Adonis had informed me two days ago that the party would be held tonight, November 12th. The weather was quickly becoming colder and things were beginning to die. As that is what happens in autumn. It seems the season of fall has come late this year.
Anyways, yes, the masquerade was tonight. I was excited, yet I was anxious as well. I couldn't come up with a clear reason why I felt that way. I've been to many celebrations.
I had a dress picked out for the party. I just didn't know where I'd get a mask. I should've thought things through before blurting out to Adonis the idea of a masquerade instead of a normal gathering. My emotions got the better of me. That seemed to happen a lot when I was with him and the phantoms.
But it seemed fitting. Fitting to have a masquerade ball now, just like the one we had years ago. It was exciting. I wondered how different things would be now. I couldn't get my mind off of it.
Sighing, I finished laying my dress out on my bed and walked to the door. I opened it and started to walk out. However, the tip of my foot made contact with something. I looked down. A box.
I bent down and picked it up. I turned back into my room and closed my door behind me. I glanced at the small box in my hands. There was a card. Walking over to my vanity, I gently took the card between my fingers. I set the box down on the table and flipped the card open.
"I couldn't help myself.
It would be an honour to see you wear this tonight.
Sincerely yours,
Adonis"
I shook my head at him. "You don't have to do this," I muttered underneath my breath. I set the card down and slowly uncovered the box. My eyes widened at the sight of the mask. I gaped at it as I steadily set the lid down.
It was beautiful black lace and it's ribbon was shiny. However, the thing that surprised me most were the horns at the top. I've never had something so... beautiful yet stunning. Thinking of Adonis giving this to me made me blush. I covered my face with my hands, feeling the heat radiating off of it. I tried to take a deep breath.
~{}~
I'd gotten dressed in a bright blue gown with black accents and lace gloves. I also had a matching choker. The dress was a bit more showy compared to what I normally wore. It was sleeveless, but luckily my gloves covered most of my skin.
Now was the time for me to place my mask on after I did my makeup just moments ago. For some reason I was nervous. I couldn't pinpoint why. It was a beautiful accessory. I stared at the mask in my hands.
Then I looked at myself in the mirror as I stood in front of my dressing table. I took a breath and began putting the mask in place. I tied it loosely in the back, around my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror again. My golden eyes contrasted heavily against the black of the material of the mask.
I stood up, dusting my dress off. I headed for the door. My veins were not only pumping with nervousness, but excitement as well. I kept those thoughts in mind as I opened the door and headed towards the stairs. Tonight was going to be fun.
I found my way to the stairs after a moment. I looked down as I set my hand on the rail. I saw a muscular man in a masquerade mask at the bottom. I was even a little surprised when I realized that it was Kimaris.
He suddenly looked up at me. I felt my face flush as I had been staring at him. I smiled a little as I made my way down the steps, sliding my hand along the rail and using my other hand to hold my dress up. It didn't take long before I met him at the bottom.
He did a little bow, holding his hand out to me. I felt my face heat up. I fanned myself before I took is hand in mine. He slowly stood up and gently linked our arms. I grinned up at him. I could see the joy in his eyes.
We began making our way towards the ballroom. To be quite honest, I was a little shocked to see Kimaris as my escort tonight. I may have gotten a little used to Damian doing it for me. However, I had no complaints. They were both very sweet.
He opened the door for me and I was met with the sight of the beautiful ballroom. To my surprise, there weren't enough people to fill the room. It's strange, I was so used to rooms being flooded with guest.
I smiled to myself. This was reassuring. I felt my nerves fade as Kimaris and I walked inside. He carefully pulled me over to the front of the room. That's where I saw Adonis. The rest of the phantoms were spread around the area as well. They were easy to pick out in the crowd, having been dressed so differently.
Adonis turned around while Kimaris released me in front of the raven haired man, walking over to Elwin. My eyes made contact with Adonis' and I blushed. He grinned down at me. "Mora, you look positively stunning!" He cheered.
I nodded my head, trying to play off my red face. "Thank you, Adonis. For the mask as well," I muttered. I played with the fabric of my gloves around my fingers to distract myself.
I heard him chuckle and then I felt his hand glide around my waist. I looked up at him, seeing that he was extremely close. "Of course. Think nothing of it. It brings me great joy to see that you like my small gifts," he said in a sweet tone. His voice could sing me to sleep if he willed it to do so.
There was a sudden ringing throughout the room. All eyes turned towards the sound. It was Damian. He was tapping a fork against a glass. When all eyes were finally on him he motioned towards where Adonis and I were stood.
Now everyone was looking at the both of us. I wanted to hide. I took a small breath, feeling Adonis' hand comfortingly rubbing over my hip. He cleared his throat. "Thank you all for gathering here tonight. It's a very special night for us as we've finally returned home after so many years," he exclaimed. Everyone quietly clapped after he finished. "I do hope you enjoy the night in celebration of our return. We look forward to getting to know all of you!" He beamed. I nodded along to what he said.
They all clapped again before continuing their previous activities. Adonis turned towards me. "Sorry, I didn't plan to put all eyes on you," he spoke quietly. One of his hands pulled a piece of my hair behind my ear.
I gave a small smile. "It's okay. After all, you've done so much for me," I stated appreciatively. It was hard to keep eye contact with him when my face kept turning red and heating up. Although, I did my best to maintain it.
He shook his head. "It's my pleasure. I will spoil you until the earth runs dry," he stated softly. My face reddened even more and my heart swelled. "Now go. Have fun," he chuckled, gesturing to the people behind me. I glanced between him and the gathering.
I took a deep breath." Alright. Save me the last dance," I sung, beginning to walk away. I heard a laugh from him and I smiled at the sound. So melodic.
I found my way into the small crowd. I was a little nervous, but it's not like I've never spoken to anyone before. I inhaled deeply to calm my nerves, exhaling the next second.
My trails were interrupted when someone bumped into me. It was a small giggling woman. She turned around and looked at me in surprise. "Oh my! I'm sorry, forgive me," she exclaimed apologetically.
I smiled at her. "It's alright. I'm sure you meant no harm," I said gently. "Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
She quickly nodded, laughing a little. "Oh yes. My friend and I were just getting a little carried away," she replied. She motioned to another taller woman behind her. She walked over to us and grabbed the shorter girl's hand. "I'm Iris. This is Jade," she explained. The brunette beside her nodded, a smile appearing on her rosy lips.
I grinned. "Oh, I'm Bronwen. It's lovely to meet you. And I'm glad to see you're having fun." I chuckled. Iris joined in, but Jade just kept her soft smile. I guess she was just a quiet type.
"Likewise," the redhead stated. We were interrupted when the music changed to a slow dance tune. It wasn't long before I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I glanced in the direction. It was Kimaris, holding his hand out to me. "Come on Jade! Let's go find dance partners!!" I heard Iris cheer. I watched as she dragged Jade off, giggling again.
I laughed before turning back to Kimaris and smiling at him. I placed my hand in his. Our limbs easily found their way to their proper placements, prepared to dance. We stepped to the side, then again, then to the other side.
I smiled up at him. His suit matched well with my dress. The silver and blue blended well with the black and blue of my outfit. His mask was simple, but his curly hair laid atop it to give more character.
"I'm surprised the phantoms are dressed in something other than black. Well, most of them," I joked, stealing a glimpse at Malachi before returning my eyes to the man in front of me.
The happiness in his eyes never faded as he nodded his head. I'm sure he would've laughed even a little if he could. He spun me and I twirled around, giggling.
When I spun back around I quickly took notice that it was no longer Kimaris who was my dance partner. I gasped as I looked up.