When Summer Stole My Heart

I was beneath something soft. My eyes felt heavy. I tried to open them but I couldn’t. I tried lifting my arm but I couldn’t everything was too heavy. I heard a groan coming from my right, then my left. I tried my eyes again, this time the opened, slowly, but still, they opened.
I swiveled my head to the left, Valerie was lying upon a bed; swivel to the right, Julie was in the same position. I sat up and was immediately hit with a headache. I gasp, but ignore the pain and look around. We were in a room. A fairly large room with two doors, three wardrobes, and one vanity; there were no windows. I look down, everything seemed to be intact. I swung my feet over and was greeted with a cold stone floor. I went over to Valerie and shook her, “Val, wake up, we are in some strange room.” Her eyes flittered opened, “Wha-?” I sigh and go over to Julie and tell her the same thing.
With all of us awake we looked around the room, checked out one of the doors, which was a bathroom, a very old looking bathroom, the other door was locked. The three wardrobes all held beautiful gowns.
We all sat down on our respective beds and looked at one another. Finally someone broke the silence with a simple cliché, “Where are we?”
“You are in the Realm of Faeries.” We all looked up at a beautiful woman wearing a black ball gown. She was just as pale as those people in the woods, and that man in the pub. My eyes widen. The realm of faeries. Oh. My. God. I look at her, “You can’t be serious.” She nods, smiles and walks to one of the wardrobes, “Dear Valerie, this one is yours,” She pointed to another, “and sweet Julie, that is yours,” Then she pointed to the last one, “And darling, special Evelyn, that one is yours. Now all of you get dressed, someone will be by to bring you to the ball.” And then she was gone. Poof, gone, not there.
“Where the bloody hell did she go?!” Screeched Julie.
Valerie shook her head, “I say we do as she said, let’s get ready to go to a ball, what harm can come from that?”
“No, the best thing to do is find our way out of here.” I told her.
“We have to find the boys, and I am sure that they would be at this ball, dance thing.” Julie said. I chewed my lip, she had a point, we couldn’t just leave without them, and the best chance of finding them is to go to this ball the lady was talking about.
So we went to our wardrobes and looked through them. Julie had picked a beautiful blue dress that clung to her thin figure. Valerie picked a beautiful royal purple dress that flowed easily over her long body. I couldn’t decide on a dress, there were so many! They both came over and help pick out a dark green ball gown that matched my eyes that poofed out, it reminded me of my junior prom dress.
When we were dressed and had our shoes on which were not heels, but flats that looked hand-made, we did our make-up. Well, they did their make-up, I only did a little bit of eyeshadow and eyeliner. I wasn’t much for make-up. When we were done we sat on our beds. Julie laughed, “I feel like I’m going to the Winter Formal!” Valerie agreed, “I know, I haven’t felt this beautiful in so long!” I just sat in silence. Finally there was a knock at the door and in walked the woman again. She clapped her hands together, “My, you all look so beautiful. Well, follow me.”
And we did just that, right down the dark hall that was filled with flowers and paintings of lands. Down another hall similar to the last and finally to a large door. Music, beautiful music and laughter was coming from the other side. She opened the door and we were blasted by light and music. A few… people? Looked towards us then continued on dancing. She led us in and up to a small group of me. They turned around and I squealed in glee. They were alright! I ran over and hugged Connor. “You’re alright!” He said, sounding reassured. I nodded, “Yes, we’re fine. No we have to find a way out of here.” I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder, I whirled around, and it was Lucas. I hugged him too. He smiled, “You look beautiful, let’s dance.” And he dragged me out to the dance floor. We twirled around, he dipped me, and we spun. When the music stopped a deep, familiar voice boomed in the room.
“We have guests! Let them feel welcome; let them eat, be joyful, dance with them! They are our friends. Let the merriment continue!”
I looked around for the source of the voice but couldn’t see anything over the masses. I pulled away from Lucas. He looked hurt but shrugged it off and grabbed the hand of some girl dancing by herself. I started walking away, looking for the rest of my friends when my hand was grabbed and I was brought to the hard chest of a man in all black.
“Enjoying yourself, my love?”
That voice, the same as the man that made the announcement; it was so calm, soft, so sure of itself, it sounded like silk. I look up and gasp. It was the man from the pub. His black eyes pierced my green ones. I gulped and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened around my hands. I wince. We continued to dance, to spin lightly, “No.” I finally answer him. He cocked his head and smirked, “No?” he sounded so condescending. I nod in confirmation. “You tricked us.” I mumble. He clicked his tongue, “No, my love, I did not, I told you there would be a party, in the woods at twelve. You all decided to come.” I shook my head, “Well, we aren’t in the woods, now are we? We are in… a castle I think.” He nodded, “Yes, my castle, and you are wearing such a beautiful gown, matched those dark eyes of yours; dancing, and your friends,” he released on of his hands and made a sweeping motion around the room, “Are having the time of their life.” I looked around and spotted all of them dancing and laughing, with wide smiles on their face.
He had said ‘my castle’. And earlier on that woman had said the realm of faeries. His castle. Realm of faeries. That would make him.
“Dorian.” I whisper with a shaky voice, filled with realization. He grinned at me then. A scary, knowing grin. A slippery, evil grin. “Oh, my God.” I say louder. I ripped my body away from him, turn and run. He shouted out my name, but I continued running forward, I reached out for Connor and pulled him away from some faerie. “What are you doing?” he hissed at me angrily, “we have to get out of here!” I tell him with haste. He shrugs and walks over to a table of food. He picked a grape up and was about to put it into his mouth. My eyes widen and I smack it out of his hand. “Don’t you eat that! Once you eat something in this realm you can’t leave!”
He rolled his eyes, “Don’t be silly, besides, what if I want to stay?” He picked up a grape again in which I slapped out of his hand, again. He looked down then back up at me angrily. “Would you stop doing that!” I opened my mouth to explain to him that I was only trying to help when I felt a pair of long, cold, strong hands on my shoulders.
“Go ahead, eat all the grapes you want Connor; now I am going to borrow your cousin.”
And then I was being pulled away from Connor and Brought into the arms of Dorian. I peered over his shoulders and watch Connor pop a few grapes into his mouth. I scream out but Dorian pulls me farther and farther away.
“Now, darling, let your friend’s have some fun.” He whispered into my ear. I clench my jaw and pull away from him, his nails scratching my wrist; I storm away from him and out a door. I stomp down the hall, having no idea where I was going.
“Do you even know where you are going?”
I look to my left; Dorian was standing there, propped up against the wall with a smirk on his face. I take a deep, calming breath, “You know, my grandmother always warned me. ‘Don’t go into those woods Evie, they are dangerous.’ And I would ask why, and then she would tell me they hold an evil creature: the king of faeries.” Dorian chuckled but I continued to speak,
“She said that you get young women to come into the woods, and then they are never seen again. She said faeries are dangerous, and you are the most dangerous of them all. I tried to stay away from Tomnafinnoge, yet my friends; oh they really wanted to come.”
He looked at his nails, signaling to me that he was bored. I clench my jaw, “I want to go home.” I tell him. He looks up, his face held a leer. “Well you can’t Evelyn. You stepped into the circle.” I shake my head, “Correction, I was pulled into the circle.” He shrugged, “You still went in.” I started biting my inner cheek. “Why us?” I finally asked. He stood up straight and floated over to me, well, at least it seemed like that. He reached out and caressed my cheek, “Don’t you mean, ‘why me’?” What? I stepped back. “Excuse me?” He smiled then, not a malevolent evil smile, a dreamy smile, a smile that held a memory. He backed me up against the wall and began stroking my hair,
“Do you remember when you were a little girl, with Connor? You both decided to be strong, you walked into Tomnafinnoge. I was standing there watching you two. You wanted to be so brave. Did you realize just how tough you were being, such a little girl with a huge spirit. It made me laugh when Connor screamed when he heard the sound my feet made when I broke a few branches. You tried to see what had made the noise, but then he pulled you away.”
I gulped. This can’t be good.
“Whenever you would come to visit, I would watch, you were such a happy child, then that tragedy, the death of Connor’s parents. You never came back to visit. You know, I had given up hope, but then, about a week ago, I felt someone step into the woods, I came to look at who it was, and it was you, you, Connor and some other boys. And then I knew.”
I looked into his dark eyes. “What did you know?” I don’t know why I asked. I already knew the answer.
He leaned in closer, “That I couldn’t let you go, I didn’t know if you would come back.”
I chewed my bottom lip, I did not like where this was going. He kept getting closer and closer. Oh, oh no, no way! I ducked under his arms and fell a few steps back. Dorian turned to me, “Darling, let’s go back to celebration. You know it’s for you. It’s not very polite to not be at your own party.” I shake my head and turn away, finally remembering how to get back to my room.
“Evelyn!” He shouted.
“Just leave me alone!”
I kept walking, further down the hall and then down another and into my rooms. I slam it shut and go sit on my bed, angry tears flowing down my cheek. He didn’t have the right to do this! I take off my dress and throw it to the ground, stomping on it in fury. More and more tears streaming down my face. Dammit! I put on my clothes from before and get back into bed. I lie down and breathe heavily. Okay, calm down. Think. You have to get a control of yourself. Just go to sleep for now. When you wake up you will figure out what to do from there.
So I shut my eyes and breathed slowly. Soon enough I was drifting into s dreamless sleep.