Her hand closed around my own, her fingers curling up and around, pulling me into a wave of warmth. She moved silently and slowly; she didn't even appear to walk; it was like she was floating. I watched her take steps back, closer and closer to the large body of water. Before she could step into it, her other hand came forward to grasp mine.
I looked up at her, my eyes big and filled with questions. She smiled, nodded a little, and walked forward to hold me close. "Follow my lead, " she said. Then, she moved to caress a hand under my arm and onto my waist, her other hand holding tightly onto mine.
She danced gracefully, swaying from side to side, making it so easy for me to follow along. It felt delightful; her subtle movements helped me catch on effortlessly. With a playful giggle, she noticed my face light up from confusion to pure joy. As she began to move a bit more energetically, stepping forward, she encouraged me to copy her, and we joyfully repeated those steps together, this time to create a beautiful, slow dance.
A few seconds after Janus had completed the minor waltz, she began to move backward. I noticed that she was moving towards the extended pond. I wanted to say something, but with her eyes on me, I didn't want to ruin this moment.
I didn't notice it, I don't know how I didn't notice it, but we were on the water. With no shoes on, I could feel the cold water under my bare feet. Under? I didn't want to look down and see what was happening, but a small thought in the back of my mind told me all I needed to know. This was different; the more we moved and twirled around, we were going farther into the large body of water until we were in the middle.
But I was still on the surface, the cold water wetting the bottom of my feet, and I jumped up and onto my calf at each significant turn. Janus kept me close, sometimes holding me back and farther away from her warmth. But she would still hold tightly onto my hand; her grip was soft yet firm. She then pulled me back into her chest, her hand once again landing on my waist, only this time farther up onto my ribs.
I got lost in the movement, the waves of passing warmth that felt everlasting as they sank deep into my skin. She held me tightly with just enough firmness to make me feel entirely safe. She had me with such purpose. It made me feel special.
My eyes drifted close, a smile tugging at my lips. The goddess above me gave a soft giggle; her movements widened and quickened. I followed seamlessly into step with her, following her hand movements, stepping my bare feet on the water where her heeled steps were.
The broader her movements were, the wider my steps followed along, with my lips curling into a bright smile. She had all of the power in the dance she led in the soft and elegance that followed behind her.
It didn't even notice the darkness that was coming up. It was surprising, to say the least; I didn't realize Wonderland could get dark. I don't think I was even told about this thing, but Janus was with me. Maybe that is why I didn't fear the darkness that crept up around us. The sky had dots of white surfacing through the milky, purple-blue mix. It was lovely; the layers that swished along with the wind that hung on the gazebo gave a dim light that reflected off the water's surface and onto our dancing forms.
It was still dark, though. I found it harder to see the water below me and where I was stepping. I feared I would end up bumping or stepping on the Goddess. I think she noticed my hesitance. She slowed her movements with me, catching a soft sigh as it came from her lips.
I looked up at her, seeing the casting yellow glow in her eyes look back at me. I gulped, finding no noise coming from me as she took me in. Her hand that held my waist moved up and brushed a bit of purple strands out from my face. "I can't see you that well."
She chuckled slightly when I nodded to her, forming words in my throat. "I.. want to see you too..."
She gave a slight nod, hiding her bright yellow eyes behind her lashes, when she lifted her wings, which dripped water from the tips. They were lying in the water we were still standing on, meaning the feathers at the bottom were soaked.
Janus did not mind; her wings lifted ever so slightly from the water, emitting a glow that was unnatural yet calming. It was a soft glow that only brightened her beauty. I didn't know when it happened, but it suddenly wasn't as dark as it was before.
It was strange; the sky was still purple and blue, but now there were glowing, moving beings. They buzzed around, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and emitting a bright glow, just like the goddess had done.
As Janus pulled me back into a new dance, I realized that the lights surrounding us were fireflies. They emerged in countless numbers from the woods, drifting around the gazebo and all the way to us in the middle of the river. The crystal blue water reflected off our skin, mixing with the vibrant yellow and blue colors that clashed around us.
I turned back to Janus, my full attention on her now that I could see her. She gave a smile me a smile and I blushed. Her hand found its way onto my cheek, her chest pressing into my own as her wings moved from below, to around us.
"I can see you."
I sighed, my eyes fluttering with fondness. "And I see you…"
With that, silence enveloped us. All we did was dance, moving our bodies and wings in harmony with the fireflies that spiraled around the goddess. She filled me with so many different emotions.
But one thing was the strongest, and that was love.
I loved her…
Janus had a tighter grip on me, suddenly lifting me into the air with a small swish. I felt the water drip from my bare feet along with the end of my wings as my body was pulled up into the air. I mingled with the fireflies that blew past my face, my eyes never left the goddess. The small insects made her face stand out the most, along with the gleeful look in her eyes.
I responded with a smile, wrapped my hands onto her neck for a warm embrace that I wanted to last forever. Her own body suddenly lifted along with me, her head twirling around my own so our eyes never left one another.
I was completely entranced, captured by the goddess in front of me. The softness in her eyes, the softeness in her touch.
It made everything go away, all the pain, all the thoughts…
I leaned in closer, clutching her neck tightly as I hugged her with a passionate intensity that never faltered. We floated together in the air, small pockets of light dancing around us, reflecting off the rippling water just below our entwined forms.
"I have not seen you this relaxed," Janus rubbed my head, her eyes casting a light on my own.
My own eyes were closed, the sweetness in her voice making goosebumps run up my arms. "I haven't? Not even when I was.. sleeping?" My head suddenly jerked up, eyes wide. "Wait.. I wanted to ask, how am I able to fall asleep?"
Her head tilted to the side, an innocent look on her face. "What exactly do you mean?"
"I was told you couldn't sleep here. That angels couldn't sleep.."
"Of course," she said, swinging her head to the side, her hair flowing around us as if it had a mind of its own. "No one needs to sleep here; you have unlimited energy from the Ephorian goddess." Her eyes met mine, and her expression suddenly changed, with her eyebrows furrowing. "Though for you, it's different because of my own doing."
"Your doing?" I repeated. "What does that mean?"
"I do not wish to confuse you anymore than you already are." Her head shook solemnly. "I don't want to leave you in the dark, so yes, I am the one who is helping you go to sleep. I don't do this to harm you; I only wish to ease your mind and help you let go."
My eyesight flickered slightly.
Let go?
My grip on her tightened as my mind felt fuzzy and my heart felt slightly constricted. The goddess let out a soft sigh and gently lifted me into her arms. "This is why, Vienna..." she said. I looked up at her and noticed the glimmer of tears in her eyes. "You worry too much; you think too much, and that causes you pain—pain that shouldn't be able to reach you."
"Then why does it..?" My voice was quiet, but she heard me.
"It shouldn't.." Her head pushed into my hair, a soft kiss followed with a sigh came from her. "That is all that matters, is that it shouldn't and it wont." My eyes casted up to her, watching the goddess take in my look, my emotions. "I won't let it. As long as I am here."
I hugged her tightly, stuffing myself as close as I could into her chest. She was so warm, so comforting..
The air started to feel lighter, and the darkness behind my eyes transformed into a bright yellow glow. I could feel the cold surface of the ground beneath my feet, which forced my eyes open and pulled my head away from the comforting warmth of the goddess. Taking a moment to look around, I realized we were back on solid ground and off the water.
A slight wave pulled my attention in front of me, Janus held her hand out to me with a soft glow in her eyes. "May we head back to the party?"
I wanted to continue to talk and get answers, but the overwhelming pressure of all that happened pulled me into her. I accepted her hand, allowing the soft grip to guide me back into the palace. The light became more apparent. And for some reason, it wasn't strange to me. It felt almost.. normal. I shouldn't question that, it would only add loads of more unanswered things for me to worry about.
The large back doors were opened for us, the goddess silently gliding along the tile floors with me in tow. We soon entered the room with everyone in it, I held tightly onto the goddess who turned to me with a smile.
"I wish to see you again after the party," her voice let out. I turned up to her, seeing the warm color along her cheeks. I gave a small nod, slowly letting go of her hand. Janus knelt down, placing her soft lips on my knuckles before turning to the angels in the room.
She left me with a blush rising to my cheeks as I turned to the other goddesses, who nodded in greeting to her. I needed to make my way through the crowded room to reach the table with food. I brushed my hands against my cheeks, feeling the heat overcoming my body. I forced myself to shake off my thoughts and focused on the surroundings to find my friends.
I caught the sight of Bridget and Rory dancing in the large group of beings. My mouth hung wide at the sight of the small angel actually clinging happily to the red head. I never thought I'd see THAT.
"They seem to be enjoying themselves," Seth's voice caught me off guard by being so close. He stood next to me with his arms crossed, a sly smirk on his face. I couldn't help the shy giggle coming from my lips at his words.
Casper was there soon after, jumping up onto my legs with a happy, joyous expression. I leaned down to give a good scratch to his head. He purred into my touch, dropping down to slightly hug my legs with his body. With the calm pup below me, I pulled my attention over to the male.
"Why aren't you with them?"
"Hm?" Seth glanced at me, shrugging his shoulders. "I wanted more food." He turned toward the table and reached for some small rice balls that were colored a light purple. After taking a bite, he looked at me and said, "here."
I took the offering, nodding my head before taking a bite. It tasted sweet, and the inside was filled with a soft and moist plum. I made a sound, closing my eyes to process the taste more better.
Seth gave a low chuckle, "that good eh?"
"What is this?"
"I don't know what it's called," Seth took another bite of the rice ball. A small smile stretching his lips. "Anyways, where did you go?"
"Huh?" The sweetness of the rice ball suddenly became too much.
"You think I didn't notice you running off with the goddess? I see everything, Vienna," he winked at me.
The warmth spreading my face made me grumble slightly, unable to think of a good comeback to defend myself but I couldn't. I couldn't since he was right.
I finished chewing before responding. "The goddess took me to the garden behind the palace.."
"Mhmm," Seth let out a light moan. "And what did you do behind the garden?"
The warmth in my cheeks grew from embarrassment. "We just danced. She took me to the large pond or river-thing and we danced..."
Seth watched my face, leaning his elbow on the table behind us with a thoughtful expression. He soon shrugged, nodding to himself and then me. "Whatever you say~"
The singsong quality of his voice slightly annoyed me; he clearly knew something was going on. But it was nothing compared to what Bridget knew, or how she had figured it out just by observing. It was strange, considering I didn't even fully understand what I was feeling. I could barely take in all the new experiences surrounding me.
Thinking of Bridget, my eyes found her once again, but this time, she was slowing her dancing next to Rory. I followed her surprised line of sight to find Orwell along with the other cupid friends making their way over to them. The small angel awkwardly shuffled away, not far since Rory wrapped themself around her. They stopped, greeting the cupids with a bright smile.
Bridget's shy smile and the faint blush on her cheeks made me feel a bit joyful. Orwell was standing beside her, speaking in a hushed tone. He did most of the talking, while Bridget gazed at him with a deep longing in her eyes.
"Come on Bridget.." Seth said beside me with a hushed tone. "Say something…!"
I urged along with him, hoping for Bridget to finally make a move. To our surprise, she did. She bowed her head, saying something only the two of them could hear. The cape wearing cupid giggled, his aura shining bright and red. They took each other's hands, I heard an audible gasp from Seth beside me. I let out my own when I saw them beginning to dance together!
"Oh my goddess!" Seth let out a cheer, causing the pair to look over at us.
I gave a thumbs up, a soft expression to calm Bridget's blazing red face. She turned, embarrassed at the cheering Seth. Orwell led her to the side where they could dance out of view.
I nudged the male in his chest. "Rude, don't disturb them..!"
"Hey!" Seth giggled, buckling over with his face red with joy. "Bridget finally made a move! She hasn't done anything besides look at Orwell since we had met them. This is a big deal!"
Maybe the talk I had with her finally pushed the small angel to take charge. It had worked, Bridget was finally talking with the lovely cupid.
"Oh no, here they come to ruin the moment." Seth sighed as Rory made their way over to us
I managed to side step their arms so that Seth was only caught in their grasp. Rory pulled him into the air, their wings fluffing up at the contact. Seth tried to pry from their grasp, earning a loud laugh for the red head. They let him go just as the two cupids made their way to us.
Rue and Brick were their names?
"Oh hello sweetie!" Rue crouched down to pet Casper between my legs, casting a small smile my way. "Hi Vienna!"
"Hey," I greeted back, allowing the cupids to move over to the table with me, Seth, and now Rory. Brick and Rue cuddled while feeding some rice balls to one another.
Seth and Rory continued to bicker, leaving me to pet and smooth my hands down Casper. The pup yipped from the small amount of attention, pushing his head into my leg with his weight falling onto me. I was calm, the warmth from Casper along with the presence of familiar beings weighed me in place.
Something did push through though, it was a hot feeling that covered my body. My eyes moved over to where I felt the heated stare. My eyes clashed with Arden's piercing blue eyes. A small look that was shadowed through the sea of fluttering creatures, but I saw it and felt it.
Unable to look away, I found her eyes locked onto mine.