Val stiffened when she heard a knock at the door, lipstick covering only half her lips. She looked over at the clock. 7.00pm. She sighed. She had been right to get ready at 6pm: She didn't even know when Ravus was arriving.
"I'll get it!" Vals' mom called from downstairs.
Val rushed the rest of her lipstick and flew down the stairs in time to see the door being opened. Outside stood a tall, lanky boy, with jet black hair that hung to his shoulders and a dazzling smile. Val frowned; She hadn't meant for Ravus to glamour himself up so much, but he did look handsome.
Val pushed past her mom.
"Mom. This is Ravus, my urm...boyfriend." She explained.
"Hullo Mrs. Russell." Ravus said, shaking her hand.
"Hello Ravus. Such an unusual name. Where were your parents from?"
Ravus shuffled his feet awkwardly and blushed.
"Sorry mom, no time to talk. Me and Ravus better be on our way." Val said, helping Ravus out.
"Oh...of course. Sorry to keep you two love birds up. Off you go then, have fun." Her mom said, pratically pushing Val out the door.
"Bye mom!"
Once the door was closed, Ravus put his arm round her shoulder and guided her down the road. Once at the end, he turned, and gave her a long, soft kiss.
"Your mom seems nice." He said, once they'd come up for air.
"Thanks. She's alright when she wants to be." Val smiled up at him. "So where is this glamorous 'Ball of the Courts'?"
"Well, this year it's being held under Cemetery Hill." Ravus told her. "Hosted by the Unseelie Court. For one night every year, the two courts settle their differences for a celebration."
"Hmm...Sounds fun."
"It's definitely a change from being enemies with them." Ravus sighed. "I think we better head off...I need to take this glamour off before we go in."
They set off down the road, Val wrapped in Ravus' arms. Reaching the gates of the Cemetery, Ravus pushed open the gate, which groaned in protest, and ushered Val in. He took behind a gravestone and tugged at a piece of grass. It opened to reveal an entrance; jolly music floated up to them.
"You go in first. I'll follow in a minute, okay?" Ravus said.
"Are you sure? It'll be awkward for a human to walk in alone. Won't they think I'm intruding?" Val asked, worried.
"Don't worry, Val. I told them I was bringing a human. Besides, we do sometimes have humans joining us. That Luis boy joined me one year when there was a delivery to be made to a fearie in there."
"Oh...Okay, if you're sure." She said, doubtfully.
"Trust me. You'll be fine." He leaned down and kissed her. "I won't be long."
With that, Ravus got up and walked away, weaving in and out of the gravestones. Val frowned, but slipt through the entrance to the celebration below.
It was a crowd of noise. There was hardly any space to move around. Val looked around, and spotted a table swamped with food. Without thinking twice, she moved towards it. Picking up a silver goblet, encrusted with bright jewels and engraved with complicated patterns. She poured some thick red liquid from a pitcher next to her. A couple of sips told her this as not meant for the average human. She put down the goblet and looked around for Ravus.
"Hello human." Said a voice behind her. It made her skin crawl and sent a shiver down her spine. "Pretty little mortal, aren't you?" It said, and a hand fell upon her shoulder in a tight grasp.