off the wall era. (20)
After we last hung out, Michael had invited me to an masquerade ball. And I had obviously never been to one nor had I had any of the right clothing for it. Seemed fun and all but what threw me for a loop was that I didn't know who the host would be, I didn't know who would be there or what the theme would be. In all honesty, I didn't know anything but the location of said ball.
It was tonight, the night of the masquerade. No one would know who I was. Hence the masquerade part, but Michael was a no show, he was supposed to visit me before the ball. What if he's hurt? Or worse dead. You'll never see him ever again. That's the last laugh you'll hear, the last smile you'll see, the last time you'll talk, the last time you'll see his eyes shine with happiness, joy, love.
I looked down at my hands to see them uncontrollably shaking. I felt my nerves jump on edge. My heart thumped at hundred beats a minute. My palms were suddenly sweaty and the house felt a hundred degrees. Soon my whole body felt like shaking and I couldn't stop it.
Panic attack.
"Y/N?" Michaels muffled voice called as he unlocked the door to your house. "Y/N!" He yelled as he couldn't feel the vibrations of your response nor see you running towards him, he was worried about your utter safety.
Running into the living room he had finally found her. She was balling, tears running in down her face while she sniffled her runny nose.
"Are you okay?"
She began speaking quickly, in between deep sobs and because of her lack of signing he couldn't understand her.
He signed 'Slow down. I don't understand you.'
Her cries loud and riveting, she begins to sign her voice, not even allowing words to exit her lips, her mouth trembling. 'I was looking for you Michael. I had a panic attack. I was thinking of all the terrible terrible things that could've happened to you.."
"I'm here now ain't I?" He says, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets.
"What took you so long?" She replies, her tears wiping away from her sad face.
"I couldn't find my cochlear, I looked everywhere but couldn't find it." He signed while speaking, even when he didn't have to sign to understand her he would sign while speaking just because it had become natural to him.
"I figured you'd say that." She pulled his black cochlear implant from off of the brown coffee table. He gasped softly, his heart beating quicker, as her face brushed past his and she carefully put a part of the implant on his right ear and the other part connected to his head. He pushed back a smile, his cheeks turned light. "You left it here last night. I noticed it this morning and figured you'd come over sooner to retrieve it."
"I'm glad your alright, you had me freaked out. But we need to start getting ready for the ball, it starts in an hour!" He urged her to get up.
***
I peeked in the mirror fully dressed, and observing my outfit. I wore a light blue velvet dress, with white fluffy cotton like material on the bottom, the dress poofed out it had much of an.... Cinderella vibe to it, if you may. I wore wedge heels that had blue straps tied into a neat bow so I would be prepared to dance for a long time. I had subtle blue eyeshadow on my eyes that blended into a slight smokey eye with a cut crease. To top it off I had put on a white silver tiara and held a blue masquerade mask with a few white feathers that sat on a stick.
As I entered the humongous pale yellow building, I could hear music playing that echoed throughout the spacious walls . It was very classical music, a very calming demeanor. Or at least it was a calming demeanor until the door slammed behind me. The band immediately cut to a stop. I couldn't see anyone besides me and Michael standing there but it felt as if a million eyes had landed on me. He then walks up to me slowly but surely with his hands behind his back.
He wore a white striped black suit, with a white flower in his shirt pocket and a white tie.
"Michael, where is everyone?" I ask, looking around and around and seeing not one person in the whole building.
"Y/N. Meet the family." He waved out behind him, and aglow were what seemed to be thousands of faces. Dressed as in the Victorian era, people from the 1700s through the early 1900s stared at me. People of all ages in their formal wear for the ball, all in different colors, shapes forms and sizes. I saw a group of people in the front all holding instruments, a cello, a violin and multiple other instruments used to make up a whole band.
"Who are these people?"
"Did you not hear me?" He laughed lightly. "I said meet the FAMILY."
"But they're dead."
She heard many audible gasps from the people around her. A little ghost girl walked up to her.
"Excuse me ma'am. We prefer life deficient." She mumbled while signing. Her voice laced with that same muffled like sound as Michael's.
"Are they deaf?" She asked him, still astonished by the fact that he could be with his family. His life deficient family.
He'd always hang out with you and a few of his other friends because of the fact that he lacked actually living family members.
"Every single one of them." He smiled, somewhat proud.
"Woah."
"Wanna know some of their names?" He asked, eager to show his bestfriend that he actually has some hope left when it came to his family life.
She nodded.
"The girl you just talked to that's Claire my niece, this is Robby my nephew, Chris whose married into the family, Tyler is my nephew, Mackey is my neice, Mandy and Randy twins nephew and niece, Bob grandpa, Jamie grandma, Edith an in law, Clara is Claire's sister, Alice is their mother, Albert there uncle, Ruth my cousin, Charlotte eldest cousin, Beatrice my second oldest cousin, Fredrick my toddler cousin, Theodore my baby cousin and he's my favorite cousin-"
"Heyyyy, that's not fair!" Beatrice yelled out.
"Why is Theo your favorite! He's nothing special!" Clara added on, crossing her arms in jealousy.
"Don't talk about your brother in that ugly fashion!" Alice scolded her daughters. She then grabbed them both by the ear- on her tiptoes to reach Beatrice- and dragged them away from the conversation.
"He's my favorite cause he's a sweet baby. Y'all ain't. I remember when I had to babysit Fredrick..." he shuddered.
Michael was babysitting a young baby Fredrick and all was well unto Michael yawned and Fredrick threw up in his mouth. He'll never forgot how many times he had to brush his teeth just to remove the taste. The horrible nasty ass taste of baby throw up. In your MOUTH.
He shook off the thought and looked back to you.
"That's not even half of them... let's dance though, we've spent so much time talking and not enough time dancing!" He grabbed her hand leading her onto the dance floor. The music abruptly started once again, as she looked around her she watched as people signed to each other. She noticed some of these people where mute and their only option in communication was signing.
It's as if signing gave them a voice, they're only voice, a voice uniquely their own. People would swing their arms in a certain way to express attitude and sign at a certain pace to show how they felt at that moment, whether it be happy, sad or angry. She watched a boy who had a stutter, he trembled as he signed his words, repeating multiple phrases as his mouth would.
Michael was torn away from you when Ruth asked him a question. The question must've been offensive because at the pace his hands moved and the way his brows furrowed, he was furious. He turned back around to her, waving off his cousin and signing ' Let's finish this later, I don't have the time to deal with your annoying ass attitude. Can't you see I'm dancing with Y/N?'
You chuckled as Ruth flicked him off and walked away saying other curses with her hands.
And during those few moments she knew she was seeing voices.
