Spellbinders Secret

No Choice

It was a few days after the incident in the classroom. I'd finally stopped snapping at Callum, which seemed to please him, and, surprisingly, it pleased me. I don't want to admit it, but... when Callum's happy, I'm happy, and quite recently, neither of us have been particularly pleasant to be around. I guess it's because, even now, I still feel like he's only nice to me because he feels sorry for me, or because he wants something. Something that I'm not going to go into detail about.

"Which do you think? The midnight blue overcoat, or the forest green?" Callum asks me. I snap out of my thoughts and look at the two coats he's holding up. Both would complement him nicely, but I lean more towards the forest green one, and not just because I like green, but because it'll bring out the green in his beautiful hazel eyes...

No. I need to stop thinking like this. Yes, he's handsome, very handsome, and do I want him? Definitely! But can it happen? No!

I repeat this over and over in my head as I consider the two overcoats. The blue coat looks more official, and doesn't really seem like the kind of thing Callum would wear anyway. He generally just sticks to T- shirts and pants, namely, jeans or breeches, which is weird for Emerald. Well, the jeans are anyway. If the ball was to celebrate an event such as a treaty or agreement, or perhaps King Peter's birthday, then formality would be best, but its his birthday ball, so he can probably wear whatever he wants.

"I like the green one. It uh... looks good with your eyes." My hand immediately flies to my mouth as I feel my cheeks grow hot. I just had to say that, didn't I? Callum grins and throws the overcoat on, inspecting himself in the mirror.

"You know, you're right, it does match my eyes," he says with a teasing tone. I don't look at him, but study the marble stone of the ballroom. It truly is a beautiful space. The floor is the same marble as everywhere else in the palace, but the walls are decorated with intricate mahogany carvings of flowers, unicorns, dragons, butterflies and birds. On a raised dais, there are three thrones, just as there is in the throne room. Two big thrones on either side of a smaller one, where Callum sits. I look up and see the glass windows that make up the skylight, and can only imagine how beautiful the stars would look this time of the year. Suspended below the skylight, is a crystal chandelier, it's many shards sending rainbows through out the room. I don't know what it is exactly, but light and prisms have always fascinated me. It seems almost impossible that white light can contain so many beautiful colours. I guess that the real impossibility is the fact that something so simple, can be so wonderful.

"What are you thinking about?"

I almost jump out of my skin when I see Callum, standing little more than a few inches away from me. His hand gently holds my chin and tilts it towards his face. I feel my heart race as I stare into his hazel eyes, wondering if he knows what kind of effect he has on me.

"Callum..." I begin, a warning in my tone. He immediately backs away, knowing that he was making me uncomfortable. For the past few days, this has been my way of letting him know that he's crossed the line, which he does a lot now. It's like he can't keep his hands to himself. Look, I know I don't sound very sympathetic, but if I can do it, so can he. It isn't that difficult.

"Right, sorry," he mumbles, sounding agitated. Sometimes his anger and frustration scares me, like the day in the classroom when he pushed me into the desk. His yearning got the better of him, clouding his judgement.

"No, it's ok, really. Now uh... what are you going to do about invitations?" I say, changing the subject. He looks as grateful as I feel.

"Umm... why do they matter. Don't we just send them a piece of paper with when, where and why stamped to it?"