Young Writers Society

Infatuation

~

"Love" lives in a castle on a cloud, living out her life behind a window,

watching and waiting.

Always waiting.

For what, you ask? For "The One", her one true beloved of course.

And here he comes, stumbling blindly up the path.

"Love" sees him, and in that moment,

something, once hidden, blooms.

Pulse racing, she rushes to consult her dearest friends.

She is not ready for him,

not yet.

Hurriedly, she gathers her precious advisors, "Determination" and "Patience",

and once together, the trio begins to spin their web,

waiting for "The One" to arrive.

Their plan must be perfect, for Failure is their enemy.

A single mistake, and their flawless trap shall be unraveled.

But weaving is their favorite hobby,

and their hands fly, creating a snare to catch their unsuspecting prey.

And soon, the trap is set.

"Love" smiles in satisfaction at her work, before going to meet her precious beloved,

"The One".

She sashays to the door, her favorite colored dress swaying in wide arcs of pink,

a shade lighter than sticky, sickeningly sweet cotton candy.

With a mighty push, "Love" heaves the heavy wooden doors of her abode open,

and welcomes her startled beloved inside.

Carefully she treats "The One", urging him into her home.

She can not allow him to be frightened, can not allow him to run;

not until she has claimed him as her own.

"Love" leads him to a plush, red sofa, and bids him to take a seat.

Apprehensively, her beloved does so, and in an instant, her friends have him pinned in place.

Although, instead of "Determination" and "Patience", the masks have been cast off,

and in their place stand Obsession and Deceit.

Game, set, match, their twisted smiles say as they hold him in place.

The trap has been sprung.

"Love" smiles down at "The One".

Finally, he is within her grasp.

All he needs to do is accept her devotion to him, and he will be hers.

But instead of giving in, instead of submitting to his fate, he does the opposite.

Her precious beloved, her one true love, gazes up into her eyes and says...

"I hate you. I will never care for you. I do not want your affection."

Rejection.

He rejected her...

Her worst fear has come to pass.

And in that moment, she combusts.

Her temper flares, searing her twisted, blackened heart, and cracking her mask in two.

No longer does she pretend to be Love, and instead, reveals her true face for all to see.

Her eyes gleam with lust and fury, her rose-pink mouth twists into a savage sneer.

Her name?

She is Infatuation, and infamous for the lengths she will strive to gain what she most desires; a lover.

And another thing?

She is deadly to all but a cherished few.

Her beloved is lucky that she cares for him so,

otherwise, he might have been scorched by her anger long ago.

Infatuation gestures to Deceit and Obsession, who then twist their hold on him until he can barely breathe.

Smirking softly to herself, she then goes to sit by her beloved's side.

Even if he does not return her feelings, she doesn't care.

It would have been nice to have him comply to her will,

but she knows, and has known, deep down, that he would never accept her.

True, it made her mad that he had refused her, but as long as they were together, what did it matter?

Infatuation strokes his cheek tenderly, as if he were some precious, porcelain doll.

And why wouldn't she treat him so gently?

After all, he is her greatest weakness and her most powerful strength, all rolled into one.

He could make or break her with a single word, but she doesn't care.

All that matters is that he is hers,

forever.