Masking Amaya Frazer

{1} Can We Dance

A loud bass reverberated in time with the flashing lights in Club Hypnotic as bodies gyrated on the dance floor. Just for tonight, it was acceptable to be someone who we weren't as we all hid behind the masquerade masks—which was exactly why I found myself at the party in the first place.

I could finally abandon my hostile attitude for a care-free facade in an environment I didn't belong. A night dedicated to falsities, I could finally become the twenty-two year old woman on my fake ID without feeling ashamed. Her face was my own, but our names did not match.

No one knew I was Amaya Frazer; the girl with the heart of ice seconds away from splintering only to pierce those who tried to get close to me. To everyone else, I would be known as Rachel Garnier; the confident woman with a brilliant smile who craved the attention of others.

Disguised by my mask of pearly white feathers, I let myself loose, and joined the throng of dancers in front of the stage where a DJ bopped his head to the music.

Masks of magnificent hues of all sorts of colors ranging from turquoise blues to magenta purples and midnight blacks caught my eye as I sashayed my hips seductively. The skin-tight, navy blue sequined dress I wore hugged my slim frame, and my light brown hair fell in straight rivers halfway down my slender back.

Throwing a sly look over my shoulder, I met the intense blue-eyed gaze of a man silently watching me from the bar.  Decorated with black feathers, his mask was the polar opposite of mine. I bit my lip and turned my back on him, continuing to pour my heart out on the dance floor, unabashed.

Former strangers became intimate dance partners as the DJ hyped up the crowd with huge bass drops that made my heart pound in its addicting rhythm. I welcomed the hands that grasped my hips and placed my own atop them, throwing my head back to rest on the broad shoulder of my new companion.

I swayed back and forth in his embrace as his fiery touch scorched right through my dress. I was overly conscious of his strong grasp on my hips as he guided the motion of my body. Snaking an arm over his chest, I splayed my fingertips along the side of his cheek, and forced his face to mine.

His obsidian hair brushed along the top of his black mask, and I wanted nothing more than to see the handsome face he was hiding. Slipping a finger underneath the mask, I opted for distracting him by grazing my lips over his as I lifted the corner.

"Not so fast, Dove," he said huskily, nudging my hand aside. His electrifying, blue eyes locked on mine, enrapturing me in his heavy stare.

"Are you afraid of what I might find underneath?"

He smirked.

"I'm not the one who should be scared," came his cryptic response as he rotated my hips to face him. Our mouths were a breath away and I couldn't tell if it was due to the alcohol in my system or his intoxicating scent that forbid my mind from functioning properly because the next thing I knew, I was being picked off the ground.

Lifting me higher still, he held me above his head as everyone around us paused to watch in awe. I squirmed a bit in his unwavering hold as I hovered in the air with my arms spread out, feeling as though I was soaring through the air.

He spun and the music changed drastically, melting to a classical tune as couples started to slow dance together where they had been previously attempting to seduce strangers. I floated above the dance floor, gazing upon the dancers from my perch in the stranger's firm grasp.

The bird's-eye-view took my breath away as a slow smile spread across my face. The emotions were completely foreign to me as my stomach lurched, but not in sickness. Rather, I felt excited for the first time in awhile.

"I don't need to see under your mask," the man said, tilting his head up to gauge my expression, "I can see right through it. Those feathers might fly you out of your troubles for now, but they aren't strong enough to carry you forever."

With that, he dropped me and I plummeted through the air before I had the chance to even scream. My hair flew across my face, obstructing my view of the bright colors flashing by as I continued to fall.

The air whooshed from my lungs when his arms found my body once again, hauling me protectively to his sturdy chest. With a gentle caress, he cleared the hair strewn across my face, and tapped a finger against my white mask, causing the feathers to ruffle.

"I'll be your wings, Dove," he whispered in my ear, placing me back on my feet.

Rendered speechless, I failed to formulate a reply as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, displaying toned forearms with pulsating veins. He stretched out a hand, nodding at me to take it.

"With whom might I have the pleasure of dancing with tonight?" He prompted, enveloping my hand in his much larger one.

Amaya. "Rachel, and yourself?" I asked as he took a step closer.

Placing a finger under my chin with his unoccupied hand, he tipped my face up, and said, "I'm more perceptive than that. While Rachel is a lovely name, I'd like to know yours."

Taken aback, I found myself comparing him to a hawk. His eyes were sharper than I wanted to admit. Not only was he able to detect how I was feeling, but he could even tell when I was lying. It was as if I wasn't even wearing a mask.

"If you're so perceptive, you must also know that I'm not one for establishing long-term relationships. We don't even need to know each other's names since we won't meet again," I answered.

Hitching an eyebrow, he swept an arm around my waist, twirling me across the floor. "Very well. Dove it is, then."

After a few minutes, our dance came to an abrupt end when the song drew to a close.

Parting with a wink, he bowed his head, placed a feather-light kiss atop my hand, and slipped from the club.

I stood frozen in the center of the dance floor, staring at the space the mysterious man had just vacated. He was gone as fast as he had arrived, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined the whole experience.

The party resumed as the DJ reverted back to the pop music, but I no longer felt in the mood to party. It was as if the man had taken a vulnerable part of me with him when he left for he seemed to be able to see right into me and learn my deepest secrets no matter how dark they were.

Removing my heels, I made a quick dash to the exit to catch up to him. My sprint was a race in vain since he was nowhere to be seen in the darkened parking lot outside Club Hypnotic. I sighed, deciding to return to campus for the rest of the night.

Only once I had taken a look in the mirror did I find the black feather tucked under the thin strap of my dress.

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Hi readers! I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter of the fourth book in the Worth It series. Please let me know your thoughts about it so far by leaving a vote and a comment. Thank you so much for all of your support in allowing for a fourth book to actually happen! :)