Wicked

Chapter Thirty-Two

I was dreaming. It was lovely, like long-stemmed roses, then it turned and twisted into something wicked. My dress was glorious, a big poofy scarlet colored ball gown. The corset hugged my ribs, squeezing my insides in an hourglass shape. Daniel was on my arm, as we walked up the cobbled walkway. There were traditional Victorian lamp posts guiding us towards the large castle that stood like a monument.

I blinked and we were inside gliding on the dance floor. There were at least fifty people doing the same thing as us. The floor filled with dancing skirts and luxury I thought was dead. I felt light as a feather. I took this moment to look at Daniel, who wore a black tailcoat with a maroon colored vest underneath. I stared at his high waisted pants and brown lace-up boots. He looked like he was right out of the 1800s.

There were violins in the background. Their notes swirling around us as we danced. It made me giggle, causing Daniel to grin down at me. He held me close, lips hovering above my own. This felt different, not like the lust from earlier. He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Darling, you are a vision out here. You are as beautiful as a--

"Long-stemmed rose?" I interrupted his honey-like voice. His hair was darker in my dream, nearly black and his eyes were dark blue. The more I looked at him, the more he changed. I knew it was Daniel, so that was all that mattered.

"A long-stemmed rose, of course. You know my feelings are ardor and true, yet you know I have to leave." His words weren't confused. I knew what he was talking about. I reached out to touch his cheek.

"I know of our sinister conundrum. We shan't be afraid of it. If you love me, you would understand my disposition." Daniel's eyes flickered with fear, for just a split moment. Something inside me rumbled, yearned to expel it. However, he needed to know how I felt.

"My love for you is irrevocable. It is unchanged. It is unmoved. It is as of the sun and the moon combined. You know this, darling." I removed my hand from his cheek and stepped back. I had unyielding rage bubbling at my surface.

"Your words create a paradox I no longer wish to be a part of." Anger swept over me. He was creating excuses, using our love as an excuse to leave. He had a choice, but as always he had to follow the rules. "I wish to wait no longer, you must decide: me or your rules." My hands shook at my sides.

I knew I was causing a scene, ruining his little ball. The anger I felt erased those warnings I should have felt. Over and over again, I had watched him choose his rules and regulations. He always chose them over me. He told me he loved me, but never showed it. His words were becoming useless.

"I hath tried to teach you why rules are important countless times, yet you still haven't a clue. You know my answer will not change because you do not change." In a fit of rage, I held up my hands.

"Mors mortis in te permanens!" I screamed, wielding the repressing power I had pushed down for vastly too long. The black electric smoke hit his chest, then he fell to the ground. The spell I had cast was a powerful one. Of course, all the powerful spells were in Latin. I knew it would work.

There were screams in the backgrounds, but I just smiled. He wouldn't ever choose his rules over me again. Soon, they would find me and put me to death, but I didn't care. For the first time, I had the upper hand over him and I could die satisfied. I walked over his dying body and bent down.

"Et erimus iterum conventiant," I whispered the promise we always made to each other: we would meet again. It could be in another lifetime or many lifetimes later, but we always found each other. Our souls intertwined together to perpetually be plagued by the presence of the other. It was our curse and our blessing.