Glow Chapter 1 The Cards of Fate
Aiden
"One more time." I hear echoing through my dormitory hallway as I walk quietly back to my room.
I pass by the dance hall where our ballet group practices. I usually pay no attention to the young woman in their dresses and the young men in their tights… but today… my eyes are drawn in to the room as if an artist is sketching them their… not by chance…
"Come one girls, watch Miss Jezebel!" I hear a crackling voice demand. Her French accent mudding some of her words.
It is of the old dance teacher that has been here it seems since the earth had began to spin. Madame Velice' I believe is her name. Her silver hair always pulled up into a tight bun. Her dress is always the same… A tight shirt, buttoned to the top and a plain straight skirt. Black and white…
What has obtained my interest is the young woman Madame Velice' is directing everyone's attention too. She dances with such fluid motion and grace that at first I believes she isn't real… Then after she bows and Madame Velice' comes up and hugs her, I realize that she is as real as I am…
Jezebel… The old dance teacher called her… Jezebel… I will remember this name…I stare at her, soaking in her image. Her pale eyes, clear as the moon, glow brightly, reflected by her tanned skin and dark flowing hair that gently rests on her glimmering skin. Her delicate frame and her nimbleness frightens me… She is too perfect to be real… I have never seen such a creature before. She reminds me of Aphrodite, from Greek mythology, in all her eternal beauty… If Aphrodite ever had a daughter, Jezebel was she…
I feel like such a fool with my heart is leaping within my chest… Me, Aiden Spirdow, entranced by such a woman… She and I are too different… She wouldn't even see me if I walk right up to her… I am a ghost here…
And with these realizations and conclusions, I turn away from the daughter of Aphrodite and walk back to my dorm room, my heart tearing through my chest longing for me to turn so my eyes may glimpse of Jezebel's grace once more… But I deny them…
Later that evening… Fate dealt its cards…"Stop it please!" I hear from outside my door. A cry so shrill that my heart skips a beat.
I rush to my door and open it to find the demigod herself, Jezebel, in tears… A group of girls walk away quickly as they see the coldness of my eyes. I frighten them all. My gaze has scared many into a blackout.
"Do you need help Miss?" I inquire in the most gentle tone I have to offer as I extend a hand to the young Jezebel.
She looks up at me, her mascara running down her reddened cheeks. She says not one word as she takes my pale hand. I appear a ghost compared to her.
I help her into my room and shut the door. Though I am feared, she is not so this was a precaution, I do not want anyone to bother me. I motion for her to sit on my bed. The sheets rustle softly.
"Are you hurt?" I ask as I walk towards my bathroom for a wet cloth.
"Not really…" she replies softly pushing back some of her hair that was clinging to her face from her tears.
I come and sit next to her and start to wipe away the bleeding mascara. Her eyes, though saddened, still shine. I notice a cut on her arm. I reach towards my dresser and pull out a box of bandages.
"What happened?" I inquire with concern.
"I was walking to my room and a group of girls came up and started saying something about for me to stay away from their boyfriends… Then they just started hitting me." she sobbed.
"I am terribly sorry for you Miss… These halls are not safe…"
"Why are you so kind to me?" she inquires as I wrap her petite arm.
"Helping someone in need is not necessarily kindness Miss, it is common chivalry… Though it may be dead, I am not…" I reply, the softness in my voice rousing a smile from Jezebel.
"Well how do I know you are not dead. You are so pale and quiet… If you stood next to an apparition, who could tell the difference?" she says wittingly.
Her eyes spark and then soften suddenly…
"Well, I would be able to tell… Apparitions aren't as kind as you… My name is Jezebel, Jezebel Tropez.. I transferred from a Dance school in Puerto Rico… And what may I ask, is the name of my ghostly rescuer?"
"Aiden… Aiden Spirdow… I am an artist, musician, and writer… A ghost at this place… Feared yet tormented… Misunderstood… It is best that you and I never speak again… You are too beautiful to be seen with me… The popular ones here will never accept you if they saw you around me…" I say as I hold her arm gently in my hands.
"Why?" she asks her eyes glowing every brighter.
Her hand sliding towards my own, grasping it gently.
"Because a young woman, as beautiful a the goddess Aphrodite, deserves to live… I am far too gone… The sun does not even warm me with its light…" I reply staring out into the dark night sky.
She stares at me with such sorrow and confusion that I lose my ability to speak.
"If you would only accept the sun's warmth, it would warm you Aiden…" she replies… Wit yet again…
"I am sorry for keeping you Miss Tropez… Please allow me to walk you to your room…" I say after a moment of staring at my clock.
"No… You have been no trouble…And I would like that… I am sorry for imposing…"
"Not at all…"
And with this, I walk her to her room.
She leaves me with a smile and I return to me room alone once more. Her scent still lingers on my sheets and throughout the night my dreams are only of her. I had a deep sense that she and I would speak again and though I knew I would be her downfall, I wanted to see her again.