Fire And Ice

Chapter 18- Having a Ball

I am awakened from my dreams by a soft glowing. Despite my weariness, I sit up and start to search for the source. To my right I see the wardrobe glowing with a soft white light that invites me to open it. I am tempted.

Turning, I try to find Nana to see if she sees the light as well. I find her sitting up on her bed, staring intently at the door.

"What is that Nana?" I ask quietly, careful not to wake the others.

She doesn't move, doesn't even blink at my voice. Worried, I go to her side to make sure she is alright. Sitting beside her on the bed, I notice that she isn't moving, isn't even breathing. I grab her shoulders and try to shake her.

"Nana!" I cry, trying to make her move.

But I can't move her. She is like a statue under my grip. And the others aren't moving either. Which means that Kye is up to something.

Looking to my right the wardrobe catches my eye again. It's still glowing, which means that if I want the others to go back to normal I am going to have to open the wardrobe and find out what Kye wants from me. 

I go to it quickly, and without hesitation, throw the doors open. The light won't wake the others since they are stuck in their own time. Within the wardrobe, the light is actually dimmer, but still shining brightly around a black dress hanging from a silk hanger.

"No way." I say, refusing to even look at the dress.

As if on cue the dress falls from the hanger and lands at my feet. I debate bending to pick it up, but the feeling of being pathetic would be too much. And again, the dress is tugged by some invisible force until the silky fabric touches my foot. The sudden urge to kick it back into the wardrobe is strong. 

But instead I pick up the dress and examine it. After all, Kye isn't going to let the others out of their frozen state until I do what he wants. It's better to humor him than sit back and be stubborn.

The dress I hold in my hands is long and ruffled slightly at the bottom. The neckline is low, maybe a little too low for my liking, and there is a red ribbon running along the lining down the back. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was a wedding dress, designed specifically for a vampire.

I snort, because if he thinks he is going to trick me into marrying him by getting into this dress he is wrong. But I slip it over my head anyway. Not because I have decided to give up, but because I don't have any other choice. I am not getting out of this just by saying no, so I might as well show up dressed for the occasion and then fight my way out. 

Once the dress is over my clothes, I go to work slipping them off so that nothing is visible. Kye is always watching, and I really don't want him to ever see that much of me. Though, once I have the dress on and I see myself in the mirror, I realize he is already seeing more of me than I ever would have allowed.

I am about to shout many unlady like things to the air, when another soft glow come from the doorway.

"No what?" I ask the ceiling.

But, as expected, I get no answer. So, instead of standing there like an idiot, I follow the light to the door. 

I throw the door open to reveal the source of the light; a shimmering ballroom with a dozen glowing glass chandeliers.Instantly I am taken by it's beauty. It's golden walls, and marble floors, and red banners hanging from every wall. Music pours from an unknown source, filling the room with notes that make my feet feel light in my sneakers.

"Welcome." Kye's voice carries across the room.

When I spot him standing in the center of the room, I have to take a step back to steady myself.