Chapter 7 - At the toll of Midnight

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Notes - Comments very welcome.

Chapter 7

At the toll of Midnight

Despite my lifted mood my slumber was not at all peaceful, instead it was filled with dark dreams that were eerie and hypnotic but made very little sense. Even though I was unable to remember what they had been about, I woke from them feeling oddly detached, that they had ended. Trying to recall them I lay motionless staring up at the plain white celling, until I was forced to answer a knock at our bedroom door.

I crept out of bed surprised to see Ava still sleeping soundly as I tiptoed to the door which I opened hesitantly to a bizarrely dressed lady holding two large gift boxes. Ignoring my hesitance she shooed me backwards before prancing proudly into the bedroom presenting the boxes formally on one hand. A young adolescent boy followed her lead, carrying four small boxes which he placed on my unkempt bed before grinning at me widely. I glanced coyly down at my tiny silk pyjamas before returning his gaze with a smile of embarrassment; in response he folded his arms and winked cockily causing me to blush.

Noticing my unease the eccentric lady began to shoo him out into the hallway with two hands and an impatient glare, reluctantly the boy left calling over his shoulder "See you around baby." I rolled my eyes mockingly but had to admire his reassurance at such a young age because he was barely a day over thirteen yet possessed so much confidence.

In a high pitched voice the lady announced "enjoy the ball Miss Dean Franklin," before dramatically stalking from the bedroom slapping the boy lightly on his shoulder mocking "dream on Dex, she's too old for you lad," I struggled to supress a giggle as I quietly shut the door.

Ava's excited cry then echoed around the small room as she bounced out of bed squealing "Oh goody they came, I don't know what we'd have done if they hadn't, how d'they look, are they as nice as the pictures?"

I peered at her curiously, not quite believing her behaviour "Where's the calm and collective Ava I first met and what have you done with her." At this she merely snorted ripping the lid off one of the gift boxes to reveal a simple deep purple gown with an elegant sheen. She lifted the dress out, holding it against her frame with awed eyes.

"It's beautiful, you'll look lovely in it," I responded with enthusiasm.

With a silent sigh I unwrapped my own gown which was the colour of emeralds adorned with tiny white sparkles, it was ethereally beautiful and matched the colour of my eyes perfectly; Ava beamed at the sight of it before proceeding to empty the rest of the gift boxes which contained elegant heels and two masquerade masks.

Leaving her to awe over them alone I lounged on my bed checking my mobile for text messages. Sure enough I had numerous from Robbie and the girls I'd left behind at Crewe asking where I was but sadly none from Dean, quickly brushing the disappointment off I decided that I wouldn't let my yearning for my brother to damper today but I would deal with my other problem.

So I typed out a brief text message explaining that I was now at boarding school and that the decision had been sudden, that I wished I'd said goodbye and that I missed them, cringing I sent the text to Robbie and the girls, dreading their response. I wished I had have told them earlier but before now I just couldn't bring myself to say goodbye to that part of my life because part of me still hoped I could return to them. Deciding I couldn't deal with their response right now I reluctantly powered off my iPhone and placed it gingerly on my drawers, ignoring Ava inquisitive looks.

We spent the rest of day pampering one another and admiring our ethereal masquerade masks that matched our dresses flawlessly. Ava's was a simple yet elegant almond shaped mask with interlaced swirls in shades of purple and grey with a lovely glossy sheen that framed her chocolate brown eyes in a bold manner. Whereas mine was emerald green complete with glittery white sparkles which decorated my eyes making them appear vividly otherworldly. I stared as myself in the mirror all glammed up for the ball feeling overwhelmingly apprehensive about the night to come.

The blind masquerade ball only truly began at midnight but before that the female attendees were to meet in a separate hall after they had selected a corsage, each corsage had first been chosen by a male attendee earlier that morning. According to Ava many bonds were formed between the male and females which had selected the same corsage but apparently this didn't always make a difference, because the real magic only began at midnight.

A mixture of so many different flowers all placed in one hall created an overpowering floral scent that itched my nostrils unpleasantly as I gazed at a hundred or so corsages, feeling completely and utterly spoilt for choice. Ava quickly picked an arrangement of lilac's that decorated her wrist stylishly. I was becoming tiresome of pacing up and down the long banquet style table and was contemplating choosing at random but then I saw it, the most magical looking corsage in existence. I reached for the corsage which belonged in a dark fairy tale: a beautiful midnight black lily; I lifted it up tenderly admiring its beauty. It was paired with a tiny amount of delicate jade coloured ivy and curls of black satin ribbon that matched its inky petals that were seemingly transparent with little specks of white that reflected the light subtle, just as the sparkles on my dress and mask did. Its ethereal beauty was astonishing. Ava carefully fastened the ribbon around my wrist with an elegant bow wearing a smile of approval as she appreciated the unique arrangement that I now wore as a bracelet.

Due to my prorogued indecision we were amongst the last females to enter the pre-masquerade ball, which was kind of unbelievable considering how many corsages still lay uncollected in the flower room, this did not however cause me much concern when I cast my eyes upon the pre-masquerade hall.

Seeing the vast space lit solely by candle light, watching as each wick flickered eagerly painting moving shadows against the walls I could hardly contain my gasp of amazement, the scene was so eerie yet beautiful. Ghostly silhouettes of masked princesses seemed to flutter around in the dim flickering light while mellow enchanting music weaved slowly through the magical atmosphere. Champagne glasses jingled as they were clanked together, followed by giggles and murmured chats.

My eyes adjusted to the romantic lighting allowing me to awe over the guests elaborate gowns and masks: some were simplistic bold colours whilst others were extravagant with delicate feathered details that pointed towards the celling where a gold candle lit chandler hung swaying gently to the sound of the mellow violin symphony. Distracted by wonder and excitement I was unprepared for what happened next.

A distance clock began to toll midnight but after only two chimes the setting fell into complete darkness. At first giggles echoed quietly from the guests whilst others merely gasped in wonder but then silence engulfed the atmosphere as flames exploded all around, followed by screams of anguish.

I reached out for Ava's hand feeling her fingers slip through my grip as we were both knocked aside by an ambush of frightened guests. I heard numerous pleas that everybody calm down, pleas masked by frightened squeals and hurried footsteps.

My eyes tried desperately to adjust to the pitch black, to see what was happening as I was once again knocked aside, this time making my head collide with something solid, the contact causing blood to seep from my forehead.

Ignoring the sting of my wound I squirted in the direction of the fierce flames that erupted in my vision, unable to contain my terrified scream at the sight of the beast that leaped through the fire clawing and snapping its blood tinged jaw at everybody within its reach.

However upon hearing my piercing shriek the feral beast halted in its savage attack to glare at me with hollow sockets, cocking its head to the left as it pointed its skeleton finger directly at me before opening its jaw wide, a wild snarl then escaped its bone like lips. The savage sound ricocheted around the hall as pure terror burned through my veins compelling me to the spot; I couldn't move I couldn't do anything but stare into the hollow sockets of my doom.

-x-

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