Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

After I scrubbed out the trash-juice stench, I dried myself off and picked out some form of outfit that screamed classy but not too formal. My long sleeved evergreen silk blouse stuck out of my closet like it was the perfect night for me to wear it. I matched it with khaki Capri’s and let my hair fall where it may, because it tended to dry in long silky waves and currently the trend mimicked it. I hated styling my hair and avoided it if at all possible.

I slid my feet into a pair of gold ballet flats and grabbed my card and the house key right as Finn knocked on my door. I figured it was him, because I wasn’t expecting anyone else. Also, his scent wafted through the minor crack near the keyhole, confirming that my guess was correct.

The first thing he said once I opened the door cracked the lid on my anger tank. Even though it had emptied earlier with Emily’s near death experience, it filled again once more like it sat underneath a waterfall.

“You’re not fancy enough.” He stood there, gawking at my outfit of choice, while I stared back at his black tuxedo and navy blue bowtie that matched his eyes.

I crossed my arms in defiance. “You never stipulated a dress code.”

“The green looks good on you, but that outfit won’t do where we’re going.”

I frowned. Where was that compliment beforehand? “What, are you taking me to a ball?”

He didn’t answer but instead picked up a box lying on my front porch. The postal sticker had my name and address on it, shipped directly from a store here in town. I had missed it in all the confusion with Emily and the garbage. I grabbed the thing and opened the top without bothering to slice the tape on the ends. I wondered who had sent me something. But once my eyes fell on the indigo material, I scowled and closed the box.

I met his eyes. “That’s not funny.”

He shrugged. “I never said it was.”

I left the dress inside the box on the table and went up stairs to change, leaving the front door open like a moron. But once I arrived back at my closet and armoire, I realized I didn’t have anything dressy enough to match his tux, which put me right back downstairs snatching up the box with annoyance. While I muttered incoherent words to myself, Finn took the liberty of slipping inside and shutting the door, though he remained in the nook, leaning casually against the wall looking as normal as was possible. I was sure he laughed at my actions inside his head.

I yanked off the top and pants quickly, before sliding the slinky dress over my skin. Sad thing was my bra showed between the spaghetti straps that I was forced to remove it. I was glad I had a small chest, so I could pull this off. It annoyed me when I caught girls with dresses like this that had their breasts bouncing all over the place because they didn’t want to wear their strapless bras. I made a mental note to go buy some new underwear. If odd items of clothing kept appearing at my door like this I would need all of those fancy lingerie pieces. I glanced down at my feet and realized that my gold shoes oddly looked perfect, completing the ensemble.

While I admired myself in the mirror, I inspected the way the dress fit, because it was tight around my chest and waist, but flowed out around my hips and legs. The style itself was gorgeous, and the material colored indigo and filled with purples and blues that mixed into the fabric making it look shimmery yet dark. On the bottom right of the hem, a small array of silver studs hand been stitched into the dress, resembling a star.

The sight of this piece on me was breathtaking that I nearly forgot about who sent it. Sylvia didn’t do this. She knew about the date, but not where we were going. My mind rested on Finn and I froze mid-gaze. He obviously had been in here while he got my paper for English - he knew my wardrobe and my sizes, if he was paying any attention at all, and my guess was that he was. I wanted so much to punch him in the nose, but I resisted the urge and went back down stairs. I didn’t have a place to put my key or card, so I just took them with me.

Finn’s smile greeted me from the kitchen. “Better.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m only wearing this cause you had to pick someplace fancy. Don’t get any ideas.” I passed him on the way out the door. He followed me into the night. “Just because you know my dress size doesn’t mean you can keep buying me clothes.”

He shut the door behind him, and I heard the lock click into place. That was a good thing about this door. It constantly remained locked even when you used the key to open it.

“You look refreshed,” he stated on the way out of the iron garden gate. His parked yellow car was right by the curb.

Once we were inside, he opened the glove box and gestured to it. I stared at him, not fully understanding what it was I was supposed to do.

“You can put your key and card in there. I won’t take it, and you won’t have any need of it where we’re going.”

I didn’t really trust him, but I had no other choice. I placed them inside, on the top perch, separated from the rest of his papers. He closed the box and locked it with his car key, before starting the engine with a smaller grey key. He pocketed the real car key and smiled. “Valet keys can’t open the box.”

So we were headed somewhere with a valet. I should’ve known, judging by our dress.

The drive was smooth and I paid attention to where we were headed. It was out on the bay, not far from where I lived, but away from downtown. I hadn’t been to this side of the city much, and directed most of my attention at the window so I could see the attractions.

“I’m surprised you didn’t go with your friends tonight.”

His words caught me by surprise. He knew about that? I allowed myself to look at him briefly before focusing my eyesight back on the willow tree that grew in a park beside us. The park soon disappeared and was replaced with a row of neatly kept houses. “I had other priorities.”

He didn’t say anything more about the topic.

I thought about the events leading up to tonight. Since he left my house the first time, odd incidents had occurred, leading to more unanswered questions and weird circumstances in which my brain had enough trouble filtering through. Foremost at the front of my mind was Emily’s well being. It was strange that a creature would pick this time of day to go after her, especially since there were people returning home from class and work at those hours. Besides that factor, just what had she done to deserve a break-in and why was that particular creature there in the first place? Once Finn had told me that he knew Sylvia, and the woman was one of them, I figured the vampires knew enough to not stray into that part of town because it was on his orders that they left me alone and those that I knew. But thinking about Sylvia brought another question to my mind, one that scared me if the answer turned out to be a yes. I had a hunch that she knew, but didn’t voice her feelings about it openly.

“Does Sylvia know about me?” I suddenly asked him, wondering if he knew the answer.

He stole a look at me briefly, before turning his eyes back on the road. “Not that I’m aware of. Why?”

My question made him suspicious. I shook my head. This didn’t make any sense. If Sylvia didn’t know my secret, then why did she arrive at Emily’s house and scrutinize me in the way that she did the first day we met. Even though she didn’t question my neighbor’s thoughts on what transpired with the man who broke into her house, I got the feeling like she knew what really happened. But it made me wonder if Sylvia was created because Finn implied that she was one of the born like him. “Is she a vampire?”

He sighed. His hands relaxed on the steering wheel, and some of his suspicion faded away from his eyes. “She was created and raised upon our principals. Her husband, when he was alive, was a born vampire. He created her. After he died, she blamed us, mostly because one of our own tore off his head in a feud. It took another century for her to come around us once more and show her face, but even then she frowns upon those of us whether born or created visiting her haven. She takes care of several young adults in those apartments, and all vampires are forbidden entry into the houses. I’m amazed she let you in, but I figured that she had no idea what you were at the time.”

I grimaced remembering that day. Sylvia had tried her hardest to keep me out, but she eventually let me in. If she knew what I was, then why did she allow me to live here? Like Finn, she escaped my radar. I should’ve known from day one that she was created. The lack of a heartbeat gave them away, but I wasn’t paying attention that day. “I was shocked too.”

The car’s speed slowed. “Did something happen between you two?”

He pulled up into the parking lot of a fancy restaurant where several luxury sedans and SUV’s were already parked. He didn’t approach the valet, giving me time to answer him if I chose.

I swallowed not knowing how much I should tell him. He obviously didn’t involve himself in Sylvia’s affairs, but knew enough that there was something wrong. “Emily, my next door neighbor, had an attacker earlier. I pulled the guy off her. But Sylvia didn’t show up until after I started bandaging her wrist. She’d cut it on a vase.”

His eyes bored into mine. “Was it one of us?” he whispered.

I shook my head. At least I think it wasn’t a born vampire. I couldn’t really remember because I was quite upset with the man at the time. I knew it was a vampire, and it was one that was evil and deranged from the bite marks on the girl’s chest, but I wasn’t telling him that.

He relaxed after I answered him. “It’s unusual for anyone to attack that area or even go near it. It’s carefully watched and guarded, not just by Sylvia and the police, but by us. I’ll have some of our guards come out there and add more protection until the area’s secure.”

My eyes flickered back to him. “You doubt my safety?”

He smiled. “It’s not that. Sylvia would want protection for all her charges.”

The car moved forward again, heading straight for the curb where the valet stood alert and ready. “You should see this place at sunset.” He changed the subject and stepped out of the car just as the valet opened my door.

He was there beside me, offering me his hand before the valet could mimic the gesture. I climbed out of the car, gracefully, and took his arm as he led me indoors. Other couples arrived, and they all strode up the wooden walkway towards the platinum gold doors.

I gazed at the attire of the others. They were dressed as formally as us. Some wore tuxedos, some wore suits, but all the men wore black tie garments. The women matched them in adornments. Several autumn and wintry colors of dresses and gowns flitted past my sight. Sequins and diamonds glitter and sparkles, twinkled in the low gas lights that lined the bridge. We crossed over a small moat of some kind, but the water was clear instead of murky. Fish swam in the shallow pool, lazily.

The smell of salt reached my nose as I recognized that we were on the beach next to the ocean, but once we walked inside the salty smell faded, overpowered by stronger scents of lavender, jasmine, and rose. Bright fresh flowers were arranged in the vase of the centerpiece, laden on an antique wooden table on the far wall of the golden doors. The hallway cut to the left and right, but didn’t continue onward. The foyer was darker than I’d thought it’d be, mostly because the walls were covered in a Victorian pattern of maroon and burgundy. A thin sheet of dark red carpeted the floor, casting the area in a tint of crimson. All it was missing was a darkroom light and then the expression would be complete.

Obviously the red was a symbol for blood, or life. Humans missed the metaphor, but it hadn’t escaped me. Already I felt like a cell moving through an artery as Finn steered me inside. If it was Finn’s parents who owned this establishment, then I figured that the vampires valued the symbolism of blood as the humans revered love and God. It stood out well here.

We approached the podium, where the maitre d’ conducted the reservations. The man didn’t announce the place for us to go to like he had with the other waiters and waitresses who led their charges off into the adjoining hallways. He snapped his fingers as someone took his place, and he personally led us down the left hallway.

Finn followed him with ease, not bothering to stare at anything but the man’s black coat. I on the other hand gazed around me, wondering where it was we were. The hallway steeped downward and curved to the right. Eventually we traversed onto a set of stairs and steadily descended. The dim light from the gas lanterns brightened from a new source, and I stepped into a room I didn’t think could exist.

We were below sea level. The wall straight ahead of me was covered in a sheet of thick glass, creating an aquarium with the sea bed. Electric lamps were hidden in the sands of the lagoon, lighting the water for us to see the creatures in the tank. Colorful fish like the ones in the moat swam around, though there were too many to name or recognize all at once. Sea turtles and stingrays strayed among the mix. A few lobsters and clams covered the sandy outcropping on the right of the aquarium. And at one point I thought I saw a whale or a dolphin as we descended more stairs. I couldn’t be too sure, because the shadowy form was far away in the distance. But there were other large animals like otters or walruses that captivated my attention, though they weren’t close enough to identify easily.

The glass encasement took my breath away. I was glad I took Finn’s arm, because I didn’t think I’d make it down the set of stairs to the bottom without making a spectacle of myself. Once I tore my eyes away from the monstrosity, because it covered the entire wall, floor to ceiling, in a cavern like style, I found that the tables and booths were layered around the room on tiers, forming a crescent of sorts. The walls were richly decorated in the dark reds from the foyer. Gold bars lined the walls that barricaded sets of booths and tables, keeping the patrons from falling off the balconies. Up in the ceiling, glass chandeliers that looked highly expensive, hung down, casting their candlelit crystal glow upon the rest of the room. Even though they were dimly lit like the gas lanterns, the room was very bright. Couples dancing waltzes like the old ballroom style took up the center of the floor.

Finn and I headed for one of the tables on the bottom of the tiers. We only went up two or three stairs before wet were seated at a round table too big for just the two of us. Heavy red curtains adorned the little corner, making it look like a canopy above me. A chandelier hung from the ceiling in here, smaller in proportion to the ones outside, but still expensive looking. Gold ropes held the curtains back away from the stairs, and I knew then that we could have our privacy if we wished to. On the opposite side of the room, there were two other tables like ours. One had the curtains open, awaiting patrons, the other one was closed.

Finn followed my gaze as the maitre d’ left us. “That’s Atria’s table.”

I glanced away, not wanting to know what occurred within the curtains, but guessing silently in my head.

“This is a really big table. Are we expecting someone else?” I asked him. If there were additions to our party I felt like I needed to know right now.

He frowned. “You don’t like being alone?”

I clamped my mouth shut. “Never mind.”

I stared out at the other couples twirling around. Watching them brought back memories I had buried a long time ago. I looked away, wishing I wouldn’t have to see them anymore. After a few minutes Finn sighed and stood up. He went over to the curtains and started untying the gold ropes. But he only let the curtain by my side fall. He didn’t undo the other one on his side.

“I saw the look on your face.” He returned to his seat across from me in the booth. “Why aren’t you telling me about your life?”

I shook my head. “I don’t like sharing.”

“I’ve told you about mine, my family.”

A waiter appeared then with two wine glasses and a bottle I didn’t recognize. He poured us some of the red liquid and disappeared once more.

“Isn’t there a menu in this place?” I mumbled.

Finn smiled as he took a sip of his wine. In about two seconds he had drunk the entire glass. He poured another. “It’s good today.”

I frowned. “You went from sparkling grape soda, to wine?”

He swirled the liquid in his glass. “It’s a cabernet. And if you recall the conversation we had much earlier this day, I’m not actually eighteen.”

I shook my head and looked away remembering that he was far too young, but older than I first perceived.

“You don’t like wine?”

I looked back at him. “Not unless it’s white.”

“But how do you drink your blood?”

I scowled. He still stuck to the notion that I drank blood like he did, disguised in a bottle like a genie. I purposefully licked my front teeth with my tongue and let him see the action.

It was his turn to scowl. “The coven doesn’t allow that, you know.”

I crossed my arms. “I’m not a part of the coven.”

He set down his drink and leaned forward, lowering his voice perceptibly. “To them you are. This is all about you becoming a member. You didn’t come to us the way my parents expected and that is why they are wary of you. If you take the oath and become a protector you will have to abstain and start drinking like the rest of us. Besides, alcohol doesn’t affect our brains.”

My eyes nearly went up into my forehead from his sanctimonious speech. I stood up. “This,” I gestured feverishly, “is all about you making me a member?”

He sighed in response.

I couldn’t believe he said that. I couldn’t believe this was why he even talked to me. “You know I actually thought you were taking me out for a nice night, after all the crap that you’ve put me through, but if this is about your coven then I can’t be a part of it.”

He arose in a flash and stood next to me quickly. He lifted my glass and handed it to me. “Drink it. Otherwise they’ll know.”

I grumbled, but lifted the glass up to my face.

He leaned into my ear and his lips brushed my skin, leaving me breathless like earlier when his hand touched my arm. “This isn’t just about my safety, it’s also about yours.”

Again I understood completely, however upset it made me. He was hiding my identity to the others. They couldn’t know about my tragic past, even though I’d already lied to his bodyguards about a tragedy of sorts. I took a sip and nearly dry heaved. I hated this. It was mixed with human blood like the grape soda, plus I already didn’t like red wine.

He watched my reaction, but never sat back down. He reached out of the curtain and snapped his fingers. A waiter appeared immediately. “Bring the zinfandel mix.”

The guy disappeared at once.

He took my glass and drained the thing. “We’ll try something else, something you like.”

I sat back down and covered my mouth, trying to keep the stuff down and not from coming back up when it really wanted to. “Can’t you just get me real wine and forgo the blood mix?” I suggested, hoping that this night didn’t end up with a wine tasting. At this point I needed a really strong drink to get the taste of the mixed cabernet out of my mouth. “You know scratch the wine, just get me a shot of Everclear.”

He frowned. “You don’t like donor blood?”

I shook my head no and averted my eyes from his indifferent gaze.

When the waiter returned he gave out new orders, and the guy disappeared after a brief glance inside at me.

Finn sat back down, looking flustered and uneasy now. He removed his jacket and hung it on a bar behind him. “Try the zinfandel.”

I poured a glass and sipped at it. The red stuff was sweeter than the cabernet, but still it had blood in the bottle. I shook my head and pushed the glass away from me. “It’s has to be white, pure white.”

Finn’s face tensed. This was an unforeseen problem.

“Can’t you just let me drink the wine, and not worry about the blood?”

He grimaced. “It’s hard to get away with that here. Almost all of our supply is a mix.”

Familiar laughter echoed from somewhere outside. I peeked out behind the curtain, searching for the source. Krista wrapped a mink wrap around a chair on a tier to the right, directly above me. I didn’t have to glance at the others to know who else was seated there.

I whipped my head back to Finn, completely alert now. “Where are we?”

He pulled the glass away from his mouth as he was about to take another drink. “The Blue Lagoon.”

I closed my eyes and mentally banged my head against the table.

“What’s wrong?”

“Krista,” I groaned.

“Is she bothering you?”

I shook my head. “They’re here. My friends. She extended the invitation to me tonight but I told her I had other errands, back when I had to feed.”

Finn surprised me by smiling.

I caught the look of his amusement. “You knew that…” I accused him. “You knew they’d be here.”

“I did know,” he admitted.

The glass I was holding shattered in my hand when I squeezed. Thankfully the wine and blood mix didn’t get on me.

Finn jumped to his feet in alarm. He grabbed my hand hurriedly and turned it over to inspect the damage. But there was none. His touch sent all these electric sensations through my palm that I didn’t understand. And just like the day he touched my shoulder, I wanted him to keep caressing the untainted area, no matter how much I hated the fact that he was touching me. No one touched me.

He released my hand as the waiter arrived bringing a tray of drinks. The guy was alarmed by the mess, and he cleaned it up easily and thoroughly, apologizing profusely as though it was his fault I broke the thing. He left to retrieve another wine glass for me, and I took the opportunity to grab the bottle of clear liquid on the tray and chug it. Two swallows of the alcohol and the taste of blood disappeared.

Finn watched my behavior, with no expression on his face. He obviously didn’t know how to react to this situation.

“I’m sorry I’m not like your other dates,” I apologized knowing I wasn’t living up to his standards.

“I don’t usually have dates.” He sat back down.

“Finn’s not allowed to date,” a girl stated from the curtain. I recognized her as Atria, the girl from the club that I had used my compulsion on. She approached me with an expression that looked both loathing and curious while she crossed her arms along the front of her fiery dress.

From across the room I realized the curtains at her table were open once more. Several girls and boys around her age emerged from the cave and hurried onto the dance floor. They were all exquisitely dressed as she was. The silky material hugged her figure, but she didn’t have any bumps or rolls. Her skin was smooth sailing. She wasn’t even bony like the anorexic teenagers I spotted at the dress stores. Her blond hair was pulled up into a bun of some sort with fly-away’s that framed her pointed face.

“I came over here to meet the girl who has my brother so enchanted with her presence.”

I didn’t like the way she phrased that. I don’t know why. I think it was that she implied that Finn and I were something more than we ought to be, but that didn’t make any sense at all considering the way we both treated each other.

“You look…” she struggled with the word, “Lovely. Next time, you should let me do your hair.”

“I like her hair,” Finn interjected before I could launch a rebuke. “There’s wildness to it.” He eyed his sister.

Atria scowled. She threw him a look. “You like a lot of things you’re not allowed to.” Her eyes found mine once more. “You’re incredibly lucky to be given another chance to meet our family. If you hadn’t known Finn, you’d be dead by now.”

I hated that she already threatened me. Did she not remember what I did to her at the club? Was my compulsion that powerful with them? But her actions mirrored Finn’s in a way. She felt only selfishness when directed at someone of a lower class than her rank. If she had only known what I was truly capable of she’d shut her mouth and quit chastising me.

“If you don’t like me, then why are you here?” I threw my question at her as one of both sarcasm and truth.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked at me, like she was impressed by my gumption. “Clearly you’re not completely ignorant. I’m Atria Tierney, Princess to the coven. But then again, you already knew that thanks to my baby brother. It’s so nice to know that you will be a part of his bodyguard squad once everything’s been arranged. Emery and Thalia need an extra pair of eyes, because they completely missed you.”

I cocked my head at her. “If you recall we all missed the obvious facts, not just Emery and Thalia. Finn figured it out, but if I had my way none of you would know.” I turned on the compulsion then and let the power drain out of me. I had felt stronger now that I fed, and for some reason it was working better than it had before when I last used it. “Please don’t come back here again, unless you have something nice to say.” I shut off the connection and waited to see what she’d do.

She turned and walked away without another word.

Finn chuckled in his seat. “I’m going to enjoy this later.”

I crossed my arms. “If I keep receiving any more welcomes like hers, I might have to persuade my way in or leave the area completely.”

Finn’s smile widened, but he didn’t show off his teeth. “She’s going to be mad when she figures out what you did. At least you were nice about it.”

I shook my head. They were so spoiled. “You two are so privileged you don’t know the first thing about manners.”

The grin faded. “That’s not completely true.”

“Maybe, but you’re far too arrogant to have any friends or people who respect you.”

He swirled the wine in his glass. “I don’t need friends.”

I met his gaze then, actually meaning for the first time what I was about to say. “That’s what I used to think.”

We sat there staring at each other for a long time. The waiter returned with real white wine, a chardonnay, and a new glass. He poured it and took the zinfandel bottle with him. I took a sip of my wine and savored the flavor. It was honey to my taste buds. I closed my eyes, letting the wine soak my tongue.

“Abel!” Mallory exclaimed from outside the curtain suddenly. “I thought I heard your sultry voice down here.”

I nearly spat out the wine, but caught it at the last minute and swallowed. “Mallory,” I greeted her, clearly surprised she was right here, standing in front of me. “What are you doing here?”

She walked into our booth. “Oh it’s our monthly girl’s night out, but we invited the boys once we decided where we were headed.”

Finn crossed his legs and watched this play out.

“So they’re here too?” I questioned her, already knowing where they sat.

She nodded. “You should join us. Finn can come too.”

“How about you join us?” he offered before I could object.

Her eyes went wide and she disappeared. When she returned, she had her shawl and purse in her arms. “Scoot over,” she commanded me.

I slid across the leather seat of the booth that we occupied. But as soon as I moved, I was moving again. Krista made Mallory move over, and then came Nate and Seth, followed by Seth’s girlfriend. By the time I had scooted around, I sat next to Finn, who hadn’t moved at all during the commotion. He still sat with one leg crossed over the other and had his arms draped over the back of the leather seats. Now, because of my close proximity, it looked like he had his right arm draped around my shoulders.

In a matter of seconds, my shot glasses were commandeered as Krista poured a mixture of something that I didn’t think she needed to be drinking into them. Secretly, I was glad I had a bottle of wine to myself. And Finn had his, because sharing at this point was not an option.

“Abel, you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress,” Nate slurred slightly.

I looked over at Krista. “Don’t give him anymore of that stuff.” He had already taken two shots while they adjusted in their seats, and the alcohol clearly affected him quicker than what I perceived to be the usual.

Krista shrugged. “It’s payback.” She swallowed her shot and poured another, offering it to Seth and his girlfriend.

“This is really swanky,” Mallory commented as she inspected the enclosed booth. “It’s like my mom’s canopy bed at home.”

“Think of the things you could get away with in here,” Seth mused aloud while winking at the girl from Chemistry.

Mallory turned to Krista. “I thought you said you invited her out with us.”

Krista nodded. “I did, but she had errands…” she looked at me and then at Finn.

I covered my face in my hands, trying to hide the blush that formed. I did have something to do - I just didn’t expect it to take about ten minutes.

Finn thankfully responded. “She ran those errands, and I asked her out with me never knowing that you guys had planned to go here. But it’s a good thing that you did, because now you’re all together.”

Mallory squealed in her chair.

Finn’s arm dropped from behind me. I snuck a glance at him through my fingers. He stood up and put on his jacket. “Excuse me for a moment; I need to have a word with the chef.”

As soon as he left, the others broke out in a multitude of questions that I couldn’t answer right away.

“Oh my gosh girl, Finn Tierney? You could’ve told us!” Krista squealed excitedly.

“How long have you guys been going out?” Nate asked merrily.

“He knows the Chef?” Seth exclaimed. “I wonder what kind of dish you guys are getting. A bowl of shrimp is about forty bucks!”

“This is so romantic,” Mallory sighed. She straightened and glanced over at Krista. “I wonder why he’d ruin their perfect date by asking us to join them.”

“Maybe he thought you wouldn’t accept,” Seth’s girlfriend answered. “If it were me, I’d want the privacy.”

Mallory blushed and looked back at me. She had been talking like I didn’t exist in this booth and only now just realized it. “I’m sorry Abel, I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, you could’ve told us,” Krista stressed.

I rolled my eyes. “We’re just friends.”

Nate grinned and smiled. “Like Krista and I were just friends?”

I eyed him while Krista blushed. “Since when?”

Krista giggled guiltily. “The day after we returned from the Red Curtain.”

I leaned back into the seat. I had known it was moving in that direction. “Congratulations you two.”

“I feel like a fifth wheel, or seventh in this case,” Mallory blurted out.

“For the last time, Finn and I are not dating!” I said through clenched teeth.

Her eyes perked up. “Can I have him then?”

I frowned.

“You’re not his type,” Krista told her. “Finn is Abel’s type, and vice versa.”

Mallory nodded. “Yeah I know. I was just hopeful for a second or two.”

I cut across them both. “We’re not…” I started but she cut me off with a look.

“Oh you so are,” Krista stressed again. “Hide it all you want, deny it if you wish, but you are. You don’t understand Abel. You haven’t seen him moping around the cafeteria and in classes since he started going to our school. He didn’t look at anyone but those two friends of his. He’s never truly acknowledged anyone the way he stares at you. Ask around. The girls and guys will tell you all you need to know.”

“Haven’t you ever thought it’s because he’s not allowed to date?” I whispered to her. Only Krista and Mallory heard me. The other three were talking about something else, not related to our subject.

Krista nearly choked on her drink. I forgot she carried a martini glass in here. “Ha! Funny one. Not like I haven’t heard that excuse before.”

She didn’t believe a word of it, and nor would she at this point. Mallory agreed with her, and the subject closed as Finn returned. He pulled aside the other half of the curtain and tied it back into place. He turned to me.

“Would you do me the honor of a dance?”

I froze and shook my head slightly. No, no, no. I had not danced in… years.

Mallory nudged me from behind. “Go ahead. Have some fun,” she snickered.

Krista and Nate both raised their glasses in a toast to us.

I sighed and swung myself out of the booth, defeated. We traveled down the few stairs to the dance floor.

“Surely you know this will pain me,” I mumbled to him.

“Don’t worry,” he said as he placed his one of his hands on my waist while taking my left hand with his right. “I needed a way to talk to you without looking conspicuous.”

I scowled. “Oh please, I know you heard their conversation. You could just ask to escort me to the bathroom and that would confirm their statements.”

He smiled. “Bathrooms are not for conversation.”

“That didn’t stop you in the café,” I retorted.

“Well, we technically weren’t in the bathroom. We were outside of it.”

True. “So what is it you need?” I didn’t pay attention to the surroundings but let him lead me. The less I looked around the better. I was already having trouble dancing as familiar and painful memories returned for more quickly than I thought they would. I don’t know how long I could keep a straight face.

“They’re going to stay with us until you’re ready to leave. The chef is cooking up an order for them and you. I don’t normally get food.”

I smiled. “Of course.” My smiled faded as the music switched. I nearly froze when I recognized the waltz. But Finn didn’t falter and he kept me twirling around with him, when all I wanted to do was run out of here.

“One more?” he asked without stopping. “Just to make them think I truly like you?”

I wondered how much of this was an act. Already I caught Atria staring over at us with a look on her face that made me think he cared more for me than he let on. With my friend’s statements to back up the present situation, it really did seem like we were dating. I didn’t want it to go over like this. It could end badly, both for him and me. Surely he knew what he was doing in how he was portraying our relationship.

But he didn’t seem to care at the moment. He didn’t look at anyone but me throughout the waltz. Even when the music slowed to the final cadences, I stumbled over my feet and he never looked away from my face. The memory I relived was too much for me to handle at the moment. I thought I was past this, that I wouldn’t remember unless I wanted to open that locked secret, but my brain had other ideas.

He noticed the change in me quickly and pulled me aside near the glass wall where we couldn’t be disturbed. “You alright?”

“No,” I breathed. It was no use pretending anymore. There wasn’t a way for me to hide this. I was on the verge of tears.

“Is it the waltz?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

He took my arm and looped it through his. We headed back to the table as the song ended. Another replaced it, this one a tango, but the damage had been done.

“As soon as you’re ready to go home, say the word,” he whispered.

I heard the concern - it was entangled in the words and soaked in his tone. As soon as I was back in the booth, I poured myself another glass of wine. He did the same, but he let the curtain down, shielding the view from my eyes. He was protecting my emotional feelings even though he didn’t know the reason behind why I was shaken.

Mallory glanced at me, realizing at once that something was wrong. “Are you alright?” she whispered low enough that no one else heard her.

They had received a tray full of appetizers while I was gone, in addition to water glasses and wine bottles, each specific to their tastes.

She pulled on a shrimp tail before dipping it into a garlic sauce.

I nodded. “I don’t like dancing much.”

She grinned, mostly to herself. “You put up with it for him,” she muttered.

I pretended not to hear the comment and glanced away. Finn’s eyes were back on me as he sipped his red wine. I ignored his stares and picked up some fried crawfish. It smelled good, but the second I lifted it up to my mouth, my stomach clenched. I didn’t want the food tonight. I put it back down, separated from the others and looked at Finn.

“Do you need to go?” he mumbled too low for the others to hear.

I shook my head slightly. I really didn’t want to leave, especially my friends even when I was in such a horrid state. I suddenly grabbed his wine bottle and lifted the thing up to my mouth. I chugged the entire thing down. And right after I did, I regretted it. The others stared at me, shock plastered all over their faces, as the tears started filling my eyes. The shock from his choice drink should’ve kept my mind focused on what was in the wine and not the memory I currently experienced.

I didn’t wait for a response from them - I crawled over Finn and fled the booth. I made my way up the stairs and into the hall. He found me outside in the cool night air, breathing heavily. I was sure I made a scene leaving the party, but I didn’t care. It had been so long since I felt the sting of what had been done to me that night. I had tried my best to push it out of my mind and take charge of my life, but in one second it was back, haunting me.

“I wish you would explain what just happened,” he stated quietly.

I shook my head and let the tears fall. “You can’t understand,” I whispered.

He pulled me over to him and wrapped his arms around my body. I wasn’t expecting the sudden hug and it shook me to my core. “Does it have to do with your creation?” he muttered in my ear.

I didn’t answer. No, he couldn’t know about that. Not now, not ever.

“I told your friends you weren’t feeling well. Do you need to go home now?”

I nodded, not daring myself to speak, because I knew what would happen if I did talk. He released me, but didn’t stop holding my hand. He signaled for the valet to bring the car, and we both got in. He opened the glove box and I retrieved my things. I didn’t speak at all, but stared at the dash not really seeing it.

Once we were by the curb outside the gate of my home, he looked over at me, but I didn’t meet his stare. “Are you going to be alright?”

I nodded once more. “I’ll be fine. I just need to be by myself for a while.” I opened the door before he could leave the interior of the car. “I’ll see you later.”

He didn’t look exactly happy that I was feeling so miserable, but he didn’t question my thoughts for which I was grateful. As soon I was beyond the gate, I waited for him to leave. It took a few minutes, but his car departed the area. I sunk to the ground against the hedge and sobbed quietly.

It was the waltz that did this. That select piece of music had this effect on me. I hated feeling weak, and right now I was weak. Gathering my strength I returned to my cottage.