Cinderella's Tears

Cinderella's Tears ~ Chapter 28

His hand slid around my waist. He pulled my body back and forced me to face him.

I gave him an innocent smile. He smirked back at me, tightening his grip. I wasn’t able to pll away. He had trapped me.

We were caught in a crowd of bodies, pushing against us. Left me no escape. The masked man held me close. We locked eyes, staring at the dark space in the holes of the mask, daring the other to look away.

And we danced.

 A mental battle between us. In the eyes of others, we were dancing gracefully. Between us, there was a fierce struggle.  We attacked forcing each other to step back, pulled the other along. Taking turns attacking and counter attacking. The air was tense and heavy. Music thundered in our ears. The bodies of others disappeared and we were alone. His movements became faster and my body was dragged along. The embroidered cloth, which had been so loosely stitched to my dress, flowed around me as we spun around. My mind gave up and I could no longer resist. I felt like a life-size doll. He had complete control over me. My legs became clumsy and slow.

Finally, he slowed down. I managed to stumble into him.

“No more dancing for me,” I mumbled to myself against his chest.

People had gathered around us. I didn’t notice them until I heard clapping. Dazed, I looked around. There were four other couples that were dancing to the music. It must have been something complicated and entertaining. I was too out of it to perceive. All around us, ladies and gentlemen in vibrant colors, gathered and clapped politely.  The music had slowed down and a vast majority started to slow dance.

Exhausted, I put my free arm around my partner’s neck and placed my head on his chest. My other hand was still imprisoned by his grip. His other arm was still around my waist. Together, we slowly swayed to the music.

For a few minutes, we danced like this. My eyes grew heavier. My legs were getting numb. I might have been able to fall asleep except there was something bugging me. A warning was flashing in my head. I felt as if someone was looking at me.

I looked up and scanned the room. My eyes stopped at the woman. She was still staring at me. I frowned back at her, knowing that she couldn’t see it. Remembering where I was, I pushed myself away from the mask man and looked up at him. I couldn’t see past his mask. There was no way of knowing what he was thinking. It made me feel insecure, in danger. I felt as if there was a hole in my stomach. I was getting too comfortable around this stranger. The first two dances were a disaster and there was no way this one would be.

He only smiled gently back at me, making me feel like a kid. I was being too paranoid. He kept dancing. In the corner of eye, the woman kept staring at me.

“Excuse me?” I whispered to him.

“Yes?” The masked man responded.

I leaned closer, “That woman, over there in the blue. Do you know who is she?”

He turned his head to look and chuckled. “You don’t know who that is?”

“No,” I replied blankly.

“That is the Queen.” He stated seriously.

I started at him silently. I looked back and her and then turned to him, “That is the Queen?”

“Yes?”

She sure looked like one, but I would have never guessed.

“Why is she staring at us?”

“Who knows? Maybe she is jealous of your beauty?”

 “That’s ridiculous,” I snickered but couldn’t help blushing.