Dreaming of a dance till dawn, waltzing to the ringing bells

Every second on the clock wanes my magic spell

You start walking, holding your dress up so it doesn't catch dirt and mud. Your shoes, poor and dirty, would not be shown anyways. At least that's what you tell yourself. And you stop, standing outside of your town and waiting.

The ballroom will be golden, and you will have the time of your life. Perhaps you should forget about Maven at all. Farley's orders echo through your head. No, you can't forget. As a member of the Scarlet Guard, it is your job to start the revolution, even if you don't want to. 

You are going to have to kill Maven Calore.

You shivered in the night inside the carriage

That's when the carriage pulls up. The awkward machine that is driven by Shade Barrow himself. You curtsy to him and he laughs, motioning for you to get in. Your dress spills in your lap, not fitting in the tight space that you share with Farley. In her hand is a pair of shiny glass shoes, which she is happy to place on your feet. You really do fit the part of a princess now, don't you?

For hours the Scarlet Guard has been surrounding you, trying to cover up every single red part of your skin. You almost hate how much you look like a silver now. It's oddly intense.

The trees appear thin and fragile from a distance, twisting around the falling snow. You try and catch snowflakes in your white gloves. They cling to the fabric and melt away. The ride is bumpy and you can feel at the rocks under the metal wheels. Farley gives you a determined smile that you don't find yourself returning.

Tear it away, the rags you wore in past days, step into the halls to this ball

No one followed you to the door. You were alone. You had no hands to guide you, no bandana to reveal your intention. You're alone. You're mysterious. And you manage to find your way into the castle. The halls are gorgeous, the carpets and drapes warm tones to fight against your freezing colors.

You realize quickly that you don't match your surroundings at all. Your dress is white, pale against the lanterns' flickering lights. The gothic carpet clings to your heels, beckoning the glass to stay. You continue.

Whispers reaching, searching around me, ordered to find a face never seen

The ballroom was golden. Light shining on light and reflecting off of crystals on dresses and hats. Blinding. People glance at you, double takes and triple takes. What is there to do? Stand? Dance?

You are not supposed to draw attention to yourself. So you walk along the wall, picking a glass of wine from a servant's tray. You've never tasted something so sweet. 

And then with a blade hidden cradled within my grasp, I will steal your every last dream

You finger the blade hidden within your glove. The sharp edge pokes at your palm, making you wince every time you try and clench your fist. But the pain reminds you as to why you are here. So your eyes scan the surrounding party, trying to look for the wicked young man.

He is nowhere to be found. A cold sweat forms on the back of your neck. What if he did not show up? What would you do?

You take your first steps into the crowd, still looking left and right. Casually. You try not to look too frustrated. 

In these halls where orphans are born I soar as a seraph watching over all

"Are you looking for someone?" A hand comes out from the crowd with warm fingers to wrap around your forearm. The people around you look up. They notice you now.

"My brother," your lips part, "I am sorry if I had you concerned."

Maven shakes his head and gives a small smile. "Just curiosity."

A smile drawn onto my mask and my wings spread out, I embrace this love coated in thorns

"Then, I'm sorry for that too."

He doesn't remove his hand from your forearm, rather brings it down to your waist as he gently starts to lead you farther away from the crowd. "I don't recognize you, do you not come often?"

You can sense the suspicious in his tone. It tingles up your spine but you remain calm. He is only trying to get to you.

"I have never before. This is my first time."

"And why is that?"

You swallow, blinking. Even though you tried to look frustrated, a small grin still finds its way onto your lips.

"I was not deemed the fittest child."

In the ashes through the melting glass, the slippers fade and crack, a crimson glowing mass

"I can cheer to that." He takes the wine from your grasp and places it to his lips, finishing it up before giving it away. You just watch quietly, a warm feeling bubbling in your core. He peeks down at you, offering you a grin. You return it.

He tilts his head, "am I safe to assume you are an Arven?"

You look down, almost forgetting what you were wearing. "Or I just like the color white."

His face doesn't move. It remains stable, looking you in the eyes. "You prefer the color white?"

The heart is your chest turns into a drum. "You tell me, Maven. What am I?"

He grabs your hand and pulls you in the crowd once again. Looks like he's done interrogating you. 

"I was hoping you'd tell me that. A dance?"

He smiles down at you and you place your hand onto his. You feel a pain in your palm. It brings you back to reality. You switch the hand, laughing at yourself. 

"I forgot I'm left-handed, I'm sorry."

Now I really wish to leave, since I'm shaking without stop

As your eyes are glancing at the ticking clock

As Maven grabs your waist, guiding you elegantly across the dance floor, your eyes casually search for an annual clock. You need to leave before 12. You need to. What is the time now?

11:50.

You grip onto Maven, holding him tightly. You can feel how light your feet are getting. And you think back to only a day before. Practicing dancing with Shade. Dagger throwing with Farley in the woods, feeling the breeze on your fingers as the knife slips from your grasps. You remember running through the mud with heels. You remember training for this moment. You were the one that was picked.

You throw all of those memories away as you look into his eyes. From the tv's in your red village, his eyes look black. Now you can see they are light blue.

I extend my fingertips and reach out for your neck

You speak, your voice soft amongst the crowd. "I've never seen you with my own eyes."

Maven pulls you closer. You can feel his breath. It's almost time. You need to stop this. You need to stop feeling. 

"Look at everyone else, I'm sure they haven't seen you either."

And that's when you notice how truly stuck you were. You had failed to realize, in your panic, that the people have formed a circle around you two. They were watching your every move.

And in one moment an impulse has been woken down your spine, halting time 

Please, I'm begging, don't make the bells ring, falling onto my knees as I plead

A ringing chimes throughout the castle. It halts awake the servants. It stops the sentinels in their tracks. It has the Welles, Osanos, and everyone in between looking up at the clock. How beautiful, the melody it sings once it hits twelve. 

You stop dancing. Your feet are locked in place and you can't stop holding onto him. He just smiles, pulling you close and kissing you gently.

Everything happens within only a couple of seconds. The kiss feels like an eternity. His warmth stealing away all the pain and anxiety you had. He was a soft creature, his arms holding no malice. Yet you gripped onto him like your life depended on it. Perhaps it had.

I'm screaming out "no" as my right hand is thrusting out, and I say my last farewells now

"I'm so sorry." You whisper onto his lips as you let go of him. As swift as a thief, you take off your left glove and plunge the dagger into his heart. 

Words leave his lips like a final breathe as he clenches onto you. His grip feels like the fires of hell, corrupting your body and filling your spine with fear. But he just calmly rests his chin on your shoulder.

You plead into his ear over and over, running your hands through his hair. Just a moment longer. You need one more moment longer.

Rip my dress apart with my knees and throw my tiara far from this place

And finally, he collapsed, ripping apart the hem of your dress in the process. Then came gasps and rushing hands. All you wanted was to stay by his side, to feel the warmth of his lips and the softness of his skin.

But you ran. And that's all you could do. 

As a silencer, you use your ability to draw out everyone in the room. The weight of all the heads and their pounding confusion forced you down onto your knees, collapsing onto the floor. The ground was cold. Where are you? You can only focus on weighing down the room. All of those people. You have a headache. 

Two pairs of hands grab you, dragging you away. Blonde hair clouds your vision. 

"You can stop now, it's over." A voice aggressively commands into your ear. 

Our eyes meet and lock in a gaze of desirous ache, only fuelling our wild flames

You turn back, looking into the ballroom as Farley helps you onto your feet. The guards by the door lay helplessly on the floor. The sight, familiar, have you stop in your tracks. Blood is pooling onto the floor, dripping from their mouths. What did you do to them? Scarlet Guard members start to close the door on silvers gasping for breath and trying to get out. In the midst of it all, you get a glance at Maven.

He looks at peace.

Let it stay, remaining emotions, strickened by the impending scorching waves

"You did a good job," Farley says. There are no pounding footsteps. No running, no hiding. You two just walk towards the door. It feels like nothing. And the night is cold. It's gentle. Like a caress against your skin. It's all over, you remind yourself. This is everything you wanted. The words go nowhere. They don't mean anything. You start down the stairs, but a couple of steps pass before you stop. Something feels weird. Lifting your dress, you look down.

You had lost one of your glass slippers.