by Lara Ann
“We don’t have to do proper dancing do we?” Tali asked.
“Harry and I have our own style – we don’t worry about what anyone else is doing,” Becky laughed.
“Yeah if crazy 70’s dancing was in, you guys would rock,” Xavier added.
“Jealous Xav?” Harry asked.
“Hardly, I’m sure Ash and I will win the dancing stakes hands down. Right Ash?”
“Umm I wouldn’t bet on it Xav, perhaps you should have asked someone else.”
“No way, you’ll look so stunning I’m sure no one will even notice your dancing,” Xavier replied.
I was sure I’d gone bright red at the compliment. “Thanks, I think,” I mumbled.
“What about you Wyn,” Tali said. “I’m sure you’re a fantastic dancer.”
“I can hold my own,” Wyn replied.
“Ooh I can’t wait, I’m so excited!” Tali squealed.
I tried not to be upset with Tali. I knew she had no idea how I felt about Wyn.
I found myself staring off into the distance any chance I got. Trying to see if anyone was watching us. So far I hadn’t seen anything. Wyn had already told me not to be so obvious about it. I’d watched him for a while, trying to catch him looking. If he had been looking for our stalker, I hadn’t seen him do it.
“Is anyone watching?” I whispered in Wyn’s ear.
“Yes, he’s here. I’m not going to point him out though. You are still being way too obvious about it,” Wyn said quietly.
“Fine, sorry I’m not a super spy.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Tali asked.
“Wyn was just thinking about getting a haircut,” I said, knowing that would distract her.
“No don’t do it,” Tali pleaded. “Longer hair is so hot.”
Wyn’s blonde hair only just brushed his shoulders and his fringe was long enough to tuck behind his pointed ears. I wondered what Tali would think if she could see Wyn as he really was. Would she be freaked out, or would she only find him more attractive?
Xavier came over to ask me if my dress for the dance had arrived yet.
“Not yet. Hopefully today. I don’t really have anything else to wear, so I hope it arrives in time.”
“If it doesn’t you can always borrow something of my sisters.”
“Really, I didn’t even know you had a sister.”
“Jasmine lives in Melbourne, she’s at Uni.”
“What’s she studying?”
“Forensic Science.”
“Wow, smart girl. Are you sure she wouldn’t mind?”
“No, she’s cool. She doesn’t care about stuff like that.”
“Thanks Xav, that’ll stop me stressing about my dress coming in time.”
Chapter 18
After school, Wyn showed me some more self-defence moves. I was still a bit sore from yester-day. Today we worked on what to do if someone grabbed me from behind. It was hard to concentrate on escaping when Wyn put his arms around me, but I knew it was important to focus on this lesson. I hadn’t forgotten my fear when the Dark Elves had captured me. I still had nightmares about being taken. So when Wyn grabbed me, I pretended he was one of those Elves. I dropped down to lower my centre of gravity and went for a shin strike. I then used my elbows to strike back and up towards his head.
“Good Ash, just use a bit more force on a real attacker. You’re picking this up well. I’ll have to be careful not to surprise you in the dark.”
“I feel much more confident, knowing what to try. Does this mean you’re reconsidering your decision not to return to Alora?”
“Not unless our stalker starts to pose a threat. For now I think the right thing to do is to stay here.”
“You wouldn’t want to miss the dance after all,” I teased.
Wyn grimaced. “Tali is certainly enthusiastic.”
“Don’t you like her?”
“She’s fine. Not really my type.”
I couldn’t help grinning. I was nothing like Tali. It reassured me to hear Wyn talk about Tali with no romantic interest. She’d be very disappointed I was sure.
“I don’t really know how to say this Ash. I’ve been meaning to bring it up, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Bring what up?” I asked, my smile falling.
“Well, Xavier seems like a really decent guy. You should give him a chance. I know he has feelings for you.”
“What! How do you know?”
“He talked to me about you. He asked me straight out if there was anything going on between us.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him the truth. I told Xavier there could never be anything between us, that he had my blessing to ask you out.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. I was too shocked to say anything. I couldn’t believe Wyn would say that there was nothing between us. I turned and ran from the gym before Wyn could see my tears. I bolted up the stairs and slammed the door to my room before collapsing on the bed and letting out an ocean of tears.
How could Wyn betray me like that? He’d said that he loved me, was that a lie? Or was he so bound by duty and honour that he could suppress his feelings to that extent? I felt so confused and alone. I wished I could talk to my Mum about it. I’d never missed her more than I did right now. I didn’t go down for dinner. I don’t know what Wyn told Dad, but they both left me alone. I curled in a small ball in the large bed and cried myself to sleep.
The next week dragged by. I stayed in my room a lot. At least I was now up to date on all my schoolwork. Dad had asked me if I was okay and seemed to believe me when I said I was fine. I pretty much ignored Wyn. At school, I let Xavier sit in between us. If he noticed the distance be-tween Wyn and me, he didn’t say anything. Xavier was his usual cheerful, funny self. I actually found talking to Xavier helped take my mind off everything. I almost wished I’d spent more time with Xavier before I’d met Wyn. Maybe if I’d already had feelings for Xavier, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Of course I didn’t really believe that, but it was another distraction.
At night, it was harder. My mind wanted to play back all the moments between us. The kiss on the beach, the almost kiss in the cave and of course when Wyn said he loved me. Did that really count though? Our lives had been in danger at that point; when we were in that horrible prison. Perhaps he’d just said that to reassure me. Argh, I wanted to scream, my thoughts just kept going in a never-ending loop.
Wyn had spent the week being polite but distant – just what he did best, I thought nastily. In my nicer moments, I considered that maybe he thought he was doing this for my benefit. Perhaps he was in as much pain as I was, denying his feelings for what he thought was right. In some ways this would be even worse than if he did not have feelings for me. To give up on us, to me that felt worse than anything else did. I guess I was an eternal optimist, I believed that if we loved each other, then nothing could stand in our way. Somehow the law could be changed, or gotten around somehow.
Friday after school, I drove Wyn home. Our trips this week had been pretty quiet, so it was a surprise when Wyn started a conversation.
“I have been giving our recent argument a great deal of thought. I believe I may have handled the situation badly.”
“You think?” I said sarcastically.
“I just want the best for you Ash. I want you to be able to have a normal life. I just thought that maybe Xavier could give you that.”
“What about you Wyn, what do you want?”
“That is not important.”
“Why? Are you somehow above it all? Do you really believe that your feelings aren’t important enough to be considered? Whoever made you believe that was a moron.”
“It’s how I was raised Ash, I was raised to be a leader, to put the lives of my people before my own life.”
“So you’re just going to go along with all that then? No matter how it hurts you?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I thought I had it all worked out in my h
ead, but every time I speak to you it all falls apart.”
I didn’t know what to make of that. Should I be pleased or offended? Was Wyn saying there was hope for us or not? I could hear the confusion in his voice, so I remained quiet. At last, as we were pulling into the garage Wyn continued.
“I think you should give Xavier a chance at the ball tonight Ash.”
Looks like honour and duty had won again I thought sadly, as I dressed for the dance. My beautiful dress had arrived on Tuesday. I carefully put it on, the cobalt blue fell in a soft cascade down to my feet. I loved the single shoulder strap and high waist. I felt so elegant. I had curled my long dark hair, so it fell in soft waves down my back. I applied more make-up than usual, with smoky eyes and a dark pink lipstick. I felt amazing. I couldn’t wait to go downstairs and see Wyn’s reaction. We were driving together and meeting Xavier and Tali there. They both lived in town, so we had agreed it would be silly for them to drive all the way out here.
I took one last look in the mirror, before heading downstairs. Halfway down I could see Dad and Wyn waiting just off the lounge room at the bottom of the stairs. I stopped at the sight of Wyn in a suit. The closely fitted black suit and tie looked amazing; it showed off his athletic physique and highlighted his blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. I was totally mesmerised. I descended the final stairs. Wyn had a look on his face I couldn’t quite decipher, but I think he liked what he saw. We kind of just stood there staring at each other. Finally, Dad broke the spell.
“You both look great, I’m sure you’ll have a great time. How about we go out on the deck so I can take some photos.”
“Sure Dad,” I smiled, excited to think at least I would have a photo of us together. Even if we wouldn’t be together at the dance.
“Weren’t you going to dress in medieval style to match Tali?” I asked Wyn.
“That was the original plan, but she changed her mind. She wanted to go with a black and white theme instead. I think she fancies James Bond.” Wyn looked bemused.
“Well, this look really suits you.”
“Thanks Ash. That colour looks amazing on you, I can’t take my eyes off you.”
“Really?” I couldn’t stop my huge grin. “Thanks, that means a lot.”
We went out on the deck; the sun was low in the sky, creating a romantic setting. Wyn put his arm around me as we stood against the railing. I smiled picturing what it would be like if this moment were real. If Wyn was my date for the evening. I looked up at him and found he was already looking at me. We locked gazes and time seemed to stand still as if we were in a trance.
“Okay all done. Do you want me to wait up?” Dad teased.
“Only if you want to be tired tomorrow Dad. Don’t worry, I’ll bring Wyn home safely.”
“Hey no more jokes about my lack of driving ability.” Wyn grabbed my hand and led me back through the house towards the garage.
“Bye Dad,” I yelled.
“Bye honey.”
“I feel like I should be the one driving, isn’t that traditional?” Wyn asked as I slid into the driver’s seat of the Audi.
“Very chivalrous I’m sure – but I’d prefer to arrive in one piece. Now if we were arriving on horseback that would be different.”
“I’m sure I could convince one of the local horses to come here, if you’d like.”
“Um, I’m not sure I could ride in this dress, but thanks for the offer. Maybe next time.” It felt good to be talking and joking with Wyn again, the past week had been horrible.
“Can I ask you something?” I said cautiously.
“Of course, you can always talk to me about anything.”
“Well, I was wondering, I know you can talk to animals, and I know you have amazing reflexes, but is there anything else you can do?”
“Well, that’s hard to answer. We develop our gifts as we mature. It is not like we know from birth or even at a particular age what our gifts will be. The animal thing came really early, so I had no idea that is was something special. I thought everyone could hear animals the way I always had.”
“So when did you realise you were different?”
“When I was six I had a little pup, he used to follow me everywhere.”
“Finnan told me about that, how you were nearly killed trying to save the puppy.”
“Really? I didn’t know he told you that story. Well that was the first time I thought I might be different. Everyone wanted to know why I would risk my life for an animal. So I had to tell them that he was my best friend, that I couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him.”
“What happened to that puppy?” I asked.
“They took him away for a while. Communicating with animals like I do is an unusual gift. My father wanted to know more about it before they let me form too strong a bond. He was worried I would grow up to put the life of an animal before other Elves.”
“That must have been hard for you at such a young age.”
“It was. I was devastated. I couldn’t understand what I’d done wrong. It took a long time be-fore I became that close again to another animal.”
“Thunder?” I guessed.
“Yes, finally with Thunder my Father could see what an advantage it could be to have such a powerful ally. I can call to him from just about anywhere and I can tell him what I want without hours and hours of training.”
“So the other Elves all accept your gift now?”
“Not really, I tend to keep it to myself. What is not understood is often feared or ridiculed.” Wyn said sadly.
“Well I think it’s awesome,” I replied trying to lighten the mood. “So then, are you still waiting for some of your gifts?”
“Well,” Wyn said looking uncomfortable. “I think I know what my last gift is, but I haven’t been tested yet, so I could be wrong.”
“Cool, what do you think it is?”
“Did I really say you could ask me anything?” Wyn looked embarrassed.
“Yes. Come on, it can’t be more embarrassing than some of the things I’ve said under the influence of the Poltin.”
“You make a good point,” Wyn laughed. “I haven’t told anyone this yet...but I think I might be able to ‘borrow’ the powers of other Elves.”
“Really? That’s incredible, are there many Elves that can do that?”
“Well no... Actually none that I know of. That is why I’m not really sure if I can do it, or if I just imagined it. I don’t even know how to control it.”
“What happened? What power did you use?” I asked intrigued.
“I think I used Finnan’s healing power on myself.”
“Do you think that maybe you could just be a healer too?”
“I did think of that, but I also think I accidentally used Argus’s power of touch on one of the Dark Elves.”
“That would be a truly amazing gift.”
“Maybe...”
“How could you be unhappy about it?” I asked wanting to understand Wyn’s thoughts.
“It has been…difficult having one unusual gift. I am unsure how the others would react to me being able to take all their unique talents...”
“You’re worried they’d be jealous?”
“Something like that. Or that Rothlyn will find out and somehow use me against the other Elves.”
“I won’t say anything to anyone then. Perhaps keeping it a secret is the best thing for now,” I replied, as I pulled into the parking lot of the Town Hall where the dance was being held.
The trees out the front of the hall were covered in fairy lights. There were more lights leading from the carpark all the way to the massive doors that led to the hall. It all looked very romantic. I hoped I’d be able to have a good time tonight. Even if I couldn’t be with the boy who had my heart.
“Wyn, Ash, over here,” Tali yelled excitedly.
Underneath one of the big evergreen trees, our group of friends awaited us. It looked like we were the last to arrive. Xavier looked extremely handsome
in a charcoal suit, with a cobalt tie to match my dress. He gave me a quick hug as I approached him.
“Wow Ash, you look really beautiful,” Xavier said.
“Thanks Xav, you look pretty dashing yourself,” I smiled.
“Well, now that we’re all here let’s go in,” Becky said.
I put my hand on Xavier’s arm and we all followed Becky and Harry down the garden path, the twinkling lights lighting our way. The inside of the hall had been decorated with more lights and lots of bright streamers. There were plenty of people that I recognised from school, as well as some older people I didn’t know. I hoped none of my teachers had come, that would spoil the mood.
“Do you think any teachers will be here Xav?”
“Nah, they know lots of students are coming. I reckon they’ll want to avoid us as much as we do them.”
“What should we do first?” I asked hesitatingly.
“You wanna dance?”
“Um alright, that could be fun.”
Xavier led me out onto the dance floor. The music was current top 40 stuff so I was guessing no particular dance style was required. Harry and Becky were already dancing, which put me at ease. They hadn’t been joking about having their own style. Harry was spinning Becky around in a crazy way. Then they broke apart and started doing some weird arm flinging moves. You had to be pretty self-confident to dance like that.
“Don’t worry Ash, some of us are a bit more ‘normal’ than those two crazies,” Xavier said affectionately.
We ended up just moving to the music, I was just beginning to feel more comfortable when the song ended. The next song was a slow one. I was hoping that wouldn’t happen for a while. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to slow dance with Xavier. I noticed that Harry and Becky were already pressed close together swaying to the music.
“Want to get a drink?” I asked Xavier.
“Sure, it’s this way,” he said leading me over to where a bar had been set up. “What do you want?”
“I’ll just have a Coke thanks.”
Xavier brought two Cokes and we went and sat at one of the tables that had been set up away from the dance floor. We’d only just sat down, when Wyn and Tali joined us.