He stared into the mirror, and his lips formed a displeased grimace. He clenched his fists and turned away, closing his eyes. Struggling to put away the imperfect image from his mind. Wishing he was better. He wished he could be someone else— anybody else.

He could hide from his family. From her. From everything.

Except himself.

Her voice echoed in his head: You think you're perfect, don't you? But you have this one weakness...do you know what it is?

He didn't. She was right about many things, but she wasn't about him. He never thought he was perfect, and he did not own just one weakness. It seemed like his weaknesses had created him, former him into something terrible.

But he couldn't get away. He couldn't destroy himself.

...or could he?

~

Moon couldn't sleep. What was this? She just heard Scarlet's voice, requesting for Winter's heart. It made her miserable.

So she got up and went to her desk. She sighed as she turned her lamp on, making the room full with light.

Tap, tap, tap. She tapped the paper with her pencil, blinking. She wanted to do this for a while. But she just couldn't get it right— her feelings for him, her emotions, her love...

"Dear Winter," she said aloud. Winter. So cold, so warm. A season of its own, something filled with a chill that made everyone stronger.

But what to write to him?

Moon felt herself tearing up and covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Tears dropped from her eyes, rolling down her face and landing at the paper before her. Why am I so weak? She felt her shoulders shake as she cried. Stop, Moon!

"I'm sorry," she said in a muffled voice. "I-I could have done better... I'm so sorry, Winter..."

It doesn't matter anymore how I feel, she thought as she turned the light off. It's too late. I should have told him sooner. I should have done everything I could to make him feel better.

I should have done that long time ago.

All she could do was listen to his tapes. And that was what she did.

~

"Scarlet?" I went up to you. To my surprise, you were there, with your shiny red hair and unpredictable, dazzling eyes. Oh, how perfect you seemed at that moment, in the front of the water fountain.

The breeze caught your hair, making it swish. You seemed like a goddess. Trees whistled a melody, just for the two of us.

"You came," you said in your light, feathery voice. Then you laughed. It was like music— so deep, yet simple. "I thought you wouldn't."

I blinked. "Why not?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

You placed your arms around my neck, making me uncomfortable. But it was irresistible, in a way. Like a snake closing on its prey. Your smirk said it all, but it was like I had a mask. A mask that only made me see illusions, fantasies.

The mask made me see what I wanted, and it cost me dearly. But that moment, you were all I saw. That was your charm, Scarlet. I think I know now. You made people see illusions, something you wanted them to see.

"You must get hundreds of love notes a day," you giggled, winking. "Darling, everyone knows how thrilling you are. Even me."

"I don't need them," I replied coldly.

You reached out and traced your fingers around my cheek. It tingled. "But you need me, don't you? Isn't that why you came?" You smirked. "You're smart, Winter. You know what I can do. What we can do— together."

I seemed unable to push you away. "I admit your note was quite... interesting."

You smiled. "I am different. I can show you, Winter. We were meant for each other. You will be my King, and I will be your Queen. Don't you see? Your past mistakes, all covered up with this new, perfect version of you."

How tempting. You knew how to manipulate people, that was for sure.

"Why are you doing this for me?" I whispered. Just a couple minutes with you, and it was starting to change my life.

You didn't reply. You just pressed your hands on my neck, encouraging me to you. Before I could react, you crashed our lips together. The final step of it all— a simple, make-believe kiss to wrap everything together. Right then, the Princess became the Queen.

Then you whispered against my lips, a soft lie that nobody heard except the two of us. A secret between the King and the Queen. My doom, and your happiness.

Such a simple word, yet so dangerous: "Love, Winter."

And I believed.

~

After a couple months, you posted pictures on social media. Pictures of us. Watching a movie, ice-skating, being a couple. Kissing. Smiling. Everything a couple did.

The whole school went crazy over the news.

It made me embarrassed, knowing the fact people knew my private life like that. It made me uncomfortable. But what could I do? I just ignored the heartbroken love notes in my locker and trashed the blackmail notes that came from your lovers.

The comments under the photos were like a knot, endless and impossible to know how the whole thing even started.

Then she came into the chat.

The person I least expected, the girl in the grade of yours. A cold girl, a fellow Princess, an untouchable girl that competed you for the crown.

Icicle Absher.

Sister. Liar. Sibling. Enemy. Friend. Competent.

Icicle.

A few seconds later, you joined, too. I know your message by heart, mainly because I read it way too many times, hoping it wasn't real. Hoping you didn't mean it. Hoping there was a different explanation.

"Your brother was waay too easy," you commented, and I could almost hear your light laugh over the phone. "I'm guessing I won this bet?"

It sank my heart. Too easy? Bet? Winning? What were you talking about? Possibly not about us?

"I didn't think he was that pathetic," Icicle replied. A couple hallways away from me. I could almost see her cold, fuming expression as she accepted she lost.

"Ooh, are you backing up now? What do you want me to do next, hook up with Hailstorm? Oh, wait. He's dead, isn't he?" You commented.

That was when I dropped the phone. It landed on the ground with a loud clatter, but all I could hear was the loud thump of my heart.

How could you say that? The girl that kissed me, helped me and promised she was doing it all because of pure love?

You promised...

I shakily grabbed my phone back and stated at the screen, trembling.

Icicle: "I never back out, Scarlet. The bet was clear. You had to date my brother for three months. You won the bet. I won't be in your way any longer. Enjoy your little crown, princess. Because it won't be yours forever."

Scarlet: "Ooh, I'm so scared. At least we know for sure you will never get to be the Queen."

All this, just for a stupid title around the school? What kind of girl were you, Scarlet? How could you be so foolish? How could I be so foolish?

That was when I joined the conversation. I couldn't bear to just sit back and read the horrible things you were talking about.

"Scarlet? What is this all about?" I asked. I'm ashamed to say I just wanted to hear a simple apology and hoped to move on like nothing happened. Why? Because I was a coward. Am a coward. A coward that cannot ever face the truth.

"Oh, it's you. I don't want you anymore, so don't act like you know me around the school. What a loser."

"You are a disappointment, Winter," Icicle added.

I felt myself tremble. Your words crumbled me to pieces, driving me insane, breaking my soul and tearing my life apart. Disappointment. There was all I ever was.

"So what we had, it wasn't real?" I was close to dropping the phone, I was trembling so hard.

Your answer: "Haha, of course not, you little idiot. Who would want a nerdy, depressed trash like you? You mean nothing to me. Get lost."

That was when I threw my phone at the wall. It crashed, making glass pieces fly out of the air onto the floor. I came down to my knees.

What was happening?

I tried to clean the glass with my hand, but I was trembling too much. I cut my entire palm, and blood slowly ran down my hand onto the ground.

I felt blank. Emptiness. There was so much screaming in my head, that I couldn't even feel the pain.

All I thought while watching my blood roll down, down, down was...your lips, it was red as blood...

Your lips, so beautiful, so stunning, so irresistible...lips of a Queen.

They were my doom.

~

Tell me how you like this chapter! :) sorry for the slow updates, it's just that a chapter takes almost three hours to write, edit, and check. So yeah.

:) Moon out!