Prologue

Deep purple eyes. An ocean of dark violet with a current pulling her in. The boy who owned these unusual irises smiled at her as he sauntered across the ballroom floor. The room was filled with women floating like fairies in floor-length dresses, dancing around suited gentlemen. Everyone wore masquerade masks of varying colors, shimmering against the glow emanating from the candle chandeliers that hung from the high ceiling, and danced hand-in-hand to the languid classical music. She and this boy stood amongst the crowd, but were the only ones not dancing. He was donned in a black suit and a black tie hung from his neck. A simple white mask hid his face so that all she could see were his eyes. Those eyes. 

“Hello, Cassandra.”

With his gentle words the room of people surrounding the two of them began to blur into the background. The slow music distorted and in a blink the scenery changed. Now the two stood in a barn, streaks of moonlight streaming through time-worn wooden walls. They were in a hayloft, musty air surrounding them and the sound of horses below. The boy stood in front of her, white light reflecting off of his eyes. The same shade of purple from before, only with a hint of desperation and pleading flooding them this time.

“Run away with me.”

“I can’t.” The girl hadn’t realized that she had spoken, but recognized the hushed voice as her own.

“Please.” His voice became just as silent and he stepped towards her. He took her small hands in his. They felt rough and worked compared to hers “If you don’t come with me, she will find you. I can’t let that happen. I can’t lose you.”

The words sent a chill through the girl’s veins.

“Please,” he pleaded again, his hands running up her arms. Their gazes locked and he silently begged her to say yes; to go and never come back. Confusion overwhelmed her as this boy that she had never met stared at her so desperately, frantically, and asked her to run away with him when she didn’t even know where they were meant to go. But he spoke as if they had known each other forever. All that the girl could seem to manage in response was a small shake of her head. He placed his hands on her shoulders and like a jolt of electricity, the surroundings seemed to blur once again, the sound of the girl’s heartbeat filling the empty space. The pleading expression of the boy was now consumed with desperation and, most of all, fear. Pure panic. He shook her shoulders and she was abruptly aware of the cold ground against her back.

The boy was kneeling over her now. She looked up past his head, past the trees surrounding them and looming above, and found the dark sky. It seemed to be coming to life, grey clouds moving into each other, forming hands and reaching down. She felt exposed, she felt suffocated.

A searing white pain radiated from the base of the right side of her neck and up the side of her jaw. She tried to cry out but the words were caught in her throat and she let out a strangled cough that left a metallic taste in its path. She could feel the warmth of blood running down her arms and soaking through the back of her dress. The boy’s shirt was painted with the scarlet liquid as he desperately shook the girl, trying to keep her awake, but all it did was cause waves of overbearing pain. She cried out, but only a whisper fell through her lips. Crimson stained his hands as he frantically grabbed her face, their gazes meeting for a second before he lifted her up into a sitting position. The girl’s vision spun as the boy wrapped his arms around her aching body and held her close, resting his forehead against hers.

“Stay.” His low voice cracked “Stay with me.”

A hot numbness was beginning to settle into her tense muscles and she struggled for breath. The boy was crying now, tears raining onto his cheeks and rolling onto hers. Blackness began to dot her vision as her breathing came in short gasps. The boy made one last plea before the girl felt everything vanish; the pain, the boy’s voice, her sight, gone. The darkened sky must have reached her then, filling her lungs and stealing her light. The weightless emptiness overpowered everything and then, all at once, she was back to reality.

Author's Note

Any suggestions are very much appreciated!

Reviews

[Hayden]

This was so good! I'm curious to see what happens next. I really liked all the description involved. It feels like I'm really here with the characters. Well done!