Lost but Loved

Chapter One: Brian is Back

A teenage girl walked self consciously into the big spacious room of the castle. She wore a poor girl's black dress that looked dingy against some of the richer girls' dresses that had frills, lace, tight corsets, and hooped skirts. She wore a necklace of rope around her neck from which dangled a fox claw. This girl was tall, with a decent sized waist and broad shoulders. Her blonde hair was styled into a long frizzy braid. Dancers and couples twirled around the dance floor, the band stood on a platform playing soft music and everyone seemed happy. Lucy felt her troubles lift off her shoulders.

She walked over to some kids she knew from the few days that she attended a private school for upper class children. A shy boy gave Lucy a small smile and looked away. He joined in on the conversation when he wanted too, but otherwise he was quiet. Lucy always voiced her opinion, even if it wasn't good for a girl to think of such matters.  After awhile, Lucy decided she would get a drink. She broke away from the group and walked to the drinks table. Hands wrapped around her waist and she whipped around to see the shy boy. He gave a little smile.

"Hey, Lucy. I um, tripped. Er, well almost. You stopped me from falling." He blushed a deep red and released Lucy. She eyed him suspiously.

"Its okay." She turned around and got a drink that she carefully sipped and walked to a bench by the wall. The boy followed her. "Do you need something?"

The boy looked over his shoulder then realized she was talking to him. "Oh. I just wanted to know if, maybe," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, nevermind." He gave her a polite little bow and walked away.

"Did I scare him?" Lucy asked herself under her breath.

Later on, while Lucy was alone and sitting on a bench, marking her initials into the wood with a small knife, a man came up to Lucy with a smirk on his face. His black hair hid his hazel eyes. Lucy stood and tried to run. She knew this man and hated him. Or well not him, just what he did. Her thin ankle length black dress still allowed her a little room to run in. As she ran through little groups of people, she cursed Jane for bringing her here to a royal ball that she didn't belong at.

Jane was most likely on the other end of the spacious room. Too far to run to for support. Lucy ran to the table of fancy drinks to look back. The man was strolling through the crowd towards her. His eyes gleamed with triumph as he neared Lucy. She quickly fixed her blonde bushy hair and her necklace. She breathed in and out slowly.

"Lucy! How are you?" The man strolled up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Brian. I am fine," she replied coldly. He leaned in closer to her. "Till you showed your ugly face."

He laughed, a laugh she used to love hearing in hard times but now just reminded her of what was gone. "You are funny, Lucy. Why do you have to hate me?" his voice was grave.

She turned around and wiggled out of his grip. "Because of what you did, you monster!"

"But Lucy-"

"No! I will never be able to forgive you after what you did! Go get lost, Brian!" Lucy stomped off towards the door, leaving him standing there staring after her.

Lucy reached the door and was going to pull it open when someone approached her from behind. She spun around to be face to face with a very pretty girl with bouncey red curls, freckles on her nose, red full lips and a curvy body that fit her skin tight light pink dress perfectly. Her bright sparkling green eyes were lower than Lucy's dark blue but very pretty.

"Jane, you scared me! I thought you were Brian."

Jane looked over her shoulder, grabbed Lucy's wrist and dragged her to a corner. Then she whispered in her friend's ear. "You mean... Brian is here?"

Lucy nodded her head sadly. "Yes. He tried to like-"

"Don't tell me," Jane said with a hint of a whine. She placed a clean small hand on Lucy's shoulder. "He tried to hold you like he used to. Am I right?"

Lucy looked at her feet in embarrassment. "Yes. Can we please leave now? I don't want to stay here if Brian is here. Besides, I am sure we have stayed out too late."

Jane laced her arm in Lucy's and walked her to the door. "Of course, Lucy. I'd love to leave if you want to."

Lucy looked down at Jane and raised her eyebrows. "Sarcasm so late at night? Really, are you feeling okay?" Lucy knew this was sarcasm it self but she had to tease her best friend every once in awhile.