I awoke in someone else's guest room, lying on their bed, being warmed by their fire.
I sat up, looking hard at the fireplace. Orange and red flames ate at the darkness, safely confined behind their glass prison. I waited for the flames to go blue with Claudia's mischievousness. When they didn't, I got to my feet, wincing at the headache my savior left behind. I'd been knocked out plenty of times, but never so gently.
Since there were no pictures on the red-papered walls, no smiling photographs on the mahogany nightstands, and no windows, I decided to track down the owner. The thick mist curling about my ankles indicated this was Vampire territory. If he was the same Vampire who had saved my life, then maybe I wouldn't greet him with the pocketknife in my boot.
On my way across the room, I stopped at the mirror–a large piece of oval glass surrounded by thin rays of sun. Not just a mirror, a piece of art.
Catching sight of my reflection, I drew a sharp breath at the girl in the mirror. I, was wearing jeans with a blood-spattered hoodie, my curls in bed-headed disarray. But the girl in the mirror was a vision. Her midnight gown sparkled to the floor in beautiful, dark waves, her slender, brown shoulders bare but for the curls that had worked loose from her tiara.
I looked down, saw the gown, and started–because I could actually feel the silk–cool and slight against my skin. "No-o-o-o." The whisper was one of astonishment; I spread my fingers across the fabric in wonder. Another dose of magic–maybe deadly, but oh so beautiful. I grabbed my skirts, and walked the rest of the room, smiling at the heels on my feet.
I opened the door as softly as I could, sticking my head into the hallway–a large, stone passage lined with a strip of red carpeting, occupied by nothing more than mist and torchlight. I stepped timidly into the hallway, took a right–and landed flat on my stomach.
I jumped up with embarrassment, half-expecting to hear a giggle at my expense. I started forward, felt the rug bunch at my feet–and bit the dust. Growling with irritation, I got to my feet and tried again with the same result.
"This isn't funny! It's childish! I should know!" The ceiling failed to answer. Resigned to give up and go the other way, I took a hesitant step, sighing in relief when the rug didn't send me falling.
<<It's a path. Follow.>>
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" I threw up my hands in annoyance.
This was how I made my way, tripping from passage to passage, until I happened upon a waterfall staircase. It ended in hinged, patio doors so high they reached the ceiling hundreds of feet above. I made my slow way down, holding onto the railing like an idiot, afraid of the red carpet beneath my feet. A few steps in, I relaxed enough to take in my surroundings–a massive stone hall, echoing with the drips of runoff, smelling like moss and rainfall. Overhead, bats screeched as they flitted to and fro, disturbing the webs that swayed from a peaked, torchlit ceiling.
There was so much beauty in ugliness. I never knew.
At the bottom of the stairs, I took a shaky breath, my heart awakening at the thought of what lay beyond this point. Mouth dry, I approached the doors, one hand pressed against the ornately sculpted wood, the other gripping a golden handle. All I had to do was twist...
The doors swung stiffly open; I stepped beyond, into a ballroom as grand as the Fairway. Grander. Its white, marble floors stretched ahead, immaculate and glossy. BØRNS' Holy Ghost played unseen, filling the hall with a dreamy combination of falsetto and violins. I followed the sound, my gaze travelling up the marble walls, to the glass ceiling... I gasped.
There, dozens of men and women waltzed, dancing on the stars that shined beneath their feet. I turned with them, hypnotized by the magic, dazed by the surrealism of this place–a hidden world between dreams and reality.
"We should dance, don't you think?" My savior stood just ahead, both hands held politely behind his back. Dressed for the occasion, his tuxedo was spotless, perfectly tailored to his tall, slim frame. His skin was deathly pale, but his blue eyes stood out like diamonds, hard and bright. His short, dirty-blonde hair was tousled to perfection, shorter on the sides, longer on top. But I knew beyond his looks there was also strength. He was transcended, a god among men.
"Do I have a choice?" I turned my head slightly, nudged by my own stubbornness. I was scared, but I was still me.
"Always." He extended his hand. I should have thought twice, instead, I took his ice-cold fingers in mine. "I apologize for earlier. I wish there had been another way to bring you here."
"Well, you could've said please." Nevertheless, I allowed him to draw me closer, and take my other hand.
"Would you have come with me if I asked?"
"Definitely not."
"Then you see my problem." His smiled widened, hypnotizingly sexy. I could've lost myself if I weren't already.
<<Why are you smiling? Stop it!>>
I cleared my throat. "Didn't you say something about dancing?"
"I did; we're halfway there. I happen to be an excellent driver."
I squinted in confusion... until I realized we were floating. He was smooth, I hadn't even noticed my feet leave the floor.
"Wow." I swallowed, moving closer and squeezing his hands in one involuntary move. "I don't like heights, sorry."
"Don't be. A fear of heights is rational."
"Not for a Wolf. How are you doing this? I-I didn't know Vampires can fly." His icy cold hands had been a strong indication of his immorality, but at the diner his heart had given him away. It didn't beat.
"Because they can't. But I am not a normal Vampire, as you are not a normal Wolf."
Before I could ask how he could have possibly known this, our world flipped upside down. We turned head over heels, my equilibrium crashing as we neared our destination. My hair fell back to my shoulders just as my toes touched the ceiling. We took our place, dancing with the women in the Cinderella dresses and their equally dashing counterparts.
I kept to the rhythm as best I could, while he did the legwork. I was holding him back, and my face grew hot with embarrassment. I was clumsy. Everyone back home was right–I was no good at this.
"It's easier if you don't look down." His command was gentle, stirring up the butterflies already in my stomach. "Just look at me. The steps will come."
I nodded, praying that he was right.
Concentrate, Naomi.
Soon, our movements were coordinated, far more fluid. Now I could stop worrying about looking foolish, and concentrate on the fact that I was dancing in a room full of Vampires.
Vampires the Garou no longer had an alliance with.
"Um, as much as I appreciate you saving my life and giving me a reason to dress up, I have to ask--why did you risk your life for me at the diner? You didn't have to."
"No, I didn't. But if you die, that means war, and a war is the last thing this town needs."
"Finally, someone who agrees." I sighed. "Clearly those other Vampires didn't. The girl, she said there was a bounty on my head--why?"
"Why not? Your people are killing ours; the Revenant seek revenge. They believe the only way to reach your Elder is by going after his flesh and blood. They'll do what they have to--unless..."
"Unless..."
"Unless you stop. Backing out of the alliance is one thing, tearing apart the Revenant is another."
"That's only happening because you won't clean up your mess! Your Rabid aren't just attacking us, they're going after Humans. It isn't right, but the Leadership is doing what they think is necessary. They also think the Rabid are a link to a cure." I paused. "If it works for us, maybe it could work for the Revenant too."
"Perhaps..." He let me go. I spun out of his arms, and he used his lightning speed to catch me. "You're smoother than I thought. I brought you here expecting to argue, not to barter."
"Guess I showed you." The smile kick-started, failing like an engine. "How is this possible? You have Aladdin's carpet, I'm wearing a magic dress, and even though I'm dancing on the ceiling, my hair is lying perfectly flat. This is..."
"Glamour. The dress is an illusion, a good one, but that magic isn't enough to save your life, Naomi. You need to make a choice. If you don't stop your people from killing mine, the Revenant will come for you. I understand if this strikes you as forward, but I sought you out in the hopes you would be as dependable as your father. He saw us Vampires from a unique perspective."
My jaw clenched at his memory. "Believe me, I don't want this any more than you. And if my father were still alive, none of this would be happening--"
"But it is. And if it continues, neither of us will get what we want." He continued to twirl me about the room, but something felt suddenly out of sync.
"And what is it that you want?"
We came to a halt. No more dancing. "If I told you that, Naomi, you wouldn't look at me the same."
"Probably not, but at least I'd know the truth." I shook my head. "Maybe from your perspective, I'm not to be trusted. At the very least, I'm the enemy. But the fundamental of our pack is honor--you repay one gift with another. I owe you, so I'll help. You can trust me." I looked around, suddenly realizing every couple had stopped dancing. They were all waiting for his answer... his command. I stepped back. Wait a minute... "You brought me here to kill me, didn't you?" If I had come here with intentions that hadn't suited his, he would've let this crowd tear me to pieces... How could I have been so blind?
"This was only procedure." He placed his hands behind his back. "I knew it wouldn't come to that." He nodded at the crowd; the Vampires around us scattered like mini tornadoes, until he and I were the only ones left in the ballroom.
Once more, he extended his hand. This time, I ignored it. "You could've left me. Why bring me all the way here just to kill me? Those losers at the diner would've done it for free."
"I know. But there is honor among Vampires too. You deserve a better death, Naomi. When the time is right, it should be beautiful."
This time, when I took his hand, I knew I could trust him too.
Together, we navigated the glass ceiling, gliding between stars I had never been so close to. It was amazing how a stranger could step into my life, doing things for me no one else ever had. And I don't even know his name...
"It's Tidus."
I scoffed, embarrassed, again. "So, you can read minds too, Tidus?"
"Not at all." He smiled. "But body language is different."
As he dipped me, I wondered-could he read hearts and souls?
Hey guys! So Tidus finally made his appearance! What do you think? : )
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