Chapter 7
"It's getting late." Edward looked at the afternoon sky, the sun starting to go down. They ended up watching two horror movies, and though neither scared him, he enjoyed the feeling of Daniella pulling at him whenever she got scared. "Should we go home now?"
She checked the clock on the dashboard of her car. "Hmm, not yet. I want to go to one more place."
They drove to the outskirts of town, and a feeling of dread entered Edward as they began approaching the Freak Show in the forest. If Daniella went to the Freak Show with him, and the carnies—especially that Ethel, who knew who he was—she would find out who he really was.
He sighed in relief as they passed the dirt drove and onwards into the forest. Daniella stopped the car a bit off the road, and walked towards a clearing, stopping in the middle of a field.
"Where are we?" Edward asked.
"The clearing," Daniella explained. "This was where daddy used to take us camping."
The area was pretty secluded, but Edward could see why she liked the place. In front of them was the sloping part of the hill, and the trees went lower with the terrain, giving them a breathtaking view of the sunset.
"You must really miss your father." Edward said. He was behind her, and he could see her arms tense looking onward into the horizon. "What are you doing?"
She turned around to show that there were tears in her eyes. "The sun is setting." She laughed at her petty reason. "I wish it didn't…I wish this day would be longer."
Edward couldn't resist and wrapped his arms around her wait from behind, embracing her in a moment she would never forget. "Stars come out at night, darling," He whispered in her ear. "And as long as they do, I'll never stop wanting you."
She smiled through the falling tears. "You and your metaphors are confusing."
"I do not mean to be confusing." He kissed her forehead. "It's hard to think of a metaphor for a girl like you: sun or star? You are both and at the same time only one."
Daniella laughed, for the first time with a reason to truly happy to be back home…and possibly the same reason to leave within the week. They lounged at the base of a large oak tree, watching the sun set with their hands entwined and Daniella's head resting on his chest.
"Edward?" Daniella spoke softly.
"Yes, my dear?"
"You promised you would answer any of my questions…"
"Yes…"
"Edward, have you ever loved another person?"
You, in a different life, he thought. The other demon was quiet, much to his relief. If it spoke, he wondered if Daniella would hear it, her face that close. "Yes."
"I won't pry." Daniella promised him, squeezing his hand lightly. "I just wanted to know."
"Why, if I may ask?" A soft breeze blew past them and Edward quickly pulled his long hair back to hide It.
"I…used to date someone. Back in London." She said slowly, feeling Edward's muscles tense. She added quickly. "Don't freak out, it wasn't that long, and nothing really happened."
"Did you love him?" Edward asked, maintaining the best poker face he could muster but on the inside dying to know what had happened.
"Yes…no…I think I did." She said after a pause. "You see, my grandmother died five months ago, but…he was the main reason I left London."
"Tell me about it." Edward said politely.
"I used to dance, right? Well, I got very competitive and danced under Maestro Delacour. Everyone who he took under never lost a competition, but he was…well, he was a drama queen. Once you won a championship he wouldn't take you anymore, and he liked to believe that dance contests are ten percent dancing and ninety percent drama. He was impressed with my talent and took me under, and I was paired with this guy…
"The thing was, he and I, we danced ballroom dance competitions, and Delacour believed that our dance wasn't perfect unless we could let people believe there was any passion between us. And so we won division after division, until even both of us believed that what we had on the dance floor was real, and we started seeing each other until…"
"Until?" Edward asked after she was quiet for a long time, the sunlight nearly gone and making it harder for him to see.
"Until I found him doing splits in bed with another dancer in Delacour's studio, if you catch my drift." Daniella said bitterly.
"He strayed away from your relationship." Edward clarified, and he felt her shake her head in confirmation. "So you left London?"
"Not exactly…" She said guiltily. "I found out the day after the semi-finals—we were set to compete in the finals, which was in two weeks.
"I was furious, and I wanted out. I asked Delacour—he knew, by the way—to get a new partner for me, but he didn't want to: he believed that dancers were like lovebirds, and after you've had one partner, you could never dance with a substitute and you wouldn't be at your best.
"I had two options: leave the entire dance competition along with my dignity and self-respect, or pretend to be in love with the man who broke my heart."
"Daniella…" Edward wanted to stop her; he knew what she chose.
"I thought I didn't have a choice." Daniella sobbed, the tears beginning to flow. "I worked so hard to get where I was, and I didn't want to let a little thing like infidelity keep me from winning. I won, by the way. But after a while, I realized it wasn't just winning the national championship, I was trading my self-respect for a cup that isn't even pure gold.
"I was so mad at myself, I moved back here after a month." Edward caressed her face, wiping away a tear from her thumb. "I never told anyone—obviously Delacour knows, and probably half the dance competitors in London—but I just…don't want to get involved with anyone until…well, now you know."
Edward took her in his arms, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry," Daniella sniffed after a while. "I just felt like it was the right thing to do—tell you a reason why I don't want to go back to London. But if I'm going with you…"
"Me?"
"Yes, you." Daniella chuckled quietly. "Something about you makes it easy for me to just tell you everything."
"You can always tell me anything, Daniella, my lovely." Edward whispered softly. "Anything."
In the dimming light, Daniella pulled back, their eyes locked in a gaze, and for that moment, they didn't say a word but they understood each other very clearly. Edward leaned closer, brushing her lips with his. He placed his lips on hers, and for the first time in years felt like a vulnerable human once more. He placed his hand on her back and pulled her closer, and he felt her part her lips, making him press even farther.
After what felt like a lifetime gone by, Edward pulled back. "I better make sure you get home safely."
"Oh, right, I have a house to get home to." She joked, and Edward leaned for one last kiss.
"Even though we've only met, I love you, Daniella Mott." Edward cooed in her ear.
It had been a month since her incident with her dance partner, and although she thought she would never saying it again, she found herself dying to say it. "I love you too, Edward Mordrake."
~0~0~0~
It was almost eight in the evening when Daniella parked the car in front of the Mott Mansion. Daniella felt so sad that the day ended, but at the same time so giddy in love as though she had never known love until now.
"Goodbye, Daniella, my love." Edward, a gentleman as always, kissed her hand, and she curtsied goodbye. She watched him walk with his cane out the gate, willing him to come back.
She turned around and yelped to see Mr. Clown staring at her at the half-opened door, scaring her with his smudged, pale make-up.
"You're not going to tell my mother, are you?" She asked dryly, and was relieved that she saw him shake his head slightly. Her mother would send her to a convent if she found out that her daughter made-out with a man offering to take her to London after a day of meeting.
"Is that your gig?" She asked curiously. "You don't talk to entertain."
Mr. Clown simply stood there, holding the door open for her. Daniella got in, smiling politely at him. By the look of his dirtied clothes, she can only imagine what he and Dandy had been up to the whole day.
She passed him by the door, but stopped when he placed a firm hand on her arm. His face—or at least the eyes not hidden by his mask—was blank, and in the dark he looked scarier than normal. But from his pocket, he pulled out a poppy, pulled out her hand, and placed it on her palm.
"I don't…understand." Daniella said politely. "I'm sorry."
He pointed at the gate, and then with his hands formed a heart shape. "You think I love that guy?" She offered, and he nodded vigorously. "Well, aren't you an observant clown."
He pointed at her mother's portrait in the foyer, and then made a gesture by placing a finger in front of his mask. "Yes, Mr. Clown, do not tell mother. Please."
He nodded vigorously once again, clapping his hands and jumping.
"You're not that scary, are you?" Daniella smiled. "Where is Dandy?"
He yanked her hand and led her to Dandy's playroom, where he was nowhere to be found. He handed her a sock puppet, taking another one, and motioned her to play with him. Maybe he's just tired. Daniella thought, and played with the poor guy.
"Uhhh, what are you doing?" Dandy stormed in, standing over Mr. Clown. "You're my friend, not hers. I didn't give you permission to leave."
He turned to his sister. "When did you get here? Mother left around noon for the Fairchilds' party and tried calling you twice—you're in so much trouble, Danie."
"When was the last time she called?" Daniella asked icily.
"Five in the afternoon."
"Well I was asleep at five in the afternoon," Daniella said innocently. "You just didn't bother checking my room."
"No you weren't!" He yelled. "You were out with your boyfriend."
At least I have someone who loves me. Apart from mother, who else do you have? "Uh, yes I was." She said persistently. "If you don't want mother to know why you were dancing with me the whole night last night, then I did arrive at four and fell asleep at five."
"You wouldn't." Dandy narrowed his eyes.
"We're twenty-two, Dandy." Daniella countered. "And as you said, I have a boyfriend, and you don't have a girlfriend. Imagine what mother would say if she found out you weren't trying to give her grandchildren.
Dandy was a man-child, but he was also, to some degree, smart. "Don't! Fine, you were here."
Mr. Clown huffed as if to laugh. "Shut up!" Dandy yelled at him. "Come on, let's go to the bus."
"The what?!" Daniella exclaimed. "You know how mother feels about you and public transportation."
"It's our clubhouse, sis—no girls allowed!" Dandy added quickly. "By the way, mother says you can't leave because she's going to a spa with her friends and doesn't want me alone."
"Are you even going to stay in here tomorrow?"
"Of course not," Dandy scowled. "It's boring here—with or without you. Tell mother I'm sound asleep or something, I'll be home late."
"And tomorrow?" She asked as he passed her to the door. "What then?"
"Don't tell mother that I was gone the day and you can procreate with your boy-toy here at home as much as you want for all I care. Deal?"
"What time is she leaving?"
"Before eleven, why?"
"Then she'll call around one in the afternoon—stay until then so she'll hear both of us."
Dandy thought about it. "Fine, but after she calls, I'm gone."
"Deal."
"See 'ya, Daniella." Dandy strode out of the playroom.
Mr. Clown waved at her like a child. Daniella graced him a smile and waved back.
What a perfect way to end a day, Daniella thought dryly.
