Status: Active, but with random updates.
The Playlist
What Is Left Unsaid
Inspiration
“I could stay here forever,” sighed Isabella dreamily. Really, what she had said wasn’t a lie. She figured she very well could stay here forever; that is, as long as she didn’t let herself wake up. For surely, nothing this fantastic could exist in reality.
Isabella truly never wanted to leave this grand, gilded ballroom. The magnetism of the dance was too strong; the beauty of the gowns and masks too enticing. Isabella had never felt an excitement such as this, before—this letting-go of insecurities in the knowledge that everyone in this fairytale room was perfect. The elaborate gowns cascading to the floor were perfect, the men in identity-concealing masks were perfect, the haunting lull and tug of the orchestra was perfect.
And, most of all, Isabella was perfect.
“Forever…,” she sighed again, docilely letting the masked man on her hand and waist propel her along in this great breathing beast that was the dance.
“Nothing is perfect, my dear.” The dreamy haze of Isabella’s eyes drifted away for a moment as she looked up at her partner. Curious, she thought. This wasn’t a place for talking, as no one but she had yet to say a word. Why should this man be special? His eyes smiled down at her through the holes of his cat-like mask, and seemed to hold the answer to her question.
Because he IS special.
Isabella frowned. That wasn’t right. This was HER place, and no one else’s. No one could be special but her.
The sudden lift of the melody shooed those thoughts away, and the only thing on her mind was, once again, the dance. The cat-masked man expertly dipped her just-so, and her arm gracefully arched out perfectly in time with every other girl’s. As he pulled her up once again and they twirled away, her thoughts were dreamily brought back to her love of this place. She couldn’t think of a possible reason to want to leave.
“No reason at all?” asked the cat-man, in that coy, flirtatious way that made her blood race in excitement. But, excitement or no, his breaking of the rhythm was starting to irritate her. “You would miss nothing of what you once had?”
“I never had anything to miss,” she snapped back irately. Who was this man to question her? To question her private thoughts? This was her place, and he would not ruin it for her! Everything else had always been ruined, and this was the one thing she wanted to keep precious.
“Are you sure about that? Because you could stay here forever, you know. You could stay with me, and we could dance and be happy. Is there no one who you would miss? No one who would miss you?” His tone was no longer coy and flirtatious, but probing and curious. Isabella felt herself relax into that place of bliss, where nothing mattered but the music and the dance, and was happy he was letting her have this place, even if those questions troubled her.
Surely she had no one. She could think of no one who would miss her, and all the trouble she brought in her wake. No, they would be glad to be rid of her. They would be glad she had no breath left in her body.
“No one at all,” she answered smoothly, eyes drifting closed once again. A moment passed where neither of them spoke, but just glided along the floor like they couldn’t help it. After a few rounds of the floor, Isabella opened her eyes to find that every other pair had moved away from them, leaving them to spin and whirl by themselves for everyone to see, and Isabella smiled.
“Then certainly, no one would mind if I do this.” Isabella drowsily opened her eyes to meet his again, to see what the stranger was talking about. A sudden pressure on the small of her back towards the man had her pressed tightly against his chest, and she flushed from the closeness. She looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise and lips slightly parted, to watch as he hungrily leaned down and captured her dainty lips on his warm ones.
It was a passionate kiss that left her breathless. It left her with a desire burning in the pit of her stomach; a sensation she could only vaguely remember feeling one other time. Strange, how she couldn’t remember why. With innocent eyes, she looked back up at the cat-man, just as he leaned down again to land heated kisses on her neck.
In the back of her head, she felt this was wrong. This was something sacred, something she was only supposed to do with the one she loves. This man, this stranger, was making a farce of something that was supposed to be a personal thing between her and Gab—
Gabriel. The name was like a slap in the face. Immediately, she tore herself from this man with green cat’s eyes, and away from him, not caring that she was purposely breaking the rhythm of the masquerade. She wanted to break it. She couldn’t believe what this stranger had just done, and what she had just allowed. She was appalled.
She was FURIOUS.
“How DARE you.” She said to the cat-masked man, who just stood where she left him, smiling proudly. That smile only fueled her anger. “How DARE you do something like that? That isn’t something you do lightly! That’s something only meant for me and Gab—,”
“For you and WHO, my dear?” he interrupted her. “It was you who said that there was no one to miss you; that there was no one to mind you.” She spluttered under his penetrating gaze, for she HAD said that. Because it was true! At least… That was what she thought…
But what about Gabriel? Isabella could clearly remember him now, and she was appalled at herself for ever forgetting. She could picture him now, with his piercing, coy green eyes, and slick brown hair that never left its ponytail other than when she stole it from him, laughing all the way. The memory put a smile on her lips.
“You have a reason to go back, Isabella.” He looked at her now with a deathly serious expression, and she was left confused at his strange constant change of moods.
Could that be true…? She never saw it that way, and she wondered why this stranger could. As far as she knew, she was nothing but a burden…
“A burden willingly taken on,” he told her, still with that grave look in his eyes. “Isabella, wake up.”
“Wha—,”
“Wake up.”
“Wait, what—,”
“Izzy, wake up!” Izzy…?
~
“Izzy, please, PLEASE wake up. I’m here, Isabella, just hear my voice and wake up…” Isabella wanted to wake up now, that was for sure. The constant beeping by her ear was getting pretty annoying, especially that high-pitched, dragged out note that for some reason made her skin crawl.
“Gabriel… I’m awake, now. Oh, don’t cry, please…” Gabriel’s head instantly snapped up to meet her hazy blue gaze with his tear-streaked emerald one, and he sat there in stunned silence for the space of a second before he leaped up and nearly crushed her in a hug.
“Gabriel...,” Izzy choked on the scared tears starting to form in her throat. “Please, promise me…,”
“Anything, Izzy, I’ll give you anything,” he said desperately. For a minute, she was lost in the memory of what she had just witnessed in what she now realized to be REM sleep in a coma. She had seriously almost left Gabriel… The thought of that terrified her. She had almost just let herself die, leaving Gabriel to suffer. She couldn’t believe how selfish she had just been.
“Just promise me… You’re always going to be there…?” She meant to make it a request, but the scared innocence in her voice made it a question. Lovingly, reverently, he held her face in his hands, just as the door to the hospital room was being pulled open, and said,
“I will ALWAYS be there.”
“I could stay here forever,” sighed Isabella dreamily. Really, what she had said wasn’t a lie. She figured she very well could stay here forever; that is, as long as she didn’t let herself wake up. For surely, nothing this fantastic could exist in reality.
Isabella truly never wanted to leave this grand, gilded ballroom. The magnetism of the dance was too strong; the beauty of the gowns and masks too enticing. Isabella had never felt an excitement such as this, before—this letting-go of insecurities in the knowledge that everyone in this fairytale room was perfect. The elaborate gowns cascading to the floor were perfect, the men in identity-concealing masks were perfect, the haunting lull and tug of the orchestra was perfect.
And, most of all, Isabella was perfect.
“Forever…,” she sighed again, docilely letting the masked man on her hand and waist propel her along in this great breathing beast that was the dance.
“Nothing is perfect, my dear.” The dreamy haze of Isabella’s eyes drifted away for a moment as she looked up at her partner. Curious, she thought. This wasn’t a place for talking, as no one but she had yet to say a word. Why should this man be special? His eyes smiled down at her through the holes of his cat-like mask, and seemed to hold the answer to her question.
Because he IS special.
Isabella frowned. That wasn’t right. This was HER place, and no one else’s. No one could be special but her.
The sudden lift of the melody shooed those thoughts away, and the only thing on her mind was, once again, the dance. The cat-masked man expertly dipped her just-so, and her arm gracefully arched out perfectly in time with every other girl’s. As he pulled her up once again and they twirled away, her thoughts were dreamily brought back to her love of this place. She couldn’t think of a possible reason to want to leave.
“No reason at all?” asked the cat-man, in that coy, flirtatious way that made her blood race in excitement. But, excitement or no, his breaking of the rhythm was starting to irritate her. “You would miss nothing of what you once had?”
“I never had anything to miss,” she snapped back irately. Who was this man to question her? To question her private thoughts? This was her place, and he would not ruin it for her! Everything else had always been ruined, and this was the one thing she wanted to keep precious.
“Are you sure about that? Because you could stay here forever, you know. You could stay with me, and we could dance and be happy. Is there no one who you would miss? No one who would miss you?” His tone was no longer coy and flirtatious, but probing and curious. Isabella felt herself relax into that place of bliss, where nothing mattered but the music and the dance, and was happy he was letting her have this place, even if those questions troubled her.
Surely she had no one. She could think of no one who would miss her, and all the trouble she brought in her wake. No, they would be glad to be rid of her. They would be glad she had no breath left in her body.
“No one at all,” she answered smoothly, eyes drifting closed once again. A moment passed where neither of them spoke, but just glided along the floor like they couldn’t help it. After a few rounds of the floor, Isabella opened her eyes to find that every other pair had moved away from them, leaving them to spin and whirl by themselves for everyone to see, and Isabella smiled.
“Then certainly, no one would mind if I do this.” Isabella drowsily opened her eyes to meet his again, to see what the stranger was talking about. A sudden pressure on the small of her back towards the man had her pressed tightly against his chest, and she flushed from the closeness. She looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise and lips slightly parted, to watch as he hungrily leaned down and captured her dainty lips on his warm ones.
It was a passionate kiss that left her breathless. It left her with a desire burning in the pit of her stomach; a sensation she could only vaguely remember feeling one other time. Strange, how she couldn’t remember why. With innocent eyes, she looked back up at the cat-man, just as he leaned down again to land heated kisses on her neck.
In the back of her head, she felt this was wrong. This was something sacred, something she was only supposed to do with the one she loves. This man, this stranger, was making a farce of something that was supposed to be a personal thing between her and Gab—
Gabriel. The name was like a slap in the face. Immediately, she tore herself from this man with green cat’s eyes, and away from him, not caring that she was purposely breaking the rhythm of the masquerade. She wanted to break it. She couldn’t believe what this stranger had just done, and what she had just allowed. She was appalled.
She was FURIOUS.
“How DARE you.” She said to the cat-masked man, who just stood where she left him, smiling proudly. That smile only fueled her anger. “How DARE you do something like that? That isn’t something you do lightly! That’s something only meant for me and Gab—,”
“For you and WHO, my dear?” he interrupted her. “It was you who said that there was no one to miss you; that there was no one to mind you.” She spluttered under his penetrating gaze, for she HAD said that. Because it was true! At least… That was what she thought…
But what about Gabriel? Isabella could clearly remember him now, and she was appalled at herself for ever forgetting. She could picture him now, with his piercing, coy green eyes, and slick brown hair that never left its ponytail other than when she stole it from him, laughing all the way. The memory put a smile on her lips.
“You have a reason to go back, Isabella.” He looked at her now with a deathly serious expression, and she was left confused at his strange constant change of moods.
Could that be true…? She never saw it that way, and she wondered why this stranger could. As far as she knew, she was nothing but a burden…
“A burden willingly taken on,” he told her, still with that grave look in his eyes. “Isabella, wake up.”
“Wha—,”
“Wake up.”
“Wait, what—,”
“Izzy, wake up!” Izzy…?
~
“Izzy, please, PLEASE wake up. I’m here, Isabella, just hear my voice and wake up…” Isabella wanted to wake up now, that was for sure. The constant beeping by her ear was getting pretty annoying, especially that high-pitched, dragged out note that for some reason made her skin crawl.
“Gabriel… I’m awake, now. Oh, don’t cry, please…” Gabriel’s head instantly snapped up to meet her hazy blue gaze with his tear-streaked emerald one, and he sat there in stunned silence for the space of a second before he leaped up and nearly crushed her in a hug.
“Gabriel...,” Izzy choked on the scared tears starting to form in her throat. “Please, promise me…,”
“Anything, Izzy, I’ll give you anything,” he said desperately. For a minute, she was lost in the memory of what she had just witnessed in what she now realized to be REM sleep in a coma. She had seriously almost left Gabriel… The thought of that terrified her. She had almost just let herself die, leaving Gabriel to suffer. She couldn’t believe how selfish she had just been.
“Just promise me… You’re always going to be there…?” She meant to make it a request, but the scared innocence in her voice made it a question. Lovingly, reverently, he held her face in his hands, just as the door to the hospital room was being pulled open, and said,
“I will ALWAYS be there.”