Once upon a year gone by, she saw herself give in
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw what could have been
Well nothing hurts and nothing bleeds when covers tucked in tight
Funny when the bottom drops, how she forgets to fight
Paradise, Vanessa Carlton
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( Three ) _________________________ Visions of Scarlet and Ashes of Roses
Tomoyo could not believe it was happening.
Magic had not been an active part of her life since her childhood. Sakura had sealed away the deck after the capture of the Hope card. Tomoyo had not been involved in a magic induced event ever since. She did not understand why Syaoran was so worried. There was only a handful of people in the world who possessed magic, but none of them could possibly by stronger than Sakura. She did not know how a magical presence could appear so spontaneously.
Everyone, saved Tomoyo, was standing now. The gaiety of the dinner party was utterly shattered. The air was so somber with tension that she almost believed they'd choke on it. No one spoke but it was certain that some sort of tacit agreement had already been made.
Sakura's verdantly green eyes were sullen and troubled. Tomoyo saw her reach out to Syaoran who seemed to be the one most effected by the ominous presence. Eriol and Chantal exchanged pregnant glances.
She could sense that something had gone terribly amiss. She cleared her throat politely. "If you don't mind my asking," she began quietly, afraid to upset the silent foreboding around them.
"Tomoyo-chan," Syaoran interjected smoothly. "It is too dangerous for you to stay with us any longer. You will have to stay here while the rest of us search the manor."
Pushing back her blue velvet covered chair, she stood up in one graceful motion. "I certainly will not," she stated simply. She smoothed her creamy pearl-laced skirt. "I will not stand aloof as you risk your lives to confront this thing."
"You have no choice," Eriol replied. His sapphire eyes saddened as he looked at her. "I do not wish to see you in harm's way," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"No," Tomoyo repeated with much more conviction. "No, I will not stand for it."
Suddenly, a poignant crash sound was heard. The sharp bang echoed throughout the entire mansion with an uncanny resonance. Sakura let out a piercing shriek at the abrupt sound. She clung even closer to Syaoran.
Eriol rushed out of the dining hall in a flash. He beckoned to Chantal to follow suite. Sakura, who was completely beside herself by this point, held on to Syaoran as they accompanied Eriol out the large white double doors of the Blue Formal Dining Room.
Chantal stopped at the door before disappearing outside. "Daidouji-san," she said. Her golden eyes seemed to smile ruefully at her.
Tomoyo nodded and the two women headed down the long corridor together. The sounds of footsteps ahead guided them down the east stairway of the Reed Manor.
"What's happening?" Tomoyo suddenly spoke. Her voice was hushed but explicit and even.
"It appears that someone had entered the manor," Chantal replied. Her voice was also calm and sonorous. "He had broken through the magic barrier around the house."
Tomoyo only nodded. She knew that they were all in terrible danger.
The gleaming marble floors ahead of them seemed endless. They were passing by dozens of doors and turns. The high arcs of the hallway were carved into the looming ceiling with beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging from the centers. Paintings of every size and subject matter lined the walls. As the dining room was blue, the hallways of the manor had taken on a dramatic theme of pure white.
The absence of color provided for a stark contrast between Chantal's black cocktail dress and Tomoyo's ivory-yellow skirt. They did not speak again until they had stopped in front of a small discreet door half hidden at the end of the corridor.
Chantal opened the bolted door quietly to reveal three figures already inside.
It was a small chamber compared the other rooms of the manor. The chamber was absent of all furniture and decor. There were no windows. It was dark except for the source of an intense flickering light, which cast shadows that danced upon the floor.
She gasped for the furthest wall was engulfed in fiery flames.
An antique oil painting was at the heart of the raging fire. It was a full size portrait of a woman dressed in a beautiful Napoleonic ball gown of voluminous silk skirts. It was the only thing in the room: the centerpiece.
The woman on the canvas was ethereally beautiful. It was a sort of timeless beauty, which remained perpetual through the transient vogue of the centuries.
She seemed almost tangible within the fusion of forged brilliance if not for her rigidity. She appeared to be almost floating, as if she existed someplace else.
She had warm amber eyes and lustrous mahogany hair. Her dress was of a brilliant scarlet adorned with rubies and golden threads. The layers of petticoats were made of the finest strips of gauze. The low-neck line displayed a stunning ruby and diamond choker around an elegant swan neck. Two matching earrings dangled gracefully from her ears. Her hair was set into a coiffure a la dauphine: two large curls and two curving curls on the side, held in place with a small red silk ribbon and a string of small rubies.
She was standing with her right arm raised as if beckoning to someone. A soft smile played on her cerise lips. She was a goddess of her own right and a vision of perfection.
Only now she was being eaten away by unrelenting flames. Nearly a third of the oil portrait had been inflamed, yet she was motionless. The fire threw glowing light dancing upon her pearl white skin. She was still beautiful even as the flames continued diminishing her plane of existence.
The flickering flames and her surreal presence transfixed the small group standing at her feet.
Tomoyo was strangely draw to fire. She saw the conflagration raging before her yet she could not feel its fiery warmth. The air did not smell of burnt oil. Without a second thought, she stepped towards the painting and reached out to the orange flames.
"Tomoyo!" Sakura called after her without effect.
The flames disappeared through her hands. She felt the coldness of the wall upon her palm. The fire continued as if she wasn't there. Suddenly a hand pulled her away from the pseudo-flamed engulfed wall.
The flames had eaten away more than half of the canvas now. The crimson gown had been reduced to dark cinders falling to the floor. Yet there was still something enchantingly exquisite about her like the ashes of roses.
"It's a bewitched fire, Daidouji-san," he spoke quietly to her ear from behind.
Eriol voice cut through to her like a wedge of sunlight in a shadow consumed room. "Who is she?" Tomoyo whispered with her amethyst eyes still rooted to the portrait.
"Cecilia," he replied stiffly. His voice brimmed with a certain repentance and despair. "Her name's Cecilia André."
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Author's Notes: I hope you understood that. I felt like I was rushing through the entire chapter. Okay, well, I know there must be a hundred questions swimming through your head right this moment. Patience, now. All will be revealed in good time.
There are just a couple of things I'd like to point out. Firstly, if you made the inference of that something is going on between Eriol and Tomoyo; you are absolutely right. Secondly, I hope you picked up on that little part of symbolism between Chantal's black dress and Tomoyo's yellow one. There was one from the first chapter as well, white dress verses dark lavender.
That bit of French fashion term there is referring to a type of hairstyle in the late 1700s France. And as you may have picked up by now, Cecilia is a French noblewoman.
Please review before you leave. [revised March 12, 2004]