Shadows of Kin - 2. Chapter 2

“He said no…” I was gobsmacked.

I’d called Declan to ask him if he’d join us at the masquerade, and he flat out declined.

Midge shrugged. “His loss.”

I threw my phone on her bed.

“But, I mean. He seemed so interested back at varsity…”

“He’s a twotwaffle Gen. Just leave it at that.”

I plopped down on the bed next to midge, making her bounce.

“Ok, so, what’s the game plan for tonight?” My crazy best friend looked at me with an evil glint in her eye.

“Well the shindig starts at seven, so I reckon we start getting ready at half 5 and leave at half 6?”

Midge chuckled.

“Dearest best friend, it is going to take me more than an hour to turn this,” she gestured to all of me, “into something worthy of that dress.”

“Bitch.” I humphed, and crossed my arms, which only made her chuckle more.

It took exactly an hour and a half to get ready, and by the end of it, I already wanted to climb into bed and sleep.

“Who would have thought that ‘pretty’ was so exhausting?”

“It is an art Genevieve. Art takes time, and don’t you forget that.”

I wanted to stick my tongue out at Midge, but she gave me a look that said, ‘don’t you dare ruin all my hard work’, so I just flipped her off instead.

My best friend looked at me and then smiled. “Go have a smoke you crazy child, just don’t ruin your lips.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I walked past the mirror going towards the door and had a look at my face; I still couldn’t believe it was really me. Midge really had worked wonders. She did a turquoise smoky eye with a winged liner, dark red lipstick, and very light blush. It was amazing.

I found a nice spot in the shade just outside the front door, and lit up.

The smoke from my cigarette danced in the sunlight, as the wind carried it into the sky. Something was bothering me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it could’ve been. It was in the back of my mind, eating away at whatever excitement I was supposed to be feeling.

I inhaled and exhaled letting the sounds of the cars on the road, and the rustling of the leaves in the wind, almost lull me into a false sense of calm.

It felt strangely surreal that we were both going to look so elegant, to attend a masquerade ball, like something from a fairytale. I had no idea what to expect.

I heard Midge groan in frustration from her bedroom, and the heavy feeling in my chest lightened a bit. At least through the unknown I was going to have my best friend with me.

I gave one last look to the sunlight streaming through the trees before I made my way back inside.

Midge was struggling with her hair straightener. I could see she was very close to throwing the thing across the room.

“Do you need help?”

She looked at me and scoffed. “You can’t straighten hair for shit. I am not letting you anywhere near my curls with something that could burn them off.”

I flipped her off again, but was secretly grateful. The thought of straightening her hair was terrifying. Her hair was the literal definition of untamable.

After about another two minutes of her struggling to tame her hair, she threw her straightener back onto her dressing table and said, “Fuck this. I’m just tying this shit up.”

I packed up laughing. She’d taken so much care with my hair, clipping it out of my face, so it didn’t really bother my glasses, and making sure it fell down my back in waves. And there she was giving up, tying her hair into a tight bun on top of her head.

My phone beeped from where I’d dropped it on to her bed, and my heart jumped into my chest. I was hoping it was Declan changing his mind, but I was sorely disappointed when a message from Chase popped up.

‘Be outside in 10. I’m picking you guys up.’

“Who is it?” Midge asked as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.

“Chase. Apparently he’s picking us up.”

“How long do we have?”

“10.”

“Fuck!”

We hurried to put our dresses on, not that it was hard, and then struggled to put our shoes on.

“Gen, are you sure you want to wear high heels? I mean you do look amazing in them, and kinda like a damn giant, but this is going to be a long night.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “This dress would have a disservice done to it if I were to wear flats.”

She mused but agreed. “Just bring flats with in case.”

“Already planned Midget.” I pointed to the bag that I had packed very normal clothing into. I did not know if I was going to make the whole night wearing something from a fairytale. I already felt out of place as it was.

We walked outside and Chase was already waiting for us. In a limousine.

“You have got to be fucking with us.” Midge put her hand onto my shoulder, to balance herself as she took off her shoe and threw it at Chase. He dodged it with ease, and it bounced off of the limo.

“Good to see you are in such good spirit this evening.” Chase laughed.

“You’re a troll Chase. I have wanted to throw things at you all day.”

I couldn’t help myself. I burst into side splitting laughter.

“Give her back her shoe Chase.”

I looked up at him and my breath caught in my throat. He was wearing a tailored seven piece suit, and his hair was tousled in a way that made him look like he had just gotten out of bed, but it looked really good on him. I hadn’t had that kind of reaction to Chase in a really long time. And it made me really wish Declan had joined us.

He picked up Midge’s shoe from where it had landed on the ground, and walked over to us.

“I decided to come pick you up because I wasn’t sure that Midge was actually going to get you there in one piece.” He chuckled as Midge glared at him.

If an outsider had watched this scene, they would have thought that they were the worst of enemies, but in reality, we were all really good friends. It might seem that Chase was flaky, which he kind of was, but he was always there when we really needed him.

“You ladies look absolutely stunning by the way.” He looked at the two of us, his eyes lingering a little longer on me than on Midge. Butterflies surged in my stomach, but I swallowed down whatever feeling was trying to claw its way to the surface. This was not a journey I wanted to take again. Besides I still really liked Declan.

“You clean up well Chase. Someone might actually think you’re a gentleman tonight.” Midge grinned.

I felt excitement stir again.

“Let’s go people. I don’t think this is the type of thing we can be late to.” I walked towards the limo, and the driver got out of the car to open the door for me. It was an incredibly weird experience for me.

“Thank you.” I shyly said to him.

“Of course ma’am.” He lowered his head.

The air was starting to mist up with the promise of rain by the time we arrived. There were cars and limos lining the gravel driveway all the way up to a really beautiful house, though mansion might have been a better term. The front entrance even had one of those gigantic fountains in front of it. I looked over at Chase when we neared our stopping point. He had a smile on his face that wasn’t quite readable. Midge also looked worried. But that was probably just because she didn’t like being around people. I didn’t know what to expect as we stopped and someone opened the limo door for us.

I could hear the dulled sounds of an orchestra coming from inside, as well as the murmured sounds of voices. I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I held on tightly to the little purse that Midge had lent me for the occasion. I’d left my backpack in the limo, with Chase’s assurance that if I needed it, it would be close by. Midge stood next to me with her hand through my arm. We both felt very out of place. Chase walked up to us, and I could swear in that moment he looked a lot older than he actually was. This was his world, and we were just guests.

“Keep your heads up ladies. You belong here just as much as I do. Both of you will outshine everyone in that ballroom today, and don’t forget it.”

I could feel my cheeks heat with a blush I didn’t think I could have. And I knew Midge felt the same way.

Chase wasn’t always much for sharing his feelings, but he never lied when he did speak them.

His words gave me a boost of confidence, so I raised my head and held myself with confidence. Midge followed suit.

“Before we go in, these are yours.”

He handed us two boxes that I hadn’t even known he’d been carrying. Inside the boxes were masks for each of us. Both of them were black lace that tied into our hair. Midge had no problem placing hers, as she just tied it around her bun, but Chase had to help me put mine into my hair without messing up Midges hard work. The only problem was that I had to take my glasses off, and I was as good as blind without them.

I was very insecure about not being able to see, but with the mask set into place my vision wasn’t as bad as it should have been.

I looked up at Chase in confusion.

He leant down, placing his lips near my ear, and whispered, “Just let it happen Gen. Your glasses don’t make the person.”

His words were so cryptic I almost laughed. But then he just started walking away. We had no choice; we walked behind him, letting him lead the way.

I tried not to let it show just how amazed I was with the whole set up. The house had an entrance foyer with a real life chandelier out of a gothic timeline. And it felt strangely familiar.

“This house belongs to Tomas Gordon. This masquerade ball is a rare occasion for him, and I wanted you ladies to experience it before real life starts.”

Again it felt like Chase was older than he actually was, it was out of place from how I had come to know him. I was very confused, to say the least.

“So what exactly do we do at a masquerade ball?” Midge asked the words that I should have.

“We drink, we dance, we mingle, and then we go home. Most of the time these things are meant for people to just flaunt their wealth and boast to those around them, but there are some people here tonight who I thought you ladies should meet. It might help you with whatever you want to do in the future. And having influential contacts is always beneficial.”

“Well this isn’t exactly the ‘last day of exams’ party I was expecting, but we are here so let’s do this crazy thing.” Midge tightened her grip on her purse and put her other arm through mine, and pulled me on. Chase followed with an amused grin on his face.

We entered the actual ballroom, and no amount of feigned poise was going to stop the awe from showing on my face. The ceiling was domed, and had the most intricate paintings of human-like creatures eating fruits and drinking wine. Chandeliers hung down from the beams, and instead of light bulbs, the lights were candles. The room was full of the most elegant people I had ever seen in my life. And I suddenly felt like a pauper. A full 18-piece orchestra was set on a small stage to the side of the ballroom, with couples waltzing around the dance floor to Mozart. Waiters were making their rounds through the room carrying trays of champagne flutes, and some with glasses of red and white wine, and then if you wanted something else, a fully stocked bar was on the other side of the vast room. Midge went rigid next to me, but with one look from Chase we both relaxed.

He lifted his head slightly and a waiter came by with some champagne for us.

It was like he held all the power here.

I almost gulped down my entire glass until I saw someone make their way across the room towards us. Even with a full face mask on, I could tell he was young, but he held himself with dignity. It felt strange looking at him. It felt like I knew him.

The more I stared at him, the stranger I felt, until my vision started to flicker. It was like I was seeing double. The one moment we were in the ballroom that we’d entered with Chase and the next, I was alone in the same ballroom, except that it was decorated completely different, but the same person was walking towards me.

The feeling of Midge’s hand squeezing my arm made me shake my head, and brought me back to reality. The whole thing made me wonder how strong that champagne was.

“Charles. I did not think I would ever see you at one of my events.”

The man said as he reached us.

He took off his mask, and I audibly gasped.

Midge gave me a side glance, as if to ask ‘what the fuck’, but it seemed like Tomas had the same reaction to me when he looked at my face. He just recovered quicker than I did.

It wasn’t déjà vu. It was stronger. I knew him. I knew I knew him, but I couldn’t place from where.

He was beautiful. Not in that I’m going to fall madly in love with him type of beautiful, but statues would be modeled after him and great romances would be told of him.

“Tomas. These are my friends Genevieve Bale and Samantha Robinson.”

I smiled what I hoped was a normal smile, but when I looked up at Tomas, that feeling was there again. It was so strong. I just couldn’t place it.

Tomas’ face went from gentle and inviting, to veiled anger in the space of a second.

He grabbed Chase by the arm and pulled him from the room, leaving us standing there like two lost puppies. The last thing I heard him say to Chase was that he shouldn’t have brought us.

It angered me. What the actual fuck. Was it because we didn’t belong in his world? And why the fuck did I feel so strongly that I knew him.

“Well that was interesting.” Midge scoffed.

I shook my head. I didn’t know what else to do, but I did know that I didn’t want to let it bother me anymore. We were in such a magical place that I wanted to experience something new. I gulped down the rest of the champagne in my glass and placed it on one the many small tables that littered around the room.

“Let’s see what else this place has to offer us.” I said to Midge, and she nodded her head in agreement.

I looked around the room and that feeling of awe returned. The people that stood around talking, and the ones that were dancing, reminded me of something from an old movie.

“So what now?” Midge asked me.

And honestly I didn’t know how to answer. With Chase having disappeared I was lost.

I shrugged. “We drink I guess.”

I started leading the way to the bar when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. It was the same feeling that I’d had in the bookstore. Someone was watching me. I looked around the room and noticed that a man wearing a dark full face mask was staring at me. His eyes were the only thing I could see, and they were darker than the mask. I looked away and tried to shake it off. Drinks were a must if I was to survive the rest of the night.

“I think you need a glass of wine, and I deserve a glass of vodka, lime and lemonade.”

Midge smiled the first genuine smile since we had arrived.

“Yes my dearest best friend. I think we need to booze it up. Screw it, let’s do it.”

She grinned her evil grin, and I started to feel myself relax, even though I knew she could possibly be plotting something.

After we’d grabbed our drinks, we went to stand at a table to watch everything around us.

After a while Midge nudged me, and nodded her head to behind me.

“I think our evening is about to get even more interesting.”

I turned around and watched as the guy from earlier, the one with the dark mask and darker eyes, strode confidently towards us.