Power at its Finest

Chapter 6

I've been asked to dance at least four times. I've either declined or walked away. Gods I'm an idiot. I look over at Ivy to see if she had something for me to do for the party. Her outfit of choice was a shorter dress. Her hair was up in a brown, messy bun. It was smart of Isadora to choose Ivy as the event organizer. It was clear she could also organize an outfit. I'm left with my own thoughts. Ivy can't help me this time. Where's Seamus? If I find him, I'm sure I can start a conversation.

"Are you ok?" I turn to the sudden voice and see one of the guards holding out a hand. I take it instinctively.

"Right now? I'm not sure."

"That's an honest response."

"Why lie?"

"All true. Im Lazarus."

"I'm Tenley."

"I know that." He smirked at his own sarcastic response. I loosened a little at his humor. He looks at me a little longer and returns to what I could guess was his post. I let out a breath I was holding. I tend to do that on top of thought ranting, holding my breath.

"Miss Tenley! Over here!" Seamus! Oh thank the gods hes calling for me. I make my way over faster than I should.

"Sea, how are you this evening?" He nods toward a friend of his. A girl, she's quaint with long brown hair and a small bod, short as well. She's no older than 13, I'm sure of it.

"This is Tabitha! She works as a water girl in the arena with me. She also keeps to the animals at her family farm." She sounds like a good friend of Sea's. I look around for adults that look like her, parents of course, but I don't find any.

"I really only attend to the smaller animals; rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, it's not a job too tedious! I enjoy it."

"I've never actually seen a guinea pig before. You'll have to show me when I find time in my agenda." Her face lights up as if she had just been given an offer of a lifetime. She looks at Sea then back at me and jumps, I adore her spirit. My attention was taken off of the two by laughing and loud chatter.

"Xenon youre doing it all wrong! Here let me show you." The strange face stood up on a table and tried to imitate what the other was doing, but failing miserably.

"I'm doing it so much better than you. You know Im the better dancer." They both start performing this god awful routine. This of course ends up with them on the ground wheezing until they have no breath left.

"You're bad!" The dark-haired boy gets shoved by the other.

"I am so much better than you Ottis! You cant even compare." I shake my head at the nonsense the boys created and turned my attention to other things. The first dance was starting to end and people were leaving the floor to cool down. Everyone looks amazing. They're making me second guess my outfit. Socializing wasn't as hard as I thought.

The boys, who had made a mess of the nearby table, approached me.

"Aren't you the new girl?" He was called Xenon by Ottis. Being shorter than me, he was less intimidating.

"Yes, I'm the newest member of the court. I see you two have been... enjoying yourselves." They both ignore my tone of "please go away" and continue to chat.

"Have you actually done anything for the Kingdom since you've been here?" Ottis sounded snobby and a bit like Nox; full of himself. I want to get out of this situation. This question is stupid to ask, on his behalf.

"No, but," he cuts me off.

"So what exactly are you doing here?" My mind begins to race. I don't know the answer to that question. What would Basil say? Basil would never be asked this question. Everybody loves him. I look around for assistance, an excuse, anything.

"She can't answer your question!"

"That's disappointing." The two boys look at each other and laugh walking away. I begin to remember "the people I almost hate" list and their names slip right up to the top. Gods I hate little boys who think they know everything. But, they were right. I don't know how to answer his question and that is, in fact, disappointing.

My head is starting to spin and the music is becoming distant. I look up and try to get a grip on what's going on with anything. Nox is dancing with Dunixi. Anthony is dancing with Isadora. Basil is dancing with a stranger, a fan girl no doubt. Dion is dancing on his own by the orchestra. What am I doing? I need to do something. Someone taps my shoulder and seeing that I don't give them an immediate response, they swing me into action. My mind pieces itself back together. Lazarus.

"What are you doing?"

"You started to panic, Im helping you." Hes an idiot! How is making me dance in the center of the room helpful?

"Trust me." I look at him confused, but I let him move us with the music. I begin to let myself go with the melodies and rhythms presented through high and low notes. It's going to be ok.

"The Northerners are in the building!"

They're what?!