It took Andrea a while to think about what she was going to tell her roommate. She might as well tell her everything, though. She either did this, or she didn’t. There was no point in telling Jade only half of it, then struggle to keep track of what was true, what was a lie, and what she had avoided to mention. Failure to mention something still counted as a lie, right? Too many complications…
“Jade, you have to promise me you won’t say a word of this to anyone.”
Andrea stared at Jade intensely. She wasn’t going to say anything until Jade swore to her that she wouldn’t repeat it. Normally, she wouldn’t take a chance like this, but Andrea really needed someone to talk to, and she hoped that Jade would understand her. After all, Jade had chosen to become a mail-order bride, too, and even though Andrea didn’t know much about her roommate because she had never cared enough to ask, she was sure Jade’s choice had been the result of certain failures in her past. No human woman who was successful, happy, and fulfilled came to the Alma Venus Agency.
“Okay.” Jade raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and sat back against the headboard, crossing her legs in front of her. She wasn’t sure how to react. Once again, Andrea was proving to be the perfect drama queen.
“I mean it, Jade. Promise me. I need to hear the words.”
“Fine. I promise!”
Jade watched Andrea as she stood up and started pacing the room. The brunette bit her lower lip a couple of times, as if she wanted to say something, then stopped herself at the last moment. All the blonde could do was to be patient and give her the time and space she needed. As the minutes passed, Jade began to understand that what Andrea was going through wasn’t just pointless drama. For the first time, she felt like there was something deeper and darker happening inside Andrea’s mind and soul, and that realization took Jade by surprise. How hadn’t she seen it before?
Andrea took a deep breath.
“Okay, you know what? I’m just going to give it to you straight: I need money, a lot of money, and I plan to steal it from a dragon-shifter. In this case, Calder Grimmr, because it so happens that he asked me to marry him. It could have been any other dragon-shifter.”
Jade’s blue eyes grew as big as saucers. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. There was nothing she could say. Nothing that would make sense, anyway. She motioned for Andrea to continue. At the back of her head, there was a small voice that screamed: “This is a joke! It has to be a joke! She’s making fun of you!”.
Andrea nodded and continued. She could see on Jade’s face that her words had shaken her to the core, but now that she had started, she couldn’t stop.
“I… I don’t like talking about these things. I grew up poor. If I wanted something, I had to fight for it, and I always tried my hardest to get it. There were small things… like a new winter coat. My parents wouldn’t buy me one because they thought the old one was still good enough to wear. Well, it wasn’t! The kids at school would laugh at my old, tattered clothes, and I couldn’t take the humiliation. So, I found ways to make some money. I would help my neighbors around the house, wash their dishes, babysit… anything! Then, I would buy myself the clothes I needed. The first couple of times, I was proud of myself. I would go to my mom and show her what I bought, tell her how I made the money, but instead of supporting me, she would scold me for having spent money they could have used to buy more food or pay the bills on frivolous things. Well, my mom… she didn’t use the word ‘frivolous’. With her little to almost non-existent education, she had no idea it existed.” Andrea chuckled darkly.
A shiver ran up Jade’s spine. She was starting to put two and two together, and with the backstory Andrea was providing, Jade didn’t think her insane plan to scam a shape-shifter was that insane anymore. Actually, it still was. But at least, it made more sense.
“Sometimes I hate my parents,” said Andrea. “Other times, I tell myself this is just the way they are, and they can’t change it. This is all they know: poverty, complaining, blaming others for their misfortunes. They don’t know how to be different, they don’t have the guts to take charge of their lives. And it doesn’t matter. I got out of there. That’s all that matters. The second I turned 18, I moved out and never looked back. I made a promise to myself that I would never help them financially, no matter how often they asked. It was not my job to help them. My job was to pay my rent, my beat-up car, eat three meals a day, and save money for college. That was it. I had to take care of myself, because if I didn’t do it, no one else would. I learned that from a very early age, Jade, and, believe me, it has served me well.”
Jade nodded. “Your parents are still in New York?” she asked.
“Yeah. We don’t talk much. We only call each other on Christmas and birthdays. They’re the same. When I told them I was moving out, three years ago, they didn’t stop me. They complained that I never appreciated them, that they had given me everything I needed so I could go to school, and that I was overreacting just because they couldn’t afford to help me get into college. Bullshit! They never even considered the possibility of me going to college, even though I had told them about it countless times.”
Andrea was getting angry now, and Jade could feel the tension thickening in the air. The brunette had just said she didn’t hate her parents, but her words and her body language said something else entirely.
“What did you want to study?” Jade asked, trying to distract Andrea’s attention from something that made her furious to something that she liked.
“Political Sciences,” answered Andrea in a mellower voice. “If there was one thing my parents and I agreed on, it was that people like us are stuck in poverty because people like Calder Grimmr spend hundreds of years hoarding money, rising to power, and controlling the world. We, humans, have no advantage over shape-shifters.”
Jade cleared her throat.
“Actually, you know we do. Their females can’t bear children. We can.”
Andrea laughed bitterly. “So what? That makes us stock. We’re only valuable to them because we can give birth to their children, not because of our minds, our hopes, or our dreams. Do you really think shape-shifters respect us, Jade?” She turned to her roommate to look her straight in the eyes. “Do you really think these shape-shifters who go through the Alma Venus catalogs and choose mail-order brides like they would choose a piece of juicy meat in a butcher’s store truly respect us?”
Jade hugged her knees to her chest. Andrea was messing with her head.
“I see your perspective,” the blonde said weakly. “But I don’t think you’re right. You had a hard life, Andrea, and you had to make some hard choices, but that doesn’t mean you’re right about shape-shifters. You let yourself influenced by your parents’ views, which is… sad, given that all you wanted was to get away from them and start a new life.”
Andrea crossed her arms over her generous chest, and cocked an eyebrow.
“Are you saying that I’m exactly like my parents?”
Jade sensed the challenge in her voice, and made sure to back out of the ensuing argument. This was not a good time to contradict Andrea. Not when she was so worked up over her family, shape-shifters, and her plan with Calder.
“N-no. I would never say that.”
“Good. Because I’m not.”
“I know.”
Andrea shrugged. “I just believe they’re right on this one. If we, humans, hadn’t had the numbers during the War of the Factions, we would have lost. All of our women would have been slaves now.”
“You don’t know that,” tried Jade. “Shape-shifters can be fair and noble. Especially dragon-shifters.”
“Or so our teachers say in class. And the media.”
Jade wanted to say more, but changed her mind. She felt like she couldn’t win. It was better to let Andrea finish her story, so she’d get a more complete idea about what her plan was.
“So, you moved out,” Jade reminded her where she had left the story hanging and started to digress.
“Yes. I got a job as a waitress. The hours were long, the tips not always so good, and I could barely live from one day to the next. Saving money for college was out of the question. With no qualifications, I couldn’t get a better job. For the longest time, it seemed like I was stuck in that nightmare. My personal life was a mess, too. It was as if I was a magnet for jobless guys with wild dreams and daring plans for successful businesses. I believed in them, genuinely wanted to help them because I could relate so badly to what they were going through, but it usually didn’t take more than a few months to realize all they wanted was to live off my money. Naturally, I would kick them out, be depressed for a while, then start over with renewed energy. Until… I just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t go on like that.”
Andrea stopped for a moment. She looked out the window, at the dark, starry sky. She hadn’t expected it to be easy to confess to Jade, but now that she was almost at the end of her story, she was beginning to feel better. Relieved. As if, little by little, she was giving some of her inner burden to Jade to carry. She smiled to herself, and turned to her roommate. There was excitement and mischief in her big, brown eyes.
“I woke up one Sunday morning, and instead of getting ready to enjoy the last day of the weekend, I decided I wasn’t going to work on Monday. Just like that. A simple decision. I wasn’t going to be a waitress anymore, I wasn’t going to drive a beat-up car, wear old clothes and struggle to make them look presentable, I wasn’t going to date lazy bastards anymore. No way in hell! That part of my life was over. I decided it would end right then and there, and to make it stick, I applied to the Alma Venus Agency for Mail-Order Brides.”
“But… becoming a mail-order bride went against all you ever believed in,” murmured Jade.
“Yes, it did. It still does. By the time I finished filling out the papers, my plan had taken form in my mind: I was going to pretend I wanted to be a mail-order bride. Once I found a good suitor, I would seduce him, gain access to his money, then take as much as I could and run away with it. The world is big. With some wits, a couple of inspired plastic surgeries, and a change of identity, I could become someone else. I could take on any name I wanted, and forge a new life and future for myself. Brilliant, don’t you think?”
“Risky as all hell!”
Andrea laughed. “Of course. But so worth it!”
Jade shook her head gently. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to say…”
Andrea sighed and sat down on the bed, next to her roommate.
“You don’t have to say anything. The truth is… I needed to talk to someone, put my thoughts in order by expressing them out loud.”
“So, you don’t want my advice?”
Andrea bit the inside of her cheek. “What advice would you give me? That I should give up? Leave the Agency?”
“No. I would tell you that not all shifters are as you’ve described them. They’re not bad, they don’t want to hurt or control us. They want to live peacefully among us. They want us to unite our species so we would become stronger together.”
Andrea smiled and shook her head. To her, what Jade was saying made no sense.
Jade moved from her spot against the headboard to face her roommate.
“Andrea, listen: the only thing shape-shifters have and we don’t is a very long lifespan. They have more time than us to work, develop businesses and reap the benefits. That doesn’t mean they have it easier than us, or that they’re entitled.”
“Really? So, I have to praise them for what they’ve achieved when it’s clearly not fair?”
“But once you marry a shifter, you can choose to become a hybrid. And then, you can have everything your husband has.” Jade’s blue eyes filled with excitement. She wasn’t sure whether she was telling these things to Andrea, or repeating them to herself, to remind herself why she was at Alma Venus. “I don’t get you. All you have to do is marry Calder, and you won’t have to worry about another thing in your entire life. And, as a dragon hybrid, you will have a very long life. He is the Dragon Councilor. I’m sure he would be more than happy to pay your college tuition once he finds out you’re into politics. You can actually help him, work alongside him one day. This is a no-brainer! Once you become Mrs. Grimmr, all doors will open for you. You will probably be free to choose any job or position you want! So, honestly, if you think about it, your plan to steal from him and run away makes no damn sense whatsoever!”
Andrea jumped up as if Jade had just burned her with her words.
“No! You don’t get it! I don’t need a man to pay my tuition! I don’t need a man to get me a job! I can do all these things by myself if I only get a head start. That’s all I need. A head start. Then, I will make it because I’m smart enough to make it. Whatever job I get, I will get it because I deserve it, not because I’m the wife of the Dragon Councilor. It’s humiliating only to think about it.”
Jade bit her lower lip. On the one hand, she could understand where Andrea was coming from. Clearly, her roommate was more determined, confident, and independent than she was, and Jade could appreciate that. In fact, she envied Andrea for it. Jade would never have the guts to say she didn’t need anyone to make it in life. On the contrary, she hoped she would find someone, a shape-shifter, who would sweep her off her feet, take her with him, and take care of her for eternity.
“What if Calder is a decent guy?” Jade asked. “What if he really isn’t absurd, or entitled, or annoying just because he’s wealthy and influential? What if he is a great guy who truly fell in love with you, and you’re here, planning to ruin his life?”
Andrea cocked an eyebrow, the corner of her lips curling into a sarcastic smile.
“Just yesterday you said there was something fishy about him. Now, he’s a keeper?”
“I did say that,” Jade relented. “But now that we know who he is, I can understand why he was so vague and elusive. He was trying to protect himself and his clan from the exact plan you’re making right now. Isn’t that ironic?”
That made Andrea chuckle. She rather liked the fact that it was all so ironic.
“Wouldn’t you feel bad if you did this to him?” continued Jade. “You said it yourself: you have a lot in common, you feel like you can talk to him about anything. Come on, Andrea! Just admit it: you like him, and you don’t want to hurt him. That’s why you can’t make up your mind. Not because he’s a Councilor and too much of a challenge when it comes to scamming him, but because you actually came to care about him, and you’re starting to doubt yourself.”
Andrea shook her head vigorously, and that was when Jade knew she had lost her. She was too proud to admit any of the things Jade had laid out in front of her.
“No, you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s one thing to like a guy because you’ve got things in common, and an entirely different thing to give up all your dreams just to be with him.”
“That’s not… that’s not what I said…”
But Andrea didn’t give Jade the chance to explain herself. She had made up her mind. To Jade’s horror, she was pretty sure her arguments had, actually, contributed to help Andrea make the wrong choice.
“Yes, Calder did catch my interest, but only because he’s perfect for what I need. Yes, it will be a tad more difficult than I expected, but I can pull it off. Besides, he’s probably so damn filthy rich that he won’t even notice some of his money, or whatever treasures he’s keeping hidden only for himself and his clan, disappear. If I play my cards right, he’ll only think that I ran away because I didn’t like him and his family, that I wasn’t happy. There. Problem solved.”
Jade laughed out loud.
“Andrea, you’re just being silly. Of course he’ll notice you stole from him.”
The brunette shrugged. “You know what? Not my problem. I’ll be far away by then.”
“Nothing I say will make you change your mind?”
Andrea gave Jade a bright smile. “Everything you said helped me make up my mind. You have no idea how much you’ve helped me, even though we don’t always see eye to eye.”
“We never see eye to eye…”
Andrea waved Jade off, and went into the bathroom. She kept the door open, as she only wanted to brush her teeth to get ready for bed. After she rinsed and placed the toothbrush back into its holder, she looked at Jade’s reflection in the mirror. The blonde was still in her bed, on top of the covers, with her knees drawn to her chest. She was staring at the floor, apparently lost in thoughts. Worry gripped Andrea’s heart.
“Jade?”
“Yes?”
“You won’t tell anyone about this conversation.”
Jade looked up at Andrea, in the mirror.
“No, of course not. I might not agree with what you want to do, but I did promise.”
“Good.”
Andrea smiled warmly, and Jade smiled back.
“You know,” Jade said, “I just hope everything goes right, and you don’t ruin your life and his, too.”
Jade’s look of disappointment struck a chord within Andrea, but she squashed it down into the recesses of her psyche. There was no way she would let guilt and other soft feelings get in the way of her dreams. She was tired of being walked over and trampled on. This girl was going to fight back.
Andrea shooed Jade off her bed, grabbed her laptop, and made herself comfortable against the pillows. She logged in to the Alma Venus site and brought up the chat with silfr_eldr. Her fingers danced easily on the keyboard.
Andrea: I’ve thought about your proposal, and I’ve made a decision.
She didn’t say she was sorry for taking so long to decide, or for having let him boil for three days. He was online.
silfr_eldr: I’m almost afraid to ask what that decision is.
Andrea: Yes. The decision is that yes, I want to see you. I want to become your bride.
There was a long moment of pause, when Calder didn’t write anything. She could see he had read her message, though. Maybe she had taken him by surprise? After three days, the guy had probably thought he had completely scared her off and he would never hear from her again.
silfr_eldr: Now that it’s happening, I don’t know what to say. I… I’ve spent most of these past three days logged on, waiting for your answer.
Andrea smiled. Without meaning to, she had just applied Miss Delacroix’s advice on seducing men, for the second time. And it was perfectly effortless! She was becoming a genius at it.
Andrea: Now that you have my answer, what are you going to do?
silfr_eldr: I’m going to come get you from Alma Venus. Tomorrow.
Andrea: Great!
She logged off before he had a chance to say anything else. She was getting really good at this.