Masquerade

Ch 2

"You okay?" The man who had taken her away from the mob that had surrounded her asked, with his hands on her shoulders.

She looked up into the golden eyes of the man and blushed. "Yeah..." She answered, dreamily. She quickly snapped out of it and shook her head slightly to clear her mind. "Uh, y-yeah. I'm fine. Thank you."

This earned a chuckle from the man. "My name is Lee. What's yours?"

The girl barely hesitated. "I'm Kya."

Lee noticed the hesitation, but decided not to bring it up. After all, how could he expect her to use a real name if he wasn't using one himself? The two talked for a while, speaking loudly over the music. They shared details about their childhoods, without saying too much that could reveal who they are.

They were sitting in the garden, on the edge of a fountain. "So, what about your family?" Lee asked.

"Oh... it's just my father, my brother, and I. I lost my mom when I was eight." Kya answered, looking down.

"I'm sorry." He said, putting a hand over hers. "I lost mine when I was eleven. I just have my sister and my father."

She looked at him again. "No child should have to be without a parent."

"I agree." They were both silent for a minute. "Maybe we should change the subject to something a bit less depressing."

Kya nodded. "Probably."

Smiling slightly, Lee asked "Would you like to go back inside and dance with me?"

"I would love too." Lee took Kya's hand and led her back inside and to the middle of the room. "I should probably tell you, I'm not a very good dancer..."

"Nonsense." He pulled her close, putting a hand on her waist. "Just follow my lead."

They danced for what seemed to Kya like hours. She couldn't see why her family didn't want her to be there. Being there, dancing with a charming young man, having more fun than she had in years, all of her troubles faded away.

Soon, the pair realized that almost everyone else had left and the sky was pitch black, the darkness broken only by a scattering of stars and a full moon that lit the grounds. It must have been at least midnight. They stopped dancing, realizing that the musicians were beginning to cease playing. They were putting away their instruments and leaving as well. The two were almost alone in the room.

Lee looked at Kya. "Will you come back tomorrow and dance with me more?"

"My dad didn't even want me to come tonight, I had to sneak out..." She looked down.

He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Please tell me you'll come again. I can't bear the thought of never seeing you again."

Kya nodded. "I'll try my best. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He answered as she turned her back to him and walked out the door to go home.