The city buzzed. It was nearly curfew and people were eager to buy what they ought to before the curfew kicked in. Giselle strolled around the buzzing, stuffy area, squeezing between sweaty bodies and inhaling cheap perfumes. The cobblestones below them grumbled as the villagers floated around the area, buying and selling with eagerness, loud chatters piercing the air.
Giselle pressed past a few more bodies before she stopped before the stall she was set to buy from. The old woman's face lit up immediately she saw her.
"Oh, my beautiful angel is here." She cooned, pressing a fragile hand to Giselle's cheek. Giselle leaned into her touch and kissed her hand, her smile radiant.
"Do you still have it?"
"Yes, of course. Absolutely." The woman bent over, rummaging through a box before she found that in which she searched for and straightened up, groaning already from the muscles stretch. She handed an item wrapped in a white small sack to Giselle.
Giselle accepted it, feeling the structure on her palm. She leaned in to the woman, whispering into her ear, "Are you sure this will work?"
"Certainly! It can even summon the strongest demon." She whispered, ensuring the words were for Giselle's ears alone.
Giselle grinned and peeked at it through the sack.
The most beautiful hairpin she had ever set her gaze on. It had emerald stones and it was carved into a dancing princess. She quickly covered the sack when a trader sauntered past her.
Giselle reached out for her small purse and passed three coins of Drakas to her. The old woman accepted it with a delightful grin.
"Keep the change." Giselle said with the brightest grin and stalked away.
Giselle waited by the old oak tree, buying time by reading the latest novel she had plucked from Madam Charlotte's bookstore around the corner. Her performance pink dress is tucked in a sack by her side and she rests her head against the oak tree.
Her silver hair catches the golden streak of the sun as it slowly and lazily descended into the sky. Once the earth was swallowed in absolute darkness and the moon peeked through the clouds, Giselle shut the pages of her novel and jerked to her feet.
She had told Grace a story about a curious girl named Aina. The story had in fact been about her. She was the curious one. She was the curious girl who lurked behind the shadows, curiosity weighing down on her. Aina had never been curious. Aina had never existed. It was a story she cooked up from her imagination of when the devil finally took her.
She reached for the dress neatly folded into the sack and put it on. It fitted her perfectly. She could see her silhouette illuminated by the moonlight. A dress she had taken her time to sew whenever Grace, Morcant or any of the seamstresses were around. A mini slip dress with thin straps and delicate v neck made of satin material. Sleeveless. Patterned. Light pink.
A lightning stroke the sky and she gazed up anxiously. If it were to rain, it might halt her plan for the night.
It was a daily routine in which she had vowed not to break. The thunder cracked again.
She quickly grabbed the pin and slipped it through her silver hair. The most important thing.
She made for her destination, stepping into the alleyways on her mini slip dress.
The alleyways was scanty and deserted. Of course. Everyone was probably resting in their respective home, grateful that they were exempted from the devil's massacre. But then, there was her. Dresses in a short slips dress, stepping onto a pavement and gearing to move her body to an imaginary rhythm and wearing a hair pin that'd reportedly attract demons.
Just as she began twisting her waist for a practiced dance performance, the rain began pattering down on the earth, wetting her in her slip dress. But, she wasn't distracted.
She threw her leg delightfully, twisted her waist, swayed her hips, the heavy rain adding to the performance. Somewhere between throwing her legs in the air, she heard the dragging of carriage wheels on the cobblestones. She swallowed as she realized they were approaching her but she still carried on in the rain.
Heavens let it be the devil.
Heavens let it be the devil…
The carriage draws nearer and nearer and her heart thumped faster and faster.
If the devil decided to climb off his coach and take her life, so be it.
But, just one glimpse.
Please…
The carriage suddenly stopped, a few metres behind her.
She carried on with her performance like she hadn't noticed, swaying her more delicately.
For several minutes, there was deep silence, only the pattering of heavy rain pierced the air.
Then, the carriage suddenly carried on, crawling past her.
Giselle peeked at it.
The carriage was that of nobles. Only Kings and other men with higher powers make use of such carriages.
It was definitely him.
Why then had he crawled away?
She danced a few more minutes before retiring and making her way back to the oak tree where she was set to change.
As she reached for her wet hair to smoothen it, she realised the pin was gone.
Despite a thorough search around the pavement she had danced and even at the oak tree, she failed to find it.