The Master's Ball

Chapter 2

    The host lead us into a new room. It was a gigantic beautiful ballroom. There was a buffet table in the far left corner and on the wall were two large windows with dark green curtains. On the adjacent wall were two rooms (that I assumed were bathrooms) and the opposite wall had three couches. In the middle of the room was the dance floor which was sparkling magnificently. Above was a portrait of the host, and three other people who I assumed to be his wife daughter and son respectively.

    "This place is gigantic! How do you not get lost in here?" Amanda asked playfully.

"Me and my family all know this place like the back of our hand miss," the host responded. Then he left us to 'mingle'.

I watched from the safety of the couch I was sitting on as James and Harold nervously shoved pastries from the snack bar into their mouths. Daisy was on the couch next to me, the tulip team was on the dance floor dancing and Michael was looking for something for us to drink that didn't have alcohol in it.

"Hey!" A voice called breaking me out of my gaze. Amanda walked up and sat on the couch next to me. "You wonder how we're all wearing matching outfits to our partners? You think it's just coincidence or they were stalking us?" I didn't know how to answer. I guess Amanda realised how uncomfortable I felt talking to people I barely knew but she went on.

"Don't you find it a little strange? Like they had to be watching us or something," I still didn't respond. She sighed, "Let's cut the crap, I saw you take the gun,"

I gulped and instinctively held onto my purse tighter. I was trying to avoid eye contact but I could feel her gaze on me. I eventually looked her in the eyes. "What are you planning to do with that gun?" She asked, "And if I don't like your idea I'm going to tell everyone,"

I began to sweat as I always did in these situations. I had no idea if she would like my answer but I would tell her the truth. "Protection, I don't know anybody here, don't know what they're planning. I'm just trying to stay safe. I don't have anything else."

To my surprise, she smiled. "Okay that's what I wanted to hear. I'm in the same situation as you. I'm paranoid too. I was looking around for a weapon when I got here cause I thought mine was too small," she said as she showed me a small pocket knife concealed in the stitching of her dress.

"I saw the gun and I was gonna grab it but I saw you take it instead so I wanted to figure out what you wanted it for. I thought everyone might be working together against me or something." I chuckled and her smile grew wider. "You're not half bad you know, I thought everyone here was kinda weird but guess you can't judge a book by its cover. Keep the gun, I won't tell, but if anything bad happens just know, I'm just here for the money. I'm not here to hurt anyone so help me if I'm in trouble."

I nodded my head and before we got up I said, "My name's Jessica," and held my hand out to shake. "I'm Sidney" she beamed while shaking my hand. Then she left.

A while later I had finally made my way to the snack bar and soon found myself shoving the delicious pastries into my mouth with Harold and James. "How long have you guys been here?" I asked them. "I don't know but this stuff is good," was my reply.

I eventually stopped myself and watched as the boys laughed and ate their food in delight. It was kinda of creepy for me to sit there and watch them but it made me think. Was it just me and Michael who knew each other or did they know each other as well. 

Maybe they just got along easily. I was probably just being paranoid. I began to walk away when I bumped into Michael. "Oh sorry," I said blushing with embarrassment as I had spilled some of our drinks on his shirt.

"It's alright," he said, "I probably shouldn't have scared you," I smiled and took my drink and sat back down on the couch I was previously sitting on with him. We talked for a while and eventually the reason for why we were here came up.

I was first to spill the beans. I told him how my family had finally run out of money, how my job wasn't paying enough for me to continue going to school and how I didn't wanna get caught up in student loans. When I asked him his story, his was quite reluctant to tell me but I was too persistent and he eventually told me.

Turns out he gambled away all his savings. In a last ditch effort he stole his parents money to try and win it all back but he lost that too. He needed the money to try and replace the money he took from his parents before they found out.

I was speechless and we both just sat there for a while, avoiding eye contact before I got up to go into the restroom. As I was washing my hands I overheard someone talking outside of the bathroom.

"Don't get freaked out okay? We can't leave it would look suspicious, besides we need the money," a girl's voice said.

"I can't do this anymore I can't I don't like it," a boy's voice retaliated.

"Well I don't like being broke! Now are you with me or..." Tina stopped as I walked out.

She was talking with James. I casually walked past them, making sure they never knew I was listening in on their conversation.

I went and sat down next to Michael. "Michael do you think that we're the only ones who came together?" He gave me a confused look. "I mean, do you think that the other people here who like know each other ?"

Just then I heard the ringing of a bell. Daisy got up, "Come on we have to go," she said and we all went back into the room we had first met in. The host was already there waiting for us. "Now I'll introduce myself. I'm your host, The Master of this game. You will refer to me as The Master. My personality and age are completely hidden for you do not need to know. What you do need to know is how to work with your partner to solve the mystery,"

I wondered what 'mystery' we would have to solve as he went on. "You're all different but have one thing in common, you're all broke. In need of cash for school, gambling, a family member, drugs I don't know! All I know is that you want it.... Only one team will get it,"

Suddenly in a mad dash, The Master screamed, "WELCOME TO MY BALL!" Before running out of the house. We were only confused for a second as we watched in horror as the house's security system locked from the outside, trapping us in the process.

We all screamed and some even cried. I saw Harold taking out an asthma pump and I started hyperventilating. Finally Tina started screaming over the noise. "Guys we have to calm down does any one have a cell phone?" She asked. "I have one," I spoke timidly as I reached into my purse and pulled out my iPhone.

I called 911 but there was no service up here, or anywhere else for that matter. "Alright guys I think we should split up and search for an escape or try and find some service," Tina said. I nodded my head. Tina seemed like a good leader and I was not fond of staying in here for the rest of the night. "What about the money?" Sidney or so called Amanda asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Is money worth your life?" Tina asked right back at her. Sidney shut up after that. "Let's split up, we can cover mor..." Tina started before being cut off by Michael.

"Wait one second there, I'm not a stupid horror movie character and right now it seems as if we're in a horror movie. Let's stay together, travel in groups, that way no one gets hurt or lost and when we find an escape we can all leave quickly,"

"No that's a stupid idea. What if there's a trap or something? Then all of us will get killed," Tina snapped at him.

"Why would there be traps?" asked James.

"Yeah, even if there was miss know it all would be at the front to set it off," Michael said. I laughed, he was pretty witty.

"Why you little-" Tina said as she picked up a book and angrily marched towards Michael. That's when the lights turned off. In a second all I could hear was the deafening cry of girls and boys screaming at the top of their lungs. I wasn't any different from them. I screamed and screamed and soon I could hear someone screaming over us.

"SHUT UP SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU IT'S JUST THE LIGHTS! YOU'RE ALL OVER REACTING!!" screamed Tina's recognizable voice. "Emily use your phone's flashlight to see,"

"Yeah," I quickly responded, feeling embarrassed for not using the phone in the first place.

I quickly jumbled through my bag and grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight.

I screamed.

There was a disgusting masked figure in front of me covered in blood. I only caught a glimpse of their baby face mask and the large knife they were holding before I dropped my phone on the ground.

I kept screaming and fell to the ground and crawled away as everyone else joined in and I heard footsteps stampeding in all directions. I crawled until I found something stable. I just sat there and silently cried while everyone around me screamed. Someone grabbed me and I screamed, just as the lights turned on.

I looked and saw Michael grabbing my arm. "Michael?!" I screamed as I pushed him away. He fell back on the ground before yelling "Jessica! I thought you were Tina," "What were you planning?!" A frustrated Tina yelled over at us. Michael only looked at her before turning away

I crawled out from under a table and stood up. Some people were on the ground. Some where backed in corners and no one was in the middle. But soon everyone eyes were all glued to the same thing in the middle of the room. A blood puddle, in the middle of it a blood stained sun flower. Everyone looked at Harold who quickly shouted, "It's not mine!"

And everyone remembered Daisy.

She was gone. Dead, was the word that rang through my head. "You witch!" Harold screamed and pointed at Tina. "As soon as you got angry this happened! Witch! Witch!"

"Shut up you i***t, if I really was a witch I would of killed you as soon as the lights went out." Tina snapped back at him

"Now we are going to stay in a group. If there is a murderer on the lose, they are cunning, they obviously have access to the lights and I think, they may be one of us..."

I gasped. Could someone sitting around me really be a murder. "We can't just assume it's a murder! Right guys what if it was an accident...." Harold said.

"A sunflower in a pile of blood on the floor doesn't scream accident to me!" Sidney replied. Everyone started to argue if what had happened was deliberately planned or an accident. That's when I heard James say. "Where's Ron?"

Everyone froze. "Okay everyone stay together, Ron won't attack us if we're in a group." Tina bellowed.

"What do you mean he won't attack us he just did!" screamed Sidney.

"Wait one second we're just gonna assume he's the killer!" Michael asked, "If it's anyone it's the master,"

"He just left smart ass," Tina shouted. "Ron is somewhere in this house and he just killed Daisy. He's gonna come after all of us! We should bait him, using someone, then we will all come out and attack him at once,"

"We should use his partner," whispered Harold. Everyone was silent for a moment and all eyes were on Harold. Then Tina walked straight up to him and punched him in his face.

"Stop it!" Sidney screamed as she pushed Tina onto the floor. Tina cursed under her breath before someone screamed, "Watch out!" At that moment the chandelier fell down.

Tina managed to pull Sidney out of the way but she was still too late. Sidney screamed as the chandelier's glass broke into pieces on her skin. Michael pulled her away from the wreckage. Harold started to hyperventilate. I was freaking out. I looked at my phone which lay in the broken glass. The screen was completely cracked and it was practically in pieces.

I'm gonna die today, was the thought the crossed my mind. I took a few steps back before running upstairs.