Princess didn’t much care what she called her. All she wanted to know was what would come next.
“Come along, Bella.”
At the last second, she caught sight of herself in a full length mirror. She had become a swan girl! Not a real one of course, but one meant to catch the eye of lustful, love starved men who would line the coffers of the club with their money.
Princess followed her through the twist and turning hallways and corridors, until they reached the doors to the Swan Club.
Her heart fluttered in her chest. Was she going to dance?
The club was quiet before the guests’ arrival. Tables and chairs sat empty. Behind the closed stage curtains, the band warmed up for the evening show. A few girls dressed similarly in swan-like costumes, mulled around the ballroom, some in conversation.
Valentina clapped her hands, and everyone came to immediate attention.
“Anna! Martha! One of you get Bella a glass of wine!”
The two girls scampered out of the ballroom, returning a few minutes later with a dark red filled crystal wine glass.
“Drink up, Bella. It will relax you.”
Princess never so much as sniffed wine. Father never kept anything alcoholic in the house. She took a tentative sip. The fruity liquid glided over her tongue. The taste was not quite unpleasant.
A few minutes later, a warm heat filled her body, and her senses swam. She sank into a plush velvet chair, closed her eyes and enjoyed the heady buzz.
Some time passed, and Valentina appeared. Princess’s little heart nearly stopped when she saw the mutant swan creature trail behind her. It was clearly her brother Alexander.
She opened her pink painted mouth to say something to him…anything, but there was no sound. Silently, she thanked Erich for this protection. If she retained her voice, surely her secret would be out now. When he looked at her, it was more he was looking straight through her, and did not recognize his own sister.
“Up, Bella, onto the stage, we’re going to open the doors soon.”
She jumped at once, and followed Valentina up the small staircase, and through the curtains she parted. As if on cue, the swings descended from above, and Valentina led her before a swing elaborately decorated with lilacs. The swing was quite a distance from the floor of the stage.
Valentina looked at Alexander.
“You! Lift the girl gently on to the swing! If you leave one mark on her, I’ll pull every feather from your horrendous body until you writhe in agony!” With her words, she yanked a feather from his wing, causing him to cower.
Fear for her brother filled Princess. There was nothing she could do but watch, and pray they survived until the six weeks passed.
Alexander lifted her by her waist, and set her on the swing. At once, the swing rose up from the stage, and she clutched the twisted ropes to stay balanced.
Now what?
“Just smile, and look beautiful, Bella. Make every man in the audience lust for you, and every woman want to be you,” Valentina called to her.
She could do that.
Over the next many minutes, Princess strained to listen as the club doors opened. Patrons poured in and took seats.
And the music rose up, the great red velvet curtains parted, and light flooded the stage.
Across the stage another girl dressed similarly to her, but in pink, slowly propelled her rose covered swing, a smile radiated from her face.
Princess copied the behavior, and applause filled the club.
She liked the attention.
As she caught on to the routine, Princess learned that by simply changing the angles of her arms, or twisting her legs, it evoked murmurs of delight from the patrons, who were mostly men. She soon discovered she could maintain the routine, and make eye contact with the patrons at the same time.
Then, from her vantage point high above the stage, she saw something else.
At each door, one of her brothers, in their full mutant swan form, stood at fierce attention guarding the club, and its patrons.
The situation wasn’t ideal, for sure, but she now knew them to be safe. She could watch over them to a small degree.
As time passed, beautiful women entered the stage. Some sang, some danced, but all were gloriously magnificent. They also had something else in common, too. They were all dressed in white feathers. Obviously, these ladies were Valentina’s chosen favorites. White was something to aspire to and something Princess would surely attain while at her short time remaining at the club. This she promised herself.
When finally, the night drew to a close, and the patrons were ushered from the club, the swing descended once more to the floor. Her brothers exited, and a band member, a blond gentleman with a lovely face and soft hands, lifted Princess from the swing with a smile. As handsome as he was, he stirred no passion in her. Her heart still ached for Erich’s return.
Afterward, there was no more eating in the kitchen with the other servants. The servants now brought plates of food and wine to the club tables for the band, and the stage girls. Although she couldn’t speak, she sensed an immediate acceptance, and that pleased her. Never before had she experienced anything like this in her nearly twenty years. Once she had been perfectly satisfied behind the doors of her palatial family home, with only her father and brothers.
Now, she was seeing a new side to life. This was magnificent splendor.
And she liked it.
She liked it a lot.
***
When Princess returned that night to her cell, she used a thick cream to strip away the heavy layer that colored her face. She removed the pins and adornments from her hair, and let it fall out past her shoulders with a silent sigh of satisfaction. She brushed it until it became soft and shiny. Finally, she removed her costume, extinguished the lights, and crawled into her welcoming bed, and
