“There is something about you that I can’t explain. But whatever it is, it makes me want you in ways I can’t describe”!
……
It was a big day for the girls. The biggest night of the year is up tonight and there are lot of things that the girls has to do before hitting a ball. They were busy getting ready for the masquerade ball. The girls planned out their beauty look to perfection.
“But girls I don’t have a date”, shrugged Laura, applying concealer to cover up the eye bags. She replaced her spectacles with artificial lenses only for the night.
“Like you, we also don’t have the so called ‘date’ for the night”, uttered Janice spraying her hair at the ends.
“But Kathleen does”, Janice has been teasing Kathleen ever since she left them to shop with EJ for the ball. Kathleen narrated the whole story behind the shopping scenario but Janice wasn’t ready to accept the truth, she loved to tease Kathleen.
“Well, well, I knew it already”, laughed Kathleen and applied some light creamy shadows to her eyes that would match the color of her dress. As her dress wasn’t that fluffy and sparkling compared to Laura’s and Janice’s, kathleen decided to stick to ‘little or no makeover way.
“Kath, what do you think about my makeup?”, Janice questioned unsurely. She turn around and faced Kathleen. Kathleen couldn’t stop giggling.
“So to be honest, you look beautiful regardless of the double layer of cream and foundation that looks odd on your face, and the way you have applied mascara to long artificial eyelashes, that is …… funny”, giggled kathleen and covered her mouth to prevent herself from further giggling.
“Oh thank you for the untrustworthy compliments”, Janice sticked out her tongue.
“Girls, we don’t have time!! Stop this and get ready soon”, Laura urged them.
Now it’s time for the girls to slip onto their respective dresses. Janice has purchased a elegant blue ombre ball gown that fitted her perfectly.
Laura got herself a floor length ombre dress that has lace embroidered in it. It was a beautiful sparkling dress indeed. She has chosen white over green.
“Oh my goodness, you both look beautiful”, chirped Kathleen.
“Awww, thank you but I won’t lie by saying that you look beautiful”, winked Janice. Kathleen ran towards Janice to hit her.
“Can’t you both stop playing atleast for tonight”, Laura rolled her eyes.
“As you say so, queen Laura Thomson”, Janice and Kathleen said in unison with a bow. They girls were poking fun at one another and were having a great time.
“Hey, guys!! Did you hear about masquerade King and queen?”, Laura asked the girls who were engaged with their own stuffs.
“What……?? I have heard only of homecoming king and queen!! What is this?”, Janice spoke while her gaze was fixed on her dress, it was too fluffy that she can’t manage it all alone.
“Masquerade king and queen is also similar to that, instead of being crowned, you will be awarded with golden mask”, Laura explained and showed them the picture of couple half face metal mask and it was one eye phantom set masquerade masks.
“Ohh, it looks……. like…….”, kathleen was searching for the right word to say.
“Beautiful?? Creepy?? Fabulous?? Modern??”, Janice tried to finish her sentence.
“Ummm no….. okay let’s just leave that part! I can’t find a word to describe these masks”, giggled kathleen, earning a frown from Janice.
“But Laura, on what basis do they offer this masquerade king and queen title??”.
“I’m not sure, Jay!! But I’ve heard that we can enroll the names we wish, for the masquerade King and and queen. Then they will select on various criteria that I’m not aware of”, explained Laura.
“Anyways, we belong to the freshman year, we can’t take part right?!!” Janice thought that the freshman can never be a part of such massive masquerade events.
“I don’t think so, we can participate but we won’t procure the title obviously”, shrugged Kathleen.
“Yes, a freshman girl or boy has never gotten this masquerade queen title in the Howard’s history of masquerade balls”,
“That’s because we have girls from the sophomore year, junior year and senior year. So girls from all these years will definitely enroll themselves for their dream title and selection preference will be based on seniority , that’s why sophomore girls has the least probability in acquiring the title”, explained Kathleen.
“Huh?? No kath, they don’t choose girls based on the year they are in!! Maybe I assume that they have their benchmark for the title”, stated Janice.
“Whatever, all I wish for tonight is to have fun with guys and I should stay away from all such chaos”, affirmed Kathleen.
“Yeah, kath. Don’t worry, the night will be amazing”, encourages Laura.
“So where are the masks? You said that it was a surprise to me?! Show me”,?? kathleen requested Laura for the mask.
“Ohh well, I totally forgot the purpose of the night”, laughed Laura and opened her tabledrawer to take out the masks that she has purchased for them.
“This is for you, Jay. I chose this because I don’t want Gerald to recognize you that easily tonight”, she giggled and gave her a dark blue mask.
“And Kath, I brought this elegant mask for you as you maybe having a date tonight”, taunted Laura and helped kathleen in wearing the flower mask.
“And finally this is for me”, she chirped and wore her blue gem metal mask.
Laura has always been a good purchaser in comparison to Janice and Kathleen. She browse around various websites at the same time before purchasing a product.
“This looks beautiful”, kathleen beamed on looking at the mirror.
“Ohh mirror, mirror…. tell me who is the most beautiful person tonight?”, giggled kathleen.
“Of course, it’s Janice”, Janice mocked and kathleen let out a chortle.
“Ohh come on, you both sound like the wicked queen from snow white”, joked Laura.
“It’s 5. 30 already!! Can we get going??”, suggested Janice and they walked out of their room giggling and chuckling at their own jokes.
………………….
The masquerade ball took place in the conference hall. The decorations were impressive and students were clicking pictures on each every spot outside the hall. They couldn’t be identified as they were masks. LED sparkling lights were used to decorate the entire pathway that leads to the entrance of the conference hall.
A splendid arch light decor was placed at the entrance for the students to use it as a photo booth. But only the students with the invitations are allowed into the conference hall. Girls from senior year were a part of reception committee, so they can make sure only the invited ones enter the ball.
Sounds of giggling, camera clicks, indistinct chattering and murmurs filled the place. Girls were wearing a variety of ball gowns like off shoulder black ball quinceanera gowns, butterfly off shoulder long tulle dresses, high split v neck maxi dresses, sleeveless sequin dresses, neckhanging elegant dresses and sexy mesh long sleeve dresses along with wonderful masks that matched their outfit.
The place was radiant and colourful to look at. Janice, kathleen and Laura clicked ‘n’ number of pictures with and without masks all along the way to the conference hall. They giggle and chuckle together when they receive stares and compliments from senior year boys.
The boys from all years were having fun on their own ways. As they were wearing masks, it was hard to identify each one of them. They taunted girls and asked them to be the date for the night. The senior girls were busy organizing the event and they weren’t interested in what the boys do.
Laura, Janice and Kathleen could spot couples kissing each other passionately and even some were making out in the ball dresses. But they weren’t sure on who all these people were, the mask concealed their faces perfectly.
“Gross”, whispered Kathleen to Laura and they enter the hall after showing their invitation. They scan the place to find it filled with students from all years and they could spot some of the professors too. They were dressed up in suits and elegant dresses along with a mask as well.
“It’s frabjous”, kathleen quipped with a slight raise in her voice on witnessing the Golden mask that was kept on the blue plate in the glass table. The glass table was placed on the small podium.
“What?”, Janice and Laura said in unison.
“Earlier I said that I wasn’t able to find the right to describe the mask right?”, expressed kathleen pointing out the metal masks. Janice mouthed a ‘oh’ and the girls admired the couple golden masks.
The event hasn’t begun yet. Usually, they will conduct a scavenger hunt game, a dance performance for the winners of the game and finally they serve dinner for all. But Kathleen and her friends weren’t aware of this game.
A young girl wearing a lavender gown comes running towards kathleen and her friends, and they wonder who she was. They thought she must also belong to freshman year, they couldn’t identify her as she was wearing a large mask that covered her whole face.
“Hey, guys!! By any chance, are you kathleen?”, questioned the lavender gown girl.
“Umm…. yes!!”, she muttered.
“Yes I was right!! Myself Layla, I’m from sophomore year, I belong to Howard’s university of engineering and architecture”, she said with a smile.
“Hey nice to meet you. I go to Howard’s University of Engineering and architecture too”, kathleen shook hands. She wondered if she was identifiable with the mask on.
“Well I know”, she smiled and Kathleen sends a smile at her direction.
“I really wanted to say you will definitely procure it”, the girl congratulates kathleen.
“I’m sorry, I don’t get you”, she was confused.
“I saw that your name was enrolled for the masquerade queen title and I thought of congratulating you as not all freshman girls take the initiative to participate in events like this”, expressed the lavender gown girl.
“What?”, kathleen let her curiosity cover her nervousness. Janice and Laura’s eyes widened in shock.
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Hey guys!! Hope it’s getting interesting day by day, if not do tell me!! I’ll try to add some charm to the story. Stay tuned for updates.