The Seven Sins

3. The Ball

"That's better." The woman said with a curt nod. "You mortals dress worse every year." She muttered.

Mortals ? I let my hands go over the soft fabric of the dress. It wasn't anything I ever worn before, but it was beautiful.

"I would think that the seventies were much worse, but to each their fancy." I couldn't help but smile a little, even though I didn't know where I was, or who the old woman was. Or better yet, what she was. In the corner of my eye, I saw the old woman scowl.

"Sit." She pointed briskly to an old chair. I pursed my lips at her, but did as I was told, lifting my dress to get myself seated properly. "Since we don't have the time, I'll keep it simple." She said before she started pulling on my hair. There wasn't a single mirror in the room, the windows didn't seem to have any reflection, so I didn't know what the woman was doing. "That should do it." She said once she was finished.

"W-what now?" I asked as I stood up. The woman didn't answer, she waved her hand again and another portal appeared in front of me. But before I had a chance to see what was on the other side, the old crone had pushed me through.

The portal behind me closed quickly, I could just see the evil smirk on the old crone's lips before it disappeared. When I looked back forwards, my breath got caught up in my throat.

I was standing on top of a grand staircase, below people were either half naked and groping at each other or trying to stuff silverware or golden coins in their pockets. The large piles of gold coins must be fake, right? My eyes roamed over the people below me, taking them in amused. What kind of party was this? Everyone was dressed impeccably, men in dark, clean suits, women in long dresses all from ages ago. Or at least some of them were dressed impeccably. No, most of them were already half undressed. Shirts thrown over chairs or on the floor, dresses half ripped by groping hands.

I took my phone out of my décolletage and checked for service.

"You won't get any service here."

I almost jumped out of my skin from the sudden voice. I glanced to the side. A man, a few years older than me was leaning against the wall behind me. He had brown hair that reached his shoulders. His dark blue eyes were scanning the room. He was wearing a more modern suit then all the others at the party. He was wearing dark-blue dress trousers, a light grey blazer on top. He had olive skin, his chest visible due to the top buttons of his white shirt that was undone. He was extremely handsome.

"Where is here ?"

"Hm." He hummed, pushing himself off from the wall and stood right next to me. His eyes remained on the people below us. "I guess you missed the introduction. I was informed there would be a late comer."

"I can't be the only one that was late." I said, pushing the cell phone back in my bosom. "There must be more people that had doubts. If everyone got the same invitation as me -"

"They did."

My eyes roamed over the room. "They must have had doubts. Someone broke in to deliver a letter. An invitation with almost no information, that I needed to burn. Then a 'portal' brought me in this creepy dark dress room with a mean, old woman -"

"Alviva." The man said. "You better not let her hear you call her old and mean. I mean she wouldn't mind being called mean."

"Are you going to explain any of this? Or do I need to try to pry someone off that sex couch over there." I waved my hand to a corner where seven people were completely naked on a black velvet couch.