THREE

My mother is waiting in the main entrance the moment Lei and I step inside.

The house is dressed up beautifully, strangers stalking about moving decorations and furniture, hanging lights from the already extravagant ceiling. Mother has been holding balls in our home every year since I was a child, desiring above anything else to impress the other wealthy families in our area.

My birth mother chose well to leave me on her doorstep, being lucky that she even wanted to adopt me into her life. My adoptive mother who stands in front of me has led an independent life since he own birth, having never had a partner or any children.

Well, until me, of course.

"The place looks wonderful, mother," I say as she advances on us. The main foyer is only half-way established, mother deciding on a silver and white theme this year. I can only imagine what the actual ballroom looks like.

"You should be upstairs curling your hair," she scolds, looking over me as I pull my winter hat off.

I sigh as she fusses with my coat buttons for a moment before smoothing my hair down. Mother loves my red hair, often saying she wishes should could trade her golden brown locks for mine. I've always desired hers and how she smooths it back into a bun behind her hair everyday.

"Anything else?" I ask, smiling wryly at her. She rolls her eyes at me, finally stepping back.

"I left your dress upstairs on your bed," she tells me, glancing at my friend beside me. "Leilira's too."

"This is why I love you, Mrs. Rivia," Lei grins, giving my mother a brief hug before following me up the stairs.

Staff pass us by, arms heaving with furniture at decorations, paying us no mind. These events are no longer fun, but since I still live my mother, it gives her the right to dress me up and show me off to all of her other wealthy friends. Lei and I attempt to make it light-hearted each year...I can't imagine how we are going to pull that off this time.

Stepping into my room, I close the door, blocking out the curious eyes that linger in as strangers pass by. Lei approaches the bed, picking up the dresses mother has left for us.

One of them catches my eye, making me frown.

"Black? There's no way," I mutter, walking over to take it into my hand. The silken fabric glides through my finger as I check the size to make sure it's mine. Sure enough, it is, although the neckline makes me nervous, cut far lower than what I'm used to wearing. It's pretty, simple yet like nothing I've seen before.

"It's kind of a sexy..." Lei murmurs, testing the fabric between her fingers. "Your mother must have hired someone to pick it out."

"This isn't her taste at all. Maybe she is finally listening to me," I grin, holding it up against my body, glancing at myself in the mirror. I can only imagine what this will look like with my dark red hair and dark eyes.

Usually my mother prefers conservative, pretty dresses that don't compliment my figure very much, which I've never complained about. It seems for once she realises I'm an adult and I can wear clothing like this without feeling any shame.

"She just doesn't want us to make a scene like we do at every one of her balls," Lei comments, picking up her own dress. It's a light, pastel blue, which I can tell doesn't impress Lei much, but she never complains about my mother giving her all the free things that she does.

"I'm surprised she hasn't locked us up here and thrown away the key yet," I say, falling onto my duvet, letting the plush fabric surround me.

Lei raises her eyebrow at me. "Let's not push our luck."

+++

The moment dusk turns tonight, guests start filing through the front doors, flashing those at the door their invitations. Those invitations are no given out lightly.

Lei and I never bother to come down until at least an hour after the ball commences. Trussed up just like how mother likes, we now stand at the edge of the room, sipping our drinks and watching those who dwell about. Not many dance, most just standing around talking. I hate that my mother expects this of me, yet when I'm here, I quite enjoy it.

Staring through the crowd, I take note of the lavish outfits and beautiful people that adorn them. Most of them I don't know, although by the way they look at me, they must know me.

Mother loves to show me. I'm not sure whether I love or hate it.

A figure passes by through the crowd, catching my attention. Frowning, I look past the mass of bodies dancing beneath mothers favourite chandelier that glitters menacingly, usually not bothered by the sight of a man in a suit, yet for some reason, my gaze seeks out whoever it is now standing with their back to me.

My heart flutters, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Whoever this is I'm looking at, they are activating uncomfortable senses within me.

They are tall, with dark hair styled neatly to suit the manner of this ball. When they turn slightly, I have to squint to see them properly through the shifting lights of the room, realising that I don't know them, yet the reaction my body is having to seeing them is strange, like seeing a long lost friend.

Do they have tattoo's? I can't tell from this distance...

Someone steps in front of me, carefully balancing a silver tray full of glass, which I know contains champagne more expense than the dress I wear.

"Another drink?" the server asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Perfect timing," Lei says from beside me, replacing her empty glass with a full one. I do the same, looking around the server's body to look for the enigmatic stranger. Yet he's gone, disappeared into the crowd. I frown, eyes darting to spaces between dancing limbs, not seeing the tattooed figure again.

"He's going to ask you for a dance next you know," Lei says from beside me, elbowing my side. I startle, before following her gaze, realising she is watching Alec. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

I shift my gaze, seeing him standing with a few others I know from university. Alec's family are invited to these every year, which I used to love.

"Is that why he asked Mollie before me?" I question, seeing the beautiful girl he is currently speaking to. I take a sip of my drink, not bothering to see whether mother is witnessing me drinking. It doesn't matter that I'm an adult, she worries it makes me irrational in front of all her friends.

When I glance back at Lei, she is looking at yet another person. "Okay, who is that?"

Once again, I follow her gaze, realising she's looking toward a man I've never seen before. He wears a dark suit, tie and button-up shirt black. He stands on his own, leaning against the far wall, watching a group whisper between themselves before strutting onto the dancefloor.

"I'm not sure, he looks kind of familiar," I note, tracing his features with my eyes. I can't name him, nor can I place where I've seen him before, but he's definitely distantly familiar. His hair is dark brown, glimmering near golden under the lights, he features obviously handsome, even from this distance.

"He's older than us, but surely attends the university," Lei says distractedly. I don't blame Lei for being attracted to him. Where it not for the dark twist in my stomach, I would be too. "That or he is from out of town, which would be so disappointing."

"Why don't you go talk to him?"

Lei bites the edge of her lip before draining the rest of her glass. "Maybe I will..."

Smiling softly, I watch her weave her way through the crowd toward the man, ready to work only Lei is so proficient at.

Turning my head, not wishing to invade her privacy, I look through the crowd. The music has slowed, lights shifting as people start to dance more appropriately, romantically even. Loneliness starts to dig it's way into the pit of my stomach, rising up cruelly to greet me.

Someone catches my eye again. Not Alec, not the brunette man Lei is speaking to, but the tattooed stranger. And he's looking right at me.

His eyes are dark, bearing right into my soul. I exhale slowly, just the sight of him looking at me wiping all rational thoughts from my mind. He's like nothing I've seen before, the finest of his bone structure to the smoothness of his skin utterly otherworldly. He does have in fact have tattoos spreading up his neck, ending at his jawline.

He only hold my gaze for a moment before turning away. Gathering a deep breath, I start pushing through the crowd, avoiding those entranced in their dancing as I follow the man, trying to see where he is heading.

Once I make it to where he was standing, I realise I've lost sight of him. But this is my home, and I know every possible entrance and exit.

Glancing over my shoulder, I make my out the far ballroom doors and into the hallway, letting quiet wash over me, a welcome relief. The man is nowhere to be seen, almost as if he has disappeared into the shadows that creep around this hallway. I stand here, the coolness of the night drenching my bare skin, making me shiver.

"Happy birthday."

I flinch, whirling around at the sound of the strange voice. Part of me half expected it to be the tattooed man that I was following, but instead, it's the brunette Lei had been talking to. I take an uneasy step back, examining him carefully.

Up close, he is far taller than I anticipated, towering over me. Beneath his suit, I imagine he is lean, well built. His eyes are warm, a lighter brown to his hair, which is swept back casually, a few strands raining down around his temples. His unnervingly familiar, even more so now that I'm seeing his face up close.

"It's not my birthday," I say uneasily, glancing over his shoulder to realise we are alone out here.

"My bad," he says, although his tone doesn't sound apologetic. He motions around himself, his jacket sleeve lifting back slightly to reveal a single tattoo I can't quite decipher. "I assumed this was all for you."

"No, I don't actually know when my birthday is," I admit, rubbing my hands down my arms uncomfortably. "You must know my mother."

He nods, inhaling slowly. He seems to be aware of my careful examination, trying to figure out where I know him from. His bone structure seems to be relatively unique, like nothing I can compare to. His eyes are large, cheekbones fine and sweeping.

"Family connections. I'm Eryk," he says, holding his hand out.

I stare down at it, before gently taking it in my hand. He firmly shakes it before drawing back, watching me intently. How have I not heard of him? Maybe I knew him as a child, and just cannot figure out where in my memory he fits.

"What do you think of Leilira?" I ask, wondering why their talk was so brief. Brief enough for him to follow me out here, that is.

"Charming," he comments, tilting his head slightly. I'm unsure of whether he is lying or reluctant to speak more about the matter. "What are your plans after this?"

I motion above me, to where my room is. "Sleep, most likely."

"I mean, for life?"

"Oh...Travel, maybe," I say, not expecting such a stripping question. He looks genuinely interested. "Once I'm done with my business degree, of course. Mother won't like it, but I would like to see more of the world."

His head drips slightly as he smiles. "Wonderful. I have no doubt you will."

The way he speaks seems so sure, so kind. Yet I can't help the uneasy feeling that glides over me. Why is he out here speaking to me, instead of being inside enjoying the ball? Something doesn't feel right.

"I'm sorry, I can't get over how familiar you look," I say, watching Eryk's reaction carefully. "Have we met before?"

He doesn't react, expression remaining warm and passive. "I have no doubt that I would recall such an event."

The moment the last word falls past his lips, it hits me. I know where I have seen this man before, and instant it hits me, dread consumes me. I've seen him in my dreams, in my nightmares that have haunted for this past year. He's in almost every one of them, lurking in the background, always watching...

I take a step back, trying not to share my unease with him. If i explained this phenomenon to him, he would think I'm insane.

"I should get back inside," I stutter as a way of goodbye. I don't wait for him to respond before slipping back into the ballroom, reeling from the information I've just received.

Who is he?