The City of Two Halves

✽Chapter 9✽

Ms Kingsley is a very neat person. Everything inside her house has a place to call home and every single item of clothing is folded and tucked away into her wardrobe. 

On this particular night, she had just finished ironing her beige nightgown and had gotten comfortable watching a movie, but she had forgotten the snacks. She stood up and made her way to the kitchen and collected a bowl of chips left on the kitchen counter, strange, she hadn't remembered preparing the chips. 

While walking back to the couch she noticed a drawer open in the hallway bench, she made her way to the bench and noticed her invitation to the masquerade gala was missing from the drawer, now that was strange. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and searched for Jeffery Crawdad's name in her contacts until she felt a cool blade resting on her neck. "Perfect, you already found his contact," said a voice behind her, "I want you to call him, tell him you're sick but your friends still want to go, a Mrs and Mr Carroway, any funny business and I spill your blood all over this shiny clean floor." 

Ms Kingsley swallowed hard, and dialled the number, "Hello Jeffery...Yes...No, I'm afraid I've contracted a rather nasty stomach bug...Yes, I know...I was calling to ask you whether my friends we're still okay to come...Ok, Mr and Mrs Carroway...Thank you...Goodnight to you too," she hung up. The voice began again, "Now I want you to walk slowly to the bathroom and I'll have that phone of yours," A hand reached around and grabbed the phone, she heard a clatter before the sound of a boot smashing her phone into pieces, she winces, they began walking to the bathroom. 

"You won't get away with this," she says as she stands in her bathroom, 

"Sorry to disappoint sweetheart but I already have."

Dorian closes the bathroom door and draws a sigil to lock it, sheathing the knife, he admires the invitation he picked up. Midnight at Crawdad Towers, dressed to the nines with a matching masquerade mask and you may invite extra people if you wish. Pleased with himself he carefully locks the door and heads home. 

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While Cerena is helping Grace get ready, Dorian and Ashton are left alone together. Ashton keeps glancing up at Dorian but stops when he catches Dorian's glare. He sighs, "Do I make too many jokes? Is that it?" 

"What?" 

"You're glaring and I know you don't like me," Dorian regards him for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of responding, 

"I don't know you, I have no reason to trust you,"

"Cerena does," Dorian doesn't react,

"Grace does," He tenses, 

"Look, I know you worry about her but I wouldn't hurt her, just give me a chance,"

Dorian thinks for a moment and hesitantly says, "I will try, but if you so much as-" 

"Yes, yes I've got it, thank you," Ashton smiles. 

Ashton watched Dorian sketch, he wasn't sure what he was drawing and kept unsuccessfully trying to get a look. Dorian was sitting with a posture that could only be described as prim and proper, he had on a navy suit with golden patterns similar to that of lace and his mask matched it. Ashton felt the overwhelming need to sit up straight to match Dorian, he was wearing all black with a belt containing a flashlight, rope and his phone. 

After a while Dorian looked up at something behind Ashton, his eyes seemed as though they were sparkling and his mouth was slightly agape, this caused Ashton to turn around and he saw Cerena in her all-black outfit with some of Grace's potions and her own throwing knives in her belt, but behind Cerena was Grace. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder maroon dress with black lace gloves, Grace's hair is in a half-up half-down style and her face is covered by a matching maroon mask with black lace trim. 

Ashton looked back to Dorian and instantly knew exactly what was racing through his mind, he was in love with her, Ashton saw it now and it all made sense.

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