Chap 6 Attraction and Appetizers

These parties were always so dull. The same old nobility and royalty all
sitting around trying to top everyone else (who had the most accomplished
children, whose estate was biggest, etc.). James sat at one of the tables
with Peter, thinking of ways to spice things up. He glanced over at his
older brother. Peter was staring at the door, looking as if he was waiting
for someone while, at the same time, appearing to be in deep thought. James
watched his sibling for a moment surprised when Peter finally snapped out of
his reverie. His mouth was hanging open, coming very close to scraping the
floor. His eyes were absolutely huge and he looked slightly flushed. James
followed his gaze to the door and was aware that he was suddenly sporting
the same expression as Peter, only his was directed towards a different
target. There were two mortal young women standing at the top of the grand
staircase, looking around the ballroom. Both were wearing the same dress,
only in opposite colors. Lily was wearing black, making her look
attractively pale. Her black and silver hair was straight and running down
her back. She looked almost evil; James couldn't help but grin. Amanda was
wearing white, making her look like an angel sent to earth, her white gown
making her appear more tan than usual. James smirked. Peter couldn't
resist a girl with a good tan. Her red hair streaked with black and gold
had been curled to where it fell halfway down her back. James peeked at his
brother to see that he hadn't moved in the last several minutes. Suddenly
Peter stood up, nearly knocking over the table in the process. Peter took
off through the crowd, heading for the stairs. James quickly followed. He
took a quick look around and noticed that almost every teenage boy in the
room was making their way towards the girls. He stepped up the pace,
wanting to make it to Lily before they could. He glanced up at her as he
neared, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of the smile on her face when
she saw him.

Amanda was so nervous that she could barely stand still. She was insecure
enough as it was without all those people staring at her. She was about to
bolt back to her room when she saw Peter walking toward her. Agh! There
goes that little thump again! This is not happening. I am not attracted to
him!! This stinks. She took a deep breath and turned to face him. Just as
she opened her mouth to say something to him, another body stepped in front
of him. "Hello, I'm Jared. I'm the crown prince of Feldin, the country
north of here. Would you care to dance?" Amanda studied him for a moment,
then looked over his shoulder at Peter. He looked likely to break
something. Amanda smiled graciously at Jared and accepted his arm. "I'd
love to." As she walked with Jared away from Peter, she came to a
conclusion: tonight was going to be a lot of fun.

Peter sat at a table by himself, feeling hopelessly depressed. He was in
deep thought and couldn't stop glaring at Amanda's crowd of suitors. She
was standing by the beverage table, surrounded by about fifteen guys. He
was startled out of his musings when another giggling girl came up to start
a conversation with him. He subtly disengaged himself from her clutches and
made his way over to the frustrating girl that seemed to be permanently
imprinted on his mind and on his heart.

Lily, meanwhile, was having the time of her life. She was currently dancing
with James, again. She couldn't help giggling with that thought. Every
time the music started, just as someone else was about to ask her, he would
appear from nowhere and ask her first. She looked around the room and
spotted Amanda on one side of the room and Peter on the other. She frowned
at them. Amanda was avoiding him like the plague, while Peter was trying to
be a gentleman. "What's wrong?" James' voice said from somewhere above
her. She leaned back and peered up at him. He was smiling at her with
concern in his eyes. "I just don't understand them," she said with a frown.
"They're obviously attracted to each other." She sighed. "Well, maybe
they're just nervous." They both chuckled at that one. "I don't know if
you've known her long enough to notice, but Amanda is far from shy." "Same
goes for Peter. He's had more girlfriends than I can count. This is the
first time I can remember his trying so hard to get a girl's attention. Do
you know what? I have an idea." With that, he leaned down and started
whispering in her ear. Lily's smile grew wider and wider until she was
grinning like a Cheshire cat. When he finished she kissed him on the cheek
and whispered 'you're a genius' just as a goblin came out to announce that
dinner was served.