Love is a War
Intro
Damn the Party
Music exceeded the doors, fulling the corridor with low notes from the piano. The music wasn't even disagreeable but it sure wouldn't help any headache. And after all, the ambient was more than propitious: live music, woman's laughter, politics conversations from the man side, drinks and smoke. I would sure have a headache...
Glancing at the mirror on the wall, next the salon doors I should go, one last time, a girl dressed in brown, pointing out her greenish eyes, stared back. I pulled my hair back behind my shoulders, where it fell smooth and shining.
Okay, it wasn't bad. For Annabelle it would have looked perfect. But Anna had always felt jealous about my "natural beauty".
Fool.
Come on, let's do it. I thought before my hand reach the door and, after taking one last deep breath ( because, inside the room it wouldn't certenly be air enough to do it),I pushed it and it opened, revealing the salon.
It was exactly as I had imagined: full, the light from the lamps seemed darker, because of the smoke and hot. Only a few windows were opened, and it wasn't enough to keep the smell of tabacco out of the room. In the following day it would be impossible to enter there, and the poor employees would work hard to wash and clean the entire house and free it from the smell of the cigars my father smoked and offered to the guests and friends.
But that wasn't my problem at all.
"Aren't you grown, dear!" suddenly I felt myself pulled into a tight embrace, and oh my god, did I thought I was going to die!
But the manners makes one smile.
Because of my father's work, in the Ministry and in Politicy, I always travelled a lot. I know almost all "the world that was worth to know", as Annabelle used to say (Canada, many states of USA,Australia and, of course, some European countries as Germany, Austria, France, Holland, Belgium, and of course, the United Kingdom. It was there that my parents had born and where they had come back especially so I was born there too). But let us come back to what interests. With all the travelling, parties and meetings, I knew a lot of people. Friends of my father, friends of tea of my mother, colleagues of my father and its respective families... But the question was: I didn't had any idea of who that woman was.
But for I to seem grown to her, she had to be like, perhaps 90 of the population of that room: I know, simply to remember all them all would occupy much time in my life.
And the good education makes one answer:
"Thank you. How are you,"suddenly I saw my mother mouthering something in my direction and then I realised I should add the name my mother had said, or at least what I thought it had been, "Mrs.Thommas?"
Wrong move, Eloise, wrong move!
I advise you: do never ask someone you don't know (especially when that someone is an old woman that suddenly pulls you in a tigh hug) how she is doing. You may imagine why.
Damn me, Mrs Thommas, this stupid Marriage Anniversary Party and all its guests and, of course, damn my parents for being married.
Argh!
"Don't tell me, that is such a shame, Mrs. Thommas" I heard my voice repeating itself for the billionessime time in this boring conversation about Mrs. Thommas cats; all of them, since her first on (when she was just five, if I remember well) until now, that she was ...(she said it, she said it, remeber Eloise!) ...67! And I really got scared when she said that one of her (many) cats had killed and eaten her bird. I thought that after having to hear the old woman's talk about her cats I'd still have to hear about the birds.
"Absolutely amusing, Mrs. Thommas" a male voice said from behind me and I felt his arm pass around my waist. When I looked up I saw the same simpathic but completly fake smile that I had, but on Daniel Blake's face, "May I steal your company for a second, Mrs. Thommas? I just need to give Eloise a little word"
Mrs. Thommas giggled and excused herself, thanking me for the adorable time.
Adorable...! Pfhh.
I wasn't quite sure if I was pleased with Daniel's presence. It was really hard to decide which one I prefered: Mrs. Thommas talking or Blake's hateble smirk and the cold eyes of his. Two heavy heavies to the same balence.
F.uck, I haven't introduced myself yet! Hello, my name, as you can already tell is Eloise. Eloise Darcy, to be exact. I am the only daughter of the embassador of the British Ministery of the Magic (note from the authors: we don't know if that is the right name of the thing, but if it is not, we like to think that someone will message us helping), Richard Darcy. My whole life I've been living in basicly allthe countries I mentioned above. Over more then five years ago Father was sent to the United States of America. We (Dad, my Mom, Theresa and me) had already been there, but just for a very short period of time.
Anyway, we have been living on the United States of America since I was still twelve...
"Come Darcy, your father is needed of you" Daniel Blake said and, with his hand still lightly possed on my back, pushed me across the guests in the room.
Looking at the people as we passed trough them, and to whom Blake occasionally waved to, I could only ask for inot/i having them for my own birthday party, something I trully doubted, as the litle Darcy's eighteenth (authors note: gosh, does this exesties?) birthday would be more than a simple comemoration, it would be more like an auction.
All the memories of lasts parties of mine are filled of tied men and as well dressen women withput a smile on their faced that not faked and absolutly cinic. The first time we lived in the USA, more than ten years ago, we had moved very close to my birthday and so, I hadn't met anyone yet. As I was still a child, I convinced my Mom to ask my Dad to invite a friend for me. Guess what he did?
Well, remember that boy I told you about? No? This Daniel Blake? Not exacly what I had planned...
This boy was the son of Miles Blake, one of my Dad colleges, and since my seventh birthday we've been friends.
Hahah, who I am kidding?! My Mom says we're friends, Daniel and me, but she says a lot of things. And many of them as nonsenses as this. Daniel is an idiot. Correction, he is a jerk; an idiot is what he makes me feel as.
Daniel never liked me, and he has always made sure I knew that. And beleive me when I say that that is nothing in the world I know better, and that the feelings I have towards him are of hate too.
We are both pround, and both stuborn.
We are rich and we know how to get anything we want.
He is the respected one, but I am my Father's daughter. What means a lot.
PS: he's hand is still on my back!!
My father was in a corner of the salon, ichatting/i with some friends and collegues of him. When Daniel and I got there, the topic must had died, because the music continued to play, the women continued to laugh, and men's voices continued to roar everywhere in the room but the place where we were, so I spoke to my my father: "Did you call me?".
My father looked at me, no emotion in his eyes but with a smile on his lips "I did, Eloise, because I wanted my friends to meet you" said he, and in a second a tall,
"Oh my dear, is this your daughter, Darcy?" he said.
"Yes, she is. Grown up pretty quick, didn't she?" my father laughed."This is Patrick Hale, Eloise."
"Hullo Mr. Hale."
"I am pleased to see you again." he said and I thanked him, but still not remembering from where could he know me. "You are such a beautiful woman. You remind me very much of your mother when she was younger. I'm not saying she's not pretty now, dear, I'm just saying your more." he laughed.
"Oh dear." I said, faking an embaressed look and smiled.
"Eloise will attend to Hogwarts this year, you know?" said my father.
"Is she?" a man sat on the couch and that I didn't know asked "I was asked to teach there this year. Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"So are going to be my teacher?"
"No, I am not. I already had a job, where I may not get the money Hogwarts offered, but I still have my own place and can feed my family. I preffered to stay and to say no to the offer."
I didn't answer, just nodded. Inside I was glad he was not my teacher. School was the place where my father's comand did not reach. I hoped it stayed that way, but a friend of my father teaching there would definently change thinghs.
"Malfoy's son goes to Hogwarts too." the man said to my father.
"Does he?" of course he was, and my father knew it very well.
"Indeed." said the man.
"He must be your daughter's age, Darcy." said another man, who was standing right beside Daniel (who was on my right).
"Yes, I believe he's just a little bit older, I remeber metting Narcisa in Paris, both of us pregnant" said a female voice behind my back. Mama.
"Do you remember Draco, dear daughter?" she asked me.
"The only thing I remeber about the Malfoy's is that they're blond."
"Quite hard to miss that, isn't it, Darcy?!" Daniel said, causing the group to laugh. Daniel laughed too, but just a little bit, not exactly for it being fun, but because hewould not be polite if he didn't laugh. I just smiled, but glaring at him.
"I'll have one of these, thank you." I said to a waiter and stealling his a glass of chapgne.
"You're welcome, Miss Darcy."
My father and his friends started to discuss again and suddenly Daniel, Mama and I were exclued. None of us minded.
I saw Daniel glace at his whatch. "What time is it?" I asked him. "Not one yet"
I sighed and left him. I looked at the salon before deciding to where I was heading to:
Outside.
I was sick of being stuck in a hot and overwhelming place, like the salon, for hours, the cold wind of the night felt great. The wind would mess my hair, but that was nothing a good spell wouldn't take care of it.
And I just needed to look one last time at the view of America.
I was moving to London just by the end of the next week.
I wouldn't miss anyone.