Darknessstarted to fade in The Observatory, as a new day began. TheObservatory was home to the royal family of angels. As you wouldexpect, The Observatory was in heaven. Everything was pure and clean,literally. Everything was pure white, the rooms were so bright thatto normal humans and most angels it would be potentially harmful totheir eyes, that's why hardly anyone came in and very few left.Even though you would expect something magical and 'out of thisworld', so to speak, there wasn't much in The Observatory in theway of fun; but it was all that they needed. Except for one girl.
AsCelia slowly opened her gorgeous, crystal blue eyes, and brushed herbeautiful auburn hair out of her face she didn't see the amazingopportunities that her mother believed The Observatory had for her,all she saw was an empty space. Celia wasn't like the rest of herfamily, she wanted to explore the world but she didn't have thatchance – she is a prisoner in her own home.
Celiawas the most beautiful girl in the kingdom, any boy would be lucky tohave her but they didn't have a chance because her partner wasalready arranged. This was the day she had been dreading her entirelife. The day she turned 16.
Thisday was different from all the other days, when she awoke she didn'tsee a bright light entering her room, all she saw was the impendinggloom that loomed over her while she waited to find out who herhusband would be. Every day she dreamed about what he would looklike, she wished that it would be a handsome angel, who was tall,green eyes and black hair because she loved the way the lightreflected off black hair. She pictured him as a lovely angel whowould shower her with the love that she deserved. She wanted thechance to fall in love but she wasn't allowed past the gates of TheObservatory. Despite this, Celia was a positive angel and she knewthat her parents would pick out the perfect man to help her rule thekingdom. She didn't really mind too much as long as she wouldn'thave to marry Markus.
MarkusZuralis was a horrid young angel whom she had known all her life. Hewas the type of angel that every girl in the kingdom would droolover, except her she hated him with a passion, and yet she was theonly one that he loved. He was the vilest young man you would evermeet, he was manipulative and mean, but even Celia had to admit thathe was handsome. The way his hair was spiked up every morning intoperfect peaks like glorious mountains and the way his eyes glistenedin the light, but she didn't care. She wanted everything shethought she deserved. But she had faith that her mother wouldn'tpick him over all the other boys in the kingdom.
Shesnapped out of her daydreams of fantasy boys and sighed, knowingtoday was her last day of freedom. She ambled over to her clothes andslipped on a wonderful blue dress with a red band at the waist thatmade her waist look even smaller than she already was. She searchedher wardrobe for her shoes and discovered they were missing. Panicset in. They were her favourite pair! She ransacked her entire roomsearching for them but there was no such luck, so she raceddownstairs and burst through the door, immediately stopping in hertracks. That wasn't her mother she saw siting on the sofa...
"Ohno! She wouldn't have! Would she?" she thought to herself, dreadfilling her. Unluckily for her, she had unknowingly said this aloud.
"Yes,she would, Darling" he said. That very word was enough to make hersick. Internally cringing with every word he said. She felt her worldcome crashing down around her. She knew exactly what this meant, andit wasn't what she had dreamed of. She noticed that he had nevertaken his eyes off of her. She felt slightly nauseous at this. Thistime his eyes weren't glistening in a charming manner like theyusually were, they were menacing like he was plotting how to make herlife hell.
Justbefore she could say anything else to him her mother walked in andshe watched his eyes soften, into his usual fake expression that onlyshe could see through.
Celiahad inherited her mother's looks, but she was far more beautiful asthe years of service to her kingdom had finally washed away hermother's radiance. Her hair was far longer than her daughter's,her fiery auburn locks fell carelessly down her back, past her slimwaist, yet it still looked perfectly placed. Her golden skin wasstarting to fade as a consequence of her age. Her eyes? Well, theywere the most beautiful. Her eyes could put any man in a trance. Buttoday there was a bit of extra sparkle in them... Today she wasexcited and Celia wasn't happy about it.
"OhCelia. I wasn't expecting you down so soon! It was meant to be asurprise!"
"WellI was looking for my sho... Wait what do you mean surprise?"
"Thisis Markus, as you know. He is going to be your husband! Isn't thatexciting?"
"YOUTHINK I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS!?" Celia yelled at her mother as shestormed out.
Celiadidn't stop to think about what she had just said to her ownmother. All she could think about was the disappointment in thesunken eyes of her mother, but she didn't stop running. She raceddown the corridor following all the twists and turns of the corridorto her secret place that nobody knew about. Or so she thought...
Assoon as she turned the corner to finally reach her destination, sherecognised the menacing, brown eyes staring down at her.
"Noneed to run, is there?" She turned to flee but is stopped byMarkus' best friend Aria.
"There'sno way out of this hunny!"
Herheart beat sped up and she was sure that they could all hear thevoices in her head screaming and battling against each other. Sheglanced around the room in an attempt to find an escape route. Shelooked one way but there appeared someone blocking her path, andanother and another. Everywhere she looked there was someone there.Then she heard a snigger from behind her, which she would recogniseanywhere in a heartbeat. She turned quickly around, her hair flyingabout with her swift movement. Now facing the thing... it... HIM! Shelooked directly into the eyes of her worst nightmare... MarkusZuralis. His eyes were shooting daggers into her body, but still,somehow deep in his eyes glistened love... The love he still held forCelia and only Celia. Markus gave her a sly grin. She felt her feetbeing lifted from the ground and she soon realised that she was beingcarried back to her mother. She struggled but there was no way out.
Shehung her head low with shame as she is finally discarded onto thefloor in front of her mother. Celia knew that it would not be wise toeven glance at her mother. Angels crowded around, gasps arising inshock.
"Celia,Darling, what's wrong?"
"Iwon't marry him mother" She whispered.
"Whatwas that, love?"
"ISAID I WILL NOT MARRY HIM!" Celia yelled.
Hermother took a step back in disgust at the way her own daughter hadyelled at her. She was brought back to reality as the leader of thecouncil whispered something in her ear that caused a solitary tear toslip out of her mother's eye, nodding.
"I'mafraid... you leave... me no... choice then! You have to... go down...there!"
Hermother burst out crying and gave her a quick hug, slipping somethinginto her hand then exiting the room in a fit of hysterics. Thecouncil then proceeded to force Celia into the teleportation shaftand, without saying a word, she is gone.
