Audra
The week was slow as my excitement built. Friday eventually came and I went out with Isla after school to buy a dress for the dance that was tomorrow night. We tried many different stores, and I was about to give up when we came across this boutique that had many different handmade gowns. I gaped at the walls lined with racks upon racks of beautiful gowns. Isla and I walked the aisles, pulling out different choices for each other. I smiled as I pulled down a dress that I thought would compliment her. It was the most beautiful floor-length gown. It had a slit that went up mid-thigh and was a deep forest green with beaded satin fabric. It had a deep neckline and a dainty ribbon that tied around the neck. She disappeared into the changing rooms only to appear moments later like she was ready to walk the runway. "Oh, Isla, that dress is gorgeous. Ajax is going to swoon," I gush. She smiles, laughing with me, and changes back. We rummage some more, and suddenly she squeals, pulling out a deep sapphire-blue gown. She rushes over, thrusting the dress in my hands. "Here, try on this one." I walk over to the dressing room and put on the dress and admire my reflection. She had good taste. The dress was floor-length with a small train and had lace and beaded details running up the sides. It hugged my body perfectly and flared out at the knee. It also had a deep neckline that I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable with. "Well, come on out," she urged. I sigh and step out of the dressing room. She squealed when she saw me. "Oh, Audra, that is definitely the dress," she says giddily. I smile, and we check out and move on to shoes. I found a blue lace heel that matched my dress, and Isla went with a gold sparkly heel to match her accessories. By the end of the day, we were pooped from shopping so much. I returned back home and hung my dress on the back of my door. It was a beautiful dress and now the most expensive thing I owned. I admired it as I drifted off to sleep.
The next day
I woke up to the sun streaming through my window. I smiled to myself. I was so excited for tonight. I barely even slept. I got dressed then headed downstairs to make breakfast. Mom had been home for a while now. She was doing better around my birthday, but a few short months later, her health began to decline again. Now she was so frail, she hardly ever left her and my dad's bedroom. I had taken on cooking almost every meal to make sure everyone—especially Mom—was eating well. I cooked up some eggs on waffles with a few strips of bacon and crushed up Mom's pills, mixing them into her juice. I made a separate tray for my dad and brought them both upstairs and knocked on their door. "Come in," Dad says. I open the door, and they are both cuddled up and watching a TV show. "Here is breakfast. This one is Mom's," I say, setting the tray in her lap. "And Dad's," I finish as I hand his tray over to him. He smiles, and they both thank me as I exit the room. When I get back downstairs, I see Kai had helped himself as he was sat at the table working away at a mountain of food. I chuckle and grab myself a plate before digging in. After I finished eating and cleaning up, it was almost time for Isla to meet me. After scrolling on my phone for a little, the much-anticipated doorbell rang. I bolted up off the couch and raced to the door. Isla stood empty-handed. I cocked my head curiously. "Look, I know we agreed to get ready here, but I was really hoping we could get ready at the castle?" she pleaded. "What do you mean, the castle?" I asked curiously. "The only castle in this country, Audra?" she replied as if what I asked was obvious. "Yeah, but why would we go there? Do you live there and have not told me?" I ask, dumbfounded. She smacks her head and mumbles to herself. "I do live there. My father serves the king, so we get to live in one of the rooms. That's actually how I met Ajax. Both his parents serve the royal family," she explains. "Uh-huh, that makes sense. Can't even tell your best friend of seven months you live in a castle," I teased playfully. "Yeah, I needed to make sure you weren't after me for my connections or money." She laughed as I ran upstairs, snickering to myself. Once I was in my room, I grabbed all of my necessities. I packed an extra bag with a spare change of clothes and headed back downstairs. Isla and I walked out and toward her car. We got settled, and she drove toward the castle. Holy crap, I was going to get to see inside of it. I got all excited. "Do you think we'll have time to tour a little bit?" I asked happily. "Sure, just so long as your hair cooperates," she responds playfully, referring to my mess of hair. I look up at my disheveled hair and gasp. "Oh, Isla! I can't go to the castle looking like this!" I screech. She lets out a boisterous laugh, her belly dancing up and down. "It's not funny," I say seriously. She wipes away a fake tear and hands me her purse. I look at her slightly confused. "I've got an emergency comb in there you can use," she says, smiling. I sigh in relief and dig the comb out of her purse and yank it through my hair. "Thanks," I say. She nods, and we continue driving for another 30 minutes. "I never knew we lived so far apart," I remarked. "Yeah, I guess I should have told you sooner, sorry," she says sheepishly. I shake my head. "I mean, we've only been friends for a few months. Not like I've known you for years. If it were me, I would have also waited. Like what if I was just trying to use you to, I don't know, get in the good graces of the royals?" I say. She snorts. "Really? The Prince of this entire country is taking you to the end-of-year dance on his last year of school," she says. "Maybe I should be concerned you're using me." She laughs, and I hit her arm playfully. We soon pull up toward the castle gate. I gape at how magnificent everything looked. The moss-covered stone archways. The gold metal railing. Everything looked so fancy. Just on the drive up toward the front door, it was lined with beautiful flowers and topiaries. "So, this is it," she said casually, parking the car in front of the doors. I grabbed my things, and we walked inside. The inside was just as gorgeous as the outside. Old portraits and timeless trinkets lined the entryway. Of course, the typical grand staircase flowed from either side in a spiral up toward a landing on the second floor. We walked up the stairs and turned a few times until we were in a hallway lined with marked room numbers. "These are everybody's rooms that serve the king. All his close attendants, personal chefs, advisors, and maids live here. Fortunately, Ajax and I share a room," she says, guiding me to her room. We stopped in front of a large oak door. She knocked once, then stepped inside. She poked her head out, urging me to come in. The inside of the room was rather large. A huge king bed sat situated in the center. Beautiful lace drapes lined the windows. Three doors were inside, one leading out to a balcony, the other to what I assumed was the bathroom, and lastly, a closet. "Wow, Isla, this room is stunning," I say in awe. She smiles knowingly. "Come on, let's get dressed. The party starts at seven. Go take a shower. I should have everything you need," she said, shooing me off to the bathroom. I step into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Inside sat this huge walk-in shower and an adjoining step-down tub. An enclosed toilet and his and her sinks. I figure out how to turn on the shower, and stripped off my clothes. After the water was warm I step underneath the flowing stream, letting the water run down my body and soaking my hair. I lather up and scrub down my entire body ensuring it was squeaky clean. I finish up in the shower and dry off, wrapping myself in one of her clean fluffy towels. I dried off and put on my undergarments. "Isla, I'm ready." I call out. She comes in and helps me with my dress. "Okay, I'm gonna shower. You braid your hair so that it stays wet and not tangled." I nod and about fifteen minutes later I help her into her dress. She braids her hair as well and sits me down in front of her vanity. About thirty minutes later of pain and struggle, she had my hair cemented into a half-up, half-down 'do. Intricate braids and beading ran along the top of my head, everything matching wonderfully to my dress. We switched places and I ended up doing her hair for just about as long. I styled her hair in a high braided bun with half of her hair left down and curled. I added a gold sparkly hand-tied bow to the bun, to tie into the shoes and clutch. Once we were all ready, we put on our death trap shoes and headed downstairs. Our heels clicked as we walked down the castle halls, talking and giggling. As we passed by the kitchen, we ran into Ajax. His eyes widened at the sight of us. He trotted over, mouth agape, placing his hand on Isla's waist. He pulled her in and brought his lips down onto hers. She smiled into the kiss, and they pulled away slowly. "You look radiant, dear," he gushed. She smiled and playfully hit his chest. "You look lovely as well, Audra. Though, you should go back up to the room before Malik sees you. He might just melt right here on this floor," he said, laughing. "What might I do?" I hear a menacing voice. Malik appears in the doorway with a smug look. His grin dropped as he saw me, a genuine smile forming on his lips. He stood there for a minute with his mouth slightly ajar. "See, melted!" Ajax says through tears of laughter. Malik walked over, hitting him playfully. He turns his attention to me and slowly steps closer. "You look amazing, Audra. Did you want to head out early?" he asks. I nod, and we all get into his black Hummer. We drive to the lake house where the party is being held. The party was kind of like a prom, but with no rules, and definitely no teacher supervision. We arrive early, and not many people are there yet. We chat and talk with the host until everything gets into full swing. By nine o'clock, it's a full-on rager. I sit with Malik, Isla, Ajax, and a couple of people I don't know around a fire pit. It's a gorgeous setting—couches along the wall of the house, fire pit in the middle. We're all drinking and having a great time. Someone strums a guitar as we all sing and play games. Everyone seems buzzed, or at least really, really relaxed.
"Hey, Audra, wanna dance?" Malik asks, standing up and extending his hand. I nod shyly, placing mine in his. His fingers wrap around mine as he smiles and leads me closer to the docks. He gently sets his hand on my waist and guides me into the rhythm. Slowly, we sway to the music. Our bodies move in perfect harmony, melding with each other. I rest my head on his chest and enjoy the peaceful moment. Warmth spreads through me. I wish this could last forever. His scent wraps around me like a blanket—woodsy, like pine and cedar. I move my hand over his chest, mindlessly tracing the bulk of his muscled body. My face flushes slightly as I look up at him—but he's already staring down at me. His eyes are soft, calm. Golden flecks swirl in the deep chocolate brown of his irises. They're warm. Comforting.
Our moment is cut short—someone screams frantically in the distance. Malik grabs me and presses me up against his chest, shielding me from whatever danger might be present. More screams. More people running. Thick black smoke billows into the air. Malik looks at me, panic-stricken. "Audra, we need to go!" he says. People rush toward us. The crowd pushes us apart. He reaches for me, but I'm lost in the chaos. I hear him yelling my name as we get farther and farther apart.
Someone grabs my arm. I panic as their grip tightens and they start dragging me away. I look frantically to see who it is—a tall man with shaggy brown hair. "What are you doing?! Let go of me!" I scream. I dig my feet into the sand, trying to pry his arm off. He turns back to look at me, his grip still tight. "I can't," he says curtly, turning toward something glowing. I can't quite make it out. I resist as best I can, but it's no use. He drags me through the glowing mist like a rag doll.
Suddenly, we're no longer at the lake house. "What is going on!? Where are we!? How'd we get here!?" I ask, panicked, looking around what appears to be a bedroom. "In due time, dear Audra. You'll find out soon enough. But for now, it's time to sleep. So goodnight," the man says, blowing powder in my face. I get groggy. My head starts spinning. "Wha's go-ing on," I ask, woozy. "Hmm, seems I didn't use quite enough. My apologies," he says, dusting me again. This time, everything spins faster. I stumble and fall to the ground. "Sleep tight, princess," I hear, as everything fades to black.