EXPLODE

twelve

A week passed since the day Liam left. I explained to the Queen that he couldn't take it anymore, and just wanted time with his family. She responded, "I only expected that from how childish and annoying you are."

Once the Queen sent out formal invitations to the ball, I showed her the dress I had picked out, and she got Evan a matching blue tie with his midnight black tuxedo. I only wished it was Liam instead of Evan who would be my date.

"Dawn!" Melody interrupts me from my reverie, stepping out from behind the curtain and revealing her dress. "What do you think? Would it be enough to catch the eye of a Prince?"

"Sure," I comment, looking over her pale pink dress. It was a high-low made dress with a trail that skimmed the floor and beads sewn into it. The neckline was plunging, and I knew it would attract some attention, negative or positive.

Melody steps in front of the mirror slips on her mask, smiling wistfully back at her reflection. With her lips a soft pink, and eye lashes authenticated by the mask, she only looked stunning.

"I'm going to help out downstairs. See you in an hour!" She exclaims, slipping on a pair of flats and sashaying out the door.

Sighing, I pull myself up from the chair, glancing at the doorway where a new- and quite grumpy- guard stood.

I step behind the curtain and admire my dress, recalling the memory of when I picked it out. I slip it on over head, zipping up the side and stepping out into the room again.

"Dawn," Evan says, scaring me. I jump at the sound of his voice, turning towards him.

"Hello, Evan," I formally greet him. I play with the material of the dress as he looks me over, and I note how the blue tie brings out the golden specks in his eyes.

"You look stunning," he remarks, walking over to me. His eyebrows furrow, looking at my necklace. Shit, I thought. I had kept it tucked into my outfits throughout the entire week. I place my hand protectively over it, trying to keep his eyes away. "What's that?"

"A necklace." I seethe. He gently pries my hand away, and takes the ring in his hand.

"L.M.J?" He reads, losing his grip on the ring and letting it fall back upon my chest.

"It's a heirloom," I lie.

He nods, but I see the suspicion in his eyes. I turn away from him, sitting back into the seat I had previously been in, slipping on the pair of silver heels the Queen had laid out for me.

"What's wrong?" Evan asks. I feel the cushion dip down next to me, and I feel the urge to scoot away from the heat of his body. "You've been in a funk all week."

"Nothing." I respond though my thoughts wander to Liam.

"You never told me what really happened to your guard. It was obvious you were close to him," he remarks. I shrug, not feeling the urge to open up to him. "Come on," he nudges me, "you can tell me."

"He was a good friend and he's not here anymore," I tell him. It wasn't a lie; it was simply more of a half-truth.

I continue to complete my tasks for the ball as Evan pesters me with unneeded questions. It was obvious he was trying to be my friend, but I had to wonder- could I trust him?

"Can you help me with something?" I ask, cutting him off from another question. He nods, getting up, as I hand him the mask I had picked out a week prior. "Can you tie this around the back of my head?"

"Sure," he says, taking the mask from me. His cold fingers brush against my cheek as he lays the mask gently on my nose, before tying it around the back.