"The world is filled with evil things,

That blinds your eyes,

And steals your dreams."

-Anon.

_________________________________________

The ballroom,

Crystalline Castle.

**

I lifted up my dress a little so it was easier to walk. My eyes set on the pair sitting on the throne made everything around me turn into a blur of nothingness. As I got closer to them, the urge to push that girl off him became stronger.

Then suddenly a wall appeared infront of me, making me bump into it. But as my eyes focused on the figure, I realized it wasn't a wall, but a white collared shirt. A shirt which belonged to a man. A shirt that soaked up the red liquid, which had spilled from his glass as a result of our collision.

My eyes looked up to find a pair of red eyes, but they quickly turned into an electrifying shade of blue as he blinked.

"I'm so sorry!" I blurted out as my hand went to my mouth.

The man who seemed to be in his twenties simply smiled and said, "It's okay, I should have been watching where I was going, too."

But then as he glanced down at his shirt, he frowned. I quickly grabbed a napkin from a table nearby and started cleaning it, still in a state of shock. I was shocked because he wasn't reacting the way I expected a vampire to. These were short tempered creatures as I had seen. Or maybe it was just Damien who held that title.

I felt his blue eyes watching me as I tried to clean up his shirt. But no matter how hard I tried, the red stain was still there, as dark as ever. No doubt it was blood.

I felt bad for ruining his shirt so I said, "come with me."

I instantly knew how to solve the problem. The laundry room wasn't far from the ball room. It was night so the maids must have already done the laundry and Damien's clean shirts must still be in there.

The man didn't question me and simply followed me as I walked towards the back of the ball room. I guessed he must have read my thoughts about where we were going.

"I don't know if the King might get mad if your borrow one of his shirts, but he has way too many to keep track of them."

He shook his head, "believe me, he wouldn't mind. We're like brothers."

"Really? I haven't seen you around before. Are you a royal from another Kingdom?"

"I used to be a prince actually," he shrugged.

As we made it to the laundry room, I pushed open the set of doors and was greeted by darkness.

"Woah," he suddenly gasped, "your hair. It glows."

I smiled, "like flames since my sin is wrath."

Grabbing a candle from the hallway, I walked inside the laundry room. The folded clothes are always placed in the far corner.

"Mine too, but that's understandable. I just can't imagine someone like you having wrath as your most powerful sin. You seem like the sweetest person ever. What's your name by the way?" he walked beside me.

"Alexis. And yours?"

"Valentino." he answered, but he seemed to be in shock, "so you're Alexis? Sorry but I just didn't expect you to be attending this party."

"Why?"

"I don't know honestly, I thought you would be hiding in a room somewhere trying find a way to get revenge."

My movements paused as I turned to look at him, "revenge?"

"Why, yes. Don't you want people who made you suffer to suffer as well?" His eyes watched me carefully, "I know about the prophecy. I know why Damien kept you locked up. You were supposed to be the cause of his destruction. But you know what I think? He kidnapped his own destruction and brought it to his doorstep. You might not even have a reason to destroy him back then, but now you do. He gave you that reason himself."

As I thought deep about his words, I realized he didn't speak anything but the truth. I would never have even met Damien if he hadn't kidnapped me, let alone plan his destruction.

But someone who's close friends with Damien telling me this just didn't make any sense. What was he implying? If they're friends, why would he want me to take revenge from him?

"I know you're probably thinking what kind of friend am I. I'm not trying to provoke you to attack him or anything, I just can't see anything wrong happening around me. I can't see him get away with the horrible things he did to you without an atonement."

"I don't want any revenge from him. That'll only cause more violence and create problems that weren't there in the first place."

But he didn't seem to be listening to me as he said, "I know how you feel, you know? I know how it feels like to get your parents taken away, or rather you being pushed away from your parents. I know what it feels like when you don't have your parents' arms to catch you when you fall or their voice to sooth you at night. All it took was one person who snatched them away from me. All it took was one person to snatch you away from your parents. If I can get revenge from that person, why can't you?"

There was something about the way he talked, about the way he moved that reminded me of someone. But the frown and the pained expression on his face prevented me from pointing out who exactly.

Suddenly, I saw his eyes turn a purplish color, flickering back and forth from blue to red until the blood red color was all that remained as his iris. That was the moment I started thinking if it was really a good idea to be alone with a stranger.

"Don't you want to ruin him?" There was an edginess in his tone, the friendly atmosphere long forgotten.

"I don't want to build my world with someone else's ruins."

That wasn't me who said that. It couldn't be. The words came out of my mouth and it was my voice but it was still not me. Why did it feel like I didn't have control over myself at the moment?

He was in deep thought for a minute then he smiled as if we weren't just talking about ruining someone.

"Very well."

I quickly picked up a folded shirt and handed it to him, not wanting to be in his presence any more.

Taking the shirt from me, he added, "congratulations, you passed the test."

I stared at him in confusion, what did he mean by that?

"This was a test to finalize Damien's decision on setting you free tonight. He wanted to make sure you wouldn't join one of his enemies to take revenge from him. But now, after I tell him you're not a threat at all, he will be setting you free tonight. Once and for all."

I couldn't believe I had to prove my innocent again and again to that hard headed so called King. Did he want me to write it out for him in my own blood? If this continues, I might just one day prove him right.

"So you've been lying all along? You're not a prince, are you? You work for him."

I saw him shake his head in the dim light the candle provided, "that part was true. I was a prince once, I would have been a King if the title wasn't snatched away from me."

A distant look appeared on his smooth face. His stormy blue eyes dropped to the floor, but not before I saw an emotion flicker through them.

Guilt.

He was feeling guilty. But for what?

"Oh. I'm sorry," I felt like this was a touchy subject for him so I apologized.

Valentino's eyes never left mine as he started to unbotton his shirt, flashing his tan chest. Finally coming to my senses, I turned around to give him privacy. I waited until he said he was done.

Turning back around, I realized the shirt I had randomly picked matched his blue eyes. It didn't take him long to tie the tie around his neck again.

He was just hired to spy on me so I made no more attempt to start a conversation as I led him out of the laundry room.

"Look, I know you hate me for tricking you like that. I was just doing my job."

I quietly nodded, placing the candle back where it belonged in the hallway. I could hear the craziness of the party not too far away, as I followed the noise.

"Let me make it up, yeah? May I have this dance?"

My eyes widened as he held out his right hand, waiting for me to reply. His question made me think about Damien and that girl once again, how they were wrapped around each other. It was clear he wasn't going to be around, he would rather spend time with his precious fan girls. I had nothing better to do anyways, so why not.

As I opened my mouth to says yes, a girl who looked no older than 12 appeared next to me. I recalled this being an adult party, then what was she doing here?

"Miss! I've been looking everywhere for you," by the sound of her voice, I could tell she had been running, "his Majesty sent this for you."

In her hand, she held a tray while a neatly folded piece of paper sat on top of it. I hesitantly grabbed the paper and slowly unfolded it.

Meet me at the terrace,

The moment you've been waiting for

has now arrived.

All the tears you had left have been

cried.

From now on, it's my turn to grief

And your turn to shine.

After today, our paths will never

intertwine.

Because once you step through the

Portal, your life will begin.

And it will be the end of mine.

-Damien, aka "selfish little asshole".

With each word I read, I found myself suffocating more and more. My chest tightened as his words registered in my mind. What exactly did he mean by that last sentence?

Why does it matter?

This was my dream come true. I was finally receiving what I had desired for my whole life. I should be celebrating my almost freedom, I should be jumping around in joy. But I wasn't. I should be happy. But I wasn't.

For the reasons still unknown to me.

I couldn't breathe.

Air. I needed air.

"Can you show me the way to the terrace?" I asked the girl, my voice barely above a whisper. I was hit with all these emotions that I started to feel light headed.

Murmuring something along the lines of I'll see you later to Valentino, I followed the girl to the stairs in the ball room.

As she pushed open the enormous set of doors, the terrace came into my view.

She turned towards me and curtsied, which caught me off guard. What did I do to receive such special treatment? Before I could question her, she dissappeared into the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up my dress and stepped out of the threshold, into the windy night. The terrace was big but oddly simple compared to the other parts of the castle. The floor was concrete while a few flowers grew around the edges. Some benches and a swing seat was placed in the middle.

But the scene in front of me left me in awe. Damien stood on the edge, facing away from me, his hands in his pockets. My eyes barely acknowledged him, too busy looking at the city far below us. The lights were blinking like stars on land. From this view, I could tell that this was one of the highest parts of the castle. What surprised me was there was no railing across from me. But then again, why would they need one when the Vampires can just close their eyes and teleport somewhere else if someone happens to fall down?

I looked up at the clear sky, much thankful that the moon at least provided some light. But if the sun was fake here, was it possible that the moon was too?

I'll have to ask Maria later.

My chest tightened once again as I realized I'll never even get to see her. She was away because her sister was sick. Which was very much possible since they were humans living in the Vampire world. How did they get here? That'll forever remain a mystery for me, too.

"You called me up here?" I broke the silence of the night.

"Yes. I did."

There was no movement, just three simple words. I walked closer to him, not even trying to fix my hair anymore, which was swaying with the wind.

"Once I open the portal, we're going to step into it. You're going to feel like you're falling for a couple of seconds, but the you will snap back to reality. The reality of being in the human world."

He was still turned away, which was starting to irritate me. He was being too straight forward, talking professionally like he was in one of his Kingly meetings.

There was just so much to say. It felt like there were way too many unspoken things between us. The thing was, even I didn't know what I expected him to say.

You just want him to stop you from leaving.

No. I wanted to leave more than anything. I craved that freedom, to the point where I wanted to breathe it.

"There's an apartment I rented for you, don't worry about paying the bills until you get a stable job. My men will take care of that. You will find two maids at your apartment, they will help you with daily tasks. You need anything, just tell them," he sounded more ridiculous by the second.

I felt a tug at my heart as he mentioned the plans he had for me, but I still disliked the thought of it. I realized I was having battles with myself, which really needed to stop.

I wrapped my arms around myself when a breeze passed by. For some time we just stood there next to each other, looking at the alive city as if we could see each person's life play out.

"What is it like, the human world?" I asked him, but still not looking at him.

A few images of the human world were glued to my mind, but they were pretty blurry. My teacher scolding me when I drew on the school walls. A lot of memories of my parents but I would rather not open that door again.

"It's not any better than here, if not worse. At least we treat a different race, humans, like they're below us. But they... They put down their own kind. Hatred among the people burns the planet, sometimes literally."

My body shivered at the image forming in my mind. Was I ready to face a world like that? Alone?

"I've grown up playing with hatred every single day of my life. I think I can handle it."

I tried to sound strong, but even the hesitation in my voice betrayed me.

His head dropped as if he was looking at the ground beneath his feet. As I turned to face him, while he still was turned towards the city, a million thoughts ran through my mind.

I started to feel envious of the wind that ran though his hair. I wanted to be the wind that kissed his face, wanted to be the air he breathe. Tears welled up in my eyes, probably a result of the windy night. As I tried to blink them away, they ended up falling down on my cheeks. I bit the inside of my mouth when I realized something.

I would have to leave his hand so that I could grab my freedom.

But I wasn't ready to let go.

"Are you ready?" He asked me, which made me hide my thoughts from him, or at least try.

"Yes," a lie.

"Well I'm not," Damien finally turned to face me, but the scene infront of me left me speechless.

His golden eyes were shining brighter than ever, maybe due to the unshed tears in them. His face looked like it hurt for him to even breathe. Suddenly his face hardened, but his eyes told a whole different story. Never have I seen such different emotions clouded in one place.

My eyes couldn't handle seeing him like this. My ears couldn't handle hearing his broken voice. My Mind couldn't believe his vulnerable state. And my heart... My heart wanted nothing more than for me to take away his pain.

Without even realizing what I was doing, I reached forward and gathered him in my arms. Wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, I pulled him close to the point where only our clothes stood as a barrier between us. It didn't take him long to return the hug. But this wasn't just a hug. A hug was such a simple word to describe what this was. This was a union of two souls to form one. This was a promise made by me, that it will always be him and only him. When I pull away, it felt I would be leaving a part of myself with him.

"I-I was so sure," he started, "I was sure of myself. I promised myself that I wouldn't fall again."

What did he mean by that?

"I promised myself that I wouldn't stoop this low again."

Suddenly, his broken and defeated tone turned into a confident one.

"But at least I'll be keeping one of my promises. I promised you that you'll be free tonight. And I'll do just that, set you free."

Before I could tell him that I wasn't ready yet, something hit me.

Pain.

Sharp pain.

In my stomach.

Pulling away from him, my head slowly dropped to look down at my stomach.

A dagger was plunged into it, while red liquid coated my already red dress.

The pain prevented me to think straight.

The last thought on my mind was that he stabbed me.

Damien stabbed me.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and I surprisingly heard it.

Then, he pushed me backwards. That was when I understood why he had been standing on the edge, so that he could push me off the terrace easily. As my feet gave up, my body fell backwards into the arms of the cold wind.

Then I was falling. But not to the human world, but to my death.

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