After Nick passed out and was taken away by ambulance with Amanah in tow, the overall atmosphere of the dance changed. Students who had stayed in the shadows to avoid Amanah and her minions came out to enjoy the dance. Serenah was able to relax as well. Without her twin's intense glare on her, she could have fun with Romeo and their friends.
The next four hours alternated between moving slowly and sometimes speeding by. Not that she minded. She spent most of it in Romeo's arms or dancing side by side with him. She laughed, danced, and let loose. She hadn't felt this free in a long, long time.
She startled when Romeo leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Penny for your thoughts?"
She blushed and shyly glanced up at his face. His grin brought a smile to her face. "Aren't you being cheap with offering a penny?" she teased.
Romeo laughed. "Okay, how about ten dollars?"
"Oh, my. Whatever shall I do with ten dollars?" she countered with a chuckle.
"Plenty, if you're frugal enough," Romeo whispered in her ear again.
She shivered from his warm breath and her body's rising excitement at his closeness and his teasing. This boy was going to be the death of her with his charm. She was still surprised that he was interested in her and not her twin. Her thoughts made her frown for a moment.
"Sera?"
She shook herself. "It's nothing," she murmured and snuggled closer to his body. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the Kci and Jojo song, "All My Life."
She loved the song's lyrics.. They perfectly reflected her feelings for Romeo. She again wondered if his feelings were as deep for her as hers were toward him. The fated mark gave her glimpses of his emotions sometimes, but not enough to help her know his true thoughts and feelings toward her.
The song came to an end, and they went back to their seats. The rest of their friends were slowly making their way back to the table, too. Serenah laughed when Penelope yawned and plopped on her left.
"Looks like someone is sleepy," teased Serenah. She gently nudged her tired friend.
"Yeah, a little bit. I'm ready to head home. What about you and Al?"
Serenah glanced in Alastar's direction. He shrugged. He was letting her choose.
"The DJ said he was going to play two more songs. We'll go after that."
"Sounds good. I'll leave when you do," Romeo said and kissed her forehead.
Serenah blushed when their friends all made cooing noises. "Hush," she told them, embarrassed by their teasing.
Her attention turned to the DJ, who announced that she was playing the last two songs of the night. The group of friends flowed onto the dance floor. They danced to the "Cha Cha Slide," laughing at each other's dance steps before pairing up with each other and other students to dance to the last song, "Angels" sung by Robbie Williams.
Serenah found that song choice to be ironic, considering that humans would describe her kind, the Poten, as angels because of the birdlike wings they possessed. Being compared to the humans' mythical paranormal creatures was a burden she'd rather pass on. She didn't need any more misguided preconceptions about her to emerge. She wouldn't be able to handle it.
She swayed in Romeo's arms, listening to the steady beating of his heart. She didn't want this night to end. End it must, and just like Cinderella, she was going to return home to her cold and lonely room and horrible family members.
The song finished, and the attendees burst into applause and cheers. Everyone grabbed their things and went to the parking lot. Romeo opened her car door, and she slid inside. Alastar went to the driver's side and got in. He started the car to get the heat flowing. Serenah lowered her window so Romeo could speak to her.
"So, you'll call me tomorrow about spending Christmas at my house with my family?"
Nervously, Serenah bit her lip. She wanted to go to his house, but she was afraid her father would say no and possibly do something drastic to her if she asked to go. She didn't want to disappoint Romeo, but she didn't believe her father would agree. She dropped her head, unable to look Romeo in the face.
"Sera, it's okay," Romeo told her, stroking her cheek.
She leaned into his fingers and savored the warmth of his hand. Her mark heated up, and she felt his worry for her and his care for her well-being. She had to leave on a good note.
"I'll ask. I'll make no promises," she warned him.
"I understand. Do what you can. If you need me or my father to help out, send me a text and we'll jump in."
This was why she was falling in love with him. His genuine care and worry for her feelings and family life. No one had ever cared this much. Alastar and Lael cared, but they were servants, tasked with making sure she was doing well.
"Al, drive carefully."
"Don't worry, I'm a good driver. No need to worry," Alastar sarcastically retorted.
Romeo rolled his eyes, and Sera laughed. Alastar was grumpy because he was cold.
"Night, Beautiful," Romeo said and kissed her long enough for Alastar to complain that they needed to get a room.
Romeo ended the kiss with a laugh. He stroked Serenah's cheek one more time before walking off, whistling as he left.
"Whew, it's hot in here. Guess the car's heater is working really well," she murmured, ignoring Alastar's eye roll.
Alastar put the car in gear, and they headed home. Serenah was mildly surprised that they were not accosted once they were home. She thanked Autem for the small blessing and immediately went to her room, got undressed, snagged a quick shower, and then went to sleep, exhausted and happy about her time at the Winter Ball.
~***~
The next morning brought chaos to Serenah's world. She was rudely awakened by one of the maids serving in the castle. The maid condescendingly ordered Serenah to get dressed and go to her father's study. Serenah swallowed her angry retort, got dressed, and hurried to her father's office.
She entered and froze near the door when she spotted her twin. If Amanah were here, this wasn't going to go well.
"Your Majesty, you sent for me?" Serenah came into the room and moved to the area in front of her father's desk, making sure to curtsy.
She kept her gaze lowered, making her other senses hyperaware. She heard her father drum his fingers on his desk. That was a bad sign. The speed of his finger drumming usually indicated the mood he was in. The slower they went, the higher the chance that she would be physically punished. His fingers were drumming slowly.
She couldn't fathom why he would punish her. She hadn't done anything wrong. She had behaved and had a wonderful time at the dance. The silence started to get to her. Was he going to make her stand before him without acknowledging her existence?
"Serenah, I'm beginning to believe that you enjoy being punished."
Her father's words confused her, and she jerked her gaze up to look at him. His glare made her flinch. The anger was nothing new, but he was staring at her like a predator stared at its prey. Her instincts warned her this was going to be one of the worst visits to his study.
"When I gave your orders, I didn't stammer or stutter. They were clear, and there was no other interpretation to be had. So, explain to me, Serenah, why didn't you do your sister's homework like you were told to do?"
"What?" The word slipped out of her mouth before she could watch her words. Her shock at his accusation was too much. She had lost sleep while doing her twin's work as well as her own. "I don't understand, Your Majesty. I did every assignment Amanah brought home. I double checked her syllabi to make sure it was all done and turned in on time."
"Lies!" His fist banged on his desk. He held up a paper and waved it in her direction. "If you did her work, why does she have C's and D's on her report card for the semester?"
Her father rose, and she backed up. His furious expression heralded a storm heading her way. She wasn't at fault, but her father would make it her fault in some way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amanah's smirk. The pieces fell in place, and she realized her sister had set her up.
She protested again, swearing her innocence. "I did all her work. I made sure to turn it into Amanah every night so she could give the assignments to her teachers the next day."
"You never gave me the assignments," Amanah chimed in, her expression gleeful.
Serenah turned to keep her father and sister in view. "Amanah, stop lying! I did all your work so that you could have straight A's like me. I worked hard so you could move up in class rank. How could you not turn everything in?" she demanded, angry at her sister's machinations.
She yelped when her father backhanded her. The throbbing in her right cheek was instant, and so was the taste of blood. She gave her father a hurt look. He always took Amanah's side. Bitterness rose at the unfairness of it all. Why was her father so blind to Amanah's true colors?
"Don't you dare slander your sister! You useless, disobedient girl!"
"Stop calling me that! I'm not useless or disobedient. I obey everything you tell me. I don't understand why you keep doing me this way!" Serenah wailed, her emotions overwhelming her.
"You love playing the victim, don't you?" goaded Amanah.
At that moment, Serenah felt her sanity snap. All the abuse she suffered at her twin's hands raced through her soul. She didn't think; she simply reacted. With a snarl of fury, she launched herself at Amanah, bowling over her surprised twin and sending them both crashing to the floor.
Serenah started raining blows down on her sister's face and upper body. She was past thought. All she wanted was to injure Amanah as much as possible. Amanah cursed her and tried to gain the upper hand, but Serenah's rage lent her strength.
"Stop lying! You horrible, evil liar! I hate you, Amanah! Stop being so cruel to me!" Serenah howled, tears streaming down her face, while her blows increased.
Suddenly, a hard blow to her back doubled her over. Serenah couldn't process it before her father hauled her off her sister and into the air and body-slammed her. Her breath was knocked out of her, so she couldn't scream as pain raced through her from his violence. Glaring, he pinned her in place with his foot.
"Ungrateful brat! How dare you attack the Crown Princess, your sister! She is better than you in every way. I see that you are nothing more than a little beast who needs to be tamed and punished to know your place!"
The feeling was beginning to return to Serenah's limbs as well as air to her lungs. "Get off! I will not let you blame me for Amanah's carelessness! I didn't spend all that time working hard for her sake for my twin to discard it! You always take her side even when she is the one in the wrong!"
"Silence! You just can't stop lying, can you? I have a cure for your lies and your defiance."
Her father moved his foot, bent over, grabbed her hair, and jerked her to her feet. "I think a trip to the punishment chamber should remind you of who you are dealing with," he growled and dragged Serenah from the room with her sister in tow.