Definitely Dead

Claude was wearing the black frock coat with black knee pants, white hose, and a white frothy shirt. I was wearing a long blue dress with a billowing skirt and a score of petticoats. As I ve mentioned, the dress was scanty on the topside, with the little sleeves pushed down off my shoulders. I was glad the temperature in the studio was moderately warm. The big light (it looked to my eyes like a satellite dish) was not as hot as I d expected.

Al Cumberland was snapping away as Claude smoldered down at me. I did my best to smolder right back. My personal life had been, shall we say, barren for the past few weeks, so I was all too ready to smolder. In fact, I was ready to burst into flames.

Maria-Star, who had beautiful light-toast skin and curly dark hair, was standing ready with a big makeup case and brushes and combs to perform last-minute repairs. When Claude and I had arrived at the studio, I d been surprised to find that I recognized the photographer s young assistant. I hadn t seen Maria-Star since the Shreveport packleader had been chosen a few weeks before. I hadn t had much of a chance to observe her then, since the packmaster contest had been frightening and bloody. Today, I had the leisure to see that Maria-Star had completely recovered from being hit by a car this past January. Werewolves healed quickly.

Maria-Star had recognized me, too, and I d been relieved when she smiled back at me. My standing with the Shreveport pack was, to say the least, uncertain. Without exactly volunteering to do so, I d unwittingly thrown in my lot with the unsuccessful contestant for the packleader s job. That contestant s son, Alcide Herveaux, whom I d counted as maybe more than a friend, felt I d let him down during the contest; the new packleader, Patrick Furnan, knew I had ties to the Herveaux family. I d been surprised when Maria-Star chatted away while she was zipping the costume and brushing my hair. She applied more makeup than I d ever worn in my life, but when I stared into the mirror I had to thank her. I looked great, though I didn t look like Sookie Stackhouse.

If Claude hadn t been gay, he might have been impressed, too. He s the brother of my friend Claudine, and he makes his living stripping on ladies night at Hooligan