The Darkness Within One Man’s Past

"It happened twenty two years ago , if I could change the past I would've. I would have ran away when I could" she pleads to me as I just listen. "It would have saved so many people, and your mother" she says through tears falling from her eyes. "So let me tell you" she starts as I settle in.

Twenty two years earlier

Lena and me were always so proud to be sisters. I was a two years older than her, convinced they could never conceive a baby of their own, our parents, adopted me. Nine months later Lena was conceived, like the miracle she was, she plunged our parent out of the dark so they could have the family they always wanted.

"Abigail?" I hear my mother's saddened tone as she shakes me out of my mourning. That property I stood in front of, the Knights lair, it always seemed as if it was mourning someone.

"I don't want to do this mom" I beg her as she sighs. That night I had a feeling, one of the strongest in my life. My feet didn't want to anchor off the ground and my sights were set on any exit out of this excuse of a masquerade banquet.

"This means so much to your father, Abigail" she beckons my morality as I sigh. With all my might, yanking my feet off the brick walkway and to the entrance of the party.

As my mother runs off as I enter the place I can feel the walls breathing, almost crying. I couldn't be in that place a second longer. Pulling up my gown and quickly running to the first door I could find. Discovering tranquility behind the door, surrounded by flowers, so beautiful, so color stricken.

I like this much better, I say to myself as I stand on the porch, finally walking down the stair and into the gardens as I stand, staring. Neglecting to see a man in my presence.

"Flowers better company than people?" He remarks with a chuckle as I smile.

"No." I say blankly. "I rather not associate with people that do not see their worth, let alone my own" I admit to him as I see in the corner of my eyes his eyes flick to me, scowering my body.

"Then why are you out here?" He ask, "With me" he adds as I scoff at his subtle assumption.

"I needed some air" I tell him, "And just because I neglected to see you does not mean I enjoy your presence" I rebuke his thoughts as he snidely smiles.

"I think you do" he answers, "More than you care to admit" he says as I snicker.

I was never raised to be a rude girl. But was it to much to be alone? Just for a minute?

"I hate these parties" I admit to him, a complete stranger. "I rather talk to a man's company who I don't find entertaining than go back inside with the piranhas" I justify my ironic confessions as he smirks.

"And why?" He plainly ask.

"Why what?" I reciprocate his question.

"Why do you hate these parties?" He ask as I smile, turning to him.

"Why are you out here?" I ask him as suddenly he turns quite. His head hanging low as I finally get a chance to look at him. His skin was caramel coloured, green eyes that caught my eyes and a stance that told me he was the boss, or soon to be. "Answer me that and I'll answer you mine" I bargain with him as silence barricades the gardens.

"I'm supposed to meet my future bride, here, tonight" he finally fesses up as I try to hide my surprise and sorrow.

"I've always thought that masquerades were just sad. Grown people wearing mask, and soon I realized that's just what everybody in the world does. They wear a mask! Tonight is probably the most like themselves they will ever be. That's truly saddening" I share with him as I caress a flower. Whose color reminded me of the sunset. "That's all we will ever be" I continue. "Just a mask" my words serving as a reminder of my fate at state.

"Are you a poet?" He ask me as I smile.

"I want to be" I tell him, "But I don't think I should" I say sadly.

"Why not?" He ask as I stand back up from the flower.

"My parents think I deserve more. And I do too" I say as he smiles, stepping closer to me.

"I think you deserve happiness" he says through his sly voice, as he beckons closer to me I finally see his mask. Black and white, the two colors dance upon half his face, concealing his face, but not those serpent eyes.

"And I think you do too" the words slip from my mouth as we are inches apart.

Bang!

The noise was so loud it could part through trees. As I twitch and inch closer, into his arms for comfort.

"It was champagne, my dear" he consoles me as I look up to him. Still admiring his eyes.

And finally I do something I wouldn't thought I'd do in a million years. In a mere second I pounce. I bring his lips to mine as he doesn't sway, or pull away from me, instead he deepens the kiss. His hands lying on my waist.

His lips tasted of power, a drug. Was this all those feeling I read in the books? Was this supposed to be mine?

"I'm sorry" I say as I pull away as the realization of what I just did sweep through me. I kissed a stranger!

"Don't be sorry" he says as I caress my lips and the effect he had.

"I have to go" I say as I rush inside and back to my family's side. Having no other choice than to deal with the weighing guilt than silence. Maybe it was for the best. But as I thought about the kiss a small smile emerged on my lips.

"Abigail" Lena ask as I look to her.

"Yes?" I ask her as she smiles.

"I hear the infamous Elijah Knight is here" Lena starts as I smirk at her excitement. I heard about this Elijah Knight, he was a trouble maker. Stole cars, and was rumoured to be in a shady business, extortion and bribery. Not the life I wanted for my younger sister.

"Don't even start with that Lena" I tell her, interrupting her mid thought. "He got in a car wreck earlier this week, the car was stolen Lena! Stolen!" I emphasize. "Stolen Lena! Later this week his father made a huge donation to the police department. That's no coincidence" I explain as suddenly I hear a cough, somebody's presence busing my shoulder as I take a deep breath and turn around to see the one and only, Elijah Knight.

"So…" he starts, "You like to gossip" he remarks as I snicker at him.

"We are so sorry" my father chimes in as I stand there, his hand on my shoulder. "You'll have to excuse my incompetence, you know how girls are these days. Gossip is as essential as water to them" he makes a case for me as I keep my cold stare towards this Elijah Knight.

"It would mean so much more to hear it from the source" he says through a smirks as my mother nudges my shoulder.

"I'm not sorry!" I quip proudly. "Beside" I add to my already list of punishment for talking rudely to a stranger in my parents head. "Who in the world refuses to wear a mask to a masquerade?" I ask him as he laughs at my insult.

"I have a mask" he says, pull it out from his pocket, my cold star still lingering on him. "I think you'll recognize it" he says as he holds it up to his face as I gasp. The black and white mask overlapping over hi green eyes, the same serpent ones as the stranger in the garden. "A true pleasure to make your acquaintance Ms. Abigail" he says snidely as he reaches out for my hand and all I can do is go along with it.

"You too" I say harshly as he shakes my hand and winks at my as I roll my eyes.

The Present

"Funny how a single kiss can cause so much pain" she recalls as she sighs.

"But sadly there's more" she admits as I sigh

How much more could there be? I ask myself.

"This barely scratches the surface" she says as she takes a deep breath, "Let me continue."