The Girl with the Fire Heart
Chapter 8

Damon stops speaking, allowing Valentina to take her turn. She tells him about growing up in the kingdom, the way her heart has always been different from everyone else’s. She tells him about how hard her childhood had been without friends until she met Brielle and Callie. She tells him about her family, all the work that she poured into her family’s farm. She tells him about her favorite memories, the way the shepherd and his wife would often whisk her away to some coastland where she could spend hours and hours on the beach shores.

She tells him everything she can about herself, except how she ended up with the steel cage around her heart. She doesn't tell him what her heart is really made of, why her fire had burned out, why the steel walls that are now clasped around her necklace have become her lifeline and protection against the world, not for it.

Suddenly, they hear a pop. Damon looks around for the source of the noise. But Valentina looks down at her necklace. One of the bolts of the steel cage, at some point during the night, came loose and at some point during their conversation, popped out of its place and landed in the grass beneath their feet.

Valentina is surprised. But she is also fearful. She is worried about what will happen if she doesn't return to the barn and fix the slowly decaying steel cage. Damon looks back at the Valentina and sees fear and something akin to regret lighting her eyes.

He is about to ask what's wrong, when she jumps to her feet. She grabs her shoes, not stopping to put them on, and darts to the door they came through, thanking him for a wonderful evening. She shouts her apologies behind her for leaving so suddenly but she can't stay much longer. She rushes through the door, trying to remember how they got to the garden in the first place.

She silently curses herself for not paying close attention when they came in, but soon she replaces the way out, realizing the hallways and doors are just a pattern that will take her to the main entrance.

Damon runs after her, hoping to convince her to stay a little while longer. However, he underestimates her. She runs quickly, never looking behind her, focused solely on getting out of his house and into the night. He shouts warnings behind her, telling her she shouldn’t leave without an escort home. He shouts at her that he can arrange for a carriage to take her back to her farm but she simply runs faster.

The ballroom doors are wide open as they both run straight into the room. People are still dancing, no one wanting to miss a single moment until they are forced to leave. Valentina races into the ballroom, searching wildly for Brielle and Callie. When she replaces them, she drags them across the room, grasping their arms, dragging them away frantically begging them to leave because something bad is going to happen if they don't.

Both girls are confused. What bad thing? They were proud of their friend for letting go of her hatred for Damon enough to spend the evening dancing with him. They tug at their arms, demanding an explanation from Valentina. She stops suddenly, chest heaving, and turns to look at them. She reaches for her necklace, gesturing with her eyes for them to follow her gaze.

The girls take the hint and that's when they see the steel cage coming undone. Some time between Valentina's mad dash from the garden to the ballroom, she lost several more bolts. The two pieces of the steel cage were slowly slipping from their place. The girls suddenly realize what she means. They all look at each other with sheer horror before nodding in agreement that they need to leave.

They hurry towards the ballroom doors, ignoring the whispers and stares of the other partygoers. They stop short again when they see Damon standing at the entrance, chest heaving from chasing Valentina.

He has sweat running down his brow, and his perfectly done hair is now a mess of spikes and sweat, like he was pulling at his hair while he chased the shepherd’s daughter. He stands frozen at the door, peering at her like she lost her mind. He asks her why she's running, why she's so adamant about leaving.

Damon is acutely aware that everyone has stopped milling about, that the music has stopped and everyone is paying close attention to the dramatic scene playing out in front of them.

Valentina shakes her head. She tells him he needs to let the three girls leave. He wouldn’t understand. She sincerely needs to go.

Damon takes one step forward. He tells her that whatever she is worried about, they can figure it out together. He beseeches her, begging her without regard for himself to stay, to let him help her.

Again, she shakes her head no. She insists she needs to leave. That if she doesn't, not only will he regret it, but so will everyone currently standing in the ballroom. Valentina doesn't mean to make that sound like a threat, but she does nothing to correct herself.

Damon takes another step forward. He puts his hands out in front of him, a sign of surrender. He pleads with her again. He asks her to tell him what she means. If she is keen on leaving, at the very least she can allow him to ensure her safety on getting home.

Valentina pauses. Inside of her necklace, she can feel the heat of the flames burning the steel. She doesn't know how it happened. She'd gone so long without feeling the flames in her heart, she long since forgot who she was. She adopted this new identity, the girl with the steel cage heart, that she forgot what the cage was containing.

There were moments, like the first time she heard about the Damon, that she remembers. But mostly, she's lived like she had always been this way, a fortified stronghold against all things good in the world.

But now there was no forgetting. She feels the flames of her old self burning brighter and brighter. If she isn't careful, if she doesn't leave, the flames will grow out of control. She can't risk anyone getting hurt. She won't.