I stared up at the stage in awe. My mind connected every movement she made to a movement she made in my memory. Every word she sang became a word she spoke. I don't remember much, but I remember her. And the other girl. The one who is singing with her with the chestnut hair. That's Celeste Newsome! She's the one who hosted the party.
I took a step back, my knees going weak. It was such an insignificant night that was so long ago. The two halves of me fought. The princely half worried about these two girls who know about what I was doing that night. And the other half longed for that night. One of the best and most free nights of my life.
"Maxon!" A voice startled me.
I gasped, looking around.
"Maxon, are you alright?" Maria's honey voice asked, her accent messing up the inflections of the words.
I shook my head clear. "Yes I'm fine."
"You look like you've seen a ghost," She murmured, her hand on my arm.
I have.
My eyes flashed to the girl dancing on the stage. Maria's followed.
"She's pretty. You interested?" Maria laughed, wiggling her eyebrows.
"No. Um...no. I just...need a drink," I sighed.
"Me too! But no dice. The parents only provided fancy expensive wine. You'd need to drink like 5 glasses of this stuff to feel even as bit tipsy. But don't worry," Maria laughed, tapping her wine glass with her long painted nail. "I'm working on it."
"I better get started then," I muttered, slumping away.
An angelic laugh suddenly filled the room and I looked up. The red headed women had put the microphone down and was walking away. For a second, her stage smile faded into a frown, her mood shifting. Her eyes seemed to hold a lifetime of stress and confusion. She looked as if she was holding the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. And then it melted away and she was smiling again.
I didn't know how to feel. I knew it was her. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. But she most likely doesn't remember it. Or even know it was me. I never leave the palace, why would she think that I ever have?
I slipped outside into the foyer. I leaned back against the wall, my eyes closing shut. Why did it seem like my life was caving in on itself when all I had done was see one women. Well I guess it was because I was looking through a looking glass. Into my past. Into the best day of my life. And I guess it didn't hurt that what I was looking at was also a beautiful goddess.
"Excuse me sir," a little voice asked.
I opened my eyes and saw the little girl from in the music room. She had long, flowing reddish hair like her Mother. Yet somehow it was lighter. She was wearing her pajamas and clutching a blanket in her hand.
"Hello there....my apologies dear, I do not know your name."
The little girl looked down shyly, her hair falling in her eyes. "I'm Kendallyn, your majesty."
"Kendallyn!" I gasped dramatically, bending down so I was eye level with her. "That sounds like the name of a princess!"
She giggled, rolling her foot around.
"And are these your glass slippers?!" I asked.
"No silly!" She laughed. "These are my night time slippers!"
I pretended to examine them in confusion and then lit my eyes up. "If I may ask, why isn't a princess like yourself asleep?"
She frowned. "A maid was watching me. I think her name was Lori....or Lucy! And my mommy told me not to wonder off but the castle is just so pretty. I wanted to see it."
"Well I agree. The castle is beautiful but it's important you listen to your mommy."
She looked up at me with large doe eyes. "Will She be mad at me?"
"Well I..." I trailed off, the blinding truth flashing before me. I didn't know. Because I didn't know the mysterious red head. I didn't know anything about her. I didn't even know her name. And yet for some reason it was this momentous life event that I recognized her from a party almost 6 years ago. It was stupid. I'm being stupid. "Who says she ever has to find out?"
Kendallyns eyes lit up. "You won't tell her ?"
"Of course not."
"Pinky promise?" She asked, holding out her little finger.
"Pinky promise," I agreed, wrapping my much larger pinky around hers.
"Do your remember where your room is?" I stood up and she looked up at me.
She nodded animatedly. "Mommy taught me a trick. She said it's 234. Which she says means 2nd floor, 3rd hallway, and....I think...room number 4!"
"Do you wanna see something really cool?" I asked.
She nodded. I pressed down on a patch of the wall and a passageway opened. I stepped inside the large, vast space with stairways leading up and down and all over the palace. Kendallyn followed behind me, looking in wonder at all the places.
"These are the maids passage ways. It's how they get around the palace so quickly," I explained.
"Me and mommy went in one. But it wasn't as big as this!"
I stopped at a stairway marked 234. "If you climb up this one and press the door at the end, it'll take you right into your room."
She looked at the stairs in question. "Okay. Just...don't go anywhere until I'm up there. Just in case."
"I won't go anywhere until the princess is safe in her tower."
Kendallyn giggled.
"Goodnight sir."
And I didn't dare take my eyes off her until she was safely in her room.
~oOo~
I stood in the hall afterwards, just thinking. I stood there for at least 10 minutes, thinking about Kendallyn and her mysterious mother.
I looked up at the soft click of the grande ballroom door opening. A stealthy body ran out in a blur of red. They stopped and stared at me in surprise. It was her. She looked like a dear caught in head lights, quickly smoothing her dress and fixing her hair. She dropped into a curtsy, her cheeks burning bashfully.
"Your majesty," she mumbled, looking at the intricate design on the marble.
"Please drop the formalities. You practically scolded me earlier. I felt like a child," I commented.
Her cheeks burned impossibly brighter. "I'm sorry. That was very impolite of me. I don't know what came over me."
Her eyes flitted to the stairs and then back to me and then again.
"What has you in such a hurry?"
"My daughter...." She trailed off, cringing, looking like she regretted saying it. "She—I promised that I would be back by 9 to tuck her in. And I'm so late." She glanced frantically up at the grand clock on the wall. "Look, I'm so sorry, your majesty. But I have to go. I really have to go."
She sprinted in the other direction, towards the stairs, barely glancing back at me as she ran.
She returned not even five minutes later in another red headed blur. I smiled as she froze where I was still standing.
"I apologize once again, your majesty, for how I left," She spoke, dropping into a wobbly curtsy.
"Just like you left that morning?" I inquired.
Her eyes flashed to mine and she was up and out of her curtsy in seconds, standing two steps back.
"Excuse me?"
"I know it was you 6 years ago. I wasn't that intoxicated."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," She said, lifting her chin up and attempting to walk past me.
"Yes you—"
Her finger pressed firmly against my lips, silencing my protests. Her eyes met mine and she stared into them. We shared a look of understanding. We both knew the other. We both knew what had happened. But there was this clear rule that she was creating. We were strangers and we both had something to gain by keeping this quiet. I wasn't sure what she was gaining by not speaking about it. And I wasn't quite sure what I was gaining either. But we both understood.
"I. Have. No. Idea. What. You. Are. Talking. About," She told me, punctuating the words with a firm look.
The grande door slammed open and Celeste strutted out with a flourish. "America! Get your butt on stage and for Christ sakes drink something! Live a little!"
She froze, taking us in.
America my mind whispered.
America stepped back, smoothed her hands against her dress, gave me an award winning smile, and then returned to her stupid curtsy. "I hope you have a lovely evening, your majesty."
"As do I, Lady America."
She flashed me her fake smile one last time shrouded with a warning look, and followed Celeste back into the party.
I stared at the door , then reconsidered and headed back to my room