Chapter 9 - Not so 'themed' party

MAXINE

I glance out of the window as the car drives through the town to get to the north part of it. The castle is just out of limits, wrapped by a vast land of rocks and trees. Its position on the top of a small hill gives you the impression that it keeps a wakeful eye over the town.

When the bright lights are past us, the car keeps driving until black iron gates appear in the distance on the right. The cab takes the road up past the gates and begins to ascend towards the castle.

Small road lamps were gently illuminating our way up. Trees on both sides of the road were forming an arch as their tips were slightly bending, touching one another. I bend my head and look at the window in front. The castle is majestic, bathed in an eerie light.

Vincent must be a lot in the money to make his party in a castle.

I watch as it gets bigger the more we ascend. The cab stops just outside the main entrance, where a small roundabout is, with a fountain in its centre.

The cab driver gets out and opens my door, offering a hand to help me out. I pay him and with careful small steps, I make my way through the entrance.

I feel a knot in my stomach and my breath cuts short. The place is magical. Stone walls with large paintings decorate a long hall on each side. Chandeliers are hanging every few metres, forming a line at the ceiling. The red carpet on the floor is following the same path.

"Welcome to Floresit castle. Can I take your coat please?" A voice echoes from my left, making me jump at my feet.

I turn and look at a girl I didn't notice before. She must've been around my age, with long hazel hair and bright blue eyes. Her emerald dress was making her eyes even more distinctive.

I take off my coat and give it to her, receiving a bright smile in return.

"Please follow the path to the ballroom." She says with a sweet voice.

I smile back at her and taking each side of my dress slightly up, I start moving forward. As I keep walking further to the open door in front of me, music hits my ears. And not some DJ, but orchestral music.

My breath is taken away the moment I step in. The room is huge, I hardly see the end of it. A massive chandelier, like a ball of fire, is floating above us at the centre. Below, people are spinning around in the rhythm given an orchestra, placed in a corner of the ballroom.

I look around trying to spot any familiar faces. The shopkeeper girl is talking to a very handsome, tall man, with blond hair and silvery eyes. She meets my gaze and gives a nod. She wears an all-black maxi dress with low cleavage.

I keep moving around the room to avoid the dancing couples at the centre, trying to find Vincent. It's rude to come to a party and not greet the host.

Finally, I see him in a corner, talking with a group of other men that look like they came from a fashion magazine. Their features are flawless. Their forms towering.

A woman was standing close to Vincent, wearing a black lace dress that hardly covers the necessary parts. His hand is slithered around her waist.

I decide to get closer. All I want is to say hi and go back, hide in a corner or somewhere with fewer people around.

His eyes lock on me before I even make a step. I see him saying something to the people around him, and they scatter the moment after. He then starts walking toward me.

He's elegantly dressed, in a Victorian-era tailored suit. His blazing amber eyes are disarming.

"I see you heard my advice." His smooth voice resonates. The bright light above us makes him look like an angel.

"Yes, although I was having second thoughts."

"Yet here you are." He responds and I feel my face blush.

That time, the song that was playing for some time now ends and another one begins. I see him turning slightly his head to the new sound, his eyes closed for a second to enjoy the sound.

"I love this piece." He smiles back at me with a playful smile on his lips. "Shall we dance?" he then asks extending his right arm to me.

I feel terrified at his request. That's too much for me even coming to this party. But I find it difficult to say no to Vincent. Something draws me to him. So, I placed my hand on his and let him guide me to the dancefloor.

Eager eyes look at us as we move towards the centre. Some of them are whispering, their eyes never leaving our backs.

Vincent stops and with a swift but elegant move he turns me around until I face him. One hand gently catches mine, bringing it almost to my face level, while his other hand rests at the small of my back.

"Before we begin, I have to confess that I've never danced before," I whisper. A flush of red on my face, I can feel the heat.

He leaves a chuckle that makes my feet ready to crumble. "Don't be afraid. I'll lead you."

I let myself as he swirls me around. For a strange reason, I don't care if the others are still looking at us. All I have eyes for tonight is Vincent.

The music continues and we keep dancing. For the first time in my life, a strange feeling overflows me. His amber eyes are hypnotizing, although I know they're contacts.

"You got into the role," I comment.

His smile brightens. "Do you like it?"

I nod my head and I drift my gaze from him as I feel heat spreading over my cheeks. I still feel his eyes pinned on me.

Soon, the song arrives at an end and our dance slowly fades, but not his grip around me. I lift my head to meet him. Something in his eyes says that he's not willing to let me go any time soon.

Suddenly, a scream fills the room, waking me up from the sweet dream of our dance. I glance around and find the shopkeeper girl.

One of the men Vincent was talking with earlier, holds her firm while his mouth is stuck on her neck. Her expression was unreadable. It was from pleasure or pain?

Seconds after, he pulls back and the mark of two dark spots appears on her skin. Immediately, I see many of the men and women around us doing the same thing.

However, the man takes away his grip over her waist and she collapses on the cold floor with eyes wide open and skin white as paper.

I want so bad to convince myself that all this is some sort of theatric act but the screams around are getting more and more.

I feel Vincent's grip tighten around me, and I flip my head back to him. His eyes are glowing more, with a need that wasn't there before. Panic starts taking control of me. They were no contacts, that's his eyes.

His mouth parts, revealing a smile and widens until a set of fangs is revealed. I feel my body shaking and he feels it too.

"Now darling, it's your turn."

In an attempt to break free from his arms I start stepping frantically until my heels land on his feet, making him startle while letting out a groan and his grip around me loosens.

Getting away from his hands, I start running. The fact that no one is after me by now makes the fear increase but I don't have to sit and wait.

The heels are making it more difficult, and I kick them away as I run, leaving me barefoot, making my way through the crowd.

I reach the outside of the castle and still, no one is around. I start to freak out, but I keep myself as hard as I can. I have to survive first.

Taking the road seems obvious, so I make my way through the forest and down the hill in the opposite direction.

Pain spreads over my feet as I run over rocks and broken branches. I clench my teeth and move forward, trying not to move in a straight line in an attempt to confuse them.

Before I realise it, I hear voices coming from behind. They are here. I try to run faster but being barefoot in the forest is difficult.

As the view ahead clears, my eyes widen in shock. I look around for something to cut my momentum. A few metres further I find the tip of a cliff.

There's a tree in my way and I let my body come crashing on it. The impact is brutal, I feel my skin scratch as I hit on the wood. The voices are nearer now. I turn back and shadow forms appear in the short distance.

I move backwards as their faces step into the bright moonlight. Their eyes are glowing with hunger. I cannot control the tremble and the panic that shuts my voice.

Then, their faces disappear as I lose the ground under my feet. Everything around me starts spinning as I roll down the cliff.

Pain spreads through my entire body as I hit on trees, rocks and the hard soil. A bone-cracking sound fills the air and I scream in pain coming from my ankle.

The never-ending roll finally stops when the ground gets flat and I harshly land, hitting the side of my head on a rocky surface.

The sound of running water is the last thing I remember before I'm drowning in the abyss of unconsciousness.