"You are cordially invited to the Nocturne Masquerade by midnight. Attendance is advised and primarily important."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the envelope over. Why had the family invited her to their masquerade?
The Nocturne Masquerade was a yearly event that only the rich and noble attended and this year, they had invited her.
The Voss household, always steeped in order and expectation, suddenly felt suffocating. Sir Voss would see this as another chance for social leverage, his wife would quietly panic about propriety, and their son well, Adrian wouldn't care unless it was dangerous.
But Elena's gut churned with a different feeling altogether and it made her feel sick.
"I don't want to go," she whispered to herself, tracing the crescent moon with her finger. The envelope was so ominous, like an owl under a bloodred moon.
Her mother's voice cut through the silence, sweet but firm. "Elena, is that the invitation I saw you holding?" Lady Voss entered, impeccably dressed as always. "It's from someone... influential, I'm sure. Nocturne Tower is exclusive. See this as a chance to network alliances and know your foes."
Elena's lips twisted. "Network, My lady? Or dance at the mercy of strangers in masks? You don't know the half of it. Therr is something really off about this ball and I don't want to be apart of it."
Lady Voss raised a perfectly arched brow, betraying no emotion. "You always say that. You have your father's instincts, but don't let curiosity get the better of you. Sometimes the unknown is better left unknown."
Elena scoffed, but there was an unspoken tension in the air that made her stomach knot. She had heard so many stories about the families who had attended the ball. It was either they left looking like ghosts or were forever changed.
Her father's footsteps echoed from the hallway. Lord Voss, a wealthy merchant who dealt in importation and exportation of goods, was a small, stoic man. He descended the stairs with grace and made for the envelope. His eyes flicked over the envelope with an unreadable expression plastered on his face.
"Ah," he said, voice low and controlled. "I see it has arrived." He glanced at his daughter who had her head bowed as a sign of greeting to him. "You will attend, my dear. The invitation is by midnight and this is a little after nine. You should be getting ready now."
She froze. "Attend? Father, this is not an ordinary masquerade! There is something seriously off about it, I've heard stories. Why should I—"
"No excuses. You shall attend this masquerade because it is important to this family!," he interrupted, a dangerous edge beneath the calm. "Sometimes your instincts are wrong, dear. And besides, they are just groundless stories. This is one of those times where you don't question the logic. You must attend it."
Elena clenched the envelope in her sweaty palm. She wanted to argue, to oppose to whatever was going on.
She knew they were just using her to gain traction from the Nocturne family. Everyone from the local circle knew about strange things that happened to whoever accepted their invitation. And get again, she was just like a pawn to be used whenever it's needed.
....…......
The grandfather clock in the living room struck ten o'clock and Elena was immediately ushered into the dressing parlor by The Lady of the house.She found herself in front of a grand wardrobe, staring at a rack of dresses that were carefully chosen when she first entered the family.
She could still remember the first time she stepped foot into the estate. Her father who was Mr. Voss' most hardworking and honest worker had taken her in after hearing of his death.
Elena shook her head to dispell the thoughts. What good was it reminiscing a painful past?.
She decided to focus and pulled a dress from one of the hangers. The dress was deep red with a long slit by the side of it. She immediately put it on and twirled in front of the mirror, feeling a thrill of rebellion she hadn't experienced in years. She was never allowed into the dressing parlor. That was only for the Ladies of the house.
Her fingers lingered over a black feathered mask that had streaks of gold all over it. It was mysterious and alluring; the kind that made you feel shivers just by looking at it. The mask settled over her eyes softly, and Elena felt a warm, uncomfortable gag in her stomach.
.......
The Voss family dinner that evening was tense. Her parents spoke in their usual cryptic and polished manner about their businesses. No one even mind that she was about to offer herself as a sacrifice.
Adrian had been quiet the whole time and his sister, Jasmine, was too little to understand anything.
She tried to focus on her meal so she wouldn't get hungry later at the masquerade, but every bite made her feel the urge to make herself vomit.
Finally, dinner was over and she got up to brush her teeth. When the clock hands edged toward midnight, she slipped into the waiting car with the envelope tucked securely in her clutch. The streets of the city were quiet and drenched in fog, as if the world itself had hushed in anticipation of the famous masquerade. Nocturne Tower loomed ahead, an architectural marvel of gothic spires, shadowed glass and windows glowing faintly in amber and crimson.
The doors opened before she even touched them, welcoming her into a world of glamour and grandeur. Masked figures glided across the ballroom floor with their masks attached to their faces. Elena felt like she was in those times where doctors wore weird bird masks to treat the sick..
Across the room, in the shadowed corner near the grand staircase, a man stood with a violet mask gracing his impeccable features. His gaze found hers and locked onto it. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest as her gaze met his too. Something about his gaze intoxicated her like an addictive drug. She just couldn't look away; it was like he had sent her into a trance.Time seemed to slow down and he continued to hold her in a trance like state.
Finally, he shifted his pressuring gaze from her and walked to the dancefloor. Elena released the breath she didn't know she was holding and quickly took a sip of her drink to calm herself.
God! What was that?
The masked man raised a single gloved hand in a slow ceremonial wave. Her heart cut. It was time for the Spirity dance. Insiders had told her that whenever the dance was on, it was like the whole building was spiritually charged. Everyone moved like they were being controlled by an external, invisible force.
Elena wanted to turn away and run, far away from there but her feet betrayed her, carrying her closer to the dance floor like she was being drawn by something she could neither name nor resist.
As she looked around herself in panic, watching other guests sway their partners on the marked floor, her eyes drifted to the masked stranger. This time, she didn't look him right in the eyes. This masked stranger was not someone she could walk away from an she knew it..
The ballroom soon faded from view and all that existed was him. Then, the man moved from his original position, weaving through the most likely hypnotized guests. When he finally approached her, the world came to a quiet standstill...