Blue Eyes And Starless Ink

• Gabrielle Torreborre, Grade 9, Mosman High School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'The Write Track 2015' competition

Glasses of glimmer raised to the stars illuminate the ballroom, whilst antique masks and radiant costumes brighten up what is already a bright hall. Dresses of silk and satin cling to the bodies of dancing girls and boys wear expensive black suits with ties choking their throats. With the hem of my gown scrunched in my hand, I scurry down the stairs, rushing to where champagne glasses clink and laughter flies up into the air. Colours dance in a turmoil of light, beaming down from the ceiling and I am left staring at images of swaying shadows projected on the walls.
"Slow down," Luna screams behind me. "Heather, slow the hell down," her voice is muffled by conversation.
Below the spiral of stairs, a beam of frozen blue light flashes in front of my eyes, blinding me before disappearing with the flick of a wrist. I come to a stop. My heart beats out of my chest, the hole creating a little trickle of blood, leaking from my ribs down to the pannier of my rosemary dress. The same sapphire blue sparks leave a boy's fingers but I don't have time to see who the hand belongs to. All I catch are glistening words tattooed in black, crawling up his shoulder. I have seen that tattoo before.
A hand rests on my waist, "Mother of blasphemous stars, you run fast," Luna cringes at the tension in my back. "You saw somethin' crazy or what?"
I choke on my tongue, "No, something much, much worse."
"Yeah, as if," she laughs, out of breath, "the last time I saw anything of interest, people didn't dance, nor did they hold these kinds of balls or frivolous parties and let me tell you, that was a long time ago."
That's when I see it. Across the bar is a guy with charcoal hair and paper skin, staring at me with eyes that paint deadly little blue things. Little oceans and little waves, little skies and a little graves. He grins at me but all I see are the same starless words inked into his arm. Controlling my expression, I turn back to Luna slowly and draw out a breath.
"Luna, he's here."
Her face droops and lacks colour. I want so badly to stare at her, only her, and forget about the boy. I can't.
Two bleak blue holes gaze into me, metres and metres away. With a dark tattoo up his arm, that I know too well and skin the colour of diamonds, the same boy winks at me, with lips full and drawn into a smirk. His hand reaches out and gestures for me to follow him, before disappearing into a dark abyss. Luna sees him too.
"Don't follow him, Heather, swear to the stars you won't follow him."
With ache squeezed from my heart and trickling down my spine, I smile at her but my lips are red as roses.
"William killed my father, he deserves everything that's coming for him."