The Dark Warlock: The Nox Haven Series

Chapter 17: Dancing With The Devil

Caddie's POV:

The party was in full swing when Alix and I arrived. A group of people stood off to the side of the large, dancing crowds, playing various instruments ranging from the fiddle to the drum. The melody they played was foreign to my ears but instilled a sense of happiness within me immediately. I had a strange urge to dance and have fun. Alix stood beside me, both of our dresses looked very different from the princess ball gowns we had sported earlier. The material was very light, and flowed with our every movement. There was still one too many petticoats for my liking but it wasn't horrible. Several slurred cheers came from the crowd as they tossed around glass bottles, spilling more than of the caramel colored liquid onto the ground.

It didn't take more than a couple seconds for one of the bottles to find its way to Alix's hand. A tension had settled in her shoulders when we got to the party. Her face had gone sickly pale and regret seeped its way into her emotions. I had to keep bringing up her mother, to stop her from dragging me back to the castle. But once the sweet poison of alcohol slithered down her throat she quickly began to sing another tune. Grabbing my hand, I expected her to pull me away from the party but instead she plunged right into the middle of the rowdy crowd. Laughter bubbled within me as Alix tried to shimmy and sway to the folk music, the same way she would if Dubstep was playing.

"I don't think you should dance like that," I told her, "Some of these people are looking at you as if you're having a seizure."

Alix's emerald eyes widened, a rare blush tainted her cheeks as she met the stares of a few very concerned bystanders. She came to a stand still, her hips stopped shaking as she stood in the middle of the crowd with a lost look on her face. Her trashy dance moves, though impressive in low lighted New York clubs, didn't really fit in at the bonfire. Glancing at the other groups of dancing teens, I grabbed her hand, placed it high in the air and lined our fingers accordingly. She quirked her brow, and fought the urge to laugh at me. Smiling indignantly, I began to spin her around and duck under her arm just like the other dancers were doing. It was like we were playing the grown up version of London bridge.

"What are doing?" Alix laughed. It was oddly refreshing to hear her laugh around me, she hadn't done it in a very long time.

"Dancing- in a way that won't give anyone a heart attack."

"I know that," Alix retracted, "But you're dancing! You hate dancing."

I laughed and shook my head, "But you don't."

Alix's eyes softened. A shy smile sat on her face as she twirled me around. We weren't the only girls dancing together, but most of the people dancing were male and female couples. Perhaps if everyone wasn't so intoxicated we would have ran into a few problems by dancing together but the other partygoers were too focused in their own little worlds. We continued to smile and laugh as we twirled around the crackling fire. Unfortunately, the song we were dancing to came to a close. I let out short pants- trying to recapture my breath. It had been a very long time, since I had done any sort of physical activity. In fact, I think the last time I worked out was during my final year of school in Virginia- three years ago.

The band picked up their instruments, again, while I was doubled over in pain. Alix stood over me, her breath was also coming out in short pants but that was because she was laughing at me too hard. A gentle melody drifted across the clearing, slowing the pace of all of the dancers. Several people, who weren't romantically involved decided to hang out by the treeline and observe as others slow dance. Alix and I stood awkwardly by the fire, not exactly sure if we should join those by the trees or not. I didn't really think slow dancing was the best option to keep our friendship running without any conflicts.