the world as we know it -- bellarke au

chapter twenty one - masquerade

c l a r k e   g r i f f i n

Trying to stick to my word, I threw myself into my newest project. 

The day of the president's masquerade, I spent hours crafting the perfect mask --- I painted the forest from my mural, decorated with swirls of sunlight and small electric blue dots to represent the illuminated butterflies we had once seen. The masks only covered half of the face, meaning I still had to put on lipstick and a bit of blush. I paired the mask with an emerald green dress that reached just below my knees, a small slit trailing part of the way up my thigh. 

When I was ready, I headed back to the dining hall, where once again, all the tables had been pushed out of the way. People were already dancing, upbeat music sounding from the front of the room. 

I stood frozen for a moment, not sure where to go. I half wished I had asked Luke to pick me up from my room, so I didn't have to arrive by myself. I was a leader, but when it came to parties, I still felt a little out of place. 

"Clarke," said a voice from behind me. I turned around to find President Wallace, dressed in one of his nicer suits. He was wearing a mask decorated with yellow flowers, delicately painted in a similar style to mine. "Your artistic talent continues to impress me."

"Thank you," I said. "You're not so bad yourself." I paused. "Happy Birthday," I added, remembering the reason for the celebration.

The president smiled. "Much appreciated," he said. "Are you planning on standing here all night?"

I shook my head. "Just keeping an eye out for some of my friends."

"I think I spotted your friends Jasper and Monty over by the bar," said the president. "Why don't you start there?"

I nodded, and with another 'happy birthday', I went to find my friends. 

Dante had been right --- Jasper and Monty seemed to be trying to find out who could down the most alcohol before either of their dates found out. Shaking my head, I sat down beside them. "Leave some for the rest of us," I joked. 

Jasper quickly put his mask back on his face. It was painted just like some of the art Luke had shown me on one of our dates --- blue and black swirls around a golden sun. "You don't know me," he said. "I'm just a mysterious figure about to dance away into the night." He grabbed Maya's arm --- she wore a matching mask --- and spun her onto the dance floor, both of them laughing. 

"He seems happy," I said, turning to Monty. I only then realised he was sitting with Harper, who looked at me sheepishly from behind a mask painted in shades of purple. 

"We all are," Monty said. His mask was painted green, with little patches of what could have been moss or algae. "Especially that you're alright."

"We were all scared," Harper said, taking off her mask and gaining an expression of seriousness. "You and Bellamy, both sick together?"

"Some people thought the deal might be off if both our leaders were out of commission," Monty said quietly, removing his mask as well. "Especially if Octavia was in charge."

"We all know she won't be sticking to the deal," Harper said under her breath. 

I shook my head. "Wallace would have kept the deal. They need us, just as much as we need them."

"Still," Monty said, shrugging. "You two make everyone feel safe here."

The words sent a bubble of warmth through me. "I'm... glad," I said. 

"We're going to dance," Harper said, donning her mask and grabbing Monty's arms. "Come on."

They left me alone at the bar, and since I really didn't feel like drinking, I watched the dance floor with what I hoped was a composed expression. We still hadn't gotten to the bottom of the disease that had trapped Bellamy and me in my room for so long. Whether there had been malicious intents, or if we'd just been the unlucky test subjects of something intended for other purposes.