A Masked Party
1035 Words
"Lena, you need to celebrate today! You are officially an adult, do you know what that means?" Grace said to her friend with so much excitement in her voice.
"Grace, I know.." Lena started to say but Grace took over before she could say much.
"Lena, Lena, Lena!!!! We are out of the Foster system. We can get jobs, we can get a place together! I can finally go to fashion school!"
"Yes Grace, but..."
"But nothing! Let's go to the masked Halloween party"
Grace stood over Lena like a matron, trying to convince her to go to the party that she had sung about countless times to her.
Lena Thompson was a beautiful lady, with long full hair that draped down her back in beautiful curls. Her caramel color skin was smooth and didn't have a single blemish. She didn't look like a young lady who had gone through so much.
Lena didn't know any of her parents as she was dropped as a sickly child at the door of an orphanage. Her sickly condition made it difficult for her to get adopted and when she outgrew the orphanage she ended up being passed from foster home to foster home until she finally ended up in a group home where she met Grace.
As a child, who got sick easily, Lena had always been passive, never wanting to fight even when she got bullied by children smaller than she was. And, she got bullied a lot just because she was a little black-American child with a skin color different from everyone else.
But Grace was different, she was bold and terrifying, she would stand up to anyone and fight and that was how she and Lena became friends.
She had defended her several times and fought off their bullies until they became inseparable. As a teenager, Lena suddenly got better and never fell ill again, but Grace never left her side.
Grace was full of dreams, while Lena liked to take life slowly as it passed.
"Lena-bear? Today is your birthday, you promised we'd do something together since we didn't get to celebrate my birthday so pleeeeeease"
Lena looked at her best friend and finally agreed. She squealed in excitement and immediately brought out outfits from where she had been hiding them. She had sewn them themed dresses, Grace was the black swan and Lena was white.
Grace was a really good seamstress and what she made for them was perfect.
“One more thing” Grace said to Lena as she added the last touch to her makeup.
“What is it?”
Grace brought out a small plastic jewelry case and Lena took it from her.
When she opened it, she saw a tiny silver chain with a pendant of letters that spelt “G&L”
Lena gasped. “Grace and Lena right?” She asked.
“Yes. Mine says Lena and Grace” showing her the golden chain on her neck with a similar pendant that read “L&G”.
“Lena, before you ask how much it cost me, my boyfriend made it.”
Lena chuckled and lifted her hair up so Grace could put it around her neck.
“It's beautiful...thank you Grace”
“Now you can have me with you, anywhere”
A few minutes later they had put on their masks and hitched a ride to the venue of the party.
It was a college party for Halloween. When they walked into the Frat house, the loud music, dancing and crowd was too much for Lena, it wasn't her style but Grace convinced her to try some drinks, and next thing she knew someone had given a cup of vodka.
Lena took a sip and it was horrible until Grace appeared again to mix it with something sweet.
"Drink this, it will calm your nerves" she said before disappearing again.
The drink actually made her feel better and soon enough she started to dance.
That was when Lena saw him.
The man in suit and the vendetta mask. The vendetta mask was one of the several that was sold at the entrance to those who forgot to come to the house without a mask. The party owners had a fun-strict policy that everyone who entered but be masked and remained masked.
Lena wasn't sure anymore whether it was the alcohol or the sexy build of the man but she walked up to him and asked him for a dance.
He had been sitting alone observing everyone from a corner, and she felt a magnetic pull towards him. It was when she spoke to him that she understood that maybe it was sadness that drew them together.
"Hi Vendetta, I am the white swan. I don't know how this goes normally but will you dance with me?" Lena was tipsy but she didn't realize it.
"Yes...yes I could use a dance". His voice was husky , when he got up, she smelled that his breath was full of liquor, it smelled expensive.
She took a tipsy step back and looked at the Vendetta masked man again, he seemed young.
"How old are you?" Lena asked and giggled.
"25"
"What are you doing at a college party?"
"I needed the distraction, you?"
"It's my birthday" Lena giggled, she took another sip from the cup she was holding.
"On Halloween? Wow! happy birthday"
There was a crazy person at the party who moved around to ensure no one had an empty cup, he had filled her cup two times already.
Grace was with boyfriend who had invited them to the party.
The drinks Lena had been taking had made her fully expressive. She threw her hands around the masked stranger’s neck.
"Do you want to know something crazy?"
"Yes, what is it, white Swan?"
"I have never been kissed"
She giggled again then twirled around to the music before putting her hands around his neck again.
"Wow" Lena said again, "why are you so sad?"
Now, she knew she was getting drunk, but she could feel the soul of this stranger like it was drawing to her. There was something overly attractive about him she couldn't wave off.
- Writer
