The rest of the ball was just a mass of unringing laughter and forced grins. Everyone was acting so fake. I hated such events. The trial challenges were better, there was no chance to hide who one was. Now, in fancy dresses, makeup and perfume, one felt the need to pretend. My gaze was restless and more alert than ever, moving around the glittering crowd, searching.
Even Maria, my only true friend here, made me suspicious. I didn't trust anyone.
Seeking respite from the suffocating atmosphere within, I found myself alone on a moonlit balcony. The cool night air caressed my flushed skin, a welcome relief. Before me stretched the manicured gardens, their beauty lost on my troubled mind, each perfectly pruned hedge now a potential hiding place for unseen enemies.
"Seeking solitude, Miss
