Solasta Academy: Blood & Moonlight

Chapter Twenty-Four

Wearing a mask to hide her identity was easy if not for her silver hair illuminating the darkness of the masquerade ball. Hand in hand, she and her roommates stepped down the long staircase and into the crowd where other students wore extravagant gowns of all colors and suits. There were various shapes and sizes of masks that made Calia dizzy from looking around her. Flickers of light from the candles surrounding the tables made the Great Hall eerily spooky, like one of those movies that Soari made her watch over and over again. Her mask was crafted into a silver and baby blue butterfly with a white ribbon tied to the back of her head.

Once she and her friends stepped into the Hall, she heard the music more clearly. Was it rock music? Or maybe it was a different genre. Calia wasn't sure, but it blared the speakers and her own ears so much that she could hardly hear what Lottie said beside her. She kept repeating, but Calia only shook her head and yelled, "What?"

"I said Arzhel is walking towards you!"

She froze as she turned to find the one and only Lightball captain strolling in her direction—with Torin and Elliot behind him. Behind his mask was the same moss-green eyes and spit-eating grin that made Calia blush every time. It made her heart beat rapidly against her chest whenever Arzhel Koen focused on her. When he finally stopped before her, she peered at him with a soft smile, not knowing exactly what to do in this situation. From the looks of it, Arzhel didn't know either. He ran his fingers through his messy black hair in nervousness as she bit her lip from giggling. "Wow, you guys. Way to make it more obvious." Elliot mumbled behind Arzhel.

"Shut the fuck up," Arzhel hissed without ever looking at the Werewolf. As though he didn't dare look away from Calia. "So our friends should make themselves scarce, right?"

Calia shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but..." she turned around to find her roommates already gone. They were dancing with each other to the rock music, and Lottie met her gaze, giving her a thumbs up. When she turned back around, Arzhel's teammates were already gone—as if they knew how to leave an awkward moment. Gods bless them. "Damn, they're good."

"I'd say I'm not surprised every time you swear, but I am," Arzhel retorted.

"Get used to it, Koen,"

Arzhel took a step closer to her, and she could smell his musky cologne flaring her nostrils, making her mind even more dizzy. If her mother could see her now, Calia thinks she would be proud. She is mastering her powers and dancing with a beautiful boy. "Calia Nox, would you like to dance with me?"

Her smile grew wider when she glanced at his extended hand, and there was no hesitation. She took it and said, "Yes, Arzhel Koen." They went to the dance floor, where the rock music slowly faded out, and the next song was a more somber melody. It was a slow song, meaning she and Arzhel would dance to it. If she looked at herself in the mirror right now, her cheeks were probably the color of a tomato. They had to be for as much as she was blushing.

Arzhel placed his delicate hands on either side of her hips while she placed her own on his shoulders, both swaying to the music. It was then the boy before her take in Calia's baby-blue gown and how it somehow was made for it from the ocean herself. At least, that is what Calia thought when she saw it for the first time. She should have felt dirty wearing it as it was given to her by the killer...but she wasn't. Even the storm inside told her it was made from the first Nox of her lineage—though that raised even more questions. "You are absolutely beautiful, Calia," he breathed. His eyes finally met hers again, and his pupils started dilating at the sight of her. "The epitome of perfection."

"Wow. You know how to make a girl weak to her knees," she replied.

He silently wrapped his finger with a strand of her hair, and she almost gasped from the touch. "I should have done things a little differently when we met. I was having a terrible day, and I took it out on you and Amias. I apologize," His head bowed, but his gaze never left her. "If I'm being honest, I'm not actually an orphan."