Adilah

Chapter 6

Crimson is leading the way as we go further away from the place we have been just minutes ago. The surroundings are now getting unfamiliar to me, but with Crimson with us I am not worried of getting lost. I would rather be lost than be near Luna Samirah either. I keep my sight straight ahead, and act as normal as I can be. There are not a lot of guards wandering around which surprised me. Crimson says that most of them are in the surveillance room or at the center line where the big curtain is at.

A few more walking and a long hallway stretches ahead of us. We are finally away from the crowd. "There is a door at the end that leads to the server's quarter. It is connected to the place we are heading to. But first..." She suddenly opens a door next to us and enters inside. Without questiong, Benetha and I follow her in. "We need to change out of these awful fabrics, and pose as servants." She hands us a pair of folded clothes that are in the corner of the room earlier.

"You really planned this well." Benetha comments while examining the black trouser and the white shirt. I get ready to remove my dress, anything is fine with me than this heavy clothing.

"Told you to trust me."

It didn't take us long enough to change, and somehow I am now enjoying the thrill of all of this. We are on a disguise right now, which will rarely happens in my life.

"Ready?" Crimson asks us after putting her hair in a ponytail. Even with the simple clothing, she doesn't look like a servant at all.

"Ready when you are." I reply and Benetha nods to agree with me.

"Then let's get this over with." She pushes the door open and we once again walk into the darkness of the moonlight.

***

"Well that was easy." The trip passed the server's quarter ended up quickly without a single complication. Aside from someone giving me a tray of drinks to serve, which we finished ourselves, everyone is too busy walking in and out of the room to notice our weird appearances. Crimson said it is because the ball is already starting, and they already lifted up the curtain revealing the men on the other side. I am so glad that I wasn't there when it happened.

"Aren't there someone checking if everyone is there or not? Keeping track of everybody." Benetha asks curiously, while we are walking again in another set of empty hallway.

"I doubt it. I think not everyone attended too. It is because of the tradition that everyone still participates in this. And not everyone believes in traditions."

"Like you." I blurt out without thinking. She stops walking and turns to me. I ready myself for an angry remark, but instead she just shrugs. "Yeah, you can say that. Besides there are hundreds of girls that are here tonight. No one is going to notice that we're gone." I want to argue with her that the Luna of Hope did, but I think it is best if we just concentrate on our mission at the moment.

"We're here." We stop at a dead end, and I look at Crimson weirdly.

"It's a wall." Benetha deadpan, seemingly irritated.

Crimson ignores us and feel the hard concrete for something.

"Okay, stop this now and show us the way... What!" Benetha and I both jump back as the wall in front of us just earlier slides out to reveal a path.

"Ever heard of secret passages." Crimson regards us arrogantly, and continued moving.

"Are you sure about this? What if she kidnapped us?" Benetha turns to me worriedly.

I sigh, "Come on." Anywhere but the latter is fine.

The echoes of the machines surround us, giving proof that the generators are really somewhere around here. That is if I can see a single thing. Obviously it is dark, and Crimson instructed us to stay close to the wall or trip ourselves over which she said that she will passionately laugh about.