud when her reflection came into focus on the window.

Even though she didn't wear lipstick tonight, her lips were a deep red, causing her already plump bottom lip to look even larger. She'd worn her crisp Armani suit for tonight, its deep black a dark contrast to her baby blue blouse. Yet, in her reflection, she had on a white satin corset that pressed her breasts up into an almost gaudy show of cleavage.

Her blonde hair had been oiled and pinned into a sleek twirl that sat behind one ear, but in the reflection, it hung in long waves around her shoulders. Atop her head was a silver crown that was covered in large sapphires. The tiers of each spire rose high enough that they pierced the top of the car.

While she was trying to comprehend what and how she was seeing what she was seeing, movement outside the window caught her attention. They were driving by a park that had a large field, and in the middle of it was a bonfire. Dancing around it was a gigantic yellow mushroom. Its white cap moved in odd ripples with each bounce, and the stumpy stalk jerked like muscle as it landed with each thump.

Freaked out beyond measure, Erina turned to Richard and asked in a tone more frantic than she expected, "What the fuck is that?"

"I don't know, Erina. I'm kind of trying not to kill us, right now." He half turned his face towards her as he kept his eyes on the road.

She turned back to the park and said, "It's a-" but the mushroom was gone and so was the fire.

She focused back on her reflection in the window, but everything was back to normal, down to her bright blue eyes that looked more hysterical than she'd ever seen them before.

"Well? What is it?" Richard said, sounding annoyed.

A heavy sigh traveled through her body before she said. "It's nothing. I thought I saw something, but I think I'm just nervous about tonight."

Flustered, she stared down at her hands and picked at her nails. She'd had them manicured yesterday to help give her courage for tonight.

Richard had finally asked Erina to marry him, and it had taken them weeks to get the reservation for tonight. This was after she had to wait years for Richard to propose.

They'd been a planned marriage ever since her mother's company had become partnered with Hilligan Corp. more than ten years ago. It was an unwritten stipulation to "protect Erina's future".

It was also something that she'd argued with her mother about. Up until the day she disappeared. Ever since then, she'd opened up to the prospect of marrying him.

Her family thought she'd changed her mind because of her mother's will, which stipulated that she had to marry Richard in order to receive her inheritance.

But that wasn't it. She changed her mind because it was the last thing her mother had ever asked her to do, and guilt rode her hard.

To hell with the will. She thought to herself as she looked back up at Richard.

His blond hair was neatly trimmed and styled with a rugged yet polished look. His wide jaw was tense as he watched the road, and his deep blue eyes were scrunched together in concentration. She watched the side of his jaw tick, and his thick lips tightened into a slight frown.

Even when he's flustered, he's hot. The thought tumbled through her mind.

They were turning into the restaurant parking lot when Richard asked, "Are you sure you want to do this tonight? We can wait to announce it." His voice sounded almost hopeful.

He turned to her for a brief moment, and she noticed a coldness in his eyes that she'd never really seen before. Then again, she thought she'd just seen a gigantic mushroom dancing around a fire, so maybe she was making his expression up too.

Only... He's been acting weird all day.

He'd been giving her crappy excuses for reasons why they should cancel and rearrange the dinner.

"No." The word flew from her mouth. "I'm excited." She smiled up at him. "I'm just not looking forward to Regina and Giselle's judgment."

Her step-mother, Regina, never liked Erina, and her half-sister, Giselle, did whatever her mother told her to do, which included tormenting Erina.

At Giselle's name, the coldness from before fell over his face, and he turned back to look at the valet as he ran up to Richard's door.

Before he opened it, she swore she heard him mumble, "Here we go."

Trying to put the rain and the creepy car ride out of her mind, she hurried inside.

When they walked in, the warm air wrapped around Erina like a warm hug, and the bright lights from the golden chandeliers gave her stomach a flurry of butterflies.

It's finally happening. She thought, as the excitement grew like something alive within her.

That was, until the hostess led them to their reserved section in the restaurant, and her father, Regina, and Giselle were already sitting at the large round table.

She paused a moment when she noticed that Giselle was sitting in the chair right next to Richard's.

At least she'd be able to sit next to her father. As this was one of the most important nights of her life, she wanted her father next to her.

Richard stepped forward, breaking her out of her inner musings, and instead forced her to focus on sitting in the chair as Richard pushed it in for her.

She was unwrapping her silverware when a short waitress walked up with her pad in hand.

Erina quickly grabbed the smaller of the two menus and decided that, as they were celebrating, she'd indulge and order a whole bottle of Moscato Rosa.

She looked up at the waitress to tell her so, but her throat closed up at what she saw.

The woman's skin had gone white as milk, and her now white hair hung long and straight over a white and pink frilly dress. Its lace sleeves hung off her shoulders in petite waves. Yet, even more bizarre, on top of her head, she had long white rabbit ears that hung at an odd angle as if she were actually listening with them, and she was patiently waiting for Erina's response.

"Uh-" She croaked out.

"Everything okay, Erina?" Richard's deep voice asked.