Isabella and John were lying on the floor looking at the ceiling and talking.
"…So is that how your father defeated the ogre?" Isabella said after listening to a story about how John's father was in a fight with an ogre
"Yes" John replied as he turned to face her.
'Your family is so interesting John, my parents have probably never even seen an ogre"
"Oh I doubt that…your father might've had conflicts with them"
"I suppose so…"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Isabella and John jumped up.
"Isabella, honey can I come in?" Came her mother's voice from the other side of the door
"No!" Isabella exclaimed
"I beg your pardon"
"I mean…. I'm changing, mother…hold on a moment please."
"Where do I hide?" John whispered desperately
"Under the bed" Isabella whispered back
John tried to get under the bed but he couldn't
"Hide in here!" Isabella said, grabbing him and stuffing him into her closet. "Come in mother"
Ella stepped into the room.
"Hello, sweetie"
"Hello, mother"
There was silence in which Ella studied the room.
"What's this?" Ella asked picking up an empty bag with crumbs in it.
"Oh that's a… umm…bag… which had cakes in it…I have a snack at this time of the day"
"Oh"
"Well, why don't you eat in the dining room?"
"Ummm…. because...There's more privacy here…I need a lot of privacy to eat snacks"
"Oh, okay"
Silence again.
"Well, honey," Ella broke the silence "You know me and your father were talking and we think it's about time you met someone. A boy"
"Really?"
"Yes, well, I don't know if you're ready yet but it's better to start of early"
"So umm…"
"Well, there's a ball tonight at the Orwoods' manor and would you like to come?"
"Uhh…"
"Quite frankly you're old enough…and it is quite fun actually"
"Mother actually-"
She was interrupted by John who was whispering the word go, she could see him through the little crack she had left open in her closet.
"…Actually I'd love to go" She completed her sentence the way she had not originally intended.
"Oh that's great!"
"When is it?"
"Well, we'll leave at seven"
"Oh okay…now mother…I need to find a gown so I must ask you to leave"
"Alright Isabella, and er…is there something in your closet because I could have swore I heard somebody in there."
"No mothers, nobody's there…I think you need to take a little nap before the ball"
"Yes. I'll do that"
Ella hesitated then opened the door and left.
John walked out of the closet holding one of Isabella's dresses. It was white with pink lace near the hem, which was rather high, and the top was sparkled with silver glitter.
Isabella stared at him questioningly.
"What? I found something for you to wear to the ball"
"Why did you want me to go?" Isabella asked him in an angry voice
"Because you never have any fun!" He replied going through Isabella's jewellery box.
"John!" She protested angrily "I'm going to go to the ball, wear that dress, find a handsome knight, dance with him, and marry him! Is that what you want?"
"Yes! That's what I want!"
"I'm serious!"
John stopped looking for matching jewellery and approached Isabella, took her by the arms and sat her down on the bed like he had many times before.
"Isabella, I want you to be happy," He said sitting down next to her
"I am happy, when I'm with you"
"That's not what I mean, I want you to have fun"
"But I do have fun, when you-"
"Isabella!" He shook her lightly "Go to the ball, for me"
"Alright, I'll go!"
John gave her a long kiss. Then let her go.
Isabella got up and picked up the dress he had picked for her.
"But I am not wearing this!"
"Yes you are!"
"No! It shows too much legs and cleavage"
"Come on!" He leaned toward her and his voice became quieter "It'll look sexy"
"John!" Isabella scolded, lightly pushing him
"Pleeeeease?"
"Alright…. alright"
John smiled
"You make me do crazy things!" Isabella said irritably but she was smiling.
"Okay so…put it on now"
"Now?"
"Yes…go in to your closet and change…I want to see you in this dress"
"Why do I bother arguing? You win! I'll change even though we're not going to leave until seven and it's five!"
Isabella grabbed the dress and marched into the walk-in closet that she had hid John in earlier. John laughed.
It took Isabella 21 minutes to get into the dress. It was tight and hard to put on. The strange thing was that everybody wore these sorts of things. At least everybody her age, at the rare balls she had gone to, almost every other girl from the ages of 16-21 wore these kinds of clothes. Of course she preferred longer ones with full sleeves and more neck.
Anyway, she walked out with a very strange feeling in her stomach. John stared at her as if all his dreams had come true.
"You look beautiful!" He exclaimed
"Yes, but when I'm wearing this some other man will be holding me, not you"
"Yes, but I'll be the first" He kneeled down and raised his hand. "May I have the honour of this dance?"
Isabella rolled her eyes, taking his hand, and they danced. For a long time. It was an interesting dance. Isabella liked slow sarabandes but John liked dances with lots of movement. So between the peaceful slow dance he would occasionally spin her and twist her and try all sorts of exotic moves. They were having so much fun that they lost track of time.
As they danced Isabella glanced at the clock on her bedside table. 6:00. 6:00!
"John! It's 6:00!"
They stopped dancing.
"I have to go!" He kissed her lightly on the lips and climbed out of the window.
Isabella sighed pleasantly. John had done it again. Enchanted her life. Again.
She walked to her full-length mirror and inspected herself. The dress, though tight looked nice. It fell a little below her knees. The sleeves were elbow length, and the neck was low. Isabella had never worn this before; she always wore her long gowns. She had gotten this as a gift for Christmas. She wasn't sure who had given it to her.
Isabella tried to stretch it a little bit but it wouldn't stretch. She walked into the closet and looked for a pair of shoes to wear. In the end she chose the glass shoes that had belonged to her mother.
They went with anything since they were transparent. Now for her hair. How to wear it… a bun would look nice. Then she could slip her tiara on to it.
Isabella hated to wear her tiara or for that matter to show any signs of being royal or rich, but this time she made an acceptation because it was going to look really good with her dress.
Making a bun was really hard! It took her very long to put the pins in the right places, to keep it straight and to make it perfect. When she was done she slipped her tiara on top of it and went to choose her jewellery.
By the time she was ready it was 7:55.
She walked as fast as she could with heals on to reach the bottom of the staircase. Her parents were already standing there ready.
Char's mouth dropped open as he stared at Isabella. Ella elbowed him and he quickly closed it.
"You look beautiful honey!" Ella said to her daughter.
"Yes…umm...stunning..." Char avoided looking at the revealing parts and more to the beauty of his daughter. "So...umm…If we're all ready we should get going"
"Wait!" Ella said, "I can't leave without saying goodnight to Liz and Leo!"
Sometimes Ella called Elizabeth and Leonardo "Liz" and "Leo". She took a few steps up the staircase.
"LIZ!" She called "LEO!"
Elizabeth and Leonardo came running down the stairs.
"Goodnight, sweeties!" Ella said kissing both their foreheads
"G'night" Each of them said
"Don't forget to go to bed on time, and take your baths"
They both rolled their eyes
"With soap.."
They groaned.
"...And water"
Char took her elbow and dragged her out of the house.
"Don't worry" He called to the twins "She says the same thing to me"
"…So is that how your father defeated the ogre?" Isabella said after listening to a story about how John's father was in a fight with an ogre
"Yes" John replied as he turned to face her.
'Your family is so interesting John, my parents have probably never even seen an ogre"
"Oh I doubt that…your father might've had conflicts with them"
"I suppose so…"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Isabella and John jumped up.
"Isabella, honey can I come in?" Came her mother's voice from the other side of the door
"No!" Isabella exclaimed
"I beg your pardon"
"I mean…. I'm changing, mother…hold on a moment please."
"Where do I hide?" John whispered desperately
"Under the bed" Isabella whispered back
John tried to get under the bed but he couldn't
"Hide in here!" Isabella said, grabbing him and stuffing him into her closet. "Come in mother"
Ella stepped into the room.
"Hello, sweetie"
"Hello, mother"
There was silence in which Ella studied the room.
"What's this?" Ella asked picking up an empty bag with crumbs in it.
"Oh that's a… umm…bag… which had cakes in it…I have a snack at this time of the day"
"Oh"
"Well, why don't you eat in the dining room?"
"Ummm…. because...There's more privacy here…I need a lot of privacy to eat snacks"
"Oh, okay"
Silence again.
"Well, honey," Ella broke the silence "You know me and your father were talking and we think it's about time you met someone. A boy"
"Really?"
"Yes, well, I don't know if you're ready yet but it's better to start of early"
"So umm…"
"Well, there's a ball tonight at the Orwoods' manor and would you like to come?"
"Uhh…"
"Quite frankly you're old enough…and it is quite fun actually"
"Mother actually-"
She was interrupted by John who was whispering the word go, she could see him through the little crack she had left open in her closet.
"…Actually I'd love to go" She completed her sentence the way she had not originally intended.
"Oh that's great!"
"When is it?"
"Well, we'll leave at seven"
"Oh okay…now mother…I need to find a gown so I must ask you to leave"
"Alright Isabella, and er…is there something in your closet because I could have swore I heard somebody in there."
"No mothers, nobody's there…I think you need to take a little nap before the ball"
"Yes. I'll do that"
Ella hesitated then opened the door and left.
John walked out of the closet holding one of Isabella's dresses. It was white with pink lace near the hem, which was rather high, and the top was sparkled with silver glitter.
Isabella stared at him questioningly.
"What? I found something for you to wear to the ball"
"Why did you want me to go?" Isabella asked him in an angry voice
"Because you never have any fun!" He replied going through Isabella's jewellery box.
"John!" She protested angrily "I'm going to go to the ball, wear that dress, find a handsome knight, dance with him, and marry him! Is that what you want?"
"Yes! That's what I want!"
"I'm serious!"
John stopped looking for matching jewellery and approached Isabella, took her by the arms and sat her down on the bed like he had many times before.
"Isabella, I want you to be happy," He said sitting down next to her
"I am happy, when I'm with you"
"That's not what I mean, I want you to have fun"
"But I do have fun, when you-"
"Isabella!" He shook her lightly "Go to the ball, for me"
"Alright, I'll go!"
John gave her a long kiss. Then let her go.
Isabella got up and picked up the dress he had picked for her.
"But I am not wearing this!"
"Yes you are!"
"No! It shows too much legs and cleavage"
"Come on!" He leaned toward her and his voice became quieter "It'll look sexy"
"John!" Isabella scolded, lightly pushing him
"Pleeeeease?"
"Alright…. alright"
John smiled
"You make me do crazy things!" Isabella said irritably but she was smiling.
"Okay so…put it on now"
"Now?"
"Yes…go in to your closet and change…I want to see you in this dress"
"Why do I bother arguing? You win! I'll change even though we're not going to leave until seven and it's five!"
Isabella grabbed the dress and marched into the walk-in closet that she had hid John in earlier. John laughed.
It took Isabella 21 minutes to get into the dress. It was tight and hard to put on. The strange thing was that everybody wore these sorts of things. At least everybody her age, at the rare balls she had gone to, almost every other girl from the ages of 16-21 wore these kinds of clothes. Of course she preferred longer ones with full sleeves and more neck.
Anyway, she walked out with a very strange feeling in her stomach. John stared at her as if all his dreams had come true.
"You look beautiful!" He exclaimed
"Yes, but when I'm wearing this some other man will be holding me, not you"
"Yes, but I'll be the first" He kneeled down and raised his hand. "May I have the honour of this dance?"
Isabella rolled her eyes, taking his hand, and they danced. For a long time. It was an interesting dance. Isabella liked slow sarabandes but John liked dances with lots of movement. So between the peaceful slow dance he would occasionally spin her and twist her and try all sorts of exotic moves. They were having so much fun that they lost track of time.
As they danced Isabella glanced at the clock on her bedside table. 6:00. 6:00!
"John! It's 6:00!"
They stopped dancing.
"I have to go!" He kissed her lightly on the lips and climbed out of the window.
Isabella sighed pleasantly. John had done it again. Enchanted her life. Again.
She walked to her full-length mirror and inspected herself. The dress, though tight looked nice. It fell a little below her knees. The sleeves were elbow length, and the neck was low. Isabella had never worn this before; she always wore her long gowns. She had gotten this as a gift for Christmas. She wasn't sure who had given it to her.
Isabella tried to stretch it a little bit but it wouldn't stretch. She walked into the closet and looked for a pair of shoes to wear. In the end she chose the glass shoes that had belonged to her mother.
They went with anything since they were transparent. Now for her hair. How to wear it… a bun would look nice. Then she could slip her tiara on to it.
Isabella hated to wear her tiara or for that matter to show any signs of being royal or rich, but this time she made an acceptation because it was going to look really good with her dress.
Making a bun was really hard! It took her very long to put the pins in the right places, to keep it straight and to make it perfect. When she was done she slipped her tiara on top of it and went to choose her jewellery.
By the time she was ready it was 7:55.
She walked as fast as she could with heals on to reach the bottom of the staircase. Her parents were already standing there ready.
Char's mouth dropped open as he stared at Isabella. Ella elbowed him and he quickly closed it.
"You look beautiful honey!" Ella said to her daughter.
"Yes…umm...stunning..." Char avoided looking at the revealing parts and more to the beauty of his daughter. "So...umm…If we're all ready we should get going"
"Wait!" Ella said, "I can't leave without saying goodnight to Liz and Leo!"
Sometimes Ella called Elizabeth and Leonardo "Liz" and "Leo". She took a few steps up the staircase.
"LIZ!" She called "LEO!"
Elizabeth and Leonardo came running down the stairs.
"Goodnight, sweeties!" Ella said kissing both their foreheads
"G'night" Each of them said
"Don't forget to go to bed on time, and take your baths"
They both rolled their eyes
"With soap.."
They groaned.
"...And water"
Char took her elbow and dragged her out of the house.
"Don't worry" He called to the twins "She says the same thing to me"