Fangs of Corruption

Chapter 7

I apply a dark red shade of lipstick hurriedly. Suddenly I hear a light knock at the door. "One sec!" I call out. I put the lipstick back in its tube and adjust my dress. I rush over to the door, swinging it open. "Hey, sorry about the wait." I say smiling. "I was trying to multitask by doing my homework whilst applying makeup. Definitely not a good idea if- ." Cain cuts off my rambling. "You look beautiful." He says with a wide smile, his eyes taking me in. "Oh, thanks." I say nervously.
He tucks a hair behind my ear, looking deeply into my eyes. His eyes glisten with admiration and happiness. "You don't clean up badly either." I whisper. He leans in. His face closer to mine. "Can I?" He asks. "Yeah, you can." I say, smiling like an idiot. He gently tilts my chin up. I stand on my tip-toes as he kisses me softly. We're suddenly interrupted by Raven coming through the door. "Sorry, continue. I'm just passing through!" She says with a smug look on her face as she slips past me. He pulls away and gives Raven a nod of acknowledgment.
"Shall we?" He says taking my hand. "Let's go." I say. We walk into the large ballroom. I take in my surroundings with astonishment. The ballroom looks like something from a castle. The marble floors expand forever. While the white panelled walls boast beautiful flower mosaics. The room is filled with different species in elegant gowns and suits. An extravagant chandelier hangs from the ceiling, with intricate jewels trickling from it. I look up to see a balcony wrapping around the expanse of the ballroom.
"I wasn't expecting this to be so extravagant." I say with wide eyes. "Yeah, this school likes to go all out." He says. He squeezes my hand. "Wanna dance?" He asks. I smile shyly. "I'm not the best at dancing." He laughs softly. "Don't worry, I'll guide you." He says dragging me onto the dance floor. Elegant music plays over the laughter and conversation around us. He places his hands on my waist, as I wrap mine around his neck. He begins to step rhythmically, I try to mimic him but step on his foot. "God, sorry! I told you I'm useless at dancing." He laughs. "You're not. You just need some extra assistance." He says. I look up at him reluctantly. He holds me up as he steps back and forth.
"There." He says, holding in laughter. The light fairies stare at me with jealousy and disgust "Everyone's looking at us!" I say as I look around. "Who cares, let's give them something to look at." He says as he spins me around playfully. "Cain!" I say as I laugh loudly. We dance for a while longer. Enjoying each others company. It's so easy to laugh with Cain. Everything's so light and all my worries seem to fade. I don't know what we are, but I'm just enjoying how nice it feels. He drinks me in with his adoring eyes. "I really admire you, Ivy. I've never met someone like you before." He says. I look at him with surprise. "Really?"I ask suspiciously. "Everyone at this school just tries their best to conform. You're different, you don't try to be anything, you're just amazing." I smile at him awkwardly. He smirks. "Plus you're really beautiful." He adds. "Oh please, keep going!" I say jokingly. We laugh together without a care in the world. "I'll go get us some drinks." Cain says. "Thanks." I smile as I watch him walk into the crowd of students. Suddenly I feel eyes boring into me. I look up at the balcony to see Zayne glaring down at me. The same blonde from the woods is fighting for his attention, kissing his neck. A strange mix of emotions brews in his eyes, mostly anger. I bite my lip nervously. I don't know why he's looking at me like I killed his dog, but I don't care to stick around.
I walk through the crowd, looking for a familiar face to talk to. I walk around aimlessly, I have no idea where the drinks table is. I walk through a large gothic archway leading to a small balcony that overlooks the forest. I find Ben looking out at the forest. "Hey Ben." I say. He turns around to face me. He looks more nervous than ever. "Oh, h-hey Ivy." He says with surprise. He clutches a cigarette in his hand. "I didn't know you smoked." I say. He smiles weakly. "I don't. I just needed something to calm the nerves." He says. He's shaking. "Hey, what's wrong? Is Zayne still bothering you?" I ask worriedly. He shakes his head. "I'm fine, go find my brother. Have some fun." He says insistently.
A cold breeze sends chills down my spine. I wrap my arms around myself. "If there's something going on you can tell me." I say. Ben looks up. I turn around to see Zayne standing on the balcony. "Ivy go." Ben says loudly, he stares at Zayne angrily. I shake my head. "No, I'm staying." I insist. Zayne walks towards me. "Do what he says. I just want to talk to him." He says firmly. I look back at Ben. "Please, he just wants to talk to me. I'll be fine." I step back reluctantly. "Good girl." Zayne says. I shoot him an angry glare. "You'll come talk to me later, Ben?" I ask. "I promise, I'll see you later. Go enjoy yourself." He says with a weak smile. I look at him with concern as I walk out slowly. As I turn the corner I find Raven backed against the wall, Tom standing over her forcefully.
She's glaring at him coldly, but I see the fear engulfing her. "Tell me, Raven. Which guys are you screwing." He says, practically breathing down her neck. She rolls her eyes. "There is no guys, can we just go back to the party already?" She says frustratedly. He shakes his head slowly. "Don't lie to me." He tuts at her condescendingly. "You wouldn't be dressed like a little slut unless you wanted attention from another man." Suddenly the interrogative manner disappears, what's left is pure anger and conviction.
She just rolls her eyes at him once again, ignoring his allegations. "ANSWER ME!" He yells as he presses himself into her even more. Raven is a tough girl, but this isn't something even she can endure. "Let her go." I say, trying my best to keep an even tone of voice. He looks away from her. He meets my eyes, but I don't back down from our staring contest. His eyes are glazed with anger and insanity, a dangerous amalgam. "Don't you know when to mind your own fucking business, fairy?" He spits angrily. I shrug my shoulders innocently. "Sorry, I guess I don't." I say with a smile. He looks back at her furiously, loosening his grip on her. "This conversation isn't over." He says threateningly. He backs away, shooting me a death glare as he leaves. I rush to her with concern. "Are you okay? That was intense." I say. She smirks nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it, he just gets jealous sometimes." She says.
I raise my eyebrows. "It looked like more than a little male jealousy. He looked like he wanted to murder someone." I tilt my head. She laughs weakly. "He's all bark no bite. I can handle him, you didn't need to step in." She says reassuringly. I furrow my brows. "I definitely needed to step in, I know you have your defence walls up. But that doesn't mean your immune to him." I say with concern. She smiles coolly. "Sure, whatever. Anyways I'm going to find Christian and get some drinks. I'll see you later." She says as she struts off swiftly. I shake my head frustratedly. She can try to play the tough girl act on me all she wants, that doesn't mean I'll believe it. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on that.
For the remainder of the night I hang out with Cain. Everything just feels easy and fun when I'm with him. I spend a lot of the night laughing and dancing with him. As the final slow dance of the night plays, I sleepily melt into Cain's embrace. He does most of the work, guiding us around the dance floor. Suddenly I'm awake and alert when I see Zayne storming away in the corner of my eye. He slips through the back exit, the door slamming behind him. Nobody else seems to notice his abrupt exit but it spikes my attention. I realise that I haven't seen Ben since he and Zayne spoke. I glance down at my phone. Ben has yet to respond to any of my texts.
Obviously Zayne did something to really tick him off. I pull away from Cain's embrace. "You okay?" He asks. "I'm fine. I'm just going to go freshen up. I'll only be a second." I say reassuringly. He smiles at me. "Alright, I'll be right here." I nod softly. I begin to weave through the crowd of dancers, making my way to the exit. I push it open. The cold and damp air flowing in. I move forward, squinting as I try to make out where Zayne is. The dark night a veil over the woodland. A light trickle of rainfall beginning. I then see Zayne's silhouette in the distance. I walk towards him confidently. "What did you say to Ben?" I say boldly. He turns around. His cold gaze meeting mine. "That's none of your business." He states. Any ounce of courage I approached him with has disappeared.
He doesn't look like he's in any good humour right now, in fact he looks scarier. "Go inside, your dog is waiting." He says coldly. I scoff at him with dismay. "You don't get to tell me what to do, and Cain is not my damn dog!" I say frustratedly. The thunder begins to rumble above. He steps forward. "Then why has he been following you around all night with that idiotic look on his face?" He says, his voice raised. I stare at him with confusion. Why is he so bothered by Cain? "I don't see how this matters." I say.
The rain begins to pick up. The cold droplets running down my skin. "Your right it doesn't matter. Go inside." He reiterates. "No! Tell me what you said to Ben." I press. His cold expression wares thin, cracks of frustration in his mask. "You obviously said something awful to Ben because I haven't seen him anywhere tonight!" I run my hands through my hair exasperatedly. The rainfall beginning to become heavier "Why do you act this way! Why do you always have to- ." He cuts off my ranting with a rough kiss. He holds me tightly as the rain pours, soaking us.
The kiss is desperate and passionate, my body betrays me when I moan softly. I'm on cloud nine, in a state of euphoria. I've never felt this way before in my life. I want it to keep going forever, but I finally come to my senses. I pull away, I shake my head. He looks down at me with a softened gaze, his hands still wrapped around my waist. The raindrops running down his beautiful face. "Shit, we shouldn't have done that, that was a-." I falter. I try to pull away from him but he doesn't let go of me. "I have to go, let me go!" I shout. He looks at me blankly, his grip loosens. I back away from him. I stumble back into the depths of the forest, reaching for the door. I open the door and look back. He's still standing there, looking at me. What the hell did I just do, and why did I enjoy it?