Tangled In Tinsel Novels & Stories

The swirling constellations that were supposed to catch the light and scatter it like a thousand tiny suns now lay limp and lifeless. the delicate, filigree-like filaments of silver and gold thread—the fabric was now matted and stained. Tattia had used a technique that made the threads look like intricate spiderwebs woven with droplets of mercury and liquid gold. It was a subtle, elegant nod to The Arrea's heritage, a connection to his world I was so desperately trying to understand. Now, the whispers were silent, drowned out by the act of a cruel and petty mind. “Tattia, it’s okay. I know you worked hard on it, and I’m sorry it got ruined. Don’t worry, I’ll find another dress. I heard the o

"What for? It's a bit early to fetch the sandwiches, isn't it?" "Ah, well." She sounded rather vague. "Not busy, are we? And there were a couple of other things she needed to do, so we thought—you know." "Right." I narrowed my gaze at her, bemused by this ineloquent version of my assistant manager. "I kind of thought the whole place would be kitted out like Santa's Grotto by now." "Tinsel," she announced triumphantly, as though she'd only just remembered what it was called. "That's what she's gone to get. Not enough—" she hesitated "—purple, apparently. She won't be long, I'm sure.

I call out, holding up a set of ornaments that literally shine different colors when spun in different directions. He runs over, his eyes wide as he grabs a box of reindeer food and three different sets of tinsel. "We need the gold one." He proclaims. "And the green one. And the one that looks like hair!" "Done. Grab six of each," I say, tossing a plush, life-sized reindeer head onto the growing pile. I feel a pair of eyes burning into my skin and I look over to see Thelma watching me. I can practically see the steam coming off her head from two aisles over, but I’m too happy about the items to care.

She grabbed a pillow and thr⁠ew‌ it at Sadie, wh‍o cau‌ght it laughin​g. THE CLUB Mus‌ic boom⁠ed from t‌h‍e speakers.​ Drinks poured‍ into g‍lasses. Lau​ghter b‌ounced⁠ off the⁠ walls⁠. The ener⁠gy was contagious. Sadie and Jessica⁠ clink⁠ed glasses, taking a ce‌lebratory sip. Sadie n‍oticed the ring st‍ill on Jessica’s finger. Jess​i​ca held it in her hand, feeling‍ a‍ little shameful. “It’s weird no‍t⁠ we‌ar‍ing it,” she muttered‍.

And now, there he was — standing behind Ponce, aligned with him, supporting him. Her hands trembled as she turned off the television. She thought of the day she had seen the tampering. She thought of the accident that followed. She thought of the silence she had kept, the secret she carried. And now, seeing them together, she realized the danger was larger than she had imagined.

Maya's mother arrived on the twenty third with four bags and opinions about the tinsel. "Too much," she said looking at the tree Nora had decorated with Dominic the weekend before. "Nora did it," Maya said. Her mother looked at Nora. Nora looked back. "I like tinsel," she said. "I can see that," her mother said. "It's my tree," Nora said. Maya's mother looked at the tree again. Every branch had something on it. Tinsel and baubles and a star at the top that was slightly crooked and a string of lights that blinked at irregular intervals because Nora had found the setting and refused to change it.

He didn't want that. His sandy blond hair fell to his waist in wild waves and curls. Tamsin simply tied it back with a black ribbon. It was all the effort he was willing to muster for this...farce. If the consequences for staying in the manor weren’t so dire, he would have. He found the entire thing tasteless.

She didn’t even know when she ended up on the floor, or how her clothes had disappeared. It wasn’t until the cool, silky touch of the ribbons brushed against her skin that she snapped out of her daze—but it was far too late. The tiger already had her in its jaws—there was no escape now. So she gave up struggling, laying back on the sea of ribbons, peeking past the young master’s shoulder to watch the red strands descend like a net from the ceiling, enveloping the two of them. Tangled together in that passionate web, they were indistinguishable—like silkworms cocooning themselves in scarlet thread.

She was nursing her own plastic cup of beer and seemed to be enjoying it as much as Mia was. Mia looked around at the teenagers lounging around in Trish’s pristine living room. The family clearly had money. She wondered how long it would be before anything got stained or broken tonight. “I need some back up. Plus, Jake’s coming.” Tilly went brilliant red. “That’s even worse! Look at how I’m dressed!” Tilly had opted for a zombie. Which as it was Halloween, was kind of perfect. However, it seemed that every other girl here had gone sexy. Not scary.

The line I shouldn't cross. "I'm fine." My nails dug into my palms. "Are you sure?" I nodded, clutching him harder. He winced, but didn't ask any further. And I was grateful for that. I let him drag me across the mass of people dressed in sophisticated and branded clothes. The vast hall was sufficient to gulp the massive crowd alone. Everything was decorated the way a party of one of the most influential families should be. Elegant yet dazzling. As we passed the chatting and drinking crowd, we spotted Tess, standing beside some of her friends. Seeing us, she excused herself and rushed to us, the tail of her silvery sparkling gown dragged behind her. Tobias followed behind.