A Tangled Web of Truth | Complete (ONC 2021 Shortlister)

3. A Floral Code

Alicia had been right about the hair requests the week of the ball. Ailine actually had to force her to take the afternoon off so they could do their own hair and get ready for the ball. Ailine's parents had reluctantly agreed to let her get dressed at home as long as 'she allowed her stylist to attend and ensure everything was just so.' That's a quote.

With Ailine in deep purple and Alicia in green, they looked like they'd stepped out of the local flower shop. A concept which was only accentuated by the lightest pink flowers they had affixed to the side of their masks. If they couldn't wear the same dress colours, Ailine reasoned, they could still mark their similarities with a flower.

Alicia fumbled with her gloves as the limo drove them from their small house through the winding cobbled streets toward the palace. "Why won't these stay up?" she asked, hoping Ailine would calm her.

"Because you keep fiddling with them?"

Alicia shot her a look.

"Okay, relax we'll just get some tape."

"Tape?" Alicia's eyes widened. "I don't want you to tape the gloves to my arm!"

"Relax," Ailine giggled. "It's just some double-sided tape. It holds your clothes in place. Honestly, where have you been living, under a rock?"

"No, just in a place where we don't tape our clothes on."

"It's made for skin, Alicia. Honestly, who do you think I am?"

Reluctantly, Alicia held her arm out for Ailine to tape her gloves on. It didn't feel too bad when she applied it and, if Alicia didn't think too hard about how she was going to get it off at the end of the night she could easily enjoy her evening.

The back of the limo was strewn with Ailine's extra things for fixing hair and outfits, but even as the palace came into view, she made no move to clean it up. Probably her parents had rented the thing for the whole evening and she was just going to leave her mobile dressing room in place, appearing wholly put together as she walked into the palace carrying nothing but the smallest clutch. That's how the wealthy do it.

"We're here!" Ailine declared, securing her own mask to her face.

Alicia paused the tying of her own mask to look up at the palace. She had been there before. She had walked past it countless times and witnessed it in all the seasons, but looking at it now, lit up and decorated for a ball, it almost levitated. The whole thing seemed to sparkle under the bright hidden lights and the golds and blacks of the facade only stood out more against the colour wrapped columns of the entrances.

When the limo concluded its slow march toward the palace entrance, a man dressed in a black and gold uniform opened the door to the limo and waited for the girls to get out. His face when he saw the two of them get out together was probably exactly why Ailine had insisted Alicia share her limo ride to the party.

"Welcome," he said once he had composed himself. "Please present your invitations at the door."

The main gate, wrapped in gold and white, was obviously where guests were entering, streaming in with their blues and purples and greens, some dark and some pastel, most hoping to catch the eye of the prince. And it showed. Most of the girls were in skin tight, somewhat revealing outfits that really showed off everything about them.

Alicia had to admire their confidence. Her own drop waist gown had been altered to include lace cap sleeves so she wouldn't feel so naked standing in a room full of people. She had not convinced Ailine to let her pick a looser dress, but she had procured fabric to cover all the parts of her. She had never been one confident with showing off more skin than was necessary, though she had to admit the dresses on the other women were stunning.

Ailine's own deep purple gown had virtually nothing covering any part of her back, and thin straps across her shoulders were the only thing that kept her gown from falling completely off.

"How do you wear that thing?" Alicia asked as they followed row upon row of girls through the main palace doors and down a hallway lined with more men and women in uniform.

"You get used to it," Ailine shrugged. Perhaps Ailine was right and the only difference between Alicia and these women was her practice, but there was a part of her that thought perhaps there was more to it than that.

Finally, they emerged from the long hallway into a large, open foyer, a grand staircase, and what she could only describe as a ballroom.

"Wow," Alicia breathed. "Can you believe it?"

"They really went all out," Ailine agreed. "The last time I was here, there was like two flowers compared to this! I guess this is an important ball."

"Go snag yourself a prince!" Alicia giggled.

"You go snag yourself a prince!" Ailine countered. "You're amazing and he'd be stupid not to love you."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Laying it on thick?"

"Maybe, but come on we might as well play the part!" She pulled out a fan and handed it to Alicia. "So you look like you know what you're doing and also so you can hide those snacks I know you're eying."

Alicia stuck out her tongue at Ailine, who gestured to her fan as if to say, 'see, you can cover that too!' and then she was quickly whisked away by other girls in purple who apparently just had to see her.

Knowing they would meet up again for dinner, Alicia descended the staircase alone, fan folded in her hand as she gripped the railing to avoid falling down the flight of stone stairs.

On shaky legs, she kicked her gown out in front of her and stepped onto the glass floor of the ballroom. All the other girls seemed to mingle in crowds of friends, but Alicia had always enjoyed taking things in on her own. She let her hand trail across the tulle decorations along the chairs and the silk table cloths that adorned the tables.

Everything sparkled and a small quartet played their instruments just loudly enough to be heard. Alicia swayed to the music and used her free hand to spin her dress around her feet, just enjoying the music and the space to dance with no pressure of eyes on her or strange men asking her to dance. She wasn't set up for this like Ailine was.

Under pressure, Ailine was glamorous. A quick glance up the stairs to Ailine and her childhood friends confirmed this as they all held themselves perfectly and laughed like they were in a television advertisement. There was something about that effortlessness that seemed so suited to being a princess. No awkward photographs of her with a strange look on her face. No ketchup squeezing out the side of a hamburger when she was out on the town. Probably never a picture like that taken since they came home from the hospital. It was suitable. It made sense.

Just then the quartet began playing a more modern piece that was one of her favourites. She could never remember the name, but every time she heard it, it reminded her of the warmth of the sun on her skin at her favourite childhood beach. The childlike fun of those days always bubbled up inside her and spilled out in dance.

The gentle lace of her sleeve and the silk of her glove met on her left shoulder as she risked one spin with a particular flourish.

"May I?" came a male voice from behind her.

Alicia gasped and spun to face the speaker, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she said, reflexively touching a hand to her cheek.

"It's a wonderful song," said the young man. "One of my favourites."

His mask covered his face, but his piercing brown eyes shone through the small space in his gold and black mask. She could not deny he was appealing to the eye, and if Ailine was here, she would remind Alicia that they came here to have fun. And that is what Alicia had agreed to. So, despite herself, she held her left hand out to his extended one and placed it delicately in his palm.

"I'd like that," she smiled, probably looking like a complete goof to anyone else in the room.