The Christmas Formal

[Macy Deltine]

Macy came down the stairs from the dorms, and walked around the corner, to wards the Ball Room. The school was alive with excitement and anticipation, but Macy could only feel fear and dread in her stomach, walking down to hall. The last formal that the school had held, Macy had gotten attacked and kidnapped, leading on the the two most horrible weeks of her entire life.
She entered the Ball Room, behind a string of giggling girls in the year below her. She was wearing a blue dress that flared out at the bottom with a lot of layers under it. She looked like her mother in the pictures of her with she was young.
Her newly cut hair was in light curls, and fell nicely down her back, and to top the whole outfit off, Macy had grown frost on her arms and back, to make her look more Christmassy.
She looked around the hall, trying to spot some of her friends, but instead, saw a bright green head if hair sitting at the side of the hall. She went over to Steve, and hugged him. He was wearing a suit-type-thing, that looked quite strange on him, as he didn't look normal wearing a formal suit, but on the other hand, he did look amazing. They sat down together at the side of the hall, and didn't say anything for a while.
"Um, do you want anything to eat, or drink?" She asked him, trying to break the silence.
"Yeah, um, can I have some water?" He replied, and she stood up, and made her way over to the buffet table that was on the other side of the hall. She came back with two glasses of water, and as usual, Macy nervously froze hers.
She looked up at Steve and smiled, but he looked away, which made her heart sink a little. But it was okay, Steve was still Steve. She turned around to watch the people coming into the hall, and spotted a black-haired girl arriving though the wall. Macy was overly fond of Anke, but she was Steve's friend. Macy turned to Steve, who had also spotted Anke, and his hair had gone grey...which was incredibly strange. Macy had expected him to call her over, but he stayed silent. Anke looked over at them, and then looked away.
The tension had begun to rise across the hall, and Macy looked back at the door, waiting for someone, anyone, else that she knew.

[Will Wright]

Will paced outside the doors nervously. This was her first and proper formal. The start of the year formal she hadn't been in here at all, she had been down at the lake with...well she had been down at the lake.
"It's ok, you can do this, just go in," she muttered to herself and trying to calm down.
She reached for the door handle but stopped halfway.
"Oh, I can't do this, I don't even have a date, I'm probably the only one in the whole school who doesn't!" she said angrily.
"I don't think that's quite true," a voice spoke soflty.
She turned around in surprise to face a tall dark haired boy and he was hottie.
"Hi,"
"Hi, I'm Jet,"
"Hi, Jet, I'm-"
"Will, Will Wright. Head of the Carers and the friends of the head of Spies, Academics and Warriors, right?"
"Erm, yeah," she was unsure if Madeleine and her had forgiven each other...well more Madeleine forgiving her but still..
"So.."
"Do you have a date?" Jet asked her forwardly.
"N...no, why?"
"You wanna go with me?"
"Erm...ok,"
"Great," he held out his arm and she took it.
They walked into the ballroom together and as soon as she stepped in she was awestruck.
"I've been here for four months now and this is the only part of the school I haven't seen...I think,"
"Really? That's interesting," Jet said surprised.
"Look, you wanna drink?"
"Sure, I'll get them, what do you want?"
"I'll have some fruit punch,"
"Oh, I'll make that tow then," he walked of towards the buffet table and Will scanned the room.
She saw a head of blonde hair and recognised it instantly.
She walked over to it, dodging pupils on the way.
"HeyMacy, hey Steve. How are you guys?" she asked brightly and waving at Jet to tell him where she was.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Kira was pretty. She really, really was. She was finely-featured, incredibly skinny and petite, but these seemingly average festures at first glance were honed to a elfin perfection. When you took a second look, you saw that she was lean, and muscled, and Lee now realized that this was the result of her Spy Training, at which she had proved several times to him already she was in very good shape. Her hair was long, thick and wavy; scraped into an elegant bun, and her eyes were dreamy, blue and inviting. Her skin was pale and creamy, complimented by the glittering winter lights of the Christmas Formal and she moved with the grace of a ballet dancer.
Lee felt like completely in contrast as he stood beside her.
His eyes were dark; black as midnight, almost blending in with his pupils. His hair too was dark; strangely scruffy even now, and wavy. He was broader than her, and whilst not a very tall person, he was still a good head and shoulders above her. Whilst she was dressed in dark, earthy green he was up and down in black, with nothing but a white tie at his neck to make his outfit stand out. Still, both had skin that shone like the moon beneath the lights, and he appreciated them both sharing that particular family characteristic. Perhaps they weren't elves at all.
Perhaps they were vampires.
"I wish Deron could've come up," Kira said wistfully, making him jumpy. Neither had said anything for a while.
"Deron?"
"Oh, you forgot, I keep forgetting." She blushed slightly. "Deron is from the village, and he's my boyfriend. Except I don't see him as much as I'd like. Parmida's really strict- she doesn't like him coming up here. She tried to kill him once."
"Parmida...?"
"The school's spirit protector. She's a bit like a ghost. She lives in the Catacombs with a tiger."
"That's..." If he was honest, he didn't really know what that was. Kira seemed to understand him anyway, and she giggled. He'd noticed that a lot of the time when they were together, Kira was completely intune with him, and sensitive to whatever he was thinking or feeling. It helped him too, and he was growing more and more accustomed to her habits, and what had first seemed eccentric now seemed... Kira. Just Kira.
And she'd known something was wrong when he came back yesterday; wet and shivering from the snow with his bleeding knuckles. Well, it was obvious really, but she'd know something more than that.
She'd known it was about Madeleine.
So he'd been able to talk to her. Remembering it now, it felt an age ago. Lee hadn't felt like he was going to tell anybody, but Kira had managed to get him to scoop the contents of his heart out to her. He still hadn't worked out how.
He ran a self-consious finger across his grazed knuckles. Kira's eyes caught the movement, and they glittered knowingly.
"I think you should talk to her."
He sighed. "And say what? Say I didn't mean it? Say I still want to be friends?"
She was silent for a couple of seconds. Lee counted his heartbeats- 1, 2, 3-
"Say you want to be more than that. Tell her how you feel."
He groaned slightly. "Kira, I can't. I just can't."
Another silence. 1, 2- "Lee, you don't know what it was like before you forgot. You don't know what you two were like."
"So tell me!" he cried, for what felt like the hundredth time. "Tell me, and help me understand!"
She pursed her lips. "I can't. She told me not to."
He closed his eyes, a stream of swear words falling from his mouth in a foul hiss.
Kira giggled nervously. "My mum would have a heart attack to hear you speaking like that."
"And my mum?"
"Encouraging you."
He grinned reluctantly. "Kira, we were serious, me and Maddie?"
Kira nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"How serious?"
She shrugged. "Ask her yourself."
He growled. "It's simple, then."
Kira looked at him, surprised. "Simple? I thought you decided it was anything but simple!"
The band in the corner had finished tuning up, and more and more students were starting to appear, swarming like moths towards the punch bowl and buffae table. Suddenly, a tall boy jumped up toward the microphone, and began chirping loudly around the ballroom. Students were now swarming towards him as well. Music was going to start soon. Very soon.
The Christmas Formal was gonna get started off with a bang. Lee's black eyes blazed with a new anticipation as they surveyed the bustling scene before him. A couple of days ago, he would've probably thrown himself into this. It was his first formal- sort of. It was gonna be his first Christmas. But Maddie had changed all of that. His eyes searched for her, but under the sparkling lights, she was nowhere to be found. He had to find her.
This thing... this thing called logic. It felt like a lost friend, guiding him back to where things used to be. Logic- that tiny little voice of reason- it explained everything to him...
If she forbade others to tell you about it, then she doesn't want you to know. Why doesn't she want you to know? It's painful, that's why. And because it's painful, she doesn't want to think about it, and that's why she doesn't want to tell you about it herself, either. But you can't carry on like you are. You just can't. You can't let her keep seeing you if it's causing her that much trouble.
She shouldn't have kissed me.
You know it's hard for her. She couldn't help it. You shouldn't have kissed her back.
But... I like her. I really, really like her.
You can't keep being selfish. Do her a favour. Let her go. Make her go. Tell her.
Tell her...
"Kira," Lee sighed. "Isn't it obvious?"
"No," she said dully, her head turning as the music began. It was a rousing, obvious choice, but the students were loving every minute of it. Her heels were tapping the rhythm already.
"I can't see her anymore."
Kira's head snapped back once more, her eyes sharp. The tapping had stopped. "What?"
"I've got to tell her to go away," Lee said softly, nodding, and knowing in his heart this was right. "I've got to tell her... I don't know, that it's over, or something. I've got to tell her I never want to see her again."
"But..." Kira's mouth hung open. "But... you... you do! Lee, you do want to see her! You like her, Lee, you really, really do-"
"Yeah, I know," he said, cutting her off mid-sentence. "I know. And that's why I'm doing this. Sucks, doesn't it?"

[Jack Trove]

So they were broken up.
Jack had been wandering about like a little, lost puppy all day, and he kind of hated himself for it. Olivia hadn't so much as looked had him since their argument, and although they hadn't officially said they were broken up, she seemed to be making it very clear that they just were. And at first, Jack had decided he didn't care. At first, he'd decided it would be easy to get another date- someone blond and pretty, maybe- far prettier and far more fun than Olivia. They'd been going out for too long anyway. It was time to end it. What was she good for, besides a couple of kisses?
Ellie called this 'denial'.
The problem was, nobody seemed to be pretty enough, or smiley enough, or bright enough. Maybe it was the hair, or something, but Olivia had a way of standing out from the crowd. Now, all these other boring, blond clones seemed dull, and dead to him. Worse still, most seemed to know what had gone down with him and Olivia, and they seemed to hate him for it. Quickly, Jack had found himself feeling lower and lower and lower. Suddenly, he was nostalgic- his mind churning up memories of Olivia; miraculously erasing all of the bad memories of her, and making all the good stuff shine all the brighter.
Ellie called this 'regret'.
Soon, Jack didn't know what to do with himself. He'd become so accustomed to the habit of going to Olivia- just for a snog or a conversation, whatever- he'd forgotten what else to do with himself. Soon, he was lonely. Soon, he was bored. And soon, he was missing her. Soon... he needed her back.
Ellie called this 'realization'.
But how?! That was the real tricky bit. If he knew anything, he knew Olivia was stubborn. So how could he convince her that he was sorry? Yeah, he was. He was trying hard now- trying to put himself in her shoes. Not literally, like. Jack and stilettos did not go. But... agh, what was it?
"Empathy," Ellie smiled at him from across their little table in the dining area of the Ballroom. "You're seeing things from her point of view."
"Right," Jack said gruffly. "Right. Okay. I get it. She doesn't like sports, just like I don't like make-up and other girly junk. So there should be a happy medium. Fine."
"And you're going to win her back!" Ellie sighed, her eyes sparkling as she clasped her fingers together excitedly. "God, Jack. You're so romantic."
"Who knew?" Brian said coyly, smiling a little jealously at Jack in Ellie's praise of him.
Jack smiled, genuinely surprised. "It's your fault, Ellie. You gave me the idea when you were talking earlier..."
"About romance? About girls and their dreams?" Ellie giggled. "I'm such an amazing muse."
It was simple, actually. Jack had been completely stumped until he'd overheard Ellie and some of her friends sighing over some romance novel. Jack had tuned in just at the right moment. He'd heard something truly sickening. This guy in the novel had proposed to the girl by taking her to the bar where they'd first met. When she'd arrived, it'd all been in darkness, but then, as she walked in, blue lights had flickered on everywhere, one beam of light illuminating some fancy meal thing he'd set up. He'd been waiting there, proposed to her, they'd eaten, they driven off and away to the beach and spent the night together; him spitting out cheesy lines about how much she meant to him and how special she was at every opportunity.
And here's the thing-
These girls were lapping it up like dogs.
All of them wanted some guy to say those things to them. All of them wanted some guy to tell them they were special, and beautiful. One wanted a rose every day. One wanted to have a special place. One wanted someone to carve their initials into a tree. And the thing that stunned Jack the most was that all these things were easy. Doable. And he couldn't believe they would mean so much to all these girls.
Olivia was into romance. So Jack had come to this conclusion-
He'd have to be romantic.
He'd have to take into consideration her- her feelings, so on and such forth. Not think about sex like he used to. He'd kinda worked out something now. It wasn't just the fact that Olivia looked good. He really did like her. It wasn't just about the kissing and junk. So, Ellie says, she deserves to be treated properly.
"I can't wait to find out how she reacts to this," Ellie giggled. "Awh, Jack, I wish I'd known about you before. I would've snapped you up in a heartbeat."
Jack grinned apologetically at Brian. "Well, I dunno, Ellie. Olivia hasn't arrived yet..."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

She wished Olivia would stop looking at her. She could feel those green eyes on her, and it was nothing short of creepy.
When Madeleine had come back from crying in the forest, eyes red and swollen, she'd gone back to her dorm and locked herself in the bathroom. Extreme, maybe, but she knew it was the only way she could calm down and restore her eyes back to normal.
Still, she couldn't find a reason for kissing him. How could she have done that? She'd been so careful not to give anything away, so careful not to hurt him... and in one second, one stupid second, she'd gone and...
Trying not to think about it was pointless. And she was sure that it was having a bad effect on Lee - if it hurt her, how ... how confused, hurt, etc, must he be?
After about half an hour slumped on the floor against the locked door, she'd heard a knock on the door to the dorm. Wondering if one of the others had forgotten their key, she rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath, before coming out of her hiding hole.
As she made her way across the dorm, the knocking became more and more insistent, and so Madeleine's mood just worsened at the rudeness of it.
When she reached the door, Olivia had been standing there with a face like thunder.
"You're not going to the formal with anyone, right?"
She'd just frowned. "N-no..."
"Right, we're going together." Olivia moved past her and stormed over to Madeleine's bed. "I hate him," she declared passionately. "What a..."
Then, she'd looked at Madeleine's face, and her own immediately softened. "What happened?"
This was where the Carer side of her was brought out.
Madeleine had refused to say anything, except to ask for some eye salve and cucumber to fix her eyes.
Hey, when life hands you a Conjurer - use it.
Now, the two girls were going down the main corridor to the Entrance Hall, and Madeleine was acutely aware of what Olivia had done with the way she looked. Her hair was curled in loose ringlets, her eyes smoky, her dress black and strapless...
Just like last time.
Olivia was trying to create a trigger.
It was touching, really, and Madeleine felt that her composure would last her until she got home for Christmas, at least. But however good Olivia's intentions were, she knew it wouldn't work.
If her kiss hadn't done it...
"Are you okay?" Olivia spoke softly, breaking into her thoughts.
Madeleine blinked, before turning to her friend.
As expected, Olivia was stunning. Her red hair had been curled loosely, and her eyes lined in black and shaded with a rich emerald powder. Her dress was strapless, with the skirt moving out slightly and ending just above the knee, also emerald green; setting off her locks and eyes.
"Yes." Total lie. "Are you?"
Madeleine knew that Olivia and Jack's break-up had stung her more than she'd admit, and that she really, really, really wanted him back.
And Madeleine agreed. They may be absolutely disgusting... but they were kind of perfect.
"I'm fine," Olivia replied brightly.
"He'll see what he's missing," Madeleine said quietly.
Olivia grimaced slightly, her beautiful face shifting. "Yeah."
And Madeleine also knew that Olivia was terrified that Jack would have a date with him tonight. And that probably wasn't an irrational fear.
It was awful, but while she knew all of this, she was finding it difficult to care.
Her stomach kept turning ominously, and while Olivia had been preparing her make-up, she'd been in the bathroom, leaning over the toilet and retching.
In guilt, anger, fear... she didn't know.
Olivia's pewter-coloured stilettos stopped clicking, and Madeleine realised from the lighting that they were standing outside the entrance to the ballroom.
And now Olivia's eyes were on Madeleine again. "Are you alright, Madeleine?"
She swallowed, feeling the nerves rise up in her. He would be in there. "Yes, why?"
"You've gone a little pale."
"I'm fine."
"O...okay," replied Olivia hesitantly. "Alright then... after you."
Madeleine grimaced, before stepping over the threshold of the ballroom.

[Jack Trove]

Ellie's sharp intake of breath as her nails dug into Jack's arm was his sign.
"She's here."
She nodded breathlessly, loosening her grip and jumping to her feet. Brian watched her moodily; his eyes trained on her midnight blue skirt as it swirled around her knees like smoke. Jack felt a spasm of guilt as he observed his friend, and was forced to act on impulse.
"Ellie, stay with Brian," he told her shortly.
She pouted. "Can't I come spy? Kira's taught me well, you know."
Jack pulled a face, then, glancing at Brian, lowered his voice. "Ellie, please. Keep Brian company. You don't have a date tonight- neither does he. Why do you think he hasn't got one?"
"I don't know," Ellie frowned, looking back. "Because he just doesn't. He didn't ask anyone."
"Go find out why."
"What's the why?"
Jack raised an eyebrow, and- he wasn't sure if she got it or not- but she seemed to take something from that single eyebrow. She gave a small gasp, and rounded on Brian with a cry of, "Here, come on, I'll keep you company..."
Hoping he'd just done his friend a massive favour, Jack turned, and hurried across the hall; ducking and weaving and pushing people out of the road.
"Olivia," he said, slightly breathlessly, arriving at her side.
Madeleine was with her. For God's sake! He wasn't gonna move for her sake. Olivia glared at him, her eyes circled with a glittering green narrowed. That didn't help either. She looked... pretty much amazing, and yet she still had that ugly look on her face. Made Jack want to shrivel up and die. His plan seemed stupid now.
Stupid, and far too corny.
Corny speeches work, Ellie had told him. Well, it was now or never...
"Olivia," Jack repeated, feeling stupid. "I know you hate me right now, but just hear me out. Look... remember... remember how you're always saying I'm not romantic enough? That I'm just... just sport and sex? I'm sorry."
He paused, and there was no reply. Good or bad? He wasn't sure. At least she hadn't hit him.
Yet.
"I really am sorry, Olivia," he continued, not quite unable to keep that hopeful note out of his voice. "I'm sorry. Whenever you broke up with me... I dunno, it just sort of hit me. I realized I was stupid. And... I started thinking about making this corny speech." He grinned sheepishly. "This one, right here. Where I tell you that if you give me another chance, I'm gonna be more romantic. I'm gonna bring you a rose everyday. I'm gonna serenade you- badly, maybe- but I'll be trying. I'm gonna tell you how lucky I am to have you at every chance I get. I'm gonna kiss you, well, like I always do- but these kisses will be different. Not just slapdash, yeah let's have a snog. Properly. I'm going to mean it. And I'm gonna go out of my way to make you smile- 'cause when you smile, you're brighter than any other girl out there. So please-" he nearly winced at the embarrassment of this- "can you forgive me?"
The end of his corny speech signaled the end of his life as he knew it. The end of his reputation- his 'street cred' and any scrap of dignity he had left.
Oh, well. He had a good run.

[Macy Deltine]

"I'm fine." Macy said, smiling at Will. Steve looked at her, and stayed silent, until Macy finally dug her elbow into his side for him to respond.
"I'm, eh, okay." He finally said, looking away. Over at Anke. His hair was still a strange, dull grey colour.
"What happened between them?" Macy thought, looking around her. She glanced over at Will, and the boy who she had come in with. "So, who's the lucky boy?" She asked Will, laughing.
Before she had the chance to answer, Steve, all of a sudden, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out unto the dance floor.
"What are you doing?" She asked him, feeling slightly embarrassed. There were only a few people dancing at the moment, but that didn't shake Steve.
"I don't know, I'm feeling...jittery. Let's dance." His said, smiling. His hair had gone back to it's green colour again. Macy stood in shock for a second, but gave in. He grabbed her hand, and put his other on her back, and began to waltz. She had never waltzed before, but Steve seemed to be a very good dancer and it seemed very natural. They drifted around the hall, with her icy footprints behind them. She looked at Steve, who was smiling back at her, his hair going lighter and lighter green, and Macy couldn't help but laugh.
"When did you learn to dance so well?" She asked him, while they continue to drift around the room.
"Um, my mother taught me how to, when I was young." He replied a few minutes later, concentrating.
She felt like she was in a fairy tale, they were drifting through clouds, instead of dancing at a Christmas formal, with people watching them.
When the song had finally ended, they went back to the side, and sat down. She hugged and pecked him on the cheek, which made his hair go a little brighter. "Oh, Steve, that was brilliant!" She leaned back on her chair, giggling. She turned back around to Will, feeling her face beaming. "So, um, what was I asking you?" Oh, yeah, the lucky guy.." She said, raising her eyebrow.

[Will Wright]

Will watched the beam on Macy's face broaden with every step they took.
Steve's hair was going a brighter green by the second. Such a cool power or whatever it is, to have. Mood hair she thought.
As the song eneded Macy and Steve made their way back over to her.
Macy turned back around to Will, her face beaming. "So, um, what was I asking you?" Oh, yeah, the lucky guy.." She said, raising her eyebrow.
"Erm, his name is Jet and he asked me to the formal just outside the doors before I came in," Will explained feeling very un-romantic.
Just as she said this he came over to them with two cups of punch in his hand.
"Thanks Jet," Will took one out of his hand gladly and drank fast then slowed down.
Was it hot in there or was it just her?
"Will, would you like to dance?" Jet asked politley.
"Erm, not right now, sorry. Jet this is Macy and Steve. Macy, Steve this is Jet,"
"Hi guys, how are you doing?" he shook both of their hands.
Will glanced back and forth between them waiting for someone to talk.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

As they walked into the ballroom, Olivia's eyes were scanning the room, flicking from one side to the other...
The fact that she and Jack were broken up was now making her really, really miserable. She'd been feeling really lonely and mad all day, but now that she was in a hall filled with couples she realised just how much she really, really wanted to be here with Jack.
Meh...
Madeleine nudged her. "Over there."
Crap, he looked great. This just wasn't fair.
Ellie had her hand on his arm, and Olivia's eyes narrowed as she observed this. Shouldn't Ellie have come with Brian? For God's sake, this was...
Ugh.
"Come on, let's go and find Lee," she said, tearing her eyes away over to the other side of the room - before immediately realising what she had just said.
Crappity crap.
Olivia wasn't stupid - she knew that Madeleine had been crying before she'd entered her dorm. She also knew that Madeleine didn't cry, ever. Not Madeleine, the Warrior Princess...
But she also had a pretty good idea of who could make Madeleine cry.
So it didn't surprise her when Madeleine answered in a low, husky voice. "Olivia, he's coming over. Should I go-?"
Olivia grabbed her arm. "No. Stay. Here."
Why was he coming over here? To argue some more? Or maybe he was confused and didn't realise that she was mad at him? Or-
She didn't want to talk to him, not right now.
"We'll go find someone," she said desperately, tracking people down with her eyes. "There's Josh, we know him-"
"Olivia."
Bugger.
She felt Madeleine move her arm as if to shrug her off, and tightened her grip on it. Uh-uh. She didn't get to move. That really wasn't fair.
Jack was at her side now, and she knew unhappily that she couldn't just ignore him or walk off.
So she just turned to him with a murderous look on her face. She'd hear him out, then politely tell him that she didn't want to know. That would work, right?
They'd been broken up for about a day, and Olivia really missed him already, but he deserved it.
Right?
Right.
So she was fully prepared to decline whatever he was going to say... until he started talking.
Roses? Serenading?
He was just about making her melt. Vaguely wondering if he was serious, she let go of Madeleine's arm while he was talking. This wasn't a very Jack thing to say, and she didn't know if he really meant it or not. But he sounded sincere...
"...and I'm gonna go out of my way to make you smile- 'cause when you smile, you're brighter than any other girl out there. So please can you forgive me?"
That was where she really did melt.
Melt so much that she didn't realise that she needed to answer until Madeleine stood on her foot, making her yelp in pain and drop her arm.
She very promptly dematerialized.
"Em..." Olivia said slowly, gazing at Jack and smiling. "O..okay."
Okay, now the blood was rushing to her head. That was so, so sweet... a little bit corny, he was right, but it was really cute.
She liked that.
"You're forgiven," she smiled.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Sorry, but if no-one else is going to reply...

There.
"Lee." Kira's arm came to a rest on his. "Lee, don't do this. I just don't want you to do this."
He attempted to shrug her off. "Leave me alone."
"Don't do this to her."
"I'm doing this for her." He put his hand on hers, and pushed it back towards her. She took the hint, her lips pursed as she stepped back into the shadows cast by the disco lights.
The room was darker rather than brighter as he stepped forward across the floor. Almost instantaneously, someone was in his way, jerking slightly as they tried and failed to dance. Lee dodged him, distracted now by a remarkably stick-like girl in a red dress, who was shimmying around a flabberghasted boy. Another boy stepped in Lee's way, and the mis-matched couple disappeared from Lee's view.
She moved in and out of sight. Jack appeared, speaking to Olivia, then with his arm around her as per usual. They made up, then. And she was beside them... watching them...
Wistfully? Angrily?
Or maybe she was just watching them. He was thinking too much. Thinking about what to say and what was to be said. Thinking. Too terrified to do.
And too quickly, he was by her side.
And she was beautiful. Of course she was.
"Madeleine, can I speak with you?"
She nodded, and he turned, leading her off towards the doors that led to the Gardens. He went on out, further, and just outside into the first Garden. Faint music pumped past, around the barely open door, but not enough to serve as an interruption. Just background noise.
Gonna do it quickly.
"Seems stupid I brought you out here," he said, clearing his throat. He kept his back to her, he stood still forward and further out, and her behind him.
He couldn't bear to look at her was all. That was all.
That was all.
"It's stupid..." he repeated. "Just that... just that I wanted you to be able to hear me. Give us privacy, or whatever." Another clear of the throat. He straightened up slightly, his fists clasped like iron at his sides. "Ok. Maddie... it's like this."
We should never see each other again.
"We should never see each other again."
It's for your own good.
"It's for your own good."
And for mine.
"And for mine."
So that's it really.
"So that's it really."
Goodbye.
"Goodbye."
And he turned, and walked past her, back inside and across the dance floor to Kira, making sure he didn't give her a backwards glance.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Black.
The deep pit of sticky black treacle had opened up again, but this time, it was much deeper; its well of hurt all-consuming, plunging Madeleine into it, making her drown in its thick, gluey depths.
He'd left her standing alone. She stood there quietly, steeling herself, willing herself not to cry.
Shut it out.
She had been able to shut everything out, once upon a time, but that time seemed so distant now. It seemed like it was at the start of a story, with a girl who was Head of an army of Warriors...
Where was that girl now?
What had this boy - just an ordinary guy - done to that girl?
We should never see each other again.
Seven small words that brought her world crashing - again.
Did he hate her that much? Did he... God, when he'd kissed her back, she'd felt like he...
No, stop that. You're nothing to him. You have no claim on him now - after all, what are you? Just another ex-girlfriend.
But he kissed me back...
So? You know that doesn't mean anything. He's only a teenage boy after all. And now he doesn't want to see you. He must have been so confused by that kiss. You were right, you only hurt him.
If I apologised-
Let it be, Madeleine! He doesn't want to see you. Leave him; let him sort his life out. Stop hurting him. Do the right thing.
But... it hurts..
It hurt, so much. She'd never wished so much to be numb. She didn't ever think that someone could hurt her that much.
Was it the words he'd said, or the fact that he couldn't bring himself to look at her? He'd never done that before; even in their most awkward stages.
The logical side of her brain was telling her that it wasn't really Lee saying that, her Lee loved her, and this Lee didn't know that, but Madeleine knew differently. She knew that it was still the same Lee - she could see behind the chocolate irises to his real eyes, and they were still the same.
Still the same.
The sky was a dark blue velvet, scattered with glittering diamonds and a great pearl moon as Madeleine stood there. She could hear the beat of the music pulsing, though she was deaf to what song it was.
A few couples were starting to straggle outside, and so she walked out to the gardens and sat down on a bench, psychokinesing her iPod over to her and trying to concentrate.
Her thoughts were still clearly on Lee, as it was Lee's iPod that arrived on her lap. Still, she ignored this, and plugged in the earphones, before pressing the Shuffle button.
Hey, Jude...
A strangled chuckle escaped Madeleine's lips as she leaned back against the back of the bench, mentally locking her emotions behind a door in her mind. It wasn't a particularly strong door, but still - it would do for now.
Thank God she was leaving in a few hours on the early train. Camp life at Lylis Glen would be a good distraction from it all, and she could think things over on the train.
Lee had told her that when they had broken up, he had planned on leaving Orchid Hill. She wished it was that easy for her - she couldn't leave, she had a group, a job, a duty, and she loved those things. She couldn't just leave.
But she really wished she could.
Two sets of quick footsteps and a giggle made her open her eyes.
Oh, crap.
Madeleine quickly shapeshifted into a pigeon a split second before Olivia and Jack walked past, his arm wrapped around her waist as he whispered into her ear and made her laugh as they headed towards the forest.
The sight sent a ripple of pain running through her, and the pigeon squawked.
When the couple had gone, Madeleine had morphed back and, eyes burning, switched to the next song.
There was a scratchy hissing noise, and Madeleine glanced down at the iPod, just as the noise cleared, and Lee's voice spoke.
"Hi, Maddie."
Her heart stopped.
"I wasn’t going to leave this for you. Actually, Libba pretty much insisted that I didn’t. She said it would be… too easy to trace to me, or something. She’s ranting at me now, actually. She’s about as annoying as you and Kira combined. Nag, nag, nag- is that all women ever do?"
Libba... was that...?
"Nah, I’m kidding. Look, Maddie, I know you probably hate me right now. I want to tell you I’m sorry… but I’m not. Professor Hoodham had to die. I had to kill him, one way or another."
Oh God. He'd left this before he'd gone up to Hoodham's office...
"Remember the dreams, Maddie? Those were all Libba- directing me, and showing me the way. Major is wrong, Maddie, he’s so wrong. He nearly got you killed because of it. He DID kill because of it. I thought he was right, I really did… but now, Libba has shown me that it’s Marius who’s right."
A small sob escaped from her throat.
"And I’m proud to fight for him… and even, as the case may be, have given my life for him."
Stupid, martyr...
"I’m only sorry I couldn’t tell you any of this, or bring you with me. Sounds stupid… yeah… but I do love you. A lot. And I want you to be able to be happy."
A tear fell.
"I’m probably messing up this message- but it’s hard -" he broke off and laughed awkwardly "- can’t really do it justice. Maddie, I... Okay, never mind…"
The tears were falling steadily now.
"Love you."
Love you too...
She went to take the earphones out of her ears, but Lee's voice suddenly exclaimed -
"Oh! I forgot. I don't need to believe in soulmates - I've got you."
There was a click, and the message was over.
Her breath was catching and she closed her eyes, trying to break off the tears.
Crap.

[for the aftermath of this, see "The Ultimate Coldplay Song".]

[Kira & Lee Norris]

What did you call a girl like that?
Hussy!
Kira watched the blonde, blue-eyed sickeningly gorgeous girl twirl past with a dumbstruck boy, and felt a twinge of jealousy as her own self-esteem sank several points. And from the looks she was beginning to get- that is, from girls- she was making the same impression on all of them. Fact: all girls hate other girls who are prettier than them- on one level or another.
Turning away from the dance floor, Kira made her sullen way across the room, scanning vaguely for Mike, or Ellie or Jude or someone, before she suddenly spotted Lee coming back in through the doors. She skirted around a couple of guys who were whispering excitedly about the beautiful newcomer, and stepped in Lee's way.
"That was quick," she said stonily.
This was hard. Really hard. She hated it that Madeleine hadn't told Lee where they'd been- how in love they'd been- and now look how it was paying off! Her cousin was one of the biggest idiots to walk this earth and the best part was he didn't even know it.
"Yeah," Lee said awkwardly, picking up quickly just how mad she actually was. "Yeah. I didn't want to have to... I dunno. Prolong it?"
Kira snorted at that. "I can't believe this. I can't believe I can't interfere." Now her temper was getting the better of her. Brilliant. It was that hussy in the blue dress. Couldn't she stop sparkling like that for five minutes?!
"You could just tell-"
"No."
Lee groaned, trying to push her out of the way, but as he looked up, he stopped, startled.
"Kira, who's that?"
Kira could have screamed. She really, honestly bloody could have. Should have. "A cheap wh*re, that's who."
A look of guilt flitted across Lee's face, and he looked at Kira again. "Sorry. I know. Maddie." Then something changed in his expression. "Then... then again if I just- I dunno' if I just cut myself off from her for good, what's the point of being faithful? Being faithful to what? She's just some random girl now- right?"
Kira stared at him. "Lee, you can't mean that."
"What am I being faithful to?" he continued, his eyes hardening. "There's no-one. And Maddie- Kira, c'mon, you've seen her. Maddie's beautiful. She'll move on. She won't be faithful!"
"Cut it out."
"Maybe..." he trailed off, biting his lip. "Maybe... I don't know. If she hadn't kissed me... or if we hadn't been together before..." He groaned. "You know how much I like her. Liked her."
"Okay, c'mon, Lee," Kira said gruffly. "You're really being stupid now. You shouldn't have said a thing to Madeleine."
"It was the right thing."
Kira caught her tongue just in time, barely holding it in check. If she could've told him... God. Madeleine, Madeleine, Madeleine, Madeleine- why are you so stupid?! If Lee only knew- if he'd- if they'd-
Suddenly, Kira felt herself snort. But after all, what did it matter? What could she do? She was just the cousin. She could pry and prod and try to make them see sense all she liked, but it just wasn't going to happen. They were determined to be stupid.
And it'd been their end.
Bitterly, angrily, Kira stalked off, leaving Lee alone by the punch bowl, his eyes following the newcomer like a fly drawn to light the whole time...

[uluklykalemon]

He wouldn't have bothered coming if he hadn't been able to find his trunk. All the clothes that he was flying in had been, quite simply, ruined. There was no way he could go to a ball - not even a ball, a formal ball! - without a change of clothes. He would have appeared no more than a mere beggar without them.

Fortunately, however, with his new spectacles - or sunglasses, as these people called them - he had been able to find his suitcase without any trouble. In fact, it was less than without trouble, it was... easy. He didn't know what it was, whether it was the sunglasses or just an illusion, but at the moment he was able to see things astoundingly clearly. He could see every scratch on the door handle below him, even miniscule ones, and when he looked down the hall he was... well, it almost seemed like he could focus in on things that were so far away that before - in Ancyna, when his eyes were functioning normally - he wouldn't have even been able to see at all.

He'd found the trunk in the gardens. The contents had spilt all over the ground, but fortunately said ground was dry, and so there had been minimal damage. His favourite waistcoat had managed to come out of the entire incident completely unscathed, and so that was what he was wearing now. He didn't care how 'feminine' it was, purple was a nice colour, and if he wanted to wear it, so he should and would. He was dreadfully stubborn that way.

Of course, in keeping with Ancynan tradition, he had kept the rest of his outfit minimally extravagant. The black trousers, white shirt and black shoes that he wore now were only different in one way to what he had been wearing earlier - namely, that they were clean and blood-free (or so he hoped.) And he had tied his hair back. It had been so messed up by the fall that had he chosen to wear it down, as he would have preferred, he would have looked like he'd been dragged through a bush backwards, to use one of his favourite English idioms. He tied it back with a purple ribbon, of course, because he HAD to coordinate.

He would also have preferred to go with Loreliu, but unfortunately she was still yet to arrive. So that left him, without a partner, without a person who spoke his own language, and without any real reason to go at all. His people didn't celebrate Christmas at all; in fact, he had only learned of the festival a few months ago.

He didn't want to start his time here timidly, though. He had to make a start somewhere, and if he didn't go to this party, it would make him seem like a coward. That was unacceptable, impossible. He had his pride to contend with, after all, and it always won.
He adjusted his sunglasses whilst preparing to turn the knob - the sunglasses still being completely necesssary, of course, even though it was night, because these people had a compulsion to light their buildings so very, very brightly. He knew they added a faint edge of the ridiculous - perhaps even the obscene - to his outfit, but if it was a choice between that and being able to see, he'd take the latter any day. At least people couldn't see his eyes this way.

He gulped, and turned the knob before he had a chance to think twice.

The scene before him was beautiful, more spectacular than any Ancynan ball he'd ever seen. It was probably because they had... what was the word? Ah! Electricity. The halls in Ancyna were dimly lit at best, compared to this. And the dresses were spectacular, too... but scandalous! - some so low cut, others so very high... The men's clothes were nothing like his own, either - almost none of them wearing waistcoats, nearly all in jackets, so much more neat-looking, so effecient, oozing wealth and power... Like nothing he'd ever seen before. Like a childhood tale of another world, of fairies and magic...

A world he'd never really belong to, much as he might try.

He scanned the room quickly, with his new vision - that was really beginning to become quite concerning, he'd have to ask someone about it tomorrow - and his eyes quickly settled on a table of drinks. Perhaps a glass of wine would soothe his inhibitions a little, bring him a little further into this fairy world that he'd been abandoned to...

Well, at least he would have something to do, rather than standing here like a gormless fool. He must have been staring at the scene for a full minute now. He quickly dashed to the table, his feet lifting off the ground slightly as he hurried along. He hoped and feared at the same time that someone would talk to him - He didn't know what to do. Best make an appearance for a few minutes and then go back up to his dormitory... sleep for a while and hope that Loreliu'd be here in the morning...

He swallowed the entire glass of wine in one gulp, and then turned to observe the dancing couples once more.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

The perfect opportunity.
Anything was worth a try.
A rash recklessness had gripped Lee; something familiar, something he would've sworn he recognized if he knew why... Why the glint of that blonde girl's hair drew him forward...
What was it reminding him of?
Presque vu- a memory was hiding just out of sight, and he hated it; just resting, right there, on the tip of his tongue...
No matter. What did memories mean now, after all? And there was always that stupid, stupid risk that... that it could be about Maddie. And he was determined to forget her all over again.
So, bracing himself, Lee swept through the circle of adoring boys, stopping dead in front of 'Princess Sophie', and her human seat.
"I will."
His voice was soft... barely heard over the sound of her other admirers. But he held her gaze- at least.
So say yes...
He needed this distraction.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Thanks.
Smiling at her now, he took her hand; and led her silently through the overlooked, angry boys standing all around, muttering fiercely together. A new song struck up; a slow, romantic one, Lee was pleased to hear. It only added to the distraction. Banishing Maddie entirely from his mind, he turned back to Sophie, and slipped his arms around her waist.
"I'm Lee, by the way," he said softly, as they began to move across the dance floor.