A Tale of Stars and Shadows

Chapter Six

Astrea looked to the outstretched hand, carefully examining every line, the way his fingers held so still. She looked up again, to his face, this time she noticed everything about it. His hollow cheekbones, his lips that were almost devoid of color, the pale skin. His eyes. She couldn't stop looking at them, she almost didn't notice his ears. The elongated tips.

He raised an eyebrow at the girl in front of him, not willing to repeat his question. Her face was set into neutrality, careful not to give away any shock. Her ears burned as she took his hand, her face turning stone cold. She swallowed as she let the man guide her onto the dance floor.

No one seemed to notice the mysterious pair, they were all too focused on their own steps to the dramatic music. He led her to an open spot and placed his left hand on her waist. She allowed herself to blink at the touch, still looking into his star-speckled eyes. She broke her stare as he took her hand and came close enough to whisper in her ear, desperately looking for Rhea and Amaya, only to discover they were both transfixed in the eyes of their own dance partners.

"I've been looking for you, for a long time Astrea." His voice, it felt so familiar, as if she'd heard it once in a dream.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" He guided her in small circles around the dance floor, effortlessly spinning her around as if they were the perfect pairing.

"I know many things about you, darling," she winced at the coy term of endearment, "and I only wish to know more."

"Why have you been following me?" She could practically feel the shadows pouring off him now.

"I already told you," his black hair glistened in the light of the chandeliers, "I wanted to know more about you. To learn finally see why you are so much different than the rest," he leaned back slightly, a wicked smile on his face. She leaned back into him, if only to not have to look into those eyes anymore.

The music was growing louder, more sections of the orchestra joining in, she could feel the vibrations of each note in her bones. It was beautiful. "I knew you would like it,"

"Like what?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"The music, I requested this one personally." His mystery knew no end, "and it seems I was correct, you're practically glowing," he leaned back again, with a smile that only graced half of his face, "or maybe it's because you finally lifted your silly little glamour," he dropped her left hand, brushing his fingers along her ear for just a moment. She blinked, uncomfortable with the touch, and leaned her head to the other side. "Well, not all of your glamour then." He took her hand again, and spun her, pulling her back in tight when the turn was finished.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice was quiet in volume but powerful in its demand.

"Everything." Her throat bobbed. "But right now, I just want to finish this dance."

She opened her mouth to speak but rethought. Just finish this dance, she thought, finish this now, deal with him later. She had more important things to worry about than him at this ball. The music ebbed and flowed, and the two still danced, bound tightly together as they did so. Every time she inhaled she could smell the stars that danced underneath his skin, she tried to ignore it, but it was almost impossible. Then the music stopped, ending in a sad, minor chord, beautiful, but sad, almost as if it wasn't finished.

He let go of her waist, but not her hand. No, in fact, he kept hold of her as he backed away a bit, enough to bow slightly and kiss the smooth skin of her hand. "Goodbye for now Astrea." She blinked and he was gone. Probably back to the shadows from whence he came. She looked down at her hand, at the skin where his lips had been. Only the clapping from the other students on the dance floor broke her out of her own thoughts. They clapped for the orchestra, for its beautiful song. She looked around, searching for any sign of a shadow, but there was none. There was no hint of shadow, or the smell of stars, or the man with eyes that held an entire galaxy.

The bell tower rang. 10 o'clock. It was time. Astrea looked around, making sure no one was watching her, and carefully slipped out the front doors. She ran to the closest bathroom, no one was inside luckily as she turned to close the door, and whispered, "sigillum," a sealing spell. She strode over to one of the sinks, whispered an unveiling spell to find her bag exactly where she had let it. She quickly changed and fully lifted her glamour, ready to make a grand entrance.