A Mystery At Ravenscroft

Perfect In Paradise

Madilyn

September 20th, 2021

"Let the games begin," the headmaster says, and I'm almost certain his eyes lingered in my direction. A chill goes down my spine, and I shift my gaze towards my friends. I'll have to tell them about that note later. We all start to rise. This is the moment where we part ways for now. It's time to make our way towards the ballots at the back of the room. The slots are like P.O. boxes but without a lock and key. We each have a block similar to a locker, where they can slip the notes into our box with ease. I go to my slot, where they put who you will do tonight's game with. Most of the time, you get the same person. They hand-pick your partner from the very beginning, assigning us with the person we would mostly be compatible with. But with a lot of people getting eliminated recently, those numbers change, and so do our partners. It's very crowded by everyone's slots, so I wait until a girl named Gabriella Smythe gets her note and walks away not looking the happiest. I finally reach my box and pull out the card.

You will be enjoying tonight's game of Perfect in Paradise with Julian Callahan. Please find him in the Grande Room two doors over. There will be a little card on his table indicating for you to join him. Enjoy your night, and hope you find the love of your life tonight.

—Viridian

I look up from the note, my body unable to contain the excitement. This is one of the new boys from Amsterdam. From what the rumors were, they were hot—like a gorgeous guy you see at the store one day and you never forget about. I try to contain myself; finally, something is going right for me. The last guy I was paired up with was Chandler Winston. Do not get me wrong, he was very sweet and very funny in the beginning. He was everything you could want in a guy—tall, funny, made good conversations; but he was moving too fast. After only knowing him for about a month and being paired up with him from the beginning, he was already talking about children. I'm still trying to figure out basic algebraic equations in math class, and he already wants to talk about having children with me. I told him that it freaked me out, and he said that he understood. But he also said that he meant it—that the moment I let him, we would have children. I was utterly disgusted the moment he let those words escape his mouth. I wanted to complain so bad about the decision to pair me with him, but you never break the cardinal rule. Never question our superiors. It was nothing but pure luck that I was paired with someone else now. I actually haven't even seen Chandler tonight. Where was he? He wasn't a presence you could miss. Maybe... could he have been one of the people who were eliminated? If he was, I wonder why. 

I put my card in my clutch and go out of the room. It's slightly crowded in the halls from girls trying to find their partner in the multiple rooms. All down elegantly decorated halls were rooms filled with guys waiting for their partners. The halls were wide and were able to fit all of us without trampling each other. I walk towards my left as instructed in the note and count two doors down. I open the door and see nothing but pure bliss. The ground is completely covered in sand—which isn't very conducive with heels on—and there are palm trees as decor with string lights connecting each one together. There are three tables, with a guy sitting down at each. The furniture is Rattan, and it fits the overall theme nicely. There are multiple waiters, taking orders and asking if everything is alright. I make my way down, looking for my partner's name on the table. With the sand crunching underneath my heels, I make my way down the room and finally find my partner waving me over.

The rumors were true. This man was gorgeous. He had light skin, slightly dreaded hair, one piercing on his left ear, sleek brown glasses that framed his face nicely, and beautiful brown freckles that populated the top half of his face. He was tall and was wearing a nice fitted black suit. His eyes were hazel with a bit of gold. I could get lost in them, I thought to myself. As I get halfway there, he stands up and waits for me. I make my way over to him, and he smiles, and he gives me a hug. He smells good—like the kind of guy who doesn't use five-in-one body wash for everything on his body. He pulls out my chair for me, and I thank him as I sit down. He gets back to his seat, and we begin our evening.

"So, how are you tonight, Madilyn?" He asks, with a deep voice that I was not expecting.

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking," I say, taking a sip of whatever was in my cup this evening. It tasted like a tropical punch. "And how are you?"

"I'm splendid."

There is a brief pause, and we lock eyes for a moment, and I start to blush. Now is not the time to let him know I'm not good at flirting. I have to look and act my best because if I don't, he would soon be up for grabs.

"So Julian, tell me a little about yourself."

"Well, I am quite the romantic if I do say so myself. I like to go on proper dates, like dinner at a fancy restaurant, but sometimes I also like to have fun when I'm on dates—it doesn't always have to be so serious. I—er, play soccer professionally back in Amsterdam, and I love it honestly. Ha, I'm rambling. Enough about me, what about you? Tell me about my gorgeous partner tonight," He said smiling.

We talked and talked for about a good hour. We just clicked, and it was a relief. There was a lot of me in him, which I liked. He was ticking all my boxes, and I hope that's the case vice versa. After about an hour of getting to know each other, eating our meal that consisted of hummus, pita bread, and club sandwiches, the bell had chimed within our room. We were done for the evening. He rose up from the chair as I did, and he gave me a hug. Afterward, as I tried to let go, his arms clung to the back of me—he wasn't letting go. He kissed me on the cheek and then released me.

"I hope I get to see you again Madilyn." He said. "Until next Friday?"

My face was fully red now, from embarrassment but also from nervousness. I nodded because no words were forming at this point. I waved goodbye to him with a smile stuck on my face and walked out of the room, to find my friends waiting for me in the common room.