The Belles

Freeform Books

We all turned sixteen today, and for any normal girl that would mean raspberry and lemon macarons and tiny pastel blimps and pink champagne and card games. Maybe even a teacup elephant.

But not for us. Today is our debut. There are only six of us this year.

My fingertips leave fog teardrops on the paper-thin glass walls. The carriage is beautiful and clear and fashioned into a ball. I am a delicate doll poised inside a snow globe. An adoring audience surrounds my carriage, eager to see what I look like, and what I can do.

A net made of my signature pink flowers stretches along the glass curves in order to tell everyone my name — Camellia — and to hide me until I'm revealed to the royal court.

I am the last in line.

My heart races with excited nervousness as we snake through the crowds in the Royal Square for the Beauté Carnaval. The festival happens once every three years. I peer through the tiny spaces between the petals with a pair of eyescopes, and try to soak in my first glances of the world, wanting to fold up each bit and tuck it into the cerise layers of my dress.

It's a wonderland of palace buildings with golden turrets and glittering arches, fountains full of crimson and ivory fish, topiary mazes of clipped trees, shrubs, and bushes in every possible geometric shape. Imperial canals circle the square, holding jeweled boats bright as gemstones and shaped like smiling moons on midnight-blue water. They spill over with passengers eager to watch us. The royal sablier, the columnar hourglass that measures the length of day and night, churns with sand the color of white diamonds.

The sky and its clouds are made of melting cherries and flaming oranges and burnt grapefruit as the sun sinks into the sea. The dying sunlight flashes my own reflection on the glass. My powdered skin makes me look like an overly frosted piece of caramel cake.

I've never seen anything like it before. This is the first time I've visited the imperial island, the first time I've ever left home.

The Orléans archipelago is a string of islands stretching like a rose with a crooked stem out into the warm sea. Most of them are connected by golden bridges or can be reached by lavish river coaches. We came from the very top — the bloom — and we've made a long journey to the heart of the stem to display our talents.

A breeze pushes its way through tiny breathing holes in the glass carriage, carrying with it the scent of the sky. Salty rain, spiced clouds, and a hint of sweetness from the stars. It all feels like a dream that's held on and lingered past the dawn. I never want it to end. I never want to return home. One minute here is richer than a thousand moments there.

The end of the warm months brings change, Maman always said. And my life is bound to transform tonight.

The horses tug us forward, their hooves clip-clopping against the cobblestoned square. Vendors are selling sweets in our honor: small mountains of shaved ice topped with strawberries the color of our lips; intricate little teacakes shaped like our signature flowers; sweet puffs molded like our Belle-buns; colorful strings of sugar pinwheeled around sticks to mirror our traditional waist-sashes and dresses.

A hand thumps my carriage and I catch a sliver of a face. The square is overflowing with bodies. There are so many of them. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions. Imperial guards push the crowd back to give our procession space to pass. All the people seem beautiful, with skin in various colors, from fresh cream to a drizzle of honey to a square of chocolate; their hair is in blond waves or brunette curls or raven coils; body shapes are petite, round, or somewhere in between. They've all paid to look this way.

The men wear jackets and top hats and cravats in a prism of colors. Some have hair growing on their faces in neat patterns. They stand beside women adorned with jewels and draped in luxurious, pastel-colored dresses made full with crinoline and tulle. Intricate hats cover the ladies' hair; some clutch dainty parasols and oilpaper umbrellas, or cool themselves with patterned fans. From the blimps above, I bet they resemble candies in a box.

I recognize the more popular looks from the stacks of gossip tattlers left in the mail chest a day too long, or from the weekly beauty-scopes Du Barry's daughter Elisabeth sometimes dropped between the velvet cushions of the parlorroom couch. The Orléans Press said strawberry blonde hair and jade eyes are the new windy-season trend. The headlines read:

AWAKEN LOVE ... LOOK IRRESISTIBLE WITH STRAWBERRY AND JADE

FILL YOUR TOILETTE BOX WITH BELLE-APPROVED RHUBARB HAIR POWDER

A COMPLEXION OF LILIES AND BELLE-ROSE LIPS — THIS SEASON'S COLORS OF BEAUTY

The newsies say that's what everyone will want in the coming months.

Coins jingle. Hands wave velvet pouches in the air. The spintria inside creates a tinkling melody. How much does each pouch hold? How many treatments can they afford to purchase? How much are they willing to pay?

I adjust the eyescope lens, zooming in on excited onlookers, noticing how some of their skin tones have faded, like paintings that have faced the sun too long; how their hair is graying at the roots, and age-lines are creasing several brows.

It's a reminder of why I'm here.

I am a Belle.

I control beauty.

The carriages stop before the royal pavilion. Embroidered chrysanthemums coil around its peaks. Trumpets sound. Bells chime. I adjust the eyescope lens, and squint to see the king, queen, and their daughter. They remind me of the porcelain dolls my sisters and I used to play with as children. The chipped face of the little king in his purple robe, and the queen with a bent crown pinned into her dark hair, both sitting inside a miniature palace made of cypress wood scraps in the playroom.

They look the same here, though not as worn, of course. The queen glows like a faraway star, her ink-black skin catching the last rays of sunlight; the king's copper beard hits the waist-belt of his robe; their daughter has her golden hair pinned up like a beehive. I used to paint the arms and legs of the princess doll each time the real princess altered her skin color, keeping up to date with the scandal sheets Maman used to smuggle past Du Barry.

The blimp screens sparkle with her picture. Tonight she's snowy white like her father, but with peach-pink freckles expertly dusted across her nose. I want to be the one who makes them all beautiful. I want to be the one the queen chooses. I want the power that comes with being Her Majesty's favorite. And if I can be better than Amber, I will be chosen. The rest of my sisters are good, but deep in my heart, I know it will come down to me and her.

Madame Du Barry speaks into a voice-trumpet. "Your Majesties, Your Highness, ministers, comtes and comtesses, barons and baronesses, ladies and gentlemen of the court, people of Orléans, welcome to our kingdom's most notable tradition, the Beauté Carnaval." Her voice is thick with authority. The noise rattles my carriage. Even though I can't see her, I know she's wearing a hat full of peacock feathers, and she's squeezed her curvy frame into one of her black dresses. Maman told me that Madame Du Barry likes to maintain a large and intimidating figure.

"I am Madame Ana Maria Lange Du Barry, Royal Gardien de la Belle-Rose." She says her official title proudly. The people of Orléans would most likely gasp if they knew we called her "Du Barry" at home.

Applause rumbles. High-pitched whistles echo. The noise vibrates inside my chest. My entire life I've wanted nothing more than to be here, before the kingdom.

"This tradition goes back to the very beginning of our islands, and to the onset of our civilization. For generations my ancestors have had the grand privilege to be guardians of our most treasured jewels." She turns to her left and motions to the previous generation of Belles. All eight of them sit in high-backed chairs, and hold Belle-rosebuds in their hands. Black lace veils mask their faces. The favorite — Ivy — wears a glistening crown on her head. This is the end of their time at court. They will return home once they train us.

As a little girl, I remember how they all had played with us between their lessons with Du Barry. But then one day, the servants packed the older girls' things.

I wanted to hole up inside those steamer trunks and carriage cases, hide within their silk dresses and soft furs and fluffy tulle, to stow away and catch glimpses of the world through a trunk's keyhole. I remember reading about the older Belles in the papers after they left. I have their official Belle-cards tacked to my bedroom wall.

I want to be Ivy. I have always wanted to be her.

You have to be the favorite-just like me, Maman told me before she died. The people of Orléans hate themselves. You must change that. The memory of her words warms me from the inside out as the sting of missing her swells inside my chest. The favorite shows the world what is beautiful. She reminds them of what is essential. I wish she had lived long enough to be here, watching from the stage.

I picture myself living at the palace as the personal Belle of the royal family, being the left hand of the Beauty Minister and helping her draft beauty laws, experiencing the wonders of the Imperial City of Trianon and all its quartiers, swimming in La Mer du Roi, sailing in royal ships, visiting every island, and roaming every town to taste all the world has to offer.

My sisters will be placed at one of five imperial teahouses, or will stay at home to tend to Orleans's newborn citizens.

I will be a vessel for the Goddess of Beauty.

I hold the dream inside my chest like a breath I never want to let out.

"And now, it is my pleasure to present the newest generation of Belles," Du Barry announces.

A shiver of anticipation makes my heart threaten to burst. My hands shake, and I drop the eyescopes.

The crowd cheers. The driver pulls the netted covering of flowers from my carriage.

I'm revealed to the crowd. I grab the fans from my lap. Their latches fall open, exposing the fans' primrose-pink pattern. I cover my face, then flap and twirl them together so they flutter like a butterfly's wings. I toss them above my head and catch them effortlessly. The hours of lessons pay off in this moment. Whistles and shouts rise up from the throng.

I look to the left at my sisters' carriages. We're all lined up like a row of eggs in a carton, moving in time with one another. We exchange smiles. The same blood runs through us: the blood of the stars, the blood of the Goddess of Beauty.

Crimson lanterns float into the air. Against a darkening sky, the thin paper burns big and bright with our names: Edelweiss, Ambrosia, Padma, Valeria, Hana, and Camellia.

Fish jump from nearby fountains, changing from ruby to teal mid-flight, teasing onlookers. Their leaps hold the promise of our powers. The square explodes with cheers. Little girls wave Belle-dolls in the air.

Many men and women are sporting monocles to have a closer look at us. I smile and wave, wanting to impress them, wanting to be good enough to be remembered.

Du Barry presents Valerie first. Her carriage rolls forward.

I close my eyes.

Don't watch them, Maman had said. Don't ever covet their use of the arcana. Envy can grow like a weed inside you. Be the best without trying to be better than the others.

We weren't allowed to discuss our instructions in the weeks leading up to the carnaval, but Amber and I had swapped our dossiers. Her subject needed to be given skin the color of toasted walnuts, hair full of large barrel curls, and a round, angelic face; mine had to have skin the shade of alabaster stone from the Fire Isles, hair so dark it blended into the night, and a mouth so perfect and so red it would be indistinguishable from a rose. We practiced our looks on house servants, perfecting them in solitary chambers under the scrutiny of Du Barry. Practice begets perfection, she'd yelled for hours.

I shift around in the carriage as the demonstrations continue, with Hana following Valerie. My legs fall asleep from having them crossed for so long, and my eyes flutter, fighting my desire to keep them closed. Pained moans cut through the noisy square like silver knives as the little girls endure their transformations. I wince as the cries peak and fall, and the onlookers cheer at their crescendos.

Some of my sisters receive louder reactions than others. Some get oohs and ahhs. The roar deafens me at times.

I love my sisters, especially Amber. She's always been the one I loved the most. We all deserve to be the favorite. We've worked so hard to learn the art of beauty. But I want it so much there's no room inside me for anything else.

My eyes feel like they've been closed for an eternity before my carriage trudges forward again. Imperial attendants approach, and their gold uniform buttons catch the lantern light. They arrange themselves at four corners around me, unlatch the hitches, grip the levers jutting from the sides of my glass ball, and lift me off the wheeled bottom like I'm only a soap bubble. Thin and weightless.

I lock my legs in place and focus on my balance. The men march me to the center platform. I try not to be nervous. Du Barry recreated this entire set inside our home, complete with the gold cylinder where my platform will eventually come to rest. I've been preparing for this day since my thirteenth birthday; all of the lessons, the lectures, the practice. I know exactly what I'm supposed to do. It's been rehearsed, yet I can't stop my fingers from trembling and my body from quivering like there's a tiny landquake inside my glass ball.

I whisper to myself: "I will have the best showcase. I will receive the loudest applause. I'll be named the favorite, just like Maman. I will get to live at court. I will get to see the world. I won't make any mistakes. I'll make people beautiful." I say it over and over again like a prayer until the rhythm of the words erases my fear.

The men turn a lever. Gears clink and clang and wheeze. The platform under me rises just above the crowd. Plush royal boxes sit on stilts high above. People lean out of them with eyescopes and spyglasses pressed to their faces, and ear-trumpets jutting out like elephants' trunks. Faces look up in wonder and anticipation like I'm a star caught in a vase, ready to explode.

The platform stops. I turn a tiny lever on the carriage floor. The glass ceiling above me cracks open like an egg. The night's warm air skates over my skin like soft fingers, and it tastes even sweeter up here. If I could bottle the tiny winds, they'd turn to sugar dust.

The stars twinkle. I feel close enough to grab one and stow it away in my beauty caisse.

The square grows so quiet, and the sounds of the ocean swell. The people of Orléans gaze up at me, the last Belle to demonstrate her talents. Du Barry didn't prepare me for what it's like to be stared at. There are so many pairs of eyes, all different shapes and colors. My heart leaps.

Du Barry winks at me, then taps her full lips — a reminder to smile. The crowd believes I was born knowing how to make them beautiful. They don't know how hard I've worked to perfect the traditions and master the arcana. They don't know how hard I've struggled to learn all the rules.

"Now, it is my pleasure to present our final Belle, Camellia Beauregard!"

She fills the syllables of my name with pride, triumph, and magic. I try to hold onto that, and use it to combat my worries.

Light shines everywhere: the lanterns and blimp screens and sky candles and a bright rising moon. I can almost taste it, soft and bubbly and sweet, like pink champagne on the tip of my tongue.

I face a semicircle of smaller platforms. Three to the left and two to the right. Seven-year-old girls stand on them like jewels on velvet cushions. They're as different from one another as pearls and rubies and emeralds, showing how uniquely we can use our arcana to beautify.

I know my sisters' work: Padma's subject has limbs the rich color of honey bread; Edel shaved her girl's head close to the scalp; the eyes of Valerie's subject twinkle like amethyst stars; Hana's girl has the body of a dancer, long legs and arms and a slender neck; Amber's subject has a cheery round face just like her own.

The other Belles have created tiny masterpieces.

It's my turn to transform a girl.

The king and queen nod at Du Barry. She waves her hand in the air, signaling for me to get ready.

I glance up to the heavens for strength and courage. Belles are the descendants of the Goddess of Beauty, blessed with the arcana to enhance the world and rescue the people of Orléans. Blimps crisscross above me and block the stars with their plump forms and silhouette banners.