The Light in the Dark

Chapter 18

We're all playing, singing, and dancing late into the night. People come and go. Somewhere during the fun, Colonel and General Victor join in, and even General Kain makes an appearance. Colonel is pleased with the positive atmosphere and requests a couple songs of his own. Some other people also know how to play the piano so they take over, allowing me to take a break.

Carson and I saunter over to Mom, Lacey, Connor, Joey, Mrs. Thomas, and Penny who are all dancing in a large group to the quick staccato of the piano. One guy even brought in his guitar and is strumming along with the music. I grab Lacey's hands and swing her around as we dance merrily. Connor and Joey are doing weird moves of their own that I don't even want to try to understand. Parents are swinging their children around in the air as their high pitched laughs are heard across the room.

The song ends and changes into a slower one I instantly recognize. It's always been one of my favorites. The man playing begins to sing the lyrics with a soothing voice.

"The dawn is breaking, a light shining through. You're barely waking, and I'm tangled up in you."

I let my eyes close as I listen to the beautiful words, and I'm transported to a whole different world. I feel a light tap on my shoulder that brings me out of my peaceful state. I open my eyes and turn around to see Carson holding his hand out to me with a playful smile.

"May I have this dance?" He asks politely, reminding me of the old movies I used to watch when the guy asks a girl with a flowing dress to dance at a ball. The situation is totally different, but I still feel the butterflies in my stomach like the girl in the movie did.

"You may," I reply as a smile appears on my face along with a light blush of pink.

I place my hand in Carson's slightly rough one and place my other on his shoulder as his rests his lightly on my waist. We sway back and forth and turn around the room, the smiles never leaving our faces.

As the last chorus begins, Carson and I begin to perform more intricate dance moves as we let the music guide us. He pushes me out slightly and holds my hand above my head as I twirl quickly, causing my smile to widen as my hair flows around my face. Carson extends his arm and I go out again before he pulls me back. I spin around as I come closer, and when I look up I'm staring right into Carson's deep, brown eyes.

"You finally find you and I collide."

The song ends in one, final note. A small laugh escapes through my slightly parted lips, and I see Carson's crooked smile appear as he hears the quiet sound of my laughter. He reaches his hand slowly to the side of my face and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear that came free after twirling. I blush as my hand involuntarily goes up to push my hair back too, and my fingers brush against his hand. Carson lets out a low chuckle as he sees the rising blush in my cheeks. I roll my eyes slightly but can't help but to laugh along with him.

Finally the sound of a wolf whistle breaks the spell and we move apart quickly to stand next to each other. Xavier smirks at me while wiggling his fingers in my direction. The blush in my cheeks grows deeper when I finally realize how many people's eyes are on Carson and I. Pretty much everyone in the room was watching us dance and our little moment at the end.

"Carson," I whisper with a little panic in my voice as the people continue to stare. Most have smiles on their faces, but some look almost disapproving.

"Come on," he whispers. He leads us away from the middle of the room and the center of attention and back to our families. People seem to be broken out of their trance because they begin talking like nothing happened, but they're probably talking about us. The music begins again and others return to dancing.