Please note: this is 100% fiction!

There I was, standing in a white cotton dress that revealed more skin than I would ever allow be seen in public while trying to look comfortable behind my feather face mask and 6-inch high heels. Ah, one mistep and I felt my ankle twist for the nth time tonight, those darn heels. Oh, thanks cousin Amy for dragging me to this thing, where is she anyway?

By the way, why high heels? Why not sneakers? Besides, it’s a masquerade party, no one is going to care who I am tonight, no one…

“Hello,” his voice was as smooth as a perfectly tempered piece of chocolate, “have we met?”

“I don’t believe we have.” He angled his arm for me to grab and we made our way upstairs. “You seem to know your way around.” I complimented.

He let out a dry chuckle, “Would you believe me if I told you I own this place?”

“But you’re so young.” He couldn’t be older than his mid-20’s. We’ve reached the end of the corridor. Looking back toward the other way, I could’ve sworn we just came upstairs a minute ago. Have we really ventured so far from the party? He opened the dark cherry color door, revealing a fireplace in the center of the room surrounded by bookshelves. Talk about a fire hazard. “Whoa,” my jaw dropped as I entered the room, there’s got to be thousands if not millions of books in room. “Is these yours?”

I turned around, didn’t realize he had taken his mask off. Oh my gosh, his eyes, they were blood red, like a…like a… Suddenly, a part of me want to scream and get the hell out of Dodge while a part of me stood frozen in place as if unable to comprehend. Instead, my brain has chosen to act when there must be a logical explanation for the irrational, I burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” His face became genuinely perflexed and unreadable.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. My brain, it has a strange way of processing things and looking at you just now, can you blame me?”

We were now standing so close that our chests were practically touching. With the gentlest touch, he lifted my mask over my eyes until it was on top of my head. The corner of his lips twisted up in a slight smile. “You humans are such strange creatures. Every person I’ve ever met have reacted differently when I revealed myself but you, you are so calm. I don’t even detect a rise in your heart beat. Aren’t you afraid?”

I shrugged and answered, “I guess I’ve never been afraid.”

Whatdoyousee