Melissa sighed, zipping up the back of her dress. She twirled around in front of her full length mirror. Her dressed poofed out, as Melissa decided that this was a good spinning dress. It looked beautiful, she had to hand it to Sally, her caretaker, for making such a dress in such a short amount of time. Normally, she didn't go to balls, she found them shallow and boring. But sadly, Sally saw the invitation first. She spent three days devoted to the gown, making sure it was perfect. There were little mirrors sewn into the hoop skirt, the fabric being a dark teal. The bodice of the dress was pulled tight, the same dark teal as the skirt, but with light flowers instead of mirrors. Her hair was curled and pinned up, a stray curl brushing her face. Make up didn't essentially matter, seeing as she'd be wearing a mask the whole night, but that didn't stop Sally. She had lathered Melissa's face with many creams, traced her eyes in black, and brushed light blue glitter on her eyelids.
"Oh my dear! You look lovely!" Sally came in the room, looking Melissa up and down.
Melissa shrugged, not used to compliments. Sally lifted something in front of her face, tieing it up in the back. Of course, her mask. This was a masquerade after all.
The mask was a light gold, with what looked like emeralds around the eye holes. It was one of those masks that only covered her eyes, and not her nose or mouth. There were three feathers sticking up from the top, each one teal with gold dust.
Melissa now looked at her complete outfit in the mirror, her breath taken. She couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. She spun, watching the light catch on the mirrors. She smiled.
"Sally, thank you so much! I don't know where you got the mask, but it is amazing." She leaned in and hugged Sally, who was holding back tears.
"Hun, the mask was your mother's. Have a good time tonight, for her." Sally straightened up, and walked out of the room, leaving Melissa to realize what Sally just said.
Melissa's mother and father had disappeared five years ago, when she was seventeen. Luckily, Sally, who had worked for her parents ever since Melissa was born, was there to help Melissa. They called detective after detective, trying to locate anyone who knew about the parents who ran off, but to no luck. There were so many times Melissa just wanted to curl into a ball and sob her eyes out, but she had to remain "fearless". Head held high, confidence seeping out of her, she walked around her house and town, pretending nothing happened.
Just as she was doing now. She calmed her stomach, stood up straight, and smiled. Maybe she'll dance with someone tonight. Maybe she'll meet a boy. Who knew.
She stepped into the limo that would be her ride. She'd much rather walk, but that would apparently be such a scandal. After only a few minutes, they arrived, and she stepped out to the steps of the Potterfield Mansion. Knowing she was behind a mask, no one would know who she was, so she could really do anything she wanted.
The first thing she decided to do was to walk through the garden. Potterfield Mansion was huge, filled with many rooms. If there was ever to be a party, it would be held here. Most people were inside tonight, not out on the lavish grounds surrounding the property. Melissa strolled through the garden path, trying to name the flowers she saw. There were many, in all different colors
After a few minutes of smelling flowers, she timidly walked through the double doors. Soft music filled her ears,and many masked dancers woven in and out of her vision. Thinking back, Melissa didn't exactly remember why this ball was being held. Normally it was if a prince was coming in to town, or someone was looking for a wife. She guessed that it didn't matter anyhow, seeing as she was going to leave in about half an hour.
But the night was still young, and who knew what would happen next.
