Her eyes found mine across the room - and that was the last moment I belonged to myself. I stiffened as I felt the first tendrils of her power seep into my mind. With anyone else it would have gone unnoticed until she’d taken full control, but I knew what her power felt like. I knew her. Her amythyst coloured eyes bore into mine and her face was framed by her flowing black hair. She was a portrait of beauty and the definition of danger. She took hold of my mind and I tried to fight against her but it was of no use. The corner of her mouth tugged up at my pathetic and futile attempt to break free.

She said she wouldn’t do this! She swore she would never use her power on me!

Her smile grew at the thought I realised a second too late she could hear. My eyes didn’t leave hers - they couldn’t - and she stared back, unblinking. I wasn’t blinking either but I ignored my drying eyes and lungs burning from lack of oxygen, instead choosing to focus on one thought.

Why?

Her usually soft voice slithered into my brain like a snake and would have made me shiver if I had control over my own body.

Why not? She replied.

The rest of the party began to disappear as blackness overtook my vision. I needed air!

What about the plan? I think desperately.

Amusement laced the thought she placed in my mind.

New plan, honey.

She was all I could see and I was just about to start begging her to let me breathe when air finally filled my lungs. I savoured the feeling - unable to do anything else and unsure when or if she would have me breathe again. The blackness receded and everyone else came back into focus, continuing their conversations as though I hadn’t almost suffocated.

She stood at the same time she pulled me from my seat and forced my legs to walk towards her. The others at my table stopped talking to watch my abrupt exit. She stepped out onto the floor where a few couples were already dancing and had me walk there too.

What are you doing? I asked but she didn’t grace me with a response.

She turned away from me as I approached and the show began.

“Ma’am?” The word fell from my lips without my permission, as did the ones which followed. “Would you like to dance?”

My hand extended out to her and she took it with a polite, “Of course.”

I’d never been much of a dancer but under her command we glided across the floor in time with the music like professionals. She truly was a stunning actor as she had to play not only her own part convincingly, but mine as well. And she played them both to perfection.

“My name’s Aria,” she said as I spun her, her voice like silk and her silver dress twirling with her.

Despite knowing better, I allowed the next thought to pass through my mind.

Oh, so that’s still part of the new plan, is it?

Her face hardened.

I have no idea what you mean.

If I could move I would have rolled my eyes.

‘Aria’ was the alias you were going to use originally.

Aria is my name. Another internal roll of my eyes.

No it’s not. Your name’s—

She gripped the thought before it could fully form and pulled it from my brain. It took me a moment to realise I could no longer remember her real name.

The smile returned to her face as she forced me to speak. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aria. I’m Matthew.”

Before I could stop myself, I was pointing out that that was not my name.

Yes, it is, she told me as she took my own name from me.

We continued to spin around the dance floor to the soft music. Her with power and me without my name. Me without memories and her with control. The captor and her prisoner. Aria and Matthew. Dancing as though they were still lovers and not enemies.

Until Aria whispered into Matthew’s mind, as though he had a choice in the matter, as though he was anything more that just her puppet, Let’s get on with the plan, shall we?