Except You're Everything

Red

"I do" Elizabeth answered her mother's cold question if Elizabeth wanted to be pretty.

" Exactly, so, Tighter! Tighter!"Mother's voice rang out. Elizabeth's face contorted with pain as the corset tightened around her abdomen, she could barely breathe. She was a fair girl of average build, brown curly hair, and rosy cheeks. She wasn't plump but Mother thought she was too fat, so she had to wear a corset or else as Mother put it she wouldn't find a husband.

"Mother...please," Elizabeth gasped with the last of the air she had left.

"All right, enough Hannah," Mother turned to the maid (Hannah), Hannah bowed and backed off.

"Consider losing weight, maybe then we can make the corset tighter," Mother looked at panting Elizabeth.

"For God's sake you are 18 years of age today, you could learn to care for yourself by now," Mother huffed and turned to walk out the door.

Elizabeth sighed and plopped on the couch, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes as they stung the rim of her eyelid. These being the kind of tears that if one were to break free, the rest will fall in a never-ending, unbreakable stream. She was 18 today and Mother couldn't be bothered to tell her she looked beautiful or at the very least wished her a happy birthday. Elizabeth's bare feet met the cold stone floor as she stood to look in the mirror. She spun around for a bit and looked at the corset hugging all her curves and the skirt flowing out from her hips. Today was the day she would be assigned her two names, one would be her soulmate, the love of her life, and the other was assigned to assassinate her. Every young lady when they came of the age they would become a woman (18) was given two names selected by the government. It was a game of life and death. From this day forward her life would be filled with hiding, she couldn't go outside, or live her life, and what was Mother worried about, her weight. Elizabeth threw her hands up in frustration and fell back onto her bed, the silk sheet meeting her bare neck sending shivers down her spine. Mother got lucky she found father the love of her life, and he killed her assassin. Her assassin wasn't exactly the definition of strong. Mother was confident Elizabeth would meet the love of her life and he would kill her assassin, so Mother still wanted her to meet suitors and that's what she was to do today. After the ball of course.

"M'lady, Sir William is here to see you," Elizabeth's head turned to look at the door sideways from her position on the bed. Hannah was standing in the door frame, once she met Elizabeth's gaze, she curtsied and left. William walked in. Elizabeth stood up immediately from the bed, nearly toppling over from the amount of force she used to push herself off and she ran over to William and flung her arms around his neck. William was taller than Elizabeth, sort of muscular, and he had these warm blue eyes. William was Elizabeth's childhood best friend

"Oof," William grunted, his eyes laughing. He wrapped his arms around Elizabeth's waist, pulling her in. She could smell his fresh scent of cologne, seeping into her nose. He smelt like a fire-wood but mixed with mint and vanilla that gave off this soothing aroma. Elizabeth scrunched her face, as her abdomen was still sore.

"Oh, I have missed you so, how were your grandmama and grandpapa?" Elizabeth pulled away gently from the hug and sat on the bed pulling William with her.

"Still alive," William grinned, sitting next to Elizabeth on the bed, their knees brushing against each other. Elizabeth threw her head back and laughed, her long locks bouncing as if they were alive, it was mesmerizing as they brushed along her neck. William glanced at her, and one could mistake the simple look in his eyes for one of awe.

William looked away quickly, leaped up onto his feet, and turned to face Elizabeth, with his arm stretched out, beckoning for her to take it."Enough about me. You Miss. Elizabeth are a woman today,"