The Dark

Chapter 6: A Connection Forming

Chapter 6: A Connection Forming

With each dress being pulled furiously from one side of the rail to the other, I knew I was late for the feast. It wasn't a hard choice to pick a dress from the rail and of course there was always the dress I wore earlier on before my departure. Though that wasn't what was troubling me and I knew that, why was it on my mind? I wanted it gone. "Need some help?" my body twisted round and I noticed Sienna leaning against my door with her arms crossed. She still had her hair tied neatly in her plait bun and not one single hair was out of place and she still had a smile plastered on her face. My breath let out an exasperated sigh with a returning smile towards her "That would be great, please," she nodded and pulled her weight over towards me. Automatically, she pulled out the same burgundy dress which she suggested for me to wear earlier on. I didn't even refuse as I took it from her politely and went over back over to the covers and got myself out of my warrior gear exchanging it for the dress. I come back out and let Sienna tie the corset up at the back before she started messing with my hair. Sienna started with creating a plait pulling it over the top of my head, she clipped it in neatly making sure that it was secure before started on the side sections of my hair. Grabbing a lot of it she twisted my hair from each side bringing them together and again clipped it as one letting the rest of my hair hang loosely.

"There nothing too fancy, just something that makes you look natural," we both smiled up at each other before we started to make an exit. I couldn't understand why I was doing this? I and Alex were making it seem that we liked each other when in actual fact we were just doing it to please both our parent's, it wasn't real, we didn't want this. Maybe I should just tell my father the truth, I know he wouldn't be too pleased with the circumstances but if I and Alex told him together maybe it wouldn't be such of a big problem. Sienna opened the doors to the feast with me slowly trailing behind her as she entered the room. Looking from person to person, everyone was interacting with each other fondly and sharing laughs with some really disturbing expressions on their faces. I sauntered over towards the seat next to my mother with Corinne next to me. Alex was sat next to his father while Jacob was sat next to my father and they seemed deep in conversation with each other. "So, your father tells me you were with Alex all day?" my mother started conversation with me "Yea...I guess you could say that," I wasn't sure how to answer. I didn't want to be here this evening, after everything that's gone on today I just wanted to lie down and forget about it all, but apparently that wasn't an option. "He's very happy with you Willow, you should know that," that's when my stomach began doing cartwheels before clenching together.

Happy; he can't be happy with me not when what we are doing isn't real. Being rid of the thoughts of all that, Yvette's words came pulsing in my brain followed by my dream and Nathan's non existence of wings. It should just be nothing but something inside me calls it all coincidence. I should let it go, but I can't and I don't want to either. "Mum...can I ask you something?" I turned round at her with sapphire eyes clashing with each other with her nodded at me "Of course you can, what's on your mind?" with a small gulp of hesitation I urged myself to let the question slip from my lips "Well today, Alex and I went to see Yvette and she said something to me,-" though my voice was cut off by the presence behind us. A light hand touched my shoulder and it had a malleable texture when it touched me. Both me and my mother looked up in unison to see Alex standing there smiling warmly at us both. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I was wondering if you wanted to dance," of course everyone else seemed to be dancing at this feast but I was hoping I wouldn't have to be one of those people – I thought wrong. "She would love to, wouldn't you Willow?" I gave my mum the most serious look I could before looking up at Alex smiling faintly pushing myself away from the table.

My hand slid through Alex's and we made our way to join the others who were dancing. He wrapped his hands round my waist smoothly while I placed my hands delicately on his shoulders. I looked up at him as he looked down at me, his mix of blue and green eyes were locked onto my own and we smiled faintly at each other with no conversation spiralling between us. "Did my father ask you to come dance with me?" he laughed shaking his head at my statement "Actually he didn't, it was uninteresting listening to the conversation spiralling between them but you also seemed like you could use the company, after earlier on and just now, I could tell that maybe you needed something to distract you," the smile which was hiding in my expression broadened out slightly at his words "You know Alex," he tilted me backwards before lifting me back up so our eyes clashed once more "I think I misjudged you," his smile also broadened at my words "I'm glad to hear that," he spun me out before spinning me back in with our bodies contacting with each other at full force. Our faces were so close I could feel his breath on my iced skin sending vibrations of goose-bumps trail all the way round my body. Was this normal? The dancing went on for I wasn't sure how long but I didn't feel self-conscious around him anymore, in a way, I felt trust and I think he felt it too. There was no longer that awkward feeling between us both, especially when my head rested against his shoulder willingly and there, we just swayed against the music.

"Willow, can I ask you something?" I nodded my head against him, relaxed in the moment I didn't want to use my voice "What happened earlier today? With your aunt, you seemed upset when I came back," I felt my eyes close for a sudden moment before opening back up. I pushed away from him taking his hand in with my own, walking out from the feast and into the hallway. Out here there was different atmosphere all together. Inside you had the warmth from the fire lanterns which surrounded the room, the music playfully with life and the laughter and conversations spiralling between each other in companionship and friendship. Out here we were against all that light; we had the moon glowing through the window creating our shadowed outlines on the ground. The windows sparkled against the light making Alex light up when he stood against it; the light made my skin look like porcelain and my hair glisten. "Have you ever been put in a position where you start to question everything around you? Everything that you thought was real but now...turns out that it may have all been a lie?" I was unsure where I was going with this however, it seemed that now my trustworthy side was coming out to him.

"I can't say that I have, why'd you ask?" I sighed heavily turning my gaze away from just as his callused hand pulled it gently back to look at him "Yvette said something to me, something I can't get out of my head," he shook his head at me taking his hands in through my own and the feeling felt just as it did whenever Nathan did the same with me just like earlier on. "What did she tell you Willow?" I sighed profoundly before giving him my answer "At first she asked me if anything had happened, anything unusual or different and I told her nothing has, then she told me to be safe and promise her that I will when I asked why she told me, her exact words were "No promise me Willow, and when the time comes you won't be afraid, and know that I'll always be right here when you need me," what do you think it means?" I looked Alex in the eyes and he seemed either confused or intrigued more than I possibly am. But he shook his head "Willow maybe it means nothing, maybe she's on about in the future when you become Queen," I'd never thought of it like that before but an instinct inside me told me differently. I didn't want to bother Alex further with this information especially with my dream because it was best that he thought what he did than anything else. So I nodded and we headed back into the feast.