Dark Night: Episode 3 (The Darkest Nights Series) (2 page)

We heard Sophie opening the door and gave each other a quiet look.

“After the ball, could we talk?” I whispered.

“Definitely,” She whispered back right before Sophie joined us.

“What’s all the fuss about?” She asked, sitting back down.

“Uh, Nothing, I was just telling her about that cutie you like, what was his name?” It was Mereily who answered quickly.

“It’s Kevin and I really do
like
him.” She corrected her as she blushed.

“Yeah, he’s one of the royals and they tend to stick together, you’ll notice at the ball__ Oh crap it’s time!” Mereily jumped up and pulled us with her. “Come on guys.” She dragged us out the door. We had to walk slowly, our dresses were one reason and the crowd of people walking down the stairs was another.

It looked like a red carpet event and that was nothing compared to this. I saw maybe two other girls wearing dresses similar to mine, of course theirs was a different color and style.

We got to the bottom of the stairs when I heard someone shout.

“Everyone have a blast!” Genevieve said loud enough for most to hear out in the hall. 

“I don’t know why you like her, she’s evil.” I joked and made Sophie laugh in the process.

Mereily faked a giggle, “She’s stuck up sometimes but once you really get to know her she’s very___”

“Shallow and stubborn,” Sophie interrupted her and I had to laugh at that.

Finally we went into the dining room and our mouths fell open. “They just keep getting better and better.”

It was Mereily who said it.

Genevieve was flirting with Jack McKey, a senior. She had not noticed me entering the Dining room. Jack however, did. He nodded at me and Genevieve turned to look, her attitude completely changed. She left Jack and his friends by a table they were about to take and walked towards me.

She was wearing the typical royal gown. It was definitely her type, red and black with a hint of white, long and form fitted. She smiled and came to a stop directly in front of me. “Hey, we were just talking about you handsome.” She barely kissed me on the lips. “You want to join us?”

“Us?” I asked.

“Them. Us? Why does it matter? Robbie you’re not jealous are you?” She asked taking a hold of my hand.

I really wasn’t, the only reason why that upset me was because I was trying to have a relationship with Genevieve But she wasn’t helping since she was throwing herself at other men. I felt nothing towards her being flirtatious with others, but it was just dangerous and she knew it.

“I guess a little.” I lied to play the part. We both knew what game we were playing and we had to try and do it right. I had always known she had a thing for Jack and anyone could see why, he was a nice guy. Sometimes the thought of not being with her was like heaven. “How about we get our own table?” The idea of having those two all over each other in public was just not going to work for us.

Genevieve talked about herself of course, for what seemed like an eternity. About fifteen minutes had passed, more people were starting to come in and the noise level was going up. Suddenly music started playing from the speakers on what was the stage. Denise, one of Genevieve’s friends came to sit at our table and started chattering away. She was as annoying as Gene but that was why she was friends with her and others just like them two. Someone tapped my shoulder interrupting my thoughts.

“Hey, how are you doing’?” Kevin, another senior asked, taking a sit to my left.

“Fine and you?” I asked to be courteous. Kevin and I had been friends. He and I had been roommates a few months ago before I went to Maine.  Now and then we talked occasionally but we were not close friends by any means.

“Just enjoying the view, you know.” He playfully punched my arm and let out a laugh.

“You never change.” Kevin was not a ladies’ man, more like a douche bag but girls were always following him around. I just did not understand it.

“Got to have fun dude. You should try it sometime and maybe you wouldn’t be so damn uptight all the time.” He said it with sarcasm but I let it go as soon as Mia walk into the room. She caught my undivided attention. “But then again you do know how to have fun. Bad boy Townsend is still in there somewhere.”

I tuned him out. Not wanting to talk about my past at the moment, especially with Kevin of all people.

 “Really? The new chick? Bro, go for it.” Kevin was saying and I knew Genevieve had heard him.

She had stopped talking to her friends to pay attention to me. I glanced at her feeling guilty and glared at Kevin.

He shrugged and stood up to leave. “Whatever.” He walked off leaving me to hear Gene’s mouth. I waited but she didn’t say a word, she simply smiled at me and stood up and then she was off to… she was walking towards Mia. 

I had never been in a place like this, it was incredible. What I had seen in the morning was nothing. They had added a bunch of other things. More decorations, from the tables to the ceiling and the lighting made an incredible effect off the decorations. The dance floor was full of people dancing to a current song I didn’t know. It was a ball but they were not going completely old school. It was more elegant than anything I’d ever seen.

This was a commencement, the end of one thing and beginning of another for me.

“Let’s go mingle.” Mereily said, “You have to get to know everyone. Just stay away from certain people.” she whispered. I wasn’t entirely show I was the one that needed that advice but I nodded anyway.

“Like Genevieve.” Sophie added and Mereily sighed. At least I hadn’t said it out loud this time.

“Let’s try to enjoy this, please,” Mereily smiled awkwardly.

“Hey girls what’s going on?” Some girls that had been staring finally came up to us.

“Lana, Layla and Yasmin, this is Mia. And Mia this is Lana and Layla they’re twins and this is Yasmin she’s graduating this year.”

“Hey.” I was going to try to have a little fun tonight, if it was possible.

“Hi.” They all waved.

“Did I miss something?” Genevieve walked up to us. “What the hell?” She said as she stared at my dress. “Who made you one of us?”

Glaring at Genevieve for her intrusion I corrected her, “I’m not part of anything. It’s just a dress.” I simply stated.

She scoffed, “It is not just a dress! You don’t know anything, how stupid are you?” She yelled at me. I wasn’t going to take her crap especially tonight that I wanted to meet everyone and try and enjoy this.

“What the hell is your problem? I’m not dealing with you. Don’t you have something better to do?” I said back to her. She gave me – what I called – an evil smile and slowly turned to walk away.

She glared daggers and probably ice picks at me. “Watch your back,
no one
messes with me.” She said walking away.

“Whatever,” I said loud enough for her to hear. Still she pretended she didn’t. Not caring, I shook that off and kept on with the evening. “Uh where were we? Right, I’m Mia I don’t know what you’ve heard about me and I don’t really care either.  I don’t want to be part of anything here and if you must know I was brought against my own will and I don’t appreciate when people assume things. I didn’t ask for this but it is very nice and all how I’ve been treated and it’s also very nice meeting all of you. I’d be happy to answer any questions that you have.”

More people surrounded me and my friends. Most were smiling and waving, a few just listened and pretended I didn’t say anything, turned around and left.

The remaining people introduced themselves one by one and were surprised to hear that it was my first day here. Some said, usually they wouldn’t let a new person go to a ball or a main event for some stupid reason I didn’t know. But I was here and that made them think that I was special in some way.

“You know you’re the cutest chick I’ve ever seen.” A guy that I had just met told me in front of Mereily and Sophie. His name was Jack and he was cute too. Tall and his eyes were grayish, you could tell he had a body too. Yep, he had the whole package.

“Hope you don’t think I’m going to fall for that, do you?” I said smiling. “Besides it’s not nice of you to say that. Don’t you think my friends are good looking too? Because I think they are the best looking girls out of the bunch.” I looked at them and wasn’t lying. All the girls looked alike. I’d say we were the only three that didn’t look like the rest of them.

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, they are pretty cute too. I mean all three of you are little
hot-ties
but I’d like to get to know
you
better.” He said singling me out.

“Sure, as long as it’s only as friends. I’ll tell you right now so you don’t get any ideas.”

The girls giggled and he laughed. “Of course. Would you like to dance?” He asked confidently extending his arm.

“Why not?” I waved at the girls and walked with Jack towards the dance floor. We danced for a few minutes in silence until someone interrupted us.

“May I?” Robert was next to us out of nowhere. Jack didn’t mind and he let him cut in.

“Sure.” He just shrugged and smiled at me before he turned to leave.

I felt uncomfortable touching Robert but when I did, it changed everything. Feeling more of the same bond feeling go through me. It was almost as if I was hypnotized. I would have done whatever he wanted me to do if he said so.

I knew he noticed it too

“Are you okay?” Immediately his body stiffened. I think it was because he felt the same way.

“I’m fine.” I forced myself to sound pissed because I hadn’t forgotten the way he had treated me earlier.

“I just want you to know that you look amazing.” What he said shocked me but I knew he was just saying that because he was a man.

“Thanks.” I said dryly. “You look great too.” I had to admit that at least but had to swallow so my smile wouldn’t betray me.

“There’s a reason for
this
,” He was talking about our closeness. “I think you know what I’m talking about.” Yes, I absolutely knew what he was talking about and knew he felt the same way.

“What do you want me to say? I know you don’t want to feel it but do you know what it does to me? Probably not but it doesn’t really matter. I guess there’s nothing we can do to change that.” I didn’t look at him because if I did I would break. All the emotions were going to kill me slowly.

“You’re wrong.” He said firmly.

“About what now?” It irritated me when he said it like that. Regardless, I looked back at his gorgeous eyes and he looked straight through mine.

“First of all, I do not think your blood is nasty. In fact it is so good that I cannot stop thinking about it and you__ you are calling me or something. I don’t know how you do it but I can feel what you feel and it drives me crazy. Second of all, no I should not feel that because this is wrong. But what’s done is done and as I have said before I’m not complaining we both like it.” He didn’t look away, still trying to figure out what I was thinking. He was right about the last part but I was trying to process what he had just said.

“What do you mean when you say I call you?”

“If you are alone, I feel it. Why do you think I appear around you?”

“But I wasn’t alone five minutes ago.” I pointed out.

“Not physically. But do you see? I cannot stay away and it it’s hurting me to even try. What are we going to do now? I can’t stand you half the time and you can’t stand me but our blood or something within us wants us each other.” He sounded miserable again and I felt sorry for him and for myself because he was right about everything. No. I didn’t like him outside of the bond. At least I didn’t think so. No, I thought he was the hottest guy around but that was it. He had issues and I just couldn’t deal with him.

“That kind of sounds creepy. I don’t know what we're going to do but can we please not think about it tonight. I have enough on my mind right now.” I reminded him that he was still touching me while I was trying to control myself and when he realized that so he immediately stopped dancing.

We walked towards a table and stood at least two feet away.

“We should keep some distance. I don’t want to end up hurting you again or vice versa.” He winked like he was playing around for a second and then he was back to serious, “Did you really mean what you said on the plane?”

I’d thought he had forgotten about that.

“About what?” I played stupid.

“You know about my eyes?” He remembered. I didn’t want to meet his intense look but going against my better judgment I did anyway because that’s just how powerless I was around him.

“Uh, I don’t think I remember. Oh, yeah
that.
I think that they are incredible when you’re not angry. But when you’re mad they’re so obscure and I don’t like it.” I admitted.

We stared at each other for a while. I wondered what would happen if we closed the short distance between us and kissed.

Something was making me feel funny and before I did something we would both regret, he spoke, “I guess you are not as cold as I thought you would be.”  Then suddenly he brought me back to reality.

I stepped back.

“Yeah, and I guess you’re not such too much of an ass.”

We smiled at that and walked away from each other.