Identity V | Fictober 2019

An Apostle (Chapter 4)

Your breathing got heavier and faster. What was going on?!

"Hey, hey! Everyone, check this out!"

Your head turned to the direction of the commotion to see a suit-wearing skeleton and a mummy stand in the middle of a crowd. If you thought the female vampire and witch were worse, this was worst! You watched as they detached their heads from their bodies and traded with each other. You were feeling faint now.

"(Y/n), is that you? (Y/n)! Oh my goodness, breathe!" You felt someone grab hold of your shoulders and shake vehemently. "Breathe in, breathe out. That's it... Just follow my pace." Following their instructions, you steadied your breaths and reached a hand under your veil to massage the bridge of your nose. What did you get yourself into?

Realizing that you weren't alone, you flinched away from the person's hold on your shoulders and faced the other way. "Sorry about that-"

"Come on! You don't even want to look at me?" That voice. It sounded familiar to you. Tilting your veil to the side to get a clearer look at the person, it was Tracy except she dressed in a red riding hood costume. She had a relieved smile on her lips as she placed a hand back on your shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Let's go get you a drink first. I think you need it."

Guiding you to one of the closest refreshment tables, Tracy picked up a glass of "wine" and handed it to you. You eyed the drink in your hand and placed it back on the table. "I'm... good. What I need now are answers from you." She let out a nervous laugh as she scratched the back of her hood.

"Let's start from the early evening, then! So I went to our agreed meetup destination a half-hour early because I wanted to enjoy the Halloween decorations in town. But the next thing I knew, a black cat showed up out of nowhere and snatched the invitation from my hands! Then I followed it here, talked to that odd owner of the doll shop, and here I am." Her explanation of how she got here was almost similar to yours, except for the black cat stealing your invitation. You let out an exasperated sigh before grabbing her by the shoulders.

"But aren't you freaked out by this whole masquerade? People cannot just switch species, swap heads, or better yet, these species shouldn't even be real!" You whispered to her. You would be crazy if you were to just yell this aloud amidst a crowd of extra species, and that's saying a lot.

A giggle escaped her lips as she placed her hand on yours, "If you talked to some people here, they're really nice and you'd understand why I'm not so freaked out." She removed your hands from her shoulders and clasped them together, holding on tightly. "Besides, I picked up some rumors from the guests." Tracy suddenly leaned in close, whispering the rumor she was about to reveal. "This ball isn't actually a ball. It's disguised as one."

"What do you mean disguised as one?"

"The guests asked me questions like, 'What do you wish for?' or something of the sort. It was really weird! But when I dug deeper, they told me that this is the Dealmaker's Annual Masquerade, where people can only enter via invitation." Her eyes looked away from yours to glance around the nearby guests. "Apparently, some guests were here last year and-" Before she could continue, the lights in the ballroom went off one by one.

The crowd's casual chatter turned to excited murmurs as they turned their attention to the Carousel in the middle of the room. "It's starting!!" Distracted by the sudden turn of events, Tracy released your hands and raced off into the crowd, determined to make it to the front to see what was happening.

"Wait! Tracy, wait! What's starting?" You called out, following her through the crowd. Confusion and annoyance were clear on your face when you made it to the front. What was going on? Upon closer inspection, the carousel was not the usual one you would see in a fair. There were no horses on the poles! You didn't dwell on that for long when white spotlights lit up the room, swinging about in multiple directions before focusing on the very top of the carousel; Silencing the crowd's murmurs.

You could hear the clicking and whirring of a mechanism throughout the quiet room and craned your head up to see a woman with bluish-grey skin and white braided hair, dressed in a nun-outfit with the addition of a pair of black horns on her head. "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Dealmaker's Masquerade Ball! I hope you all have had a Happy Halloween so far!" That sent a cheer through the crowd.

A grin decorated her face as she reached upwards, tugging on a piece of silk fabric. Taking a seat, she swung off the top of the carousel and down closer to the crowd. Once her feet safely touched the ground, she got off the fabric and made her way around to pass out candy. Now that she was closer, you could see more details of her, paying attention to the peculiarly designed circle of silver she had hanging on her side.

You didn't think she would approach you with all the other guests, but she came to a stop in front of you. Even with the veil in the way, you could feel her eyes stare into yours. "I see..." You heard her whisper as she walked closer, grabbing on to your tense hand with her cold one. "You desire something." She whispered, her voice mysteriously enchanting. "What do you desire? Fortune? Wisdom?" With a ghost of a smile, she slipped a candy into your hand and closed your hand around it as she leaned in closer to your ear. "Or companionship?"

As quick as she was there, she pulled away and continued on her way. It felt like your breath got stolen during your interaction with the mysterious lady. Your breathing returning to its regular pace once she was away. How much did she know?

You watched as she hopped back onto the piece of silk fabric, pulling her back up to the top of the carousel. "I shouldn't stall the performance any longer! Let the show begin!"