The Creatures Series

Tenth Night

Tenth NightCreatures of the Night

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##### Tenth Night #####

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Close your eyes and welcome the darkness. Can’t you hear the voices? Come to the dark side.

I had a nice dream before I wake up.

I can't remember much, but I do know that everything is white and bright. Not foggy, dark, black and white like I usually have. I even almost forgot about the main problem I'm having right now. The bed is just too comfy and warm to get up.

Wait! Comfy and warm?! My bed isn't made of silk. And it's definitely not warm! I always set it cold. What's going on? I jolt my eyes open almost immediately.

I feel with my fingers the white feather blanket is covering my body with its warmth, but not the blanket I have in my bedroom. And I haven't decorated yet. I fling my eyes and find myself an unfamiliar ceiling sky painting. I get off the bed, that I swear never saw in my entire life, only to be welcomed by the sight of a stranger's room.

"What happened?" I can't help but voicing the question that's been pounding in my head.

I look around and spot the white walls, which covered with transparent waterfalls. An unlit fireplace made of glass is on my left, with some antique silver jars, pots and pictureless frames on top. The inside is clean, making me wonder what lit it before. Or is it brand new? But who would paint an inside of a fireplace white? Across from it, couches are placed on the top of a grassed square, with animated forest behind the longest couch. Blue and white roses are lining at the crafted long pot, right after the pale looking boundaries.

My eyes look down, only to find this glamorous blue ocean dress hugging me. Who dressed me?

The boundaries look like the only possible door location. So I walk to it without thinking. Before I can reach the silver handle, the door flings open. Revealing Fredderickson's grandson.

Now everything clicks.

"You!" I shout, pointing my finger at him.

He’s wearing a light color suit to cover his pale, fair skin, with blue sea tie that coincidentally (or maybe not) match the dress I’m wearing right now. His white hair and blue glowing eyes are the same characteristics as I saw before, through my long distance eyesight focus.

But this time, his eyes show something more. They look like one who’s blindly in love.... But how can that be possible? He’s just ten. That’s irrelevant.

"Yes, it's me,” he answers with an innocent smile that looks as if he didn't just kidnap me from my bedroom, which is in Sorcier Tower, surrounding by many wizards, complete with modern technology of security system. How did he even manage to pass through all that and able to bring me here, anyway? To this unknown bedroom?

"I'm not going to repeat my question. What do you want?" I ask in demand.

"Why, only to have my fianceé by my side, of course,” he say with the sweetest childish voice in the world, which I don't have any effect on even for one second. Well, at least he's being honest.

"But you can't just take me like that. And by the way, you just put this ring tattoo,” I say showing him the ring, "in my finger without even asking for my permission. So technically, we're not engaged yet.”

He fills his cheeks with air, which making him look cute in a childish way. "My granddaddy told me that I can have anything that I want as long as it can keep me happy. So yes, I can.”

"What you're doing is going against wizard's rights,” I spit back.

"But I'm too young to be in jail,” he replies. Man, this kid is smart.

Finally, I decide to approach him closer until he's just as tall as my waist and talk to him with my serious tone.

"Listen, kid. You don't want to be with me. I'm not a nice girl as you thought I am. I've killed before. Not just once. And you don't want a killer as a wife. Trust me.” I add a glow of danger in my eyes.

For a while, he just stands there with a blank expression. After hearing my threat, he'll probably gonna cry any time now. He'll run back to his grandfather, saying that he regret putting the engagement ring in my finger and ask him to send me back. Then, this nightmare will just end as soon as possible. I’m counting on that.

But instead, going against my wish, he says, "Good. I don't want nice girls anyway.” He wears that ‘smile’ again.

So much for scaring him off.

“Okay, maybe I underestimated you too much. So I’m going to try this one more time.”

I flick my fingers and raise my black fire in my left hand, the one that doesn’t have the white ring on. I let my murderous aura come out this time, the same that I used to threat the blue dotted cat that I killed.

“You need to back off and take this ring back before I seriously hurt you, kid,” I mention his name with venom.

I don’t usually treat kids like this even though I don’t particularly like them. Nor do I have problems with them. But considering that one is putting me in a really dangerous position by giving an engagement ring on my ring finger.

He can’t do that. It’s because he is a Blancort and I am a Noirmelns. It’s already impossible for us to marry even if I ever let him marry me. Our families are natural enemies ever since the very beginning of wizards.

But he doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions. He’s just a kid after all. A very persistent kid, might I add.

I’m ready to expecting the worst reply of all. But he just replied me with two words. “I know,” he says.

“What?!” I’m confused.

“I know. You’re a Noirmelns girl. That’s why I want to marry you.” I can’t believe this kid just said something that an adult would say. “And by the way, my name is not kid. It’s Valline,” he adds.

I just look at him with wide eyes.

“Why would you want to marry someone who’s obviously much older than you?” I ask.

“Seven years are just years. We might be born in different years, but that’s just it, right?” Valline answers casually, as if I’m not asking something big here. Or at least, for him.

“So let’s say if you really do want to marry me to make truce with our family. Still, it’s not like we can just accept one another. And if you can protect yourself in my bedroom before, then I think you also saw how overreacted I was. It’s not easy to tolerate one and another’s presence. Let alone having actually truce,” I say. Then remembering that he’s just ten, I ask, “Are you following me here?”

He nods.

I continue, “I’m saying that it’s nearly impossible to gain merit from this marriage. You can have better descendants to continue with your core family membership with a girl from your family, you know. This marriage will just be a waste of energy. We will just fail like any other marriages that had been used to made truces between hostile families and divorce soon.”

Then, I turn to Valline. “Or worse, killing each other.”

I wait for him to respond, but he just keeps quiet. Is the conversation too heavy for him to take? Or he’s just.... what? “Well, say something,” I tell him.

Finally, as if he just turns his gaze on me for the first time, he asks, “But what if we don’t need to divorce?”

“I did say ‘if’, right?”

“Yes, if we get married, and then hit that rock, we don’t really have to divorce, right?” I can see tears folding in his eyes. Why would he cry?

“Why would you still want to be married to me then?”

“Love, of course. That’s the very base reason of why people marry. Not just for wizards, but for humans, too. I will never marry for family matter. It will be my living hell if I did what my ancestors did since the past centuries. It’s just a coincidence that you’re a Noirmelns,” Valline answers.

“Wait, what?! What coincidence? What are you talking about?” I ask, confused by his words. For a ten-year-old, he can be a pretty smart-talker that I even have a hard time to understand.

“It was love at first sight when I saw you,” he says.

He looks into my eyes so that I can see how true that is. His love is not just some crush. Not just a love to a sister or an older woman or someone close to a mother figure. It’s just pure.... love. No lust-how can a kid do that? He just seems to love me so much, that it almost pains him.

But how can that possible? No one ever loves me like that. How can a ten-year-old do? I do believe him when he said he loves me. I just don’t understand how.

“And the funny thing is that I don’t even know your name,” he added sadly with a faint smile on his face.

Feeling sympatric of him, I answer, “Arsene. My name is Arsene.”

“Arsene,” he repeats softly. Then a smile lit in his face. This time, brightly than ever. It’s so innocent, it looks slightly silly on him. How come he’s able to show such happiness in his face just by knowing my name?

As if sensing my confusion, Valline stop smiling. He looks at me in the eyes for a long time, then doing something unexpected, by launching himself to circle his arms around me waist. I don’t move. Hands in the air, considering whether I should push the kid away or embrace his hug. Feeling either it is too harsh or too awkward, I just let my hands fall on my sides.

“What are you planning to do?” I ask looking down to him.

But he just tightens his hug as a reply. He stays in there and I let him, until I remember something.

“By the way, who dressed me?” I ask.

He finally looks up and smiles that genuine I-am-in-love smile. “No one knows that you’re here,” he say dodging the question. But to think more about it, he might just do.

“What?!” I yell when realization hit me. This naughty sneaking little shorty! How dare he-

“Don’t worry. I did it blindfolded. Although I must say that you’re a little bit heavier than I thought you are. So lifting you will be a big problem for me right now. If I don’t have my magic, I wouldn’t be able to put you on the bed, even,” he says.

The good thing is that he didn’t give any comments about my bust. Or I will make sure that he’ll never come nearer to me than 10 feet.

“Hey, are we in your manor?” I ask again. When he doesn’t reply, I ask some more. “Is it the one in the forest? What part of the residence is this? The north part?”

“It seems like you don’t have any problem in figure it out. As I thought, you are strong,” he mutters. This time, I can feel the difference in his voice. It’s more.... knowing. More.... mature. More.... evil.

The feeling I had when I realized that Minny had died come again. This time, no one is dead. Yet, my blood froze after so long for not to experience it. It’s him. I know he’s the one who caused me this. He wants not to look down on him. He’s strong. But I don’t know that he’s this strong. He’s even able to go past through my defense aura shield, overwhelming my body with his light one.

Valline. I definitely can’t underestimate you.