I turned my head to see a handsome man wearing an eyepatch. He was sitting on a branch nearby, watching me.
“Help me?” I requested. The vines were starting to cut off my air.
But the eyepatch man just sat, smoking a cigarette, watching me struggle.
“The system isn’t built to help.” He said cryptically, “It is meant to tie you down.”
“How come you aren’t tied?” I gasped.
“I cut myself free.” He said.
“So cut me free!” I begged, but he only shook his head sadly.
“I can’t. Some things you have to do yourself. But I can give you this…”
He rose from where he was seated. Standing, he was lean and muscular. He strode over to me and paused to look at me where I was restrained.
Then he leaned forward and kissed me.
I struggled, but the vines held me still. When he pulled away, he smirked.
“What the hell did that do?” I raged.
“For you? Nothing.” He shrugged, “but I enjoyed it.”
I cursed at him and he laughed.
“Well, it’s been fun, but I gotta run.” The stranger said, “See you around.”
He swaggered off, disappearing into the trees, leaving me tangled in vines.
I increased my struggle, but the vines were moving now, twining tighter around my limbs and encircling my throat. Tighter and tauter, they cut off my airway until I was seeing spots in my eyes, and then darkness overtook me.
When I opened my eyes, I was once again in my bed in the light of morning. My throat felt bruised and sore, and there was a faint aroma of cigarette smoke that faded quickly.
This dream felt more disturbing than the last. Who was that man? And was this another thing that would come to pass?
It felt more present than that. Like we had actually been having a conversation in real life.
Decidedly sinister.”
Not sexy.
The night of the Gala came quickly. I had spent the last few days running ragged, performing errands for the Old Luna and trying to find time to work in the garden when I could.
I hadn’t seen Gideon since the day he’d given me the key to his office. Sometimes when I walked past his room I thought I heard him walking around inside, but I didn’t have a reason to bother him.
I did use his office several times though, and one time he’d left me a note on the desk.
Very romantic.
I’d scribbled a large “5” on the paper, and the next time I’d come back, the note was gone. I took that to mean that Gideon was continuing the preparations for our wedding, but this was the strangest engagement I’d ever heard of.
I felt like most couples would be having romantic dinners, talking about their plans for family, and dreaming of the future.
My dinners were cold plates delivered by the kitchen when I remembered to ask for them, eaten alone while I worked. I had no idea what Gideon was up to, like usual.
Now I stared at the dress laying on my bed and realized that I had no idea what Gideon was wearing, or if we’d match at the Gala. It seemed so trivial but I was kicking myself that in all of my planning I hadn’t thought to coordinate that.
Camila, Gideon’s sister, arrived in my room so we could help each other with hair and makeup and we spent some time getting ready. While we worked, I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering me.
“Anyone with an eyepatch?” Camila frowned, “A man, you say? No, can’t say that I have seen anyone like that. Was this someone you ran into here at the pack house?”
“No, uh, someone I think I met once in town is all.” I stammered. I couldn’t very well tell her that it was someone who had kissed me in a weird dream I had, and that some of my dreams sometimes come true.
If I started saying stuff like that, people would start looking at me funny.
When we were finished getting ready, we stared at our reflections with satisfaction. Unlike the stifling, elaborate costume Zara had put me in for the Silvermoon Mating Ball, this dress was more suited to my tastes.
Soft, gauzy fabric clung in all the right places, lending an ephemeral quality to my movements, and the color was pale in a way that complimented my hair and skin wonderfully.
It was the prettiest I had ever felt.
I headed towards the ceremony hall to inspect the final preparations for the Gala. Every table around the dance floor held vases of flower arrangements, and there were garlands of flowers and greenery hanging from the ceiling and around the edges of the room, giving it the appearance of a forest grotto.
Some unusual flowers caught my eye, they were tall with purple stems and clusters of green flowers in clumps at the top. I had never seen them before.
Frowning, I analyzed my invoices, but didn’t see anything similar to these.
“Oh, those are Angelica flowers.” I turned to see the girl I had talked to outside the kitchen the other night, Madelyn.
“I don’t think we ordered these.” I knitted my brow, flipping through my papers.
“They’re a traditional aphrodisiac.” Madelyn said, “They’re often added to bouquets at romantic events like this one. They’re supposed to bring good mating luck.”
“I didn’t know that.” I sighed. There was so much I was learning, but stuff like this made me painfully aware of the gaps in my knowledge.
“Thank you.” I said to Madelyn, and she gave me a tight smile before moving away.
Finally all the preparations were completed and the music began. Families began to trickle in. Matriarchs and Patriarchs made small talk while eligible young adults mingled and munched on the buffet of delicious food.
It was strange to think that I was the same age as some of these young adults, but I already felt like I was so much older. My own engagement had been arranged for me, on pain of death. I’d never had a fairytale romance like they were having.
I watched a young couple making moon-eyes at each other from across the room and covered my smile with my hand. Maybe some really would find real love tonight, and I would have had a hand in it.
Maybe someone else would get to be happy.
Anna and the kitchen staff had been working extra hours to get the feast ready for everyone and now the hall was filled with delicious scents.
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