𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 || 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲

Chapter 22 - New Years Eve

           Every game has winners... and losers.

***

            Lucius watched as Tatiana joined a group of giggling young women congressing near the mouth of the maze. The game attracted both young and old, some women looked to their husbands in the crowd, daring them a challenge, whilst young women looked around feigning sweet innocence as they assessed which men were looking their way, marking them a target. At the ring of the bells, the women made their way into the maze. Like damsels in distress, holding hands they pulled each other along in little jogging bursts, their mouths wide with laughter, eyes full of excitement. It's what made her stand out amongst them.

            Ophelia walked lazily into the maze, her chin high, her twinkling skirts caressing her legs as they dragged behind her in the gravel. She made no haste, or bore any interest in the men who eyed her curiously as she made her way into the maze. A decision right away: left, or right? Right. Onward she walked, her face creasing and cringing at the high-pitched shrieks of laughter that filled the maze. She came to a cross roads... straight ahead. Onwards she trudged through the gravel, observing the girls hiding with girlish laughs in the shadows of the tall hedges that made up the maze.

            Another choice, left... or right? Left.

            Ophelia's ears perked up at the jingle of the bells.

            The men had been unleashed.

            Biting her lip, Ophelia decided to up her pace, making random turns, her skirts flowed behind her like escaping starlight. Male voices behind her. The squeals of joy, and the odd disappointed sigh could be heard through the green leafed walls as men caught their prey.

            Glancing up at the large clock, visible on rear tower of the house, she'd already been heading deeper into the maze for almost twenty minutes. Left. Straight ahead. Right. Left. Right. There was no sign of Tatiana, or Lucius. Or Macnair. Ophelia shuddered slightly at that thought, and headed deeper into the maze. Her pace picking up once again. She met two dead ends with a sigh, backtracking she took a left. Straight ahead. Right. Another dead end.

            Ophelia turned on the spot, exasperated by the maze's never ending-ness. She was failing in her quest to locate the dark-haired beauty that had captivated Lucius' attention for the majority of the night. Lifting her foot she pushed away her dark shining skirts, and massaged her aching feet. She wasn't used to wearing heels quite as high as the strappy black sandals practically dangling from her feet. She especially wasn't used to trudging through gravel, little stones tickling and scratching her bare toes. Ophelia rubbed at her foot as she leaned against a stone statue of an angel, though one of its wings had long snapped off. She glanced up at the clock again, midnight was nearing closer and closer, only twenty minutes to go. Two nearing male voices caught her attention away from the snow-covered clock hands, away from her aching feet. She froze at the realisation she was trapped in a dead end, and neither of those voices she could match a face to.

***

            Meanwhile, elsewhere in the maze, two men walked side by side, now and then the duo were passed by successful couples, some of them holding hands, or hanging off arms, others practically being dragged down the gravel paths, clearly unhappy with their matches.

            "Well... I haven't seen Tatiana dangling from a young man's arm... yet." Severus voiced as he eyed the faces of those passing them lazily. "Though there's not long left to discover her... just under twenty minutes to go... we have been walking for twenty-five minutes already, and still haven't met your prize."