Camp IX | ✓

28

     Once, when I was twelve, I decided to try theater. It was the spring play, Alice in Wonderland, and I was the caterpillar. You can imagine how well that went. I was fine in all the rehearsals, remembering my lines and blocking. It wasn't until opening night that I had a problem.

     I was bored waiting backstage for the play to start and wanted to explore. We were performing in the high school auditorium so I crept into the wings and peered out. The sight that I was greeted with froze me. There were so many people sitting in the house. Family members and friends all talking and laughing.

     Shaking I snuck back to backstage and waited for the play to start. The entire time fighting blind panic. When I finally took to the stage in my scene and the curtain lifted, my mind went blank. I couldn't remember a single line. I sat in silence staring at the audience, every light trained on me. The cold pit of dread settled in my stomach and threatened to make me sick until I ran off stage and hid.

     Needless to say I never tried theater again.

     That's how I felt now. The cold pit in my stomach sat heavy but unlike the play, I couldn't run away and hide. Instead I was forced to follow the butler looking man towards the steps that led up to the entry of the palace.

     Out of the corner of my eye I watched the groups of people on the steps scrutinize me as we passed. To my left a woman with darkly painted lips and hair piled high on her head rolled her eyes and whispered something to her escort, an equally bored looking man.

     "I was expecting more," she didn't try to make the whisper quiet.

     The man nodded in agreement and the woman lifted a glass of sparkling pink liquid to her lips.

     "Look at her hair," another woman said, her shrill voice carrying more then the other woman's. "It's the color of dead grass. How unattractive."

     I turned my head to glare at her and stopped walking. The cold pit in my stomach had begun to melt and red hot anger was replacing it. It was bad enough I was being paraded around in front of these snobs but for them to vocalize their judgments of me? They were going to catch hands and I didn't care how important they were. There were just somethings you didn't say to me.

     The woman coolly met my glare and her thin lips curled into a smile. She as well had a glass of pink liquid in her hand from which she took small sips.

     Griffin caught my arm just as I went to take a step towards her and tugged me up the stairs.

     "Don't do that again," He hissed in my ear. "Keep walking. I'm not going to let you cause a scene."

     We'd reached the top of the steps by now and behind us I could hear chatter beginning. Once we'd gone a few more steps I yanked my arm out of Griffin's death grip.

     "Let go of me," I snapped.

     "No," he took a step towards me and lowered his voice until it was a growl. "Listen to me Nova. Get your emotions in check and don't pull anything like that again. Do you hear me?"

     "Why? Why should I?" I spat the words between my clenched teeth. "They're treating me like a zoo animal that doesn't live up to their expectations."

     Griffin let out a sigh and raked his hands through his hair.

     "How entitled do you have to be?" I asked.

     "That girl you just about killed with your glare was the daughter of the head of the Red Star Family so she's very entitled. Entitled enough to make your life a living hell so listen to me when I say you need to keep your emotions under control," Griffin gripped my arms.

     I took a breath, the anger boiling down just a little bit.

     "Now this gentlemen is going to show you to your room. Don't leave it to go exploring, understand? I need to go take care of some business and I don't need to be interrupted with news that you've strangled anyone. Got it?" Griffin asked, his eyes twinkling at the last part.

     "No strangling," I agreed.

     "Also," Griffin said letting go of me. "Work on masking your emotions. It's going to be a long couple of days while we're here. A mask will come in handy."

     I bit my lip to keep from saying that I'd do that as long as the snobs didn't make anymore demeaning comments but I had a feeling that wouldn't go over well with Griffin so I just nodded.

     "Ok she's all yours," Griffin took a step back and addressed the butler.

     I turned to the man while Griffin hurried off into the entry way. I could have sworn I caught the ghost of a smile before his wrinkled face moved back to expressionless. A mask. I sighed inwardly. If Griffin wanted me to fashion my face into a mask, then I would because in this arena Griffin knew what was best for me and I didn't want to disappoint him. No matter how strongly I wanted to slap the woman on the steps.

     "If you would follow me miss," the butler motioned towards the entryway and began walking.

     I fell into step behind him and we approached the yawning glass hallway beyond. Our footsteps echoed on the floor and when I looked down, I saw myself staring up at me. Our legs moved the same, our feet struck the ground at the same time, our hair pulled up into braids that fell over our shoulders. The floor reflected everything including my puzzled expression.

     "Whoa," I breathed and fought the urge to reach down and touch my reflection.

     The two of us continued across the entry way and down a hallway that branched off towards the left. Slowly the floor took on a foggy look until I could no longer see myself in it. The walls however threw my image along them. I figured that during the day, you could see out of them but now it was night and they became mirrors.

      As we transitioned to another part of the palace, the hall around us changed. Just like the floor, the walls lost their clearness and took on a smoky, pale glow. Intricate stone work spanned from the floor to the vast ceilings and everything shimmered slightly, like small flecks of silver had been inlayed. Doors also sprang up along the hall and the butler led me towards one of the first ones.

     "This is your room," he stated pushing it open. "If you need anything there's a button just inside the door. Don't hesitate to use it."

     "Thank you," I responded stepping over the threshold.

     The man bowed his head and closed the door behind me. The slightest smile graced his lips. After experiencing the people on the steps I figured he didn't get thanked much.

     I let out a long breath before stepping further into the room. My eyes followed the edges of the room as they sloped up to a vaulted ceiling. Small vines and flowers painted in the softest shades of green and pink snaked their way around the room and up the walls. Off to one side, a large set of doors stood open, the night breeze brushing through it and playing with the cream colored curtains.

     I threaded my way through pieces of furniture that had been scattered throughout the room. A love seat here, a writing desk there. All carved out of the same light colored wood and finished to a shine. Reaching the large, king sized bed I fell back on to it and let it envelop me. The silk covers felt cool against my palms and I wound my fingers into the fabric to ground myself there. The breeze from outside reached my face and flowed across it. I inhaled and tasted the ocean.

     That was the last thing I remembered before sleep took me in its gentle embrace.