twenty-one: devil in disguise

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"YOU'VE HARDLY TOUCHED your food."

Ever since Tuesday, the day my father and I had 'a talk' after school things have been weird; dinners have been more silent, the car rides have been more awkward and we.. we've been more distant.

I felt this same distance before, this was the same distance we had when my mom died.

When we talked about 'what's been going on with me', he didn't yell, and he didn't seem angry yet he hasn't spared me a slight bit of emotion since that day.

I wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not.

It drew a pit in my stomach, not knowing why he was mad at me, as if I'd done something wrong — and yeah, skipping school was pretty wrong but I don't think that should stop him from hardly speaking to me, I was his daughter after all.

"I'm not that hungry." I poked around my food, "Can I excuse myself?"

I wanted to separate myself away from him as much as I could before tonight. Tonight was an event that we were attending, the Maserquade ball that he's hosting for 'charity'.

The charity is meant for the less fortunate, mainly for adolescents, going towards their schools and donating food to go to their homes.

I didn't believe that for a second.

"Yes, but don't forget to be ready in two hours, okay?"

I hummed, picking up my plate but soon got it grabbed from one of the maids. We locked eye contact but Father cleared his throat, his plate ready to be picked up as well.

I strutted up the stairs, my AirPods in hand and my phone stuffed in my pocket. I felt that music was the only way I could be able to strain his voice from out of my head and cleanse me of him entirely.

2 hours until we left, which meant I had approximately forty-five minutes to lay in bed and bury myself in all my problems and another hour and fifteen to get ready.

My body dropped to my bed, the pillows around me, suffocating my body.

• •      •

Looking back at my reflection, I felt that my outfit hadn't yet been completed. Dress. Earrings. Bracelets. Makeup. Hair. Mask.

Everything was perfect. I wasn't trying to impress anyone at this event, and that's mainly because I didn't know who'd be there, it was a masquerade ball which meant anonymous.

I sighed at the missing thought that I couldn't fix until my eyes met the piece of jewelry laid on my desk. How could I have forgotten?

My mother's necklace. The only time I felt that I could take it off was when I took a shower and with stressing myself on how little time I had to get ready, I almost forgot to put it on.

As I clipped it on, a knock came on my door, I assumed it was the maid, calling me downstairs since my father was ready.

Slipping on the heel to my other foot, and tugging at my hair one last time to secure its tightness — I had done a half up half down, my hair curled and two pieces laying out front — , I rushed downstairs, my handbag and phone in hand.

I walked down the step, each one taken precisely, hoping not to stumble and fall the rest of the steps in these heels, — although, the thought didn't seem too bad considering I'd get to miss out on the ball tonight if I did end up falling — my hand roamed the railing, and my eyes rolled at the sight of my father, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

His face was twisted with an expression I hadn't seen in a long time. A smile. A real one.

He sighed, his smile subtly disappearing. "You look a lot like your mother."

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