Blood Curse

Chapter One

 "Do you think this is too much cleavage?"

My eyes scan the length of the velvet dress cascading my best friend's body and stop at the plunging neckline.

"For you? There's never too much cleavage."

Morgan scoffs. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that Morgan Holland is the queen of using her assets to her advantage."

She smirks, "Well when you got 'em why not flaunt 'em."

"Have you already picked out your outfit for the ball?" She continues.

Bellwood Falls' annual masquerade ball is the party of the year; it even beats senior prom. Most towns host carnivals or music festivals, but we cater to a different kind of entertainment. Every year, the town hosts a horror festival around Halloween. It includes the famous masquerade ball, a haunted house, a spooky parade, and a carnival. I've been attending ever since I hit pre-teen years, although now that I'm nineteen I can actually go to the after-hours fun stuff.

Bellwood Falls isn't like any other small town. It is steeped in supernatural superstition. It all started in the 19th century with a rabies outbreak. People became infected with the disease and acted violently which only spurred on the folklore. Parents would tell their children stories of the infected biting and stealing the souls right out of their bodies as ways of keeping the children safely inside. This incident was the beginning of the myth of vampires in Bellwood Falls.

Going back to our roots, the ball this year is vampire-themed and Morgan couldn't be more excited. She's a big believer in the supernatural; that's one of the only things we disagree on.

"Well?" Morgan insists.

I nod, "yes, I have my costume picked out and ready for tonight."

Morgan is going with a Morticia Addams inspired dress, only hers is crushed velvet and dark red instead of black. The red contrasts nicely with her wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. I went the Victorian gothic route with a satin high-low bustle skirt and corset. We each have matching black lace masks that surround our eyes. It doesn't hide nearly enough of our faces as a masquerade is supposed to be about, but we chose beauty rather than sticking with tradition.

"Are you going to visit your dad while we're there?"

"Probably tomorrow," I sigh.

I love my father, he's the only family I have left, but sometimes it seems like he cares more about vampire folklore and the supernatural than he does about me. It was a bit of a relief when Morgan and I decided to attend college in the nearby city. It meant I got to live in a dorm and not have to listen to his conspiracies over and over again. Morgan has learned to limit vampire talk to just with my father, which made it easier to share a room with her. All I have to focus on now is my nursing studies, and being in my second year of college, I need all the quiet time I can get.

"Do you think he'll be at the ball tonight?"

I shake my head. "He never goes to these things. He thinks they're disrespectful."

Morgan glances at the clock displaying seven o'clock in the evening. "You better get dressed. We still have to make the forty-minute drive and it's already getting dark."

***

Morgan has to park her car in her parents' driveway and we walk four streets over to the town square where the carnival is in full swing. Main street has been blocked off from traffic and it seems like the whole town is scattered throughout the tiny square. We make it just in time to see the last of the parade and everyone starts to make their way over to the event hall for the ball.