Hope's jade green eyes were framed by a little bit of eyeliner, which made them stand out even more. Mascara was slashed over her eyelashes, and her lips were covered in clear lip gloss.
She tugged nervously at the skirt of her halter-necked dress. It's striking, jade color matched her eyes exactly, and it's mid-thigh length made it not too short, nor too long.
Hope never wore any make-up. But today she had made an exception. It was the most dreadful day of the year, known as the Cahill Family Reunion, and it was hosted by Hope's mother, Grace. Once every year, Cahills from all over the world came to her mother's vast mansion in Attleboro, and, well, mingled.
Hope would normally hide in her room, and curl up on an armchair with one of her favorite classics. But not this year. This year, her mother was /forcing/ her to go down there and socialize, and "make sure no one killed each other" as her mother put it.
"Knock knock," Hope's mother Grace said, creaking open the. Sticking her head into the room, she smiled at her daughter.
"A lot of people have already arrived," she stated. "I think you should come down."
Hope looked at Grace, slightly disappointed. "Do I /have/ to?" she groaned, slumping her shoulders.
Grace frowned slightly as she let out an exasperated sigh. "/Yes/, you do." she said sternly.
"Why?" asked, slightly annoyed.
Grace sighed again, and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"/Beacuse/, you are my only daughter, and when I die-yes I /do/ plan on dying someday-then /you/ will take my place as branch leader." she explained in a calm, yet annoyed tone.
"So?" Hope asked innocently, widening her eyes.
Grace just shook her head, and pushed the door open all the way. "No more stalling, young lady." she said, the corners of mouth lifting.
Hope smiled angelically at her mother, and made her way out the door, Grace just a few steps behind her.
The mother and daughter quickly made their way down the stairs to greet their awaiting guests.
After Hope reached the first floor, she looked around for people she might know. Finding none, she drifted of into the large crowd of Cahills, most of whom were conversing, joking, and arguing. Mostly the latter.
"Oof," Hope grunted, as she bumped into a tall, dark figure. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized frantically, lifting her eyes up to see one of the most handsome boys she'd ever seen.
Silky black locks fell into sparkling, cocky amber eyes. Flawless, olive-toned skin. Soft lips stretched into an apologizing smile. Six feet of tall, muscular goodness. Wow.
"It's not your fault," the boy said in a smooth British accent. "I should have watched where I was going. /I'm/ sorry."
Hope shook her head vigorously, "N-no!" she said. "I'm to blame."
The boy's smile turned into an amused smirk. "Very well," he said, running a hand through his dark tresses. "A gentlemen always lets a lady continue with her fantasies".
Hope smiled nervously at him, aware of her reddening cheeks. /Who is he?/ she wondered.
As if he had read her mind, the boy held out a manicured hand. "Vikram Kabra," he said. "Lucian." Hope swore she heard some stubborn pride in his voice as he told her what branch he was in.
Hope shook Vikram's slightly larger hand. "I'm Hope C-Cahill," she said shyly.
Vikram smiled warmly. "Lovely to finally meet you. I've heard many things about you," he said.
Hope raised her eyebrows.
"Don't worry," Vikram said regarding her expression. "Nice things. Well, mostly nice things," he laughed. Hope couldn't help but laugh along with him.
"Vikram!" she heard a female voice yell in a silky British accent.
A beautiful girl came running in their direction, and Hope guessed this was the owner of the silky voice.
"Vikram!" she said, clutching his arm as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
Hope studied the girl for a moment. She had big eyes the color of dark honey, and her skin was the color of mocha. Her delicate, heart-shapes face was framed by long, straight, silky black hair. And to complete the picture, She had full, luscious cherry red lips. How do perfect people find each other like that?
"Um, Hope," Vikram started in a very slightly disgusted tone, looking at the girl. "This is my erm, /girlfriend/, Isabel."
/Crap/, Hope thought, glancing at Isabel. /This is not good. At all./