Heart of Shadows

Chapter 5

January 28, 2021

    Thomas was walking through the snowy streets of Atlanta when he saw the girl walk out of the hospital. Whoever she was, she had not acted in the way Thomas had expected her to. Whenever someone saw his face. He saw fear in their eyes. Thomas always managed to bring fear and terror wherever he went.
    He followed the girl to wherever she was heading and he questioned himself why he was following her. Actually, Thomas knew why he was following her. Perhaps she could be the one to help him.
    Unbidden, a memory came to him. Thomas remembered how that day had seemed to be brighter than other days. Everything had gone according to plan. It had been a day that had taken weeks of planning. As was tradition in his family, there was going to be a masquerade ball. It was a day that would be reminisced about in the years to come.
Thomas had woken up, ready for the celebration that was going to occur that night. He thought it would be a day to look back on with joy. He didn't yet know how wrong he was.
As the night began, he looked over to see the guests arriving. Thomas looked at himself in the mirror, to make sure his appearance was perfect. He fixed the collar of his coat and grinned at himself. This was going to be the night that changed everything.
Once Thomas descended the steps of his home, he knew he had everyone's attention. That was the kind of power he had. To attract all the attention in every room he was in.
Thomas took his time with greeting and charming his guests until time came for him to dance. His eyes wandered over the crowd, looking for a partner to dance with. His eyes fell towards a girl with raven hair. As if sensing Thomas' eyes on her, she turned her head to look over at him. Her lips quirked up as he walked over to her. 
    "May I have this dance?" The raven-haired girl answered his question by lifting her hand for him to take. As Thomas guided her toward the middle of the dance floor, he looked around to notice all of his guests' attention was trained on the both of them.
    The girl beside him, noticing it as well, turned to face him. She put one of her hands on his shoulder, while Thomas reached to hold her other hand. Thomas looked into her eyes. At first glance he had thought her eyes were black, but they were just a dark brown. Almost the color of dark chocolate.
    He spun her around and brought her back into his arms to notice that she must've learned at a young age how to dance. The technique with which she moved had to be from years of practice. She was a dancer. Thomas also wondered why he hadn't encountered her before this night.
    He ends up dancing with her for a while until the beat of the music changes and she departs from his side. As the night goes on, he tries to find her again, but to no avail. It isn't until she comes to him that Thomas smiles.
    "Here." She hands him a glass of champagne. As he takes a sip, she asks, "Why did you choose me then? Out of every girl here?"
    "Because you're beautiful."
    "Is that all?" She questions as she sips from her own glass. "Is beauty really the first thing you look for in a person?"
    Thomas doesn't spare her a glance. "Are you really so vain?" She asks, even if it isn't a question. All he does is smile his charming smile in her direction. "And what if I said yes?"
    She looks up into his eyes and merely says, "Enjoy the night. Enjoy it as if it's the last night you will ever experience." Then, she turns away in a swirl of skirts.
After that encounter, the night goes by far quicker. Thomas' mood had gone sour and bitter and his guests had taken notice. He tried to wash away his bitter mood by dancing and talking with those who did appreciate his company.
Then, he noticed a storm was forming outside and once again, was annoyed. Thomas had chosen specifically that day because of the lovely weather. It seemed it wanted to join in with his awful mood. As if it wasn't enough, someone opened the doors of his home and looked as if they were going to die on the spot. Thomas came closer to the person who had interrupted his night.
"Please, sir. All I ask is for your assistance. I had some car trouble down the road and your home was the closest I could find."
"There's no way someone like you could find my home. Only those here are aware of this location. You honestly expect me to believe you?"
"You shouldn't allow appearances to make decisions for you. They can be misleading."
The old lady that had spoken just a moment before suddenly looked up into his eyes. Thomas stilled. He recognized those eyes. They were the same ones he had been admiring earlier that night.
Before Thomas could understand what was happening, the old lady transformed into the beautiful raven-haired girl. "I gave you a second chance. But it seems you have failed."
    He took a step back from her and turned around to see his guests had frozen. They simply weren't moving. "What did you do to them?"
    "They won't remember this night. Actually, they won't even remember you, either. They will be fine. In fact, they will be better without you in their lives."
    Thomas felt the room start to spin and tried to hold it together. To stand upright.
    "I curse you. I curse you to live out the rest of your days as a terrible creature. Only someone capable of loving you can break this curse. And only the words "I love you" will release you." Her words seemed to reverberate through him.
It would haunt his dreams in the years to come. In the end, Thomas fell to despair. For who could ever love someone as awful as him.