Reverie. | 1

i.

      The cold winter breeze pierced my skin. The woods were shrouded in snow, with only a few rays of sunlight seeping through. As I moved farther into the forest, the song of the birds echoed throughout. I was aware of the presence of eyes on me. Leaves rustled. I turned around and saw a deer standing in the clearing, staring into my eyes, and for a brief moment, I swore it smiled at me. More creatures emerged, forming a ring around me. The tranquility was surreal, and I felt secure. I followed the deer as it walked past me, pausing in its tracks and indicating for me to do so. I was led deeper into the forest by the animals.

Suddenly, the woods vanished, unveiling a breathtaking scenery. I gradually felt the sun embracing me, welcoming me into its midsummer paradise. A magnificent meadow, spanning far and wide, awaited me. In a flower field, a silhouette stood forth. I stepped a little closer — was that a guy?- Wearing a crown? A prince- my prince. He greeted me with a smile and open arms. I went towards him, unable to resist the pull of the magnet. The sun blazed gloriously, the skies were clear and blue, the colors were vivid and alive, and the air was rich with the sweet scent of flowers. The wedding bells chimed, and I locked my gaze on my prince charming's amber eyes.

     Sun rays crept through a tiny gap left uncovered by my scarlet curtains. That dream has been occurring ever since that happened. I reached for my phone on my nightstand. It was 7:30 a.m. at the time. I sprang out of bed and flung open the curtains, revealing a vast window that ran from floor to ceiling. The bustling sounds of Makati City could be heard, cars drove along Ayala avenue, its sidewalks filled with people heading to their offices, a busy day ahead of them, and a busy day for me. I have to make sure everything is perfect and ready for my birthday tomorrow. I opened the door that led out to the hallway. My footsteps were muffled by the carpeted floor as I made my way downstairs. The place was lifeless. It was clean and spot free. Where had my decorations gone? I went to bed knowing that this place was decorated from top to bottom. I searched for any signs of life, but there were none. I head over to the last place I didn't check, the rooftop. I wasn't allowed up there ever since I turned eight years old, god knows why. The door was left ajar, and there I found my Father and my step-mother sipping on coffee as they talked about something, which was clearly unimportant because I could tell it wasn't about my birthday.

"Mom? Dad? Are you there?" I ask, not daring to open the door.

No response.

"Where did my decorations go? What did you do to them?"

"We are not going to allow you to throw another one of your destructive teenage parties with all your booze and those disgusting strangers that you and your friends had invited." Dad said.

What? Did he forget?

"But dad, it's my eighteenth birthday tomorrow. It's my debut."

No response.

Tears streamed down my face, clouding my vision, as I ran down the stairs. Then for a moment I couldn't feel the floor anymore. I heard a loud thud before the lights started to diminish until everything became pitch black.

-

I wore a scarlet red ball gown made of silk, allowing it to flow easily as I swayed with my prince for the 18 roses dance. My prince, Piion of the Hardwood family, smelled of luxury and nobility. He laughed all of a sudden.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Nothing," He grins. " It's just, so weird that we had met-"

"In a dream." I cut in.

"Well yes," He chuckled, "but also in BGC, whilst you partied with your friends, and I caught sight of you."

"Yeah, and some douchebag tried to sprinkle stuff on my drink- Good thing you were there though. My knight in shining armor." I smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Lucillia Van Kox." He said as he pulled me in for a warm embrace once the music ended.

"And now, let's welcome Mr. Moenin Van Kox the third for the traditional father and daughter dance." The emcee cheered.

My father walks towards me, a smile on his wrinkled face. The song begins and so does our slow dance.

"Come on, dad, at least show that you're a little excited about this." I say when I noticed he looked uninterested.

"You know that I don't like dancing." He hissed.

"I just wanted to dance with my father again." I muttered.

"Alas, the song has ended." He turned to the crowd and faked a smile.

We bowed before we headed back to our seats.

"What a lovely performance. Let's give them a big round of applause." The emcee said, "Now, the moment many of you have been waiting for, it's time to slice the cake."

The cake consisted of 3 huge layers. The first layer was the smallest. It was covered in black fondant with a red bow on top. The second layer was a rich and vibrant blue, reminding me of royalty. The third layer was gold, radiating luxury and wealth. Real strips of gold lined the sides of the cake from the bottom to the top.

The hilt of the knife felt cold in my bare hands. Its blade shining under the spotlight. I stabbed the gold fondant, the blade was sharp, allowing me to cut through it with ease. The crowd cheered and applauded. Not long enough, everyone had their own slice of cake. The sound of metal hitting glass reverberated throughout the room as my mom called everyone's attention.

"Everyone, before we divulge ourselves into this divine cake. Let me raise a toast to this wonderful girl, who becomes a woman today. A toast," Mom said as she raised her glass of champagne, "to my dear Lucy."

Everyone raised their glasses and shouting toasts.

"Now, please, enjoy the cake," Mom exclaimed.

Everyone stuffed their mouths with the divine flavor of red velvet. Its flavor is so divine, it feels as though you've been welcomed into the pearly gates of heaven- a wretched sound came from one of the corners of the room, followed by another. My guts roiled, then it started to feel like it wanted to slither up my throat and- a disgusting noise came out of my mouth as I puked out all the food I had eaten for the day. The stench was horrendous. I blinked, but when I opened my eyes, all the light was gone. It was pitch black.