Virgil knocked on the door to the parlour tentatively. It had been a week since Edin had torn up his drawings but he wasn't ready to forgive and forget yet. Nor was he completely sure he was safe. He was never safe in this house, of course, but he'd never felt it as much as he did now.

"What?" Edin asked. Virgil was surprised he didn't use his nickname for him but then realised Darla was in the room.

"Um," Virgil swallowed, "I'd like to go to the ball. If that's alright."

Edin looked at his mum shiftily. "Virgil, we really can't do anything. If you'd told us earlier-"

"I did." Virgil cut in. "I told you as soon as I heard about the ball that I wanted to go. You pushed me to the side and didn't listen."

Edin laughed nervously. "Virgil, it's really-"

"I don't see why Virgil can't go to the ball." Darla said. "I mean, it's no trouble. Edin, I'm sure you could spare him some clothes or-"

"Actually, Miss Darla," Virgil said, feeling very awkward, "I already have my own outfit. I've, um, I've been practicing sewing and mending and I was able to make something."

Darla actually smiled at Virgil for the first time in years. She nodded her head with a gentle smile. "Very well. Edin and Thalia, Virgil will go to the ball with you two."

"But it's such short notice!" Edin protested. "There won't be enough room in the carriage for all four of us!"

"Oh, no, Edin, I'm not going." Darla said. Thalia looked up at her.

"Mother-" Thalia began to protest.

"Thalia, you and your brother are old enough to look after yourself." Darla said. She looked at Virgil. "And if anything goes dreadfully wrong, Virgil can always help you two."

"Apart from that, I'll just stay out of the way." Virgil said quickly. Edin sighed.

"Fine, Virgil." Thalia said. "I guess since we don't have a choice, you can come with us."

Virgil spun around in the mirror, grinning like a maniac. Sure, his outfit wasn't much. A shirt and trousers he'd managed to pilfer from the market and a coat and waistcoat he'd made with a simple pattern. It wasn't much but he'd tried to match it as close to the pattern of what he'd seen some people in the market wear.

Virgil giggled, turning this way and that. "Who knows, maybe there's a future for me in tailoring." He said to himself. "I can certainly hold a couple of pieces of material together."

Virgil checked the pocket-watch nailed to his wall and jumped. He was going to be late! Virgil grabbed his shoes and hurried down the spiral staircase.

He nearly barrelled into Edin at the bottom. Virgil took a step back.

"Uhm, Edin?" He asked. "What are you-"

"So this is your outfit?" Edin asked.

"Uh, yeah." Virgil said, weighing the options of taking another step back. If he took another step back, he'd be on the first step, trapping him even further.

"It really is pathetic." Edin said, taking a step forward, forcing Virgil to step back. "Why, it's practically," Edin pulled on Virgil's coat sleeve viciously, tearing it at the seam, "falling apart."

"Hey! I worked hard on this!" Virgil said, dropping the shoes in hand.

"Clearly not hard enough." Edin pushed Virgil, catching him off guard. Virgil fell back, hitting his head on a stone step. "You're not coming to the ball with us, little Devil, you can make sure of that."

That was when Virgil blacked out.

Virgil didn't know when he came to, all he knew was that his head hurt like Hell and it was pitch dark outside. He felt around the back of his head where he'd hit the step, expecting blood or a lump or something. Nothing. There was nothing.

"What the-?" Virgil muttered.

"Elven mischief, of course out of the 7 billion people on the planet, I get stuck with someone who talks to himself. Brilliant."

*giggles excitedly* I'm going to have so much fun with the Fairy Godmother.
Bye,
Blaize