Lovers: Boarding School

_party

Part 1/2 of a double update!

I'm so sorry for the late update! My Wi-Fi has been shit recently (and it's still shit) and now I have to go outside to write and post chapters for a while -__- My landlady sucks.

Also, this chapter was ridiculously long in length so I decided to cut it into two parts. Yeah. A legendary DOUBLE UPDATE! I'll see you guys in a bit so, see you on the other side! Enjoy!

One of the best perks of virtual reality was definitely the clothing options. Designer pieces that costed as much as a house in RL were as accessible as opening a closet and mindlessly plucking an outfit from a hanger. Chanel jackets, Louboutin heels, Armani suits, Louis Vuitton bags—nothing was beyond reach if the heart in VR wanted what it wanted.

Violet took advantage of this fact frequently in games like LBS, but when she dug through her virtual closet to find something to wear for the school's Halloween party, she was met with the cold-hard slap of disappointment.

According to her IOs, she had only three options: a lavender, shoulder-less ball gown with glittering amethyst accents on its bodice and its accompanying tiara; a backless, tight-fitting, lace doily of a dress that came with a rumpled velvet witch's hat; and a white silk cocktail dress that was paired with feathered wings and a glowing halo headpiece.

Violet considered her options with knitted brows. Choosing a costume in the virtual realm meant more than it did in RL because it determined the trajectory of her plotline—and whose route she would end up finding herself in.

After careful deliberation, Violet decided that if she had to wear a costume, it might as well be the complete opposite of who she truly was.

XOXO

Blaring neon lights and the roaring of speakers established the scene that was Amantes Mortem's annual Halloween Bash. Spread out over a grassy field that stretched to the ominous forest behind the school, the Halloween party was an excuse for the students of the academy to enjoy a night of supervised revelry. From afar, the scene looked more like an outdoor music festival than a party celebrating all the things that bumped in the night.

The only indication that the party was in any way related to Violet's favourite holiday were the NPCs dressed in an impressive hodgepodge of hyper-realistic costumes and the grinning jack-o-lanterns that lined the perimeter of the party grounds.

Violet entered the scene as if she had stepped from a dream; her white silk dress shimmered under the spasm of lights as the luminous halo that hovered above her head reflected the holographic body glitter that dusted her skin with an ethereal glow. Wings swathed in plush white feather hung behind her back, spread open and prepared to take flight if the situation called for it.

Despite her appearance, Violet warily observed her surroundings with the shrewdness of a general at war. In dating games--especially those involving unsolved murders--scenes like this were harbingers of a bevy of potential perils. If the carnival was any indication of the kinds of ghastly horrors awaiting Violet, then the Halloween party was especially ominous to her. Bloodied nurses and boys in superhero costumes filtered through the crowd as Violet vigilantly examined her surroundings as she explored them.

As she walked past a gaggling herd of girls with cat ears, she felt a large hand envelope hers from behind, pulling her gently back. She knew who it was from just the feel of his touch.

Violet turned and found a face splotched with snowy white paint and fake blood. Black kohl smudged around his eyes and clothes tattered and stained in grime and blood brought the look together.