Desnuerhiel

Chapter 4

"He's a what?!" I shout in disbelief.

Holly puts her finger to her lips to shush me, her eyes looking back and forth from me to the door making sure no one was going to barge in. When no one does, she turns her attention back to me, pausing for just a moment as if to gather her thoughts.

After the disaster at dinner, the girls had brought me back to their room to clean and dress my wounds. It was starting to sink in that this was no dream and that I really was in another world- the claw marks on my throat definitely proved this. Naturally I have a lot of questions. The girls- excluding Natalie who had stormed off into the next room- sit me down near the stone fireplace and try their best to explain what is happening.

Aliyah speaks first; "You heard right Katherine, the prince is a dragon."

I gape at her. "But... but that's not possible. Dragons aren't real!"

"You forget that we aren't in America anymore. We could be on a whole new planet for all we know. No one here knows much about where we are or why, not even those who have been here the longest." Holly looked away with a sad expression on her face. Violet gently grabs Holly's hand and squeezes it.

Aliyah turns back to me and speaks quietly. "Holly is number 4. She's been here for over three years...."

My mind reels from this news. Three years in this place! As I sit there stunned, Violet turns to Aliyah; "the sun is starting to set..."

Holly jerks her head around to look out of the only window in the room, a square less than a ruler's length on all four sides. She jumps up and looks at me; "we have to prepare you, it's almost dusk."

The girls promise they would explain more in the morning, but right now they have to prepare me for my evening. They lead me to the bedroom and sit me on a wooden stool in front of a small mirror. Violet re-does my hair so that not a single strand is out of place. Holly comes next and puts some eyeliner on me, using a stick of dark chalk-like material. Lastly, Aliyah sprays a sweet smelling perfume all over me.

Natalie, who I had totally forgotten was in the bedroom, spoke up; "have fun tonight newbie, enjoy your first time being starry-eyed!" She laughs and prances out the main door, slamming it behind her.

Holly shakes her head. "Don't mind her Katherine, she's like that with everyone. Anyways, you're ready."

"What does 'starry-eyed' mean?" I ask quietly, wondering why Natalie had said that.

Holly, who I decide is the biggest talker of the group, starts her explanation. "Starry-eyed is, well, it's kind of hard to explain. The nights that the prince calls you to his room he will put you under a spell of sorts, to keep you calm and... well, to put it mildly, compliant. It's like a song that goes through your head. The melody is all you can hear, all you can focus on. We call it being starry-eyed because all you can see while you're under the song's spell are the stars in the night sky."

Something inside my brain clicks, "I think I saw someone at dinner that was like that..."

Holly nods slowly, "yes, I'm sure you did. Unfortunately, under certain conditions, the song will sometimes continue to play in your head. It's like a nightmare you can't wake up from....not for a while anyways... The first time you feel it, it's very intense, like you're falling into a black hole and your head is being torn apart. But it starts to feel better after a while."

A pounding on the door makes everyone jump.

Aliyah speaks quickly; "that's the guards. Katherine, you have to go. Don't fight them or the prince...it won't turn out good for you if you do."