Tagatha Short Stories

Dances in Disguise

Halloween was the only holiday Agatha could tolerate. Being mischievous and acting devilishly was acceptable and her usual wardrobe was on theme. She didn't have to change anything about herself to be accepted. It was the reason why she liked it. So, it was safe to say that when the news of a halloween ball arose, she was not excited. Halloween was just a week away when Agatha learned that it was in fact a masquerade ball. Greattttt. Balls were not her thing. Ever since she passed out during ballroom dancing practice she hated the idea of being stuck in a room with a bunch of stuck up royals, listening to classical music with overly fancy, inedible food. Agatha was already thinking of excuses to get out of going when her ears picked up Professor Anemone's voice.
"This dance will count towards your final scoring. So...if any of you ladies were thinking of opting out, I would reconsider." Anemone offered her an extended glare which made Agatha sink in her seat.
"Now girls! I know you're excited to share your outfits with your friends but this is a masquerade you must wear your mask at all times. There will be no exceptions. The point of this exercise is to not judge a book by its cover. You must learn to be selfless and see deeper than just what is on the outside."
Agatha rolled her eyes. She didn't believe that half of these girls could look past anything that wasn't on the outside. She quietly slammed her head on her desk and let out a groan as Professor Anemone continued the class.
~
Tedros hated balls and dances. He never understood why Evers liked celebrating everything with a ball. They were boring. The food was mediocre at best. You couldn't relax, there were basically no chairs. The music was made for old people who enjoyed chess as a sport. Literally, nothing had a beat. The worst part of the balls was the company. Being the prince Tedros' smile was always to be plastered on his face. He couldn't express disinterest, especially about the company provided, who were mainly girls expecting a marriage proposal and chest-loads of gold for their unbearable time. If he wasn't getting his toes stepped on during an overly slow waltz, he was getting his ear talked off by a nasally voiced princess using her daddy's kingdom as a way to entice him, or getting his sense of smell destroyed by their heavy, overly pungent floral, clearly expensive perfume. The single detail about the ball that intrigued Tedros was the fact that it was a masquerade. He could spend the entire night not being chased around by people only interested in what his name and what his status would do for them. He also liked the idea of possibly hanging out with a mystery girl the entire night. Maybe he could find himself a Cinderella that didn't care about prince charming's money or lack thereof. That was the whole point of this stupid dance anyways. Might as well try to get something out of it.

~
The day of the ball couldn't have come any later. Agatha was feeling sick. First, she hated the idea of getting glitzy. She could barely stand to look at herself in the mirror let alone sit in front of a giant, wall to wall groom room mirror as the nymphs prettied her up. Second, who would she hang out with, the Nevers weren't allowed so she couldn't rely on Sophie. Kiko would be wearing a mask and in something other than her uniform so what if Agatha couldn't find her. She would also probably preoccupy herself with finding Tristan. Kiko deserved someone better but if that's what she wanted...who was Agatha to argue. Lastly, what if she had to dance with a boy. None of the everboys were nice to her let alone give her the decency to help her not fail. Maybe the mask would be a plus? But she would still know, the silent torments she faced from those stuck up, airhead boys that called themselves gentlemen. At least she wouldn't have to directly deal with Beatrix and her posse. Maybe there was a plus to this stupid thing. The heavy wooden door creaked as Agatha pushed it open. The room was cleared out as most of the girls had already gotten their makeup and hair done. Agatha got 2 steps into the room before being pushed into a warm bath infused with a delicate aroma of vanilla and rose. After getting scrubbed furiously she was sat in the cushioned pink leather makeup chair. She felt the warm air of the blowdryer on her face as she was turned away from the mirror. With her hair no longer dripping, the real hard work began. She could sense the soft tugging of her hair and the slight flutter of brushes on her face. She could see small particles of different powders floating in the air in front of her. Eventually the hands in front of her face stopped moving and she was quickly ushered behind a pair of curtains. She was given a gold colored petticoat. She had the skirt on when a pair of nymphs entered holding up a beautiful ruby red dress. She held her arms up as the slightly heavy fabric was dripped over her head. Agatha examined her reflection in the partially covered mirror. The dress was plainer than anything she had imagined but it was nice. The dress had a straight neckline lined with gold that transitioned beautifully into the lacy-sheer off the shoulder straps that draped delicately on her pale arms. She liked the way the velvet pleats looked over the skirt, as it slightly concealed her gangliness. The gold ruffles from the petticoat peeking slightly from under the red skirt complimented the straps and lining wonderfully. Everything looked good in her opinion. She was about to turn and leave when another pair of nymphs came into the small room holding a pair of gloves, a folded fabric, a pair of heels, and what Agatha guessed was a corset. This was what she was dreading...The corset was the first thing she was dressed in. Three nymphs were involved in the tightening of the laces. Agatha felt like her breath was being stolen from her. The corset sat higher than she assumed. Eventually she was able to breathe normally again. The corset was a slightly darker shade of red with golden lining and ribbing in the shape of vines branching out. The sheer dark red cape was pinned to her shoulders. It was lined with the same material as her sleeves in order to make the transition seamless. As that was going on, Agatha slipped the gloves up her arms. They stopped slightly above the bend of her elbow. The fabric felt soft against her skin. Agatha was complacent for the whole makeover until the shoes came out. She could barely manage to walk in her uniform heels which were drastically shorter than the heels presented to her now. She was definitely not going to put herself through torture for a mediocre grade. She kindly denied the nymph that was trying to strap the heels onto her ankles. She took a seat as most of the nymphs left the dressing room. Tying the laces on her clumps was a process but she managed. She looked at herself in the mirror again. Now the outfit was completed. Agatha had stayed silent for the process. For one, without the help of the nymphs, she would have definitely ended up going to the ball in one of her nicer charred nightgowns. She hadn't seen herself dolled up once in her life. Sophie has tried to give her makeovers but she really just ended up looking like a 3 year old who had just gotten their hands on their mom's makeup and went to town on their doll. She honestly did look pretty. At least from what little she could see of her face. The majority of her face was covered by a fallen curtain. Maybe this whole ball thing wouldn't be too bad.
~
Tedros had timed his arrival to be slightly later than the first crowd so he wouldn't have to be there as long or deal with the awkwardness of being first but he still ended up getting bored in the first few minutes of being there. After everyone had arrived, the giant white marble doors had been shut as a way of preventing students from leaving early without being caught.
Everyone was mainly sticking with their friends on the outskirts of the dance floor. The teachers tried desperately to get the girls to interact with the boys and vice versa. Tedros was currently leaning against a pillar away from the rest of the group. He was snacking on a handful of candies that he had stolen from the snack table. Tedros had told himself that as soon as he finished his candies he would go back to his friends and pretend to have fun for the rest of the night. He had popped the last cherry flavored candy into his mouth and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He was beginning to make his way across the crowds when the opening and closing of the loud, heavy door caught his attention. It was a girl, she was stunning. Everything about her was beautiful. It was slightly superficial to think like this but Tedros had to get to know this girl. He was sure he would have recognized a beauty like her before. She had ebony black hair and divine porcelain skin. Her hair was decorated with a gold circlet of weaving wires, a single ruby teardrop resting gently on her bangs. Her neck was adorned with an emerald-cut ruby choker with gold chains, dripping pearls. Everything about this girl was on theme, her dress, her gloves, and her mask which was made of what seemed like interconnecting gold vines, with a ruby dangling from under each eye like jeweled tears. Tedros was now feeling severely under dressed in his plain white dress shirt and navy trousers. The girl walked down the long staircase, a cape trailing behind her. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, all eyes on her. She looked both ways, as if she was looking for someone. The girl eventually walked away towards the refreshment table tucked away in the corner of the room. People went back to their conversations and the girl seemed to relax away from all the attention. Tedros decided to make a quick detour before heading over to his friends.
"Hello"
"Umm hi"
She clearly wasn't expecting company
"Sparkling cider?"
"Yes please"
Tedros served them both a glass of the bubbling drink in the dingy clear plastic cups provided by the teachers. He handed the glass to the girl and leaned against the pillar next to her. She took a nervous gulp of the drink. Tedros couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked.
"I'm surprised I've never noticed someone as beautiful as you before"
The girl snorted before covering her mouth quickly, clearly the comment caught her by surprise.
"Oh god"
"What?"
"My laugh"
"What about it?"
"It's ugly-"
"I think it's quite cute"
She laughed again, her nose scrunching up as she released a witch-like chuckle. In some ways it honestly was charming.
"You're the first person to think that so cheers to you" She raised her glass and Tedros did too. They laughed at the sound of the cheap plastic clinking together. The girl's soft witch-like cackle filling his ears. He grabbed a cupcake from the table and took a bite,