She held up the ace of hearts, and I looked over her shoulder. Slowly, the mist obscured the face of the card. This image was much crisper, but the angles were still awkward and odd. This place was darker than the last two memories.
"No, no, please! I have no money to give!" a woman's voice pleaded.
"Here, sir, the last one," a gruff man said.
The image thumped heavily, then grew still. It seemed whoever held the
The sudden shift in his tone piqued my interest."I'm just wondering if you know a young man named Robert?" I said."Here? Well, I suppose there's a few fellows with that name...um...Is Robert his real name or just his name?"Now it was my turn to be confused."What's the difference?""Wel
I swallowed a giggle at the confused tone in his voice."Well, aren't you a part of it, Garrett?""I suppose I am, in a way.""So?" I prodded." 'So' what? I'm confused."
Standing here brooding over my unaswered questions wasn't going to get me anywhere. Pushing myself from the column, I knew I should try to talk to Masquerade before another guest claimed his attention. Once I apologized for upsetting Garrett, I'd ask him about Robert.After a few minutes of searching, I found Masquerade."Is Garrett all right?" I asked, "I'm sorry if I bothered him. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings.""Oh no, Miss Phillips,
He turned back to me, and my eyes met his. Somehow, thinking these people were all rich and I was the poor one wedged between them like a sore thumb seemed a better alternative to this harsh truth. Literally, anyone...any kind of person could be here...I had no idea what that kind of person could be.Why did I ever want to come to this dance?Tears of fright began to well in my eyelids. I bit my lip hard, trying to sort through my raging thoughts. Masquerade regarded me.
The strings inside my chest had dissolved. I pulled my hair to the side and Masquerade smiled."Now! Chin up, shoulders erect, head high," he told me. "You are a lady of my halls. Command such respect!" I noticed Clarence approaching from behind Masquerade. "The gentlemen cannot help but admire you, then."
I had hardly danced with Clarence when I realized just how lucky I was. He was graceful, but not stiff, like a lot of other dancers were. Knowing he wouldn't judge me, I felt very at ease. Though he kept me going at a good clip, he wasn't rude when I would slip or get confused. If anything, my mistakes fueled our conversation. "Ah, it would seem you've met your match, Miss Phillips," he grinned broadly. "It would seem so," I agreed, "Perhaps I don't swim so well as I thought."
We continued the waltz. The dancers moved together like a colorful kaleidoscope. My hair swirled to the sides with every twirl and step, exposing my face and shoulders picturesquely. Oh, I wanted so badly to forget that we were surrounded by the other guests, that everyone in the ballroom must be looking at me and making judgments because I was dancing with the host. Then I could dance with him without attracting so much attention. But I guess I could count myself lucky that I was dancing with him at all. He noticed my anxious glances around the ballroom.
Masquerade gracefully resumed waltzing, and I let myself be swept along, my lips still tingling from the sensation of his kiss. If the expression on Masquerade's face indicated anything, he had enjoyed it, too. He seemed a little bewildered, and frankly, so was I. How was it possible to be this happy? The music swirled around us as we moved in perfect harmony. Sometimes, we would happen to step closer and warm each other's face