Mesmerized | ✓

31

Carl hated having the mask on and wished more than anything that he could just throw the damn thing off and breathe properly. Mark, on the other hand, didn't seem to have that issue. He looked actually excited as they walked into the campus. They could already hear soft music coming from inside the building which was decorated with white and pink balloons even from the inside.

The place was quite crowded. People, standing in small groups, were gathered even outside the building sporting their prom attires and talking in excited voices with their faces obscured by all different kinds of masks. Some covered the whole face while others were more revealing, covering just the skin around the eyes.

"What are you doing?" Carl questioned when he saw Mark walk over to one of the small groups and take pictures of the people who were happily posing for them. "We don't have time for this."

"Yes, we do." Mark said pulling one girl to his body and taking a selfie with her. "This is for my story after all. If you don't let me document the whole thing I might as well just go home."

Carl didn't like that Mark was making such spectacle out of it while he felt like he was dying inside each time he as much as thought about what they were about to do. But he knew that recording everything for his story and becoming a famous journalist because it was the sole motivation for Mark.

Once Mark was done taking photos, they walked inside the building. Carl's jaw dropped when he saw the amount of decorations, and therefore, effort put into making it look like something taken straight out of a movie. Even the hallways looked spectacular with pink and black bands pinned across the walls, small silver and golden fluorescent stars stuck to the ceiling and tables with snacks and drinks lined by the walls.

The music was soft and not that loud. The songs were sentimental love ballads which didn't really encourage people to dance unless it was a slow dance. Instead, they talked, laughed and ate. While Mark took pictures of every possible thing, Carl noted that the people enjoying the feast were of various ages. The majority of them were teenagers or twenty-somethings but there was quite a big number of middle-aged ones and even a few elders sporting elegant wear and masks.

It looked ridiculous, suffocating. Carl wanted to leave that place that looked taken straight out of some elaborate nightmare, or run straight into Yuli's arms, confess everything, get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. He would let him eat Mark if that was necessary, just so that Carl could have a clear conscience. Just so that they could go back to the way they were before.

Carl shook his head trying to chase those thoughts away. He looked around, at the oblivious people that didn't know they had walked willingly into the slaughterhouse. No matter how much it pained Carl to turn on his love, they didn't deserve to die. He swallowed hard, for once happy that he had a mask on and he didn't have to worry about his feelings being evident on his face.

The two of them made their way through the building towards the lecture hall. Carl noted that it looked nothing like it had before. The rows of chairs were no longer there and instead there was a wide dance floor which was empty for the time being. Instead, most of the people were sitting at the tables by the walls and talking to one another. The lights were dimmed but the spotlight was on a makeshift stage on the far end of the room. No one was on there, though.

Carl scanned the room in search of either Candace or Yuli but they were nowhere to be found. "What do we do now?" He asked Mark as the man took another set of photos of his surroundings.

"We wait." He said with a shrug.

*****

Candace could barely breath, and not only because of the mask limiting her air intake. She shook all over as Yuli took her by the hand and led her through the hallway full of people that were looking at her so intensely that she wanted to disappear. Candace had never considered herself a timid person but it was a bit too much for her, being put on the spot like that. Being the only person that had the privilege of being with Yuli like everyone wanted but no one else could.