Heart & Soul

Chapter 22 - Lane (Week 19)

The Christmas Ball. Well, technically tomorrow is New Year's, but the producers are going to call it the Christmas Ball because they don't understand that they don't need to follow a perfect schedule. Not everything has to be perfect. I have a blue and white tux that matches both the Christmas theme and the New Year's theme if they decide to change it.

"This season, instead of the regular Christmas theme, we will be changing to a winter theme because of the delay due to unforeseen events," Makenna starts, then continues talking about more details that I don't really care about. "There will be a big shopping spree for all of the ladies to get a dress tomorrow, details are in the packets in your rooms." All of the girls scramble to get upstairs just as I notice Zain is missing. Where did he go?

"Did you guys see Zain leave? I didn't," Beckham asks, and the three of us shrug, not knowing where in the world he went.

"Zain is upstairs helping Erika out. She got back in the middle of the announcement. Poor thing has to be in a wheelchair for the next week." No. That cannot be happening to the only girl I can truly stand in this competition. She has had it so hard, not even being here to date us but to please her sister.

"Does she need any more help?" Beckham immediately asks, and she shrugs, not sure what's going on.

"Go see. I think she was getting all her Christmas presents, so go find her." Theo's face lights up at the mention of presents. I swear, I have no idea how he is nineteen because he acts like he's five. Watching them race up the stairs, I watch as Theo beats Beckham, who can manage to act both like he's five and his actual age whenever he likes. Hayden is close behind, but I barely move two steps, actually really nervous to see her since all I can think of is her wet, brown hair plastered to her face, blue lips, and lifeless body just before she regained consciousness. "You should go see her. She'll be happy to see you, Lane."

"I know. I just don't want to kill the festive mood," I mutter, and walk up the stairs to hear a commotion near where I know Erika's room to be, and she's handed out presents to each and every girl. I can't believe she went out and bought a present for every single person competing. I notice her grabbing presents for each of the boys, while I just watch and adore her compassion and stay quiet, leaning against the wall a good fifty feet away so no one notices me.

"Lane, come here. I've got a present for you, too," She says, before standing up and with Zain's help, starts walking over to me.

"Hey, no, sit back down. I'm coming," I say, and she continues to stumble towards me, holding a small gift wrapped in white and holly decorated paper.

"Open this when you're alone," She whispers in my ear, and I nod, leaving it untouched, before giving her a hug. I place the palm sized present in my jacket pocket, knowing I'll remember to open it later. Backing away, I head upstairs with the guys to play some Xbox game, probably Call of Duty or something like that, leaving Erika to talk with the other girls. Everyone seemed so calm and relaxed around her, so who could it have been that pushed her into the pool?

That night at dinner, I watch as Erika just smiles and acts like everything is okay, when it really isn't. She has a family, friends, this show, and everyone would have been crushed to hear she passed. I can't even imagine who would do such a thing. It's just so awful. After dinner, I start going through the short list of girls left to take on two dates outside of the ball in two days, where we are basically required to dance with everyone because then nobody is left out. I don't know how we are supposed to not know who Erika is, especially since she is barely able to walk. And it's a masquerade, so nobody knows who anyone is (besides the five guys because let's be honest, there aren't a lot of options).

The forty-eight hours pass in a blur, and if I'm being honest, I don't even remember what my suit is supposed to look like. I think it's green. Then again, it could be white. All I remember is Theo wasn't allowed to have white. Mostly because he'd stain it. Seven times over. Oh, and none of us were allowed to wear the same color. Opening the black garment bag, I pull out a black tux, and don't even remember trying one on. All I've been consumed with is trying to figure out who drowned Erika. There's a list of girls who I know it couldn't have been, mostly because either one of the guys was with them, or they're friends with her — at least I am going to assume they wouldn't try to kill her.

"Oh, you got Beckham's suit. That's where that one went. Here's yours." Rayna hands me a white tux, not even caring that I'm topless and in shape. Then again, Rayna's more of a mother figure to the five of us than a girl who would fawn over what we look like. Stripping down, I pull on the tux, adjusting the navy blue bowtie to highlight my eyes, although I feel like it'll just give me away, whatever. Plus, there's other highlights of blue in other places on the tux, so there's that too. Putting on the matching blue and white mask, I secure it in place, tying the white ribbon, before waiting for Rayna to tell me when I can go to the gardens, where the ball is taking place. As soon as she arrives, basically dragging Theo by his ear because he was probably playing games and wrinkling his red and black suit. Beckham and Zain are behind her, and Hayden is still in his room, since his bedroom is the closest to the front of the hallway.

"Alright, boys. You know the rules. Dance with every girl. Don't eat too much. No referencing to a specific thing you like. Try to mask yourself as much as you can. Don't try to figure out the identity of any of the girls," Rayna reminds us as we join the girls, and I see traces of familiarity among the girls, but not enough to pinpoint identities. The first song starts, and I realize there are still fifty girls here. God, this sucks. I don't want to dance with fifty girls.

"Hi," The first girl I ask to dance with me says softly, kind blue eyes staring at me, a bit nervous by the way she tenses up when I offer my hand.

"Hey," I say in a smooth voice slightly different than mine, and we dance, talking about very little, since we all have the same rules. If you figure out someone's identity, you're going to be in big trouble, so just don't even try. As I waste the night dancing with ten girls I'm actually trying to fall in love with and forty I'm not, I wonder what Erika is thinking and what she looks like.