Initial Observations

From the corner of my eye, I saw that Garrett noticed how white my nails had become. My emotions were still in turmoil, but I relaxed my grip on the railing. I didn't want to worry him. He had enough to worry about, working in an establishment like this.

"Perhaps it isn't my place—" Garrett began. I looked back at him, "But it seems needless for Lord Masquerade to provide you an escort to the ballroom if you do not return to the ballroom."

I sighed. He had a point. But my last dance didn't go very well, and I wasn't keen to get tripped again.

"I prefer the view from up here..." I said slowly.

"I take it any view is to be preferred to the one seen from the ground, Miss Jenna," he answered. 

There was a decided smirk on his lips. I frowned.

"It is when you can't walk," I shot back.

"But you can now," he said, stepping towards the stairs, "and my master expects to meet you in the ballroom, Miss."

He extended his elbow to me. I began to protest, when I realized there may have been another side to Masquerade's invitation. If he wanted me back on the ballroom floor—not literally!—maybe he wanted to dance with me? I couldn't pass up a chance like that, though it would be impossible for me to admit that out loud.

Nodding my head in agreement, I slipped my hand over Garrett's silken sleeve and we went down the steps. Forcing myself to stay calm, I stepped onto the polished floor. The music enveloped me like a melodious embrace. I could feel the warmth created by so many people gathered together. 

Garrett offered to lead me into the ring of dancers, but I hung back. Their movements were so precise and unyielding, wading between them would be as dangerous as dropping a pebble into rapids. I wanted to see where Masquerade was before I took the dive into the sea of dancers.

Misunderstanding my hesitation, Garrett motioned forward impatiently.

"Most people would die for a chance to be in your place. If you're going to be here, I'd suggest making the most of it."

"Yeah, it's just I don't want to die in a flashy dance mob," I said in a breathy tone, stepping past him. 

There was no way I'd be able to navigate through this crowd, not with the first impression I gave them. 

"Garrett, you have to help me find Lord Masquerade," I said, my voice clipped.

I heard no response. Turning, I saw he was gone.

Great, I groaned, who's going to help me find him now? Luceyado?

I shivered. Anyone was my pick over Luceyado! I knew I shouldn't be so hard on the steward after only one dance, but part of me felt justified. He had acted more like he was dancing with the music than dancing with me. Everything felt so cramped, like the air was dropping. 

I wondered how that happened. Perhaps it was just my hunger and the pain in my ankle wearing  my out. But the oppressive air did seem to disperse when Masquerade found me. 

Probably because everyone moved out of the way for him, I told myself, there was more room, so I could breathe again—big deal...

I know something inside me wanted to believe it was for a special reason, that Masquerade wanted to help me, but I pushed it away. Too many times I'd believed one of my ex's had done something not just for me, but for me. And look where that got me! Number three, down the drain.

Come on, Jenna, get a grip, I mumbled, moving along the edge of the ballroom, You might deserve better than Steve, but God, setting your sights on a hot mansion owner whose party you just crashed?! Really, girl, you're smarter than that! 

Still, Masquerade did want me escorted to the ballroom, so I should find him. Maybe just one dance—if he even offered that—and then I'd tell him I had to go. I was sure he'd understand.

Should I go back to the school or try for home? I wasn't sure how far home was from here. What address was this? What was my address? A jumble of numbers, street names, and apartments cluttered my head and I couldn't get them straight. I shook the confusion from my head. 

Never mind. I'll remember later. I need to find Masquerade first.

I scanned for his silver mask among the crowd. While dozens, actually hundreds were silver in color, none were quite the shape and style that I remembered his was. Of course, my view was sometimes blocked by others waiting to dance. It felt creepily odd hearing fragments of conversations come from dazzling, expressionless masquerades.

So many voices and accents! High, mellow, deep, sultry, more kinds of voices than I had ever heard. I'm certain I heard foreign languages spoken between couples, too.

As I wasn't dancing, I could pay more attention to guests' outfits. They all had to be filthy rich. Just look at their gaudy clothes and masks. The women's complexions were so smooth. Their luscious lips and perfect necks sparkled like their masks. The men's apparel was equally extravagant, made of velvets, silks, and other expensive material.

Masquerade must an extremely influential man if he was hosting a party of this size to so many kinds of people. My mind reeled. I began to feel a little more sympathy for Garrett's slipping off—though I was annoyed I had to find his employer by myself.

Why was Masquerade doing this? Never mind why. The fact is, he was. I was knocked speechless by all the beauty around me. Geez, I would have seen sights like this only if I worked my butt off for twenty years, and by some uncommon stroke of luck, made a name for myself. But here I was—eighteen, poor, no connections—among all these important people. A surge of excitement overwhelmed me. I knew I had to tell him how much this evening meant to me.

But where the heck was he? I had been searching for him for over fifteen minutes. I'm good at remembering faces—or masks, I guess. I should have been able to find him even in this crowd. It wasn't as if I was hard to miss, either. I had already noticed a few eyes lingering on me. Unfortunately, the masks around them kept me from being able to tell if their looks were approving or critical. The whispers were just as uncertain.

"Oh, that's her..."

"Oui, la fille avec le masque..." (Yes, the girl with the mask...)

"Who is she?"

"Never mind, darling..."

"Lass sie in Ruhe..." (Leave her alone...)

At times, I couldn't help turning my head at the sound of their words. However, they always looked away, so I could never tell who said what. I began to feel uncomfortable.

As I searched, I noticed that the guests would come and go from a large hall. Its entrance was on the far end of the room, and I guessed it was the main hall. Maybe Masquerade had stepped out to mingle with some of the guests. I slipped around the side until came to the wide entrance and stepped into the main hall.

This hall was at least twice as wide as the back hall to the outside and far from empty. Gentlemen and ladies stood in groups, most holding a glass of red or white wine in their elegant hands. They walked like it was no surprise to them they were invited to a place like this. I gingerly stepped between them, afraid that walking too close would offend them somehow. I tried not to look like I was searching for someone. Whenever my eyes got too focused, I would notice some head-turns and stares from the corner of my eye.

A few doors along the sides of the hall were open, suggesting that these rooms were public to the guests. I wanted to glance in the rooms, but loitering near an open door seemed like a bad idea. I'd draw too much attention to myself that way.

The hallway might have been spacious, but the amount of people filling it made me feel crammed. I started to have panic flashes of when I was squeezed between the dancers. And as if things couldn't get any worse, I noticed Luceyado among a group of gentlemen by the main door.

No, no, don't tur—gah, he saw me!

Yep, the twitch in his lips confirmed that. I really wasn't in the mood to talk to him just yet. I quickly turned around. Avoiding the ballroom, I hoped to find another open doorway. It was hard to find one that wasn't blocked by a lady with a wide gown or a gentleman with immovable feet. While I debated where to go, I noticed someone in a black masquerade watching my frantic indecision. 

Yet another person put off by me! The fan club is growing, it seems.

I pretended not to notice, but saw the masked man was still watching me. I turned toward the black mask, intending to give him a look, but the face looked away before I met its gaze and spoke to someone opposite.

Coward!

I wanted to dismiss the busybody's curiosity, but something about him seemed different from the rest. I stayed looking at him just a moment, unable to put my finger on it. The black mask spoke a few more words to his companions. Then, his eyes looked back at me. A smile faintly painted his lips.

I gasped.