The Man Behind The Curtains

Emily's POV

I was staring at the blank ceiling above me, with my hands wrapped around myself.

The setting sun was amazing and normally I'd have been by the balcony staring at the twilight in admiration as I was really into nature.

But today I didn't feel quite like myself. Was it because the reality of being with Dexter forever was dawning at me? Or was it because I just wasn't ready?

The door to my room opened slightly and Janet's huge eyeballs peered at me. "Can I come in?" She asked, jokingly.

I chuckled. "What if I say no?"

She opened the door properly, walked in and shut it back.  "How are you?" She asked.

"I'm great." I replied putting on a smile to conceal my anxiety.

She sat beside me and held my hand. "Even your cute smile can't deceive me. I know when you're fine and when you're not. So, what's it?"

I sighed. "It's Dexter."

A huge smile appeared on Janet's face. "Somehow I knew it was going to be about him."

I smiled. Janet had always shipped Dexter and I together even when I hadn't been fated to him. Now that i was, she was the happiest person in the pack.

"So what about Dexter is making you worry?" She asked, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Nothing much… it's just that I'm not sure if…" I halted as I didn't know how she'd take the next words I was about to say.

"Not sure if what?" She asked.

"Never mind." I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Spill it, girl. I'm your big sis, remember."

"Fine. The thing is I'm not sure if…if I love him." I revealed

"What!!" She said aloud. "No, no, don't confuse yourself. I understand that there's a lot of pressure on you right now but both you and I know that you're in love with Dexter. You've had feelings for him since you were eight."

I knew explaining what was going on inside me was going to be difficult and even impossible if I was talking to Janet as she believed that Dexter and I were a pair made in the heavens.

"You love him, there should be no doubt about that. You love him and you've always loved him." She said.

I nodded my head in agreement. By the way we were fated to each other.

"Now get dressed. You don't want to be late for the event." She said, pulling me out of bed. "And please wear the royal blue short gown. I heard Dexter loves the color." She said giggling.

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I walked into the limousine and sat beside Janet and Sandra, my two darling sisters. Opposite me were my parents, dressed in champagne gold matching attire which made them look like Arabian merchants.

"Oh, Emily." My mother said, reaching out to my hand which I stretched forward to ease her the stress. "You look amazing."

"Just like her father." My dad said, trying to raise an argument with mom.

"Her father?" My mom turned to look at him. "She clearly has my eyes, my hair color, my jawline… She's just like a younger version of me, Paul." My mom said.

"Don't flatter yourself,  I saw you when you were young, you weren't half as beautiful as my angel here." He said winking at me.

"Whatever, her beauty is sixty percent from me and forty percent from the gods of beauty." My mom conceded.

"Emily." My dad called out. "You've made me so proud. Finally my dream of one of my daughters becoming Luna has finally become a reality."

My mum jabbed my knees playfully with her pointy fingernails. "Soon you'll be dining in the Ferguson's mansion and eating from their golden plates."

I smiled widely to conceal my rising anxiety. I didn't know why I suddenly felt angry with my family or why I felt like I was being sold off.

The car finally halted and everyone alighted from the limousine.

There were a lot of cars parked outside and the brick gates of the Fergusons were wide open.

Although there were a lot of fancy lights placed everywhere, the house still looked frightening.

Sandra, my younger sister, clung to me tightly as we walked in. She was clearly terrified by the house.

As we walked, almost every eyes were on me and it sent chills to my heart.

They all stared at me with admiration and I understood perfectly– I was the lucky girl after all.

We walked into the house and I was completely stunned with the beauty of it. It was not just majestic but had a touch of magic to it.

There was jazz music playing in the background and everyone seemed really happy with the event.

I got stopped severally by different families, all of which congratulated me and reminded me of how fortunate I was to be fated to Dexter.

I took turns dancing with Janet, Sandra and my parents and just when I was beginning to have fun, I felt a pat on my shoulder and as I turned around to see who it was, I almost had a heart attack.

It was Dexter.

His handsomeness made me deaf and dumb for some seconds. He had a grey-colored suit on which looked perfect on him. His hair was styled in a way which suited his fine jawline and brought out his nice skin tone.

"Shall we?" He asked, stretching his hands forward.

I stood there motionless for a while until my mom walked behind me and whispered in my ear. "C'mon, don't stand here like a statue watching him. Dance, Emily. Dance! And make sure you don't trip nor step on his expensive shoes."

I grumbled at her last statement as I found it offensive— So, I had to be perfect for him to like me. That was so not cool.

As Dexter and I danced, I tried my best to avoid looking at him but I was still jittery as I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. Also, every other person stopped dancing and watched Dexter and I dance.

A round of applause followed after our dance and I was really happy that it was over as I had felt like I had been choking within the whole time.

I greeted everyone who came to meet me to congratulate me, and then I left the building as quickly as possible.

As I walked out, I wrapped my hands around myself as everywhere was cold.  I walked some distance away from the house to get away from the music and chattering.

Despite the scary compound, I stood by a fountain which had statues of horsemen around it.

As I stared in amazement at the huge fountain, I suddenly felt an eerie feeling which made my hairs stand.

I looked around and then I saw the curtain of a room at the top floor of the mansion shut. And from the curtain, I could see the silhouette of a male figure.

In fright of what I saw, I took to my heels and headed back to the building.

As I returned to the ballroom, Janet noticed my change in countenance. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." I said nodding my head more times than necessary.