Her hand trembled slightly as she grasped the railing. Any minute then, she was going to be presented in front of all those people. All those people. Every last one of them watching her every move with cold, critical eyes, judging any potential missteps or blunders. Normally, she loved being the center of attention. Relished it, in fact. But today, on the day she had spent her whole life preparing for, she was scared. A part of her considered just stepping out instead of shrinking back into the shadows like a frightened child, speculating on everything that could possibly go wrong. But a bigger, stronger part of her told her to stay put. That she could stay a little longer to cherish her last few moments of youth before becoming the laughingstock of high society. It was funny that she never appreciated these moments when she had them, and only even recognized them as they were slipping from her fingertips.
A bitter, empty laugh escaped her at the thought and echoed down the dark hallway. There was no use prolonging the inevitable any longer, she decided. Besides, it wouldn't make a good first impression to be late to her first high-society ball. Everyone would judge her as a failure before she even had the chance to convince them of the fact herself. And with that, she lifted her silken skirts with one hand, and rested the other on the railing, trying to project an air of confidence as she glided down the steps.