Blurry

~Eliana

"Mom?" I said softly. She was standing at the edge of the ballroom in an elegant and golden dress. Her hair, done up in an elaborate updo, held a nest of horns, beautifully crafted in a high-fashion sort of way.
"Oh, Eliana! Aren't you excited?" She said. Indicating to the preparations being made as we speak.
I shook my head. "Not really." I admitted.
Rhonda glanced at me, her lips pursed. "Well, you should be."
I folded my arms and huffed. A move that usually I was scolded for. "I don't want to dance!" I said suddenly, hoping that she might take pity on me.
It was a long shot. One that deep down I knew wouldn't pan out.
"Eliana just stop," she said. Her voice growing forceful and low. Her head dropped, eyes closed and she sighed. With a rather jerk-force she took my elbow, ignored my complaints, and found a more appropriate place for us to 'Talk.'
"You're getting older," Rhonda said calmly as a smile rose to her lips. "Everyone will be watching and It's time you made new friends." Though she sounded polite I could feel the tense strain in her to do so.
"Rhonda, I have friends!" I said, not quite understanding why that mattered. At the mention of friends her face contorted into a confused grimace. "Those anti-social heathens don't deserve your attention." She said, straightening up and avoiding my glare.
"Oh, but the people with money and fancy titles do?" I said boldly, earning a death glare from her. Hellen sighed deeply and if we were alone she probably would have hit me for the comment. I eyed her her every move, waiting.
"This will be good for you Eliana." She said finally, in a tone that I knew she would never budge from.
It was settled. I wasn't getting out of this.
I grumbled in frustration and stormed off, wandering back into the crowd. People were talking, whispering even, and occasionally they shot a glance my way. I tried to focus. Relax and take myself out of my own head.
"You've got this El. It's fine. You've got this."
I repeated to myself, over and over as I pushed through the crowded room aimlessly.
A tug came to my wrist and snapped me from my thoughts. Blaise had found me and drug me over to the black grand piano where Draco sat.
"You're a hard one to find Aldridge. " Blaise said.
Draco's eyes snapped to me a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Why Blaise I think she's nervous." He said, knowingly ticking me off.
"Not about dancing no." I said, casually leaning against the piano as if I didn't care. It was half true. After all, it wasn't the act of dancing that I feared but the reasons behind it.
Draco sat forward against the piano chair as if readying himself to play. I moved and sat next to him, facing the dance floor.
"I'll kill you for this, you know." I told him. He merely shrugged.
"You've already evened the playing field Aldridge, what more could you ask for?"
I thought for a moment and blew a raspberry, tossing my arms against the dark wood. A smile snuck onto my lips as an idea formed. I leaned into Draco's ear and whispered. "We still have a bet you know."
His brow raised at me. A mischievous gleam in his eye as he said; "You still think you have a chance? That's cute really."
I hit him, hard yet he merely wobbled. An arrogant laugh escaped him.
"Whatever. Blaise," I said, brushing off Draco and taking his best friends hand. Blaise pulled me off the stool and I quickly used his shoulder as leverage to remove my 8 inch heels that mom insisted I wear.
I sat them atop the piano and took a moment to loosen my ankles.
"Wow, Aldridge are you sure that you're not part dwarf?" Blaise said with a mocking chuckle.
I took the silver pin that had been holding my hair up out and let the curls shake loosely down my back. I tossed it to Draco and snapped.
"I'm five one." I said, which I quickly converted into centimeters at the boys confused faces. Metric system, wow I really had been away long.
It was then that the lights dimmed and the guests left the floor open and spacious. Everyone stood there. Waiting, watching, silent.
I turned to Draco who was removing his jacket as he spoke. "Welp, any requests Aldridge?" He said smartly.
I thought about it and shrugged. "Start slow, don't play till I'm at the center."
Draco nodded. "Of course," he said smugly. "So long as you can keep up with me."
It was meant to be a joke and normally I would have tossed him some witty come back, but I was focused now. Determined to get this over with.
Suddenly I was stopped by a hand at my wrist. I turned my head over my shoulder. "Aldridge." Was all Blaise said, his eyes on mine. I nodded. His way of wishing me luck.
"Now or never Doll-face." Draco said. I had hardly heard his voice until he shoved me a bit forward.
I nodded, hating that he was right.

~ Draco.

The room had dimmed and all conversation slowed to a nonexistent crawl. Smoke lingered in the still air. An unnatural quiet.
I watched as Eliana took her first step, then another, toward the black center of the ballroom floor. The moments before she had shown very little emotion, indicating nerves, but if she was anything like the girl I once knew well..
We were all in for a surprise.
Suddenly, in the dead silence, she ran. Flipping expertly till her body sprung towards the center floor and crashed.
There were gasps and hushed whispers of concern and horror. Even I immediately thought that maybe.. Perhaps she..
It was then that I started to play.. Slow at first, like she asked. Her collapsed body rose, bending backward into another flip before spinning elegantly.
Instantly her dress folded into a magical black smoke that vanished as she spun, revealing a shorter, more simplistic, yet just as pretty dress beneath it.
I rolled my eyes as the applause started, ignoring the arrogant girl and focused on playing. She was toying with us. All eyes were on her and she was neither concerned nor cared.
"She's quite impressive," I overheard Blaise say which only fueled my annoyance.
"Impressive, " I grumbled, keeping the melody slow between the keys. "We'll see about that."

~ Eliana

As the melody slowed my body stretched, Leaning back into my left leg. An impossible bend.
The slow repetition of Draco's melodic keys were easy enough to convey emotion into. I tumbled forward and lept before slowly sliding into a full split. Another round of applause told me these simplistic moves had everyone convinced that I was a terrific dancer.
All except one.
Instantly the tempo changed. Chords became shorter and more forceful. I rose and my head snapped towards the pianist. His eyes unwavering from mine. The notes, repetitious and increasing. He was tempting me. I could almost sense the words in Draco's smirk. "Your Move Aldridge,"
The melody continued as Draco smiled at me, waiting, watching, seeing if I would play his invisible game.
That's the thing about Draco. There's no 'taking the high road' with him. He's an arrogant bastard that makes you want to win.
I couldn't help but return his smile with a wink. My expression telling him to "Try and keep up."

~ Draco

The notes rang out throughout the room in a hollow echoing tone. Towards the end we each had set eachothers sights high. Hell bent on destroying the others reputation, on winning. Eliana danced with suprising grace and vigor. Even with everything I threw at her, nothing worked. It caused me to play faster, harder, better.. Every pause, every melodic interval, she took in stride. By the end my heart was beating faster than the keys. I stood, no longer caring about the others who were enjoying our cat and mouse game. I needed to win.. And so did she.
There was silence, an extra added moment before the surrounding wizards and and witches applauded politely.
The notes ended.
Before I had realized it myself, applause, and then Eliana appeared, Laughing at me.. at us.
"Damn Draco, you're flushed as fuck!" She exclaimed, her hand in my hair before I could protest. Her face, amused. "You ok?"
It took me a moment to register anything but the soft playfulness of her touch. "Fine," I said while removing her hand. My eyes scanned Eliana over.
Her long, silk like hair clung to her back in sticky ripples. Beads of sweat shimmered in the light as her chest rose and fell from exhaustion. Dirt smudged across her body. "Clearly you haven't seen a mirror." I scolded. Her hand took my shoulder.
"I gotta say," She said, ignoring my remark and slipping on her heels. It was strange but now that she was taller, I almost preferred her without them. "You almost impressed me for a moment there."
Surly she was kidding, after all, this was Eliana. I couldn't help the smile that slowly tugged towards the corners my mouth.
"Almost? I am more than a pretty face El, I do have many skills." I said smugly, which made her laugh and hit me. I laughed too as her hands fell to her hips. Her face both annoyed and amused with me.
"Shut up! I was trying to give you a compliment Draco." She said.
I expected her to yell at me or at least snap again for using her dreaded nickname. Instead she laughed, genuinely, and for the first time since she returned I wasn't just Malfoy.
I was Draco..
And suddenly I didn't want to be.
"Oh gosh Drakie! That was wonderful!"
A large force had knocked me back into the piano, it tightened my chest and made it hard to breath. An array of expensive fabrics blurred my vision as a strong sense of flowers consumed everything near.
Instantly I had a headache.
"Pansy!" I said, pushing her as far off of me as possible. I glanced at El, who looked confused. "W-what are you?"
Pansy merely smiled, her pug nose contorting with her face. "Stop playing Draco, you asked me to this weeks ago."
"Shit," I mumbled, my head slapping my hand. I had completely forgotten about Pansy all week.
"Oh, who's this?" Pansy was all over me, clinging to my chest. He eyes on Eliana like daggers.
"Hey I'm Elian-"
"The Aldridge girl?" Pansy questioned, her head quickly shifting between the two of us. "YOU know the Aldridge girl?"
Eliana looked to me and I her. Pansy's attitude a bit harsher than need be. El's eyes to rolled. Instantly I watched the playfulness drain from her eyes and her emotion lock up once more.
"Apparently we're 'old friends'." She mumbled, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Pansy looked to me for an explanation. "We grew up together.. Sort of." I said.
"Oh.." Was her reaction.
An awkward tension lingered in the air now. One that's Pansy seemingly hadn't recognized. She still clung to me, giggling, but Eliana upset me more. The woman was maddening. She stood there as if suddenly bored with everything around her.
I wanted to speak but she beat me to it.
"Oh look!" El said, pointing to nothing in particular. "A distraction.."
With that she wandered off, leaving a confusing mess behind her once again.