A/N: I know, I am a horrible person, please don't rub it in. I promise I will try to update sooner now. Pinkie promise. Now, I want you to go ahead and tell me what you think of this chapie. (After you read it, of course! ) I want to thank all of you who reviewed, it really means a lot. So guys, please review (or as we say in this story, cookie) because this is the only thing I have to go on with the story. You are more than welcome to tell me aything you liked or disliked, trust me, I will listen and try to make myself better. But enough with the rant. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I, Burning Tulip, do NOT own the 39 Clues. (Yet. I will when my world domination plan has succeeded. Not yet, though)
Chapter fourteen: The Great Cahill Ball
Few minutes before the Ball's beginning
Seraphine Cahill had put her purple dress on, done her hair and make-up and was now strapping on her heels. Ted would be knocking on her door soon. She smiled at that thought. He had asked to be her escort to the dance just this morning and she gladly accepted, of course. She really did like him. They had spent a lot of time together since his arrival at GCC and had grown quite close. They had a lot in common, like their love for playing the piano, which was what brought them close in the first place, but the were also very different. For example, Ted loved geometry, while Ser loathed it and was an algebra supporter instead. She had to admit, though, their "fights" over which was better or more useful were very entertaining and they learned a lot about each other that way. She smiled to herself again and for the very first time since Claire had arrived, she did not worry about her cousin. She was going to go the Ball which she and her sister had beautifully planned, with a boy she hoped she could be more than just friends with and might have already made the first step towards that direction and she was going to have fun. No matter what, in 10 years from then she will be thinking back to that day and smile. She promised herself that. The awaited knock was heard. Still smiling, Seraphine opened the door.
Ted Starling could still not believe that he was going to go to the Ball with Seraphine. He was not sure how to react when his sister approached him that morning telling him that he "should definitely ask Seraphine to go to the dance with him". He smiled as he recalled how happy Sinead had sounded when he told her that he was already going to do so.
-Flash back-
"Ted! Hey, Ted! Slow down!" Ted turned as he heard his sister's voice. "Down, boy! Good dog!" he said to Flamsteed, his golden Lab guide dog. Then he greeted his sister, turning his head to the direction of her voice. "Hello, Sinead. Is something wrong?" He knew she must have flinched at his somewhat cold tone, but he could not help it. Some things just took a very long time to stop hurting. "No. I just- ah- I wanted to – um- tell you something." "Shoot." "Are you aware that the Ball is today?" "The Great Cahill Ball? Yes, I am aware. Why?" "Well, I was wondering if you had invited someone. 'Cause if you haven't, then you should definitely ask Seraphine to go with you." She said in one breath. "Huh?" "I said you should definitely ask Seraphine to go to the Ball with you today." She repeated, a bit more confident this time. "I see. And why exactly do you believe that?" "Because, Ted! It is quite obvious that she likes you and I know you enough to be able to tell that you like her back. This is a great opportunity that you should not miss, or you'll regret it latter." she replied. "Okay… Just you know, though, Sin, I was going to ask her, even if you had not cornered me today." "Oh. Hey! I did not corner you! I just wanted to make sure you knew that the feelings you harbor towards Seraphine are definitely not one-sided and that you had a great chance to ask her whether or not you could be her escort, for it is a marvelous opportunity that should not be-" Sinead!" "Sorry." He just laughed a bit. His sister did that. Whenever Sinead wanted to support her place, she would start talking non-stop, until someone interrupted her. Ted wanted to ask her one more thing, though. She was a girl after all; if there was anyone who could answer to this question it was her. "Hey, Sin?" he said in a soft voice which brought a smile in Sinead's lips. Her brother hadn't called her like that for a while. "Yeah?" "Are you sure Seraphine likes me?" "Oh, Teddy, I'm positive." She then pecked him on the cheek, gave Flamsteed a pat and ran, because she had "many things to do until the evening"
-Flash back ends-
So, there he was now. He had on a silver-gray colored shirt with a striped dark and light gray tie and a black vest, along with black dress pants and black polished shoes. Once he made sure his appearance was perfect, he asked for the time. "It is 8:48." the House's "voice" said. He had some more time. He let mind wonder and he found himself thing about the girl he was soon going to take to the Ball. Seraphine. Even her name was pretty. He absolutely sure she was gorgeous, even if he couldn't see her. She had such a beautiful soul, though. Her voice was soft, just like her laugh. She could talk about things she liked for hours non-stop, but she was also a remarkably good listener. What he loved most about her, though, was how she played the piano. She was able to touch something deep within him that nobody else could and she was able to tell a story just by playing a simple melody. She was simply amazing. He wanted to see her, though, he wanted to see the colour of her eyes and how they would sparkle whenever she talked about something that excited her, just as he was sure they would. He wanted to know what her nervous habit was and how she would smile. He wanted to see her, for seeing her would mean knowing her, all of her. He wanted that. Hopefully, he would soon have that. The planning of his operation was going great. He supposed it would take about two to three more weeks to be able to actually try it. He could hardly wait. He asked the House what time it was again. "It's 8:58." It was time. He got out, walked to Seraphine's room and knocked. A second later, the door opened.
Amy Cahill had always been a simple girl. Never the one to want the most expensive or extravagant things. She believed that it wasn't the thing itself that mattered, but what its story was, or who the person it belonged to was. She never fell in love with things, it just wasn't like her. But when she saw that dress… Well, there wasn't much she could do. She just… fell in love with it. And bought it. This wasn't ordinary Amy behavior, but who cared? She certainly did not. The dress was nice, she wanted it, she bought it. End of story. Besides, this was not an ordinary occasion, either. She was going to a ball. A real, one hundred per cent original and formal ball. She wasn't going by herself either, even though she did not know that when she bought the dress. In fact, she only found out last night. Oh, my, she would never forget what had happened that previous night…
-Flash back-
She was just going to go into her room, get ready for bed and fall asleep, like she did every day. Just as she placed her hand on the door knob, she heard a noise. "Ahem." "Yes?" she asked as she turned. And froze in place. "Ian?" She exclaimed surprised. "Yeah. Hey, Amy." "Hello." Was it her, or was he nervous? "I was wondering, um, I was wondering if-"he stopped. Yep. Definitely nervous. But why? Whatever it was he could tell her. It couldn't be that bad, right? Right? "Yes, Ian?" she said patiently, even though at the moment she was everything but patient. He cleared his throat and said in one breath "IwaswonderingifyouwouldliketogototheBallwithme." "Huh?" Very intellectual response. Bravo, Amy. He gulped slightly, took a moment to compose himself, looked into her eyes and then, as if suddenly having all the courage he would need, said in an even voice, without breaking their eye-contact once: "I was wondering if you would like to go to the Ball with me." She blinked. And again. And again. Yeah, it wasn't one of her best moments. "Amy? Amy!" "Oh. Um. Yes." "What?" "Yes. I would like to go to the Ball with you." When she eventually went to sleep that night she had no idea who was more surprised. Probably her, though, because she could still feel her cheek burning where Ian kissed her just before saying good night and retiring to his room.
-Flash back ends-
She blushed again at the thought of that kiss. Damn him. He was the only one who could make her blush like that nowadays. She shook away the memory, trying to shake her blush away with it as well. She had to finish getting ready. She hadn't done anything much with her makeup, just some green eye shadow, the same tone of green as her dress, some mascara and a little lip gloss. As for her hair, it fell in well shaped curls all the way to her back, courtesy of Shaunee. She was ready. A knock on her door was heard. Smiling, she answered it.
Ian Kabra looked at himself in his room's mirror. He didn't want to boast or anything, but he looked good. "You look nice." He turned grinning. "Thank you, Natalie. You don't look bad yourself!" She chuckled a bit. "What's so funny?" he wondered, the grin still on his face. "You are. I don't believe I have ever seen you with a smile so big, since, well, ever." She smiled a bit. "It looks good on you, brother." His grin grew even more. How was that even possible, Natalie did not know. "Yes, well. I am happy. Shouldn't you be waiting for that Tomas boy in your room, though?" "I've got some time. And his name is Eric, not 'that Tomas boy'" "Whatever you say, sister dearest." She just huffed. "Anyway, I have to go. You'll have to go soon, too. You don't want make Amy wait, now do you?" With these words, she left the room and Ian was alone with his thought once more. He wondered how that night would turn out. He hoped it would go well. It might be the start to something greater. A relationship between him and Amy, for instance. But, he wasn't going to rush things. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off. Baby steps, that was his policy. If it's meant to be, it will be, that's what people say and he really did think that he and Amy were meant to be. With that thought he left his room, and went straight to hers. Once the door opened, his jaw fell.
"You look absolutely handsome, Ted Starling." Ted smiled. "Thank you Seraphine. I am certain you look just as wonderful as you sound." He heard her laugh. "Always the gentleman, aren't you, Ted?" "If you say so." She laughed again and her laugh was enough to bring a smile on his lips. "Shall we?" He asked and offered her his arm. "We shall." She responded taking his hand.
"Whoa!" Amy blushed at Ian's comment, or should we say exclamation. "You look absolutely mesmerizing, love." A small smile played on her lips. "You look quite handsome yourself, Ian." Truth is he took her breath away, but she decided that it wouldn't be wise to use these exact words. "What do you say, love? Shall we get going?" he said, extending his arm to her. "Of course." She said as she took it.
The Ball has begun
Everything's fine so far. Seraphine thought. She looked next to her, only to see a smiling Ted right by her side. The image made her heart melt. More than fine, actually. "Hey." He turned. "Hey." "How do you feel about dancing?" "It's a rather bad idea actually. I'm a terrible dancer." "No, you're not. We've danced before, remember?" Of course he did. How could he forget that one time when, after their piano lesson, Seraphine had decided that she was going to give him dance lessons as well and had turned on the music. The Ball's in less than two weeks. You need to be able to dance, Theodore Starling. She later found out that he was a very good dancer, so he did not actually need the lessons. "Yeah, I remember. I just hoped that you would have forgotten." She laughed. "Nah. So come on!" "Do I have to?" "Yes!" she said as she dragged him to the dance floor. He could not see the people around them, but he had learnt how to know when a person was near, so he really had no problem dancing with her. They started out dancing keeping a reasonable distance from another, but as they kept dancing, they came closer and closer, until Ser had rested her head on his chest and he was hugging her close to him. They were just rocking in place then, oblivious to the other people in the room shooting glances at them once in a while. They were lost in their own world. He felt her smiling and held her a little bit closer. And they just kept dancing.
Amy and Ian sat at a table by the dance floor, talking. They weren't talking about anything in particular; they were just speaking to each other. They both liked it, though, so neither did anything to stop it. "We should dance." Ian suddenly said. "Dance? I don't really think that would be a good id-"She never got the chance to finish that sentence, however, for Ian dragged her to the dance floor's edge. "Don't worry, love. I'm an incredibly good dancer and I know for a fact that you are too." She blushed remembering how he caught her dancing alone one day. Damn him. She let herself be taken to the middle of the dance floor. They were perfectly synchronized as they danced together, moving at the exact same time, as if they were in each other's minds. Ian pulled her closer and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Now, love, it's not as bad, is it?" "No. It is actually very nice." She did not know how she could say that or stand him being so close to her without blushing or feeling uneasy. She looked at him and he smiled. It was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. It was not wide, but wide smiles weren't his thing either way. It a small and genuine smile. A smile that showed just how handsome Ian Kabra was. There was some uncertainty in his eyes too, though. Amy instinctively knew why. He was showing a part of him he was not used to showing. A part that was pure, a part that could love, that could get hurt. He trusted her and it was up to her now. Amy always thought of them as being two steps apart. Now Ian had reached out. He had taken his step and extended his hand to her. It was up to her now. Would she take her step? Even he was not sure. That was why he felt vulnerable, because in showing her this side, in taking this step he risked getting hurt. So what would she do? She looked deep in his eyes, these brown eyes of his that she had always loved. She looked and she searched. And as she slowly smiled up at him as well, Ian knew that she had found whatever it was she was looking for. He then pulled her even closer, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They were the second couple that night to be totally focused on one another so much, that they were oblivious to the looks they got.
Twenty minutes after
Claire descended the stairs and reached the ballroom. She looked into full length mirror next to the double doors and smiled to herself. She looked fabulous, as she always did. She was fashionably late, as she always was. She took a deep breath. It's show time. She entered. The first thing she saw was her cousin dancing with that Ted guy. Damn it. That complicates things. She guessed that taking away would be a tad more difficult now. Difficult, not impossible, she told herself. He was a guy after all. She could seduce him. It would be even better now. Seraphine would think they had something special, but then BAM! Claire would burst her little bubble. The next she saw was another couple slow dancing and smiling goofily at each other. What were their names again? Annie and Liam? No. Amy? Yes, Amy. Amy and…, um…, Ian! Right. Amy and Ian. Anyway, not important. She found herself a table, sat and people-observed. There was that Antoinette, the female Madrigal mini-branch leader, sitting at a table with Cindy and Ron, the Janus mini-branch leaders, and Mathew, the male Lucian mini-branch leader. God, she hated them all. Well, maybe 'hate' was too strong of a word. Disliked, that was the proper one. They all thought they were doing something of grave importance. Well, they did, actually, but that's not the point. The point was that they irritated her. She could not afford being irritated at the moment, though. She had to be keeping eye out for Seraphine, since she- wait. Where was Seraphine? Damn it! I lost her. Thank God she was good at the 'seek' part of hide and seek. Let the game begin.
Seraphine felt like she was floating. At some point, she and Ted had left the ball room and headed outside, towards a maze by the side of the building. Instead of going in it, however, they sat on a bench by its side. "Tell me about the night. Describe it to me." "Well, the moon is almost full. There are many stars, tonight more are visible than other days. There are no clouds, so you can actually see everything. You can see infinity. Where we are the light is quite dim, like candlelight, so the stars and the moon are very bright. It is a nice night." He turned towards her and she couldn't help but get lost in his eyes, even if they could not see her. Soon he would be able to see it for himself, she thinks, and she will no longer have to describe the nights to him. She voices that thought and melts at the smile he offers her in return. He was so beautiful at that moment. The silence that engulfed them was neither uncomfortable nor awkward. On the contrary, it was pleasant, like they were communicating without having to say anything out loud. Then, they slowly leaned in they paused just millimeters away from each other, just for a second, so they could be entirely sure about this. They knew that what they were about to do was bound to have a great impact. They made their decision at the exact same time.
The kiss was the kind of kiss one is bound to remember until they die, Seraphine thought later. The moment their lips collided was magical, to say the least. Suddenly, the air surrounding them was so much warmer and the bench they were sitting on became so much more comfortable, it was like sitting on feathers. They broke apart soon enough, both of them taking deep breaths and then they were still. They were both aware that everything was different now, and both wanted to make sure the other did not regret it. Again, no words needed to be spoken. They just knew. They did not kiss again, but Ted brought her closer to him and put his hand around her, holding her to him, while she rested her head on top of his shoulder. They just sat there for the rest of the night, talking about everything and anything, just enjoying each other's company and trying to understand each other a little better.
Claire had been too late. They had kissed. Seraphine 1- Claire 0. "Ugh!" she was just so frustrated at the moment. No, she had not lost yet. The game had barely begun. She would get what she wanted, she always did. She just had to be patient. She needed to pull herself together if she wanted to win. She just had come across a little mishap, nothing serious. There are many ways to destroy a person, after all and she knew them all. She would win. She just needed to make a few changes in her plan. She smiled a wicked smile. You may go to sleep tonight thinking you have beat me, Seraphine, but I promise you, you have not and you will not. You cannot beat me in my own game, cousin. I will destroy you.
A/N: Ah, what a happy ending! :) Did you like it? In case you did, you cookie. In case you didn't, you still cookie. In case you really don't care, COOKIE! So, I think you got the point, huh? I love you all and I am now sending you a virtual hug in case you need one. 3 SO, I cannot wait to hear what you have to say. Take care my dearest followers and until next time know that I love you!
Any kind of criticism is accepted, but please be polite.
Love,
Burning Tulip.