How We Found Us | ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Two

New Years Eve. For most of my life it was a holiday that didn't mean much to me. Even in the early stages of my adult life, it still meant little. As a child, I could remember begging for Grams to let me stay up until midnight, many times ended with her agreeing but me falling asleep by nine anyway. The first time I could remember making it to the clock striking midnight was when I was twelve.

There was nothing special about the night, not compared to the glamorous parties shown on TV. It was Grams, Georgie, the leprechauns, and me playing board games until the countdown. There were noisemakers, champagne for the adults and sparkling cider for us kids, we counted down and celebrated the birth of a new year like everyone else. In the end, I always felt a little gypped by the experience. Where were our fancy gowns and top hats? Where were the red carpets, the endless dancing, and the waiters catering to our every whim?

Then Eleanor's party happened. From the moment I descended the stairs, it was like being transported to a palace. Gone were the Christmas decorations, only the tree remained, in it's place were rows upon rows of icicle lights twinkling between gold and silver. The couches were pushed as close to the walls as possible, making way for a dance floor with a disco ball spinning above. Though they'd hidden them well, machines were ready to launch confetti around the entire bottom floor of the house.

Food, noisemakers, and alcohol of all kinds lined many tables in the main house as well as the enclosed patio. Thankfully the smoking area was set up outside under a tarp in an area of the yard cleared of snow. There was also an area of several of the finest Porto potties I'd ever laid eyes on set up in the backyard. Part of me was jealous I had access to the bathroom upstairs, that's how nice they were. Then I remembered they were still Porto potties and by the end of the night would probably resemble them with all the drunks that would make their way to use them.

With how large the open floor plan of the house was, it felt downright miniscule with the amount of bodies crammed inside. People gathered in groups, most with their loved ones or dancing, others took turns playing pool or gossiped. Kids chased each other through the masses, not caring how crowded it was. I kept myself mostly to the perimeter, but close to a table loaded with finger foods and buckets of beer. When had beer become such a staple in my life?

My hand adjusted the mask on my face. Everyone was in a mask. Some more elaborate than others, but still the upper half of their face was covered. Apparently, it was a rule Eleanor had, masks couldn't come off until midnight. My mask was a venation style filigree mask painted a sparkling golden color, a short horn rose from the center of my forehead. It matched the various shades of gold on the crossover bust of my dress. I had to admit, I loved the dress. The way the satin felt against my skin caused me to constantly pet my sides. It conformed to the narrow curves of my hips and my chest. The gold faded evenly into a mixture of purples and fuchsia and orange at the bottom of the dress. When I spun, it was like a fire rising from my feet. Thankfully the dress didn't quite reach the ground, so I wouldn't trip over it all night. Breaking my ankles on the heels, on the other hand, was entirely possible.

I grabbed the front of the dress, pulling up on the bust. Though it wasn't the first time I wore a strapless outfit, I had a habit of feeling like it was going to slip off my breasts and reveal them to the world.

"The more you pull on it," Jake whispered when he snuck up beside me, "the more it draws attention to your cleavage."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not worried about the cleavage, I'm worried about it falling off. And you are the only one staring at my chest. Nobody else has noticed."

"Not true." He pointed toward a shriveled, short stump of a man who was clearly in the twilight of his life. "Mr. Galwater is what you would call a perverted bastard. He's hardly taken his eyes off you all night."