Pictures of Ballroom, dress, and much more on Macyn Cullen's website! (Link of Profile)
You've got a mouthful of diamonds
And a pocketful of secrets
I know you're never telling anyone
Because the patterns they control your mind
Those patterns take away my time
Hello, goodbye
Chapter 10: Beautiful Blood (December)
"If it were a vampire, you'd be dead." The stranger said to the woman. She gasped and bolted into a standing position. She had just been looking for her glasses outside where she left them earlier that day. Everything was cloaked in snow, and she couldn't find them anywhere.
"Hey, hey, no rush. Can't I speak to a beautiful woman like you? Or do you wish for me to leave?" The man asked. She blushed and wiped her hands on her worn jeans. She had soft blonde hair and a beautiful white neck, pulsating with all too beautiful blood. She caught him staring at her and blushed red again. It wasn't too hard to guess what she was thinking about him. He grinned. A burning need overtook him and he was by her side in a second.
He lived in the shadows, like all others of his kind and he fully stepped into her sight right then. She started sobbing loudly when she looked into his burning scarlet eyes.
He started whispering, a soft violet sound. Anyone should listen to him, his voice was powerful. Soft as satin but strong as steel, it would make anyone listen to him and want to please him.
The girl succumbed to his will. He smiled.
She died.
It turns out that Matthew Cane was a complete jerk. Aro "suggested" that Matthew and I acquaint with each other, and I, being an absolute fool, asked him if he would like to have a cup of blood at the pseudo café on our campus.
He, of course, disdainfully said no at first but I flashed him my brightest smile and he accepted with only the slightest reluctance. I really don't want to die. And unfortunately I had a feeling that this vampire held my life in his very capable hands. I shuddered at the memory of the training room. One less vampire for me to kill later, I consoled myself.
We reached the café, artfully named The Black Rose, and I went up to the counter but Matthew waved his hand at me and motioned for me to sit. I told him what to buy for me and he nodded and smiled like a sun-beam at me.
He came over with two steaming cups of blood and set one in front of me. I thanked him and he sat down. He sipped at his lazily and I tried small talk.
"So-" I began.
"Are you going to the ball tonight?" I raised my eyebrows but answered.
"Yeah. I'm going."
"Would you like to go with me?" I didn't even know the guy for a day and he wants me to go with him? I decided this was a perfect chance to take a first sip of my beverage. This turned out to be nothing close to what I ordered.
I choked when I tasted the sweet blood. Human blood. It tasted like heaven and hell, warring. I spit it back into my cup and growled. Had he known one little swallow of this blood would ensure my room at the Human Drinker's residence? Take me away from all the friends I was beginning to love? I felt electric shocks I hadn't felt the first time. I didn't mind at the moment.
"You...You, insufferable boy! How dare you! If I ever see you again, it will all be too soon." I threw the cup of human blood at him; it soaked the pure snow around him and bolted to my dorm.
The kitchen was alive with laughter and jokes and joy and the moment me and my lightning (which I hadn't known was there) walked in everyone went silent. I grabbed the nearest bottle of animal blood and stomped out of the area. Someone grabbed hold of my arm. Ayden.
"Ouch." He hissed painfully, then let go. My hands, rolling in blue, sizzled and died out.
"Oh, crap, I'm sorry." I apologized. He smiled gently at me and rubbed his hand against his shirt.
"Bad day?" He asked, suggesting we go to the swing on the porch.
"The worst." I replied. He pulled me into a hug, and for once I accepted it and sighed on his shoulder. We stayed like that for a few seconds. He smiled at me, a real light smile and squeezed my hand.
"Are you excited for the dance? It's in a couple of hours, last time I checked the time." He asked.
"Yeah. I am pretty excited for tonight. I can tell it'll be fun. Talking about dances, I think I should be getting ready." I smiled. He grinned back.
My dress was beautiful and like most others in this dorm, Alice helped pick it out for me. Alice had that classically stunning style that whatever she suggested would look fantastic on you. I thanked whoever had changed her because I couldn't see the world without the tiny Cullen who cared for everyone in this dorm.
The gown was a light rose red with sleeveless shoulders in which the strips of fabric meant for sleeves were slid down. It had a soft feel to it; with beautiful material that felt like air and moved like a river. It had a wrap- around bodice and flowing skirts that fell to the floor in graceful fluidity. It made me feel regal, like a queen. My hair was curled elegantly around my face, my bangs still hung in my eyes.
I walked down the stairs slowly. There were couples and groups of vampires scattered around the foyer in various degrees of finery. Ayden was looking very handsome in his tuxedo. He came up to my side and took my hand. I smiled at this.
"You look beautiful, Morgan." Ayden whispered to me. I squeezed his hand and we walked out into the snowy night. There were lights strung, shining pure white. My dress trailed on the ground but never seemed to get wet or even damp from the snow.
The building in which the ball was held was large and domed shaped. Lights were pouring out of the skylight it had and music floated to my ears when we first saw it. There were people lounging around talking, sipping their own eternal drinks. It was a dark sight to my eyes; they were all Human Drinkers.
We walked in, the golden light washing over our bodies. It was a majestic sight inside. Huge sky windows adorned the top of the roof, seemingly cleared off of all snow for this night and diamond and crystal chandeliers hung from about eighty feet above. It looked like a scene from Victorian era; golden cloth covered walls and the bamboo flooring was impeccably polished.
Ayden and I started to dance, turning around and around, spinning in a graceful mass of black and red. We slowed down to talk when a slightly calmer waltz song started playing.
"I have to admit, you're a great dancer." Ayden complemented. I shrugged.
"My mom was big on politeness and she loved to dance, way back when. She used to make my brothers and I go to dance lessons for the first thirteen years of my life…" I trailed off.
"What made her stop making you go to lessons?" He asked. My face darkened.
"It was only a few weeks before my dad and my brother, Caleb, died. All three of us went to dance lessons with a friend…Sara…" It was hard to say her name, and Alexander had even threatened if I said it he would kill me. I took a deep, unneeded breath.
"Sara and Alexander, were the same age, they grew up together. They could even be called a couple. They were sixteen at the time, and Caleb was fourteen. I could say we were all really close back then.
"But one dance lesson, the last one we went to, turned out to be the worst ever. Our teacher was a vampire, a lady named Thea. Thea was nice and sweet but still a vampire. Once class was over, we all went outside to wait for our rides. A group of…" I paused, "Vampire thugs came over to us over from the local blood store, fresh from a meal and started to toy with us."
I shuddered, "Let's just say Sara didn't make it. Thea stood and watched and my family spent three weeks in the hospital."
I didn't know how much I should be telling him but I felt I needed to say it out loud to somebody, I had almost forgotten Sara. I had spent two years without telling a soul, other than my family, about our friend.
"Well, the past is past and I am ready to look for hope in the future." I lied. I had no intention of hoping for any future. At best, the future I hoped for was not dying. But wasn't that everyone's dream?
A new song came on, a haunting violin, solitarily playing.
"May I have this dance?" An unwelcome silky voice asked. Ayden looked at me curiously and I clenched my jaw, annoyed.
"I don't see any wrong in that." Ayden shrugged. He moved away from me. I gave him a fleeting glance, a plea for help. His back was already turned.
"Is it so terrible to be with me that you turn to your little human lover to help you?" Matthew asked. My muscles were painfully tense, I noticed.
"Yes."
"Why? What have I ever done to you to make you dislike me?" He asked innocently.
I scoffed, "You only tried to make me drink poison-"
He cut me off, "Don't be so melodramatic. I just wanted you to taste the future. The Volturi are flattering you mavericks. Once we get our world back to the way it was, the right way, they won't be so forgiving about defiance."
"You think that our life choice is about rebellion? Child insolence? It's about saving innocence in a world of sadists!" I spit. He smirked at me, his beautiful face shining in the golden light. I would be lying to say I wasn't drawn to him.
"It is truly amusing seeing you worked up about your little opinions." He said, swaying us lightly.
"I would like to actually try to work with you without having to control myself to not to kill you." I icily replied.
"That would be nice." He agreed, "Let's work out a deal, when you want to kill me, kill another vampire."
"That wouldn't work." I said dryly.
"Fine, electrocute me." He optioned.
"Deal."
"See you later, Morgan."
He kissed me on the cheek and sauntered off, leaving me staring at his disappearing figure on the brightly lit dance floor.
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~Macyn Cullen~