Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Vera
The ball is everything I imagined it would be. Which I suppose makes sense since I am in fact the one who came up with it.
Still, it’s weird that this place looks exactly like it did in my mind while I wrote the screenplay. I always knew when it was made into a movie that details would differ based on the producer and the director’s personal tastes, the budget, and who works in the prop and costuming departments.
I try to soak it all in, realizing that this is probably the only time I will see a perfect execution of my vision, but I can’t seem to make myself enjoy it. I’m beginning to hate my vision, just a little bit.
Although, a faint voice in the back of my head tells me that if I’d written the story my younger self dreamed of then I would not be so stressed right now.
This story was always supposed to have a happy ending, but after so many nights eating ramen noodles in front of the TV alone before waking up at six in the morning to go work at a department store just to make ends meet to be able to afford to keep living to write another day… somehow the ending got dark.
Somehow, I lost my hope, and happiness bled out of my story, making it become dark and twisted just like I had slowly realized the world actually was. My dream was killed by senseless acts of violence in the news, crushing poverty, and never managing to catch a break.
Now it looks like my dream is going to get its revenge and have me killed.
I swallow hard, glancing out the large paned window to the surprisingly well-lit clock tower. Half an hour till midnight, how am I supposed to wait till then?
I need to know if this works now. I need to know if I’m foolish for holding onto the hope that I can get home.
“Stick with the plot,” I whisper to myself as I turn back to James. He is fiddling with his mask, lot of good it does him. With his tall stature, decidedly pirate attire, and hook, he is pretty easy to pick out from a crowd.
I knew we should have kept the cloak….
He must be thinking the same thing because he tucks his hook into the pocket of his coat. “I don’t think I’m dressed for the occasion,” he says with a nervous chuckle.
I straighten, trying to hide my grimace. “Then it’s best to act the part.”
His eyebrow hikes up, visible over the silver filigree of his mask. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means… it’s time to get dancing. We have half an hour to kill.”
“Ironic word choice,” he mutters. Then he looks up at me, starting slightly when he sees me looking at him expectantly. “Wait, are you serious?”
I give a small nod, stepping a bit closer to him.
James edges away. “Do you even know how to dance?”
“I’ve watched videos,” I say simply as I grab his hand. I move it over to my hip. I reach for his other arm, tugging his hook out of his pocket and wrapping my hand around it. “Now, you walk in a square, leading me.”
“How does one walk in a square?” he asks, baffled.
“For someone who likes boxes as much as you do, I would think you would know how to walk in a square.” I roll my eyes and shake my hair back over my shoulders.
“Like this, one… two, three, four.” I move in four decisive steps, one to the side, one back, then to the side again and finally forward.
James stumbles after me, forgetting the last step so I wind up running into him.
I pull away, narrowing my eyes. “You’re going to draw more attention to how bad you are than this ever did.
” I slide my finger across his hook to punctuate my point.
“I don’t dance,” he replies stiffly.
“Well, today is going to be a day of firsts for you,” I say as I start moving again, but I take the steps slower.
I have no idea if I’m doing a proper dance, but it seems right.
Especially when I count while I do it, so I have to think I’m doing something correctly.
For his part, James starts to fall in line after me.
I’m still having to lead even though I know enough about dance to know that’s the gentleman’s role.
“I feel ridiculous,” he hisses, glancing around.
“Well, you look dashing.” I had been hoping to help him do better and maybe boost his ego, but it only leads to him tripping over his own feet and nearly falling into me.
James straightens with a grimace. “Don’t distract me.”
I laugh slightly and shake my head.
I see his eyes narrow through the slit in the mask. “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just… you couldn’t be further from the real Captain Hook. He was so full of himself, and you don’t even know how to take a compliment.”
His shoulders slump slightly, and I watch his lip pull down into a pout. “I just don’t like flattery, okay? I am not afraid to admit that I never learned how to take a compliment and now it’s just an all-around uncomfortable experience for everyone involved.”
“So, I shouldn’t tell you how brave I think you are and how grateful I am that you saved my life?” I ask, tilting my head. I try to keep my tone innocent, but I can’t keep the devilish grin off my face.
James starts to pull away. “Listen, I did not come here to be complimented and if that’s what you plan to do then I will go somewhere else to wait for an opportunity to assassinate the prince.”
I tighten my hold on his arm and pull myself closer to him. “I’m teasing,” I say with a laugh. “You’re so uptight.”
James exhales slowly, and I feel some of the tension in his arm loosen. “I’m a bit stressed… if you can imagine.”
“I know,” I say, the smile falling off my face. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Your attempt is noted and appreciated even if it isn’t quite effective.
” James finally begins pulling me along with him.
I wonder if he has even noticed because it seems as though his mind is a thousand miles away.
He leads us toward the window, and I look out while continuing to sway to see that the minute hand has moved far more than I’d expected.
I must have spent more time teaching James how to “dance” than I’d thought. It’s now five till.
James turns to me, exhaling. His breath washes over me, causing me to realize that we are standing quite close. I pull back slightly, but James doesn’t seem to notice.
“It’s go time,” he says. He moves his hand away from his hip and sticks it into his pocket.
I hesitate a second before I reach out and squeeze his arm.
I hope that goes to convey how much I appreciate him, because apparently my words would only make him uncomfortable.
But it’s the honest truth. At first I hadn’t known what to think of James being here, but now I don’t know what I’d do without him.
He saved my life, he is willing to stain his conscience to protect me from the plot. I don’t know what I did to deserve being trapped here with someone like him, but he certainly isn’t the person I imagined from his curt emails and meetings.
I draw in a breath as I look at him, feeling my heart pinch a bit at his worried expression. “Remember, he is just a character. He isn’t real.”
“You know, you keep saying that, but it isn’t making it much better.”
“How do you think I feel?” I sigh as I shake my head. “He is literally my perfect man, and I have to tell you to kill him.”
“That does help, surprisingly enough.”
I pull back with a frown as James glances at me. “Tell me one more time, how attractive do you find him?”
“Frederick?” I ask surprised. “He’s the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen. Just an absolute hunk with a heart of gold.”
James’s hand shifts in his pocket, I assume as he grabs the knife. “Did you ever have a dream cast for him?”
I shake my head. “I couldn’t figure out anyone who would be attractive enough to play him.”
James nods once. “I think I can do it now. After all, he is just a character. A too pretty and annoyingly perfect character.”
I pat his arm in encouragement. “You’ve got this.”
“If I get executed remember me fondly and tell my mom I died saving orphans from a fire.”
I give him two thumbs up in response as James begins making his way through the crowd to where Frederick and Naia are gliding around the center of the ballroom.
Who knows how long they have been dancing.
From the looks of it, they probably don’t even realize they’re still dancing or in a room full of people.
They are too enraptured as they gaze into each other’s eyes.
I feel my nose wrinkle in disgust. Look at them, they’re both so perfect it makes my teeth hurt. I know they’re just side characters supposed to fall in love in the background while Moira plots… but really, they have only just met each other.
They don’t even know anything about each other. Naia has been lying to the guy the whole time, how could he fall in love with her?
It’s stupid and unrealistic, but then who would I expect him to fall in love with instead?
Me? The girl who is actively plotting his murder?
I haven’t really been a paragon of honesty either.
And I’m still a better option than Moira was.
Girl had anger issues, was blinded by revenge, and was already lowkey falling for a pirate.
Yeah, he’s probably better off with Naia, what she lacks in chemistry with him she makes up for with blind adoration…and not planning to kill him. That’s probably a big plus in any potential relationship.
I follow James at a short distance, tucking my hands behind my back as I cross my fingers.
Best-case scenario, this ends tonight. We ruin the plot and are booted from the script back to our regular lives.
James and I can go to therapy to recover from the trauma of plotting against Frederick and be on our merry way as barely acquaintances again.
I frown slightly. That does not seem like a happy ending to the best-case scenario. But then I shake my head, forcing myself to focus.
Mid-case scenario, Frederick dies, and we don’t get booted from the script and we have to find some sorcerer or something in this world who can help us figure out a way to get back home.
We may have to resort to some piracy to pay for him, but luckily James has a whole pirate ship and crew and eventually we get back home and can get some therapy and go back to barely knowing each other.
Either way, so long as Frederick dies tonight, I’m not dying tomorrow. Sorry, Frederick, but you’re just a sacrifice I’m going to have to make.
James seems to be resolved in his assassination mission and strides forward without glancing back. It’s likely that he just wants to get this over with as soon as possible so that he can hurry up and stuff this whole ordeal into one of the boxes he loves so much.
Frederick stops dancing as James gets closer, he is frowning as if trying to place who he is.
I guess I wouldn’t expect a pirate captain to just waltz into my ball, still dressed as a pirate with only a flimsy mask to hide his identity.
The level of confusion and denial that Frederick is feeling must be the only reason that he hesitates.
Which gives James the opportunity to pull his hand out of his pocket. He keeps the dagger hidden behind his arm till suddenly he lunges. At the last second, he feints to the left so that the dagger is no longer heading toward Naia, but Frederick.
I can’t help the triumphant grin breaking across my face.
It’s too fast, the plot won’t be able to react, of that much I am certain.
It already had a plan to save Naia, Fredrick was supposed to throw himself in front of the dagger and get stabbed in a non-vital area instead, but now the dagger is heading for him in the first place.
Just as that thought crosses my mind, Naia yelps and with lightning-fast reflexes, throws herself in front of Frederick. The dagger that had been aimed for his heart, sinks into her shoulder instead.
Naia cries out, James yells, Frederick roars, I think I make a combination of the three noises, as Naia slumps forward and James jumps back.
Frederick catches Naia with one arm at the same time James throws his hands up.
“I’m so sorry, that wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.
I was only trying to kill you, not hurt anyone—” he doesn’t get to finish his jumbled explanation because the next second Frederick pulls back his other arm and socks James in the jaw.
Unlike Captain Hook who fought off half the ballroom before finally being detained in the original script, James drops like a lump of clay, out like a light.
I slap a palm against my forehead. Of course, it ended up being the worst-case scenario. The very one I didn’t even want to consider.
Frederick lives, James gets caught, and I still have a date with destiny to become his sword’s new sheath.