Just Like Cinderella

Just Like Cinderella [6]

To avoid the curious eyes that became fixed on her upon her entry, Josi focused on the beauty of the venue instead.

It really did look like a ballroom, a testament to creativity and hard work. 

Lamp posts adorned the entrance and walkway in a way that left Josi in awe at their formation. Her eyes roved around the clear space in the middle of the room—most likely for dancing and entertainment—then moved to the sides. It was dark enough to create an illumination of mystery but lit well enough for people to move around.

Walking a bit further, she felt like she was stepping into a different world of sophistication and luxury. The decorations and medieval props she'd seen earlier that week were now spread out artistically around the room; over the walls, on the floor and over lighted tables. There were new ones too. Venetian style lamps, candelabra for the candlesticks and flower vases with feathered masks attached to them, all to her left. Her right was mainly for a photo booth surrounded by a cardboard panel of masked figures, LED lanterns and more lamp posts.

The lights hung up were an array of red, purple and gold colors. Up ahead was the makeshift stage and DJ stand. Over the stage was a whole new set of string lights wrapped around the banner, so it was hard to decipher the real color. She could now see what it said. Midnight Masquerade In Venetian Paradise.

She'd known the place would turn up amazing, but this was something else.

When she came back to her senses, she realized she was still standing at the entrance and had been doing so long enough for almost all eyes to turn on her. Embarrassed, she moved on, locating Megan in the process. She saw Megan visibly relax and bit back a smile. She had been right about Megan starting to worry.

Josi wanted badly to go meet her, so nervous she knew only Megan could calm her down. But she couldn't. There were too many eyes on her, most of them speculative. She could even make out some of the murmurs as she made her way to the left where majority of the crowd was gathered.

"We've got a newcomer."

"Woah, she's hot. Who is she?."

"No date, looks like she's single."

"She must be new, otherwise I'd have recognized her by now."

It seemed the plan was working, no one knew who she was yet. And while this conversation was flattering, the one on her other side wasn't. The one some cheerleaders she recognized from another school were having. 

"Look at her, walking around like she owns the place. What a bitch."

"Who the hell dragged in this wannabe?"

"Our guys are checking her out. She needs to go."

Josi had never been a fan of theirs either so they could bitch all they wanted. She ignored them to focus on the scene around her instead. Girls were arrayed in beautiful gowns, each different from the last in its own way, and their masks were of all shapes, colors and designs. The boys wore fancy tuxedos and plain masks mostly. The whole thing made her think of those balls the British held back in the day. The student council must have worked their asses off to make all this possible.

Unfortunately, her mood dulled when she caught sight of two familiar figures on the other side of the room. She knew exactly who they were seeing as they had paraded around the house with their dresses as soon as they got them. Pamela was wearing a long-sleeved ball gown dark green in color with lacy arms and a neckline cut down almost all the way to her abdomen, her chest and the sides of her breast proudly on show. Penelope's was identical except hers was pink.