PART I

Saskia

Saskia Rundell reclined in the velvet easy chair and inwardly mused little insanities to herself, things she called thoughts. She sighed dreamily and absently like a young heroine in a romance novel, looking at the mahogany paneled ceiling of the apartment.

Dark wood surrounded her, paneled with pleasantries, heavenly scenes of cherry cheeked cherubs and azaleas. How stupid, thought Saskia. Why would you need pictures of flowers when you live in the sea? Why not fish? Coral? After all there's a reason you left the surface.

She stood up and cringed as she nearly wrinkled her ruffled wine colored gown. It was beautiful and she had picked it out for herself, unlike most of her clothes, which Mama picked for her. Taffeta and it just barely touched the floor. It was strapless, but it came with a jacket. Mama would never let her go out like that just showing her shoulders. Little does she know, thought Saskia with a mental giggle. Little did she know about her escapades with the boys of pauper's drop! Mama's little prude…wasn't.

Her parents were out at the Kashmir, and Saskia was supposed to go a party of her own at 7:30. It was at snobby Alodie Ramsey's apartment. That baby vamp's always telling people that her name means 'wealthy' in French. Like anybody cares, Thought Saskia with disgust. But alas, her parents were friends with Alodie's and so she had to go. She wasn't going to go, her parents would get home at midnight, at the earliest; and so she would be asleep when they came in. She would say in the morning that the party had just ended early.

Walking over to her parent's suite, she reached into the back of Papa's armoire and grabbed a tinned box of cigarettes. Smoking was forbidden to Saskia, It was 'gruff' and 'unladylike,' according to Mama. Bushwa, thought Saskia. Complete and Utter. Cigarettes were damn good, it was Papa's fault he had bought the nice vanilla tasting ones. She opened the tin box, about the size of a paperback, and inhaled the smell of the cigarettes, smiling to herself and closing her eyes. I'm going to get bent tonight, she thought; smiling. But there was a slight melancholia to her eyes.

There was something not quite right about the night. The tension between Ryan and Atlas had been brewing for a while, and many of her secret pauper's drop friends—no, all— were Atlas supporters. Even Hayes… she thought worriedly. But the boy was strong, he was a big six. He'd be okay if anyone pulled anything, right? Right…

She walked over to the mirror in her parent's room, cigarette behind her pale, freckled ear. Taking a golden coloured comb, she ran it through her hair; a pale yellow colour. Honey mead, she called it. Saskia took the red lipstick and put it on her lips, they were pursed and fairly dainty; a feature that Hayes sure did love, she thought with a toothy grin. She put peach power on her cheeks, they were fairly chubby, but Saskia's own body was frail. She stood at 5"3 and it bothered her some. She was 16, after all. Finally, the mascara. It was brown and complimented her eyes, which were dark brown orbs.

She sighed as she smiled to herself; satisfied with her reflection. She pulled her shoulder length hair to a rose bun and waltzed out of the room, and with ease and expertise, reaching into the record collection without looking and pulled out her favorite- Annette Henshaw.

Saskia took the record out of the sleeve, which bore Henshaw's Gibson girl likeness on it, and set it carefully on the record player. She set it on. 'Miss Annabelle Lee' played.

"Who's wonderful, who's wonderful? Miss anna-belle- lee. Who's kissable, who's loveable? Miss anna-belle-lee. Ain't she a pretty lady…?"

"Who's dignified? Who's glorified! Miss Anna-bell Lee!"

She walked into the kitchen and pulled a lighter out of the white wood cabinet, set it on the table, reached over to the pantry and pulled out a flask of gin. "Who's kissable? And loveable? Miss Anna-belle- Me! " she sang to herself, giggling. The lively song ended though, and the sad tune that reminded her of Hayes started playing.

The song started uneasily, but building momentum.

"My thoughts go back to a heavenly dance

A moment of bliss we spent

Our hearts were filled with a song of romance

As into the night we went

And sang to our hearts' content"

Saskia sat down on the reclining chair and sipped her gin. She hummed along with the honeysuckled tone and sighed as she lit her cigarette, closing her eyes. This song always reminded her of Hayes. She had a very bad feeling about this night, but that's probably just her paranoia. She was always paranoid, right? Just relax, Saskie. She thought to herself. Saskie was Hayes's nickname for her. She took another drag and closed her eyes.

"You and the song are gone

But the melody lingers on

The moon descended

And I found with the break of dawn

You and the song had gone

But the melody lingers on…"

Slowly, she extinguished her cigarette on the ebony ashtray next to her and closed her eyes.