Mansion

I looked over to Dameon and slipped on my mask. "I love you, Dameon." With that I got out of the car. I looked down at my outfit, a simple sun dress that had tight knit blue and whtie stripes going all around it, at different angles. I could see a few other people standing around, but I was to afraid to move foreword. Suddenly I wanted to be back in the car, with my brother comforting me. I didn't want to move foreword anymore. My breathing speeded up and my vision blurred. I forced the tears away though. I wasn't going to let Dameon see me cry. I turned to look at him one last time, then proceeded foreword. My hands betrayed me, though, and moved backwards, reaching for my brother. I had always had him with me, my whole life I still needed him. My breaths started getting worse, with every step. I could feel my heart rate picking up. I could feel my steps starting to waver, but I forced myself to keep moving. I reached the crowd and I saw big men standing around. The memories of being kidnapped, and every night before that, came back. I felt my knees start to weaken. I knew I was about to fall. I could feel myself falling. I waited for the ground to hit my head, but it never did. I realized I had been imagining it, and had just went pale. I took a deep breath then looked back, for my brother.

I had my arms tightly around Alison, my beautiful half sister. "Stay close to me, Ali," I ordered, my mask already over my face. As I got out of the car, I kept my arm around her shoulders. I looked up at the mansion, and a man tried to take her away from me. "Back off, buddy!" I growled, tightening my grip around my sisters shoulders. Soon, Ali was ripped from my arms, and I threw a punch at the guy closest to me. "Ali! Alison!" I grabbed for her again, but a man hit me in the stomach. "Hey! Ass!" I started fighting them again, trying to get back to my sister. I hated the people keeping me from her. I needed to protect her. She was my life, the only woman who mattered. "Alison!"

I glance over at my brother, Andrew, not speaking. The whole journey had been full of silence, both of us unsure of what to say. Butterflies flew in a swarm around my stomach, a constant reminder of where we were going. The car started to slow down, and I realized that we were supposed to place our masks on. I slipped the mask on, which I had been messing with on my lap, something to keep my hands occupied.
"Well," I said, my shaky voice betraying the fact that I was nervous. "I guess this is it." I lanced down at my outfit, before looking up at my brother.
"Stay close to me, Ali," he ordered, though I had been planning to anyway. I nodded as he wrapped an arm around me and led me out of the car.

We walked up to the mansion where a man came over, and started pulling me away from Drew. Andrew pulled me closer, but I was pulled away. I could hear him yelling my name.
"Drew!" I called out. I felt sick. All this pushing around reminded me of my father, and it made me want to take a breath, or get sick, or faint. Or maybe all three at the same time. I was suddenly glad for the mask as my eyes started to tear up.
"Andrew!" I called again, my voice cracking at the end. I started to shove through, but someone gripped my arm tightly, tugging me back. I soon realized it was useless and gave up, letting myself be dragged off.

Gregory hadn't spoken a word since he had been kidnapped, and his kidnappers seemed happy about that. When they had finally arrived, the man sitting across the seat from him slid out of the car and opened the door for Gregory. Gregory looked at the other giant of a man in the car and then got out of the car himself. As he stood he found that he was standing in front of a mansion of sorts. It was rather large, but still seemed very homely. Greg's eyes were immediately drawn to the expansive forest that surrounded the mansion though. It was a nice forest. "Put your mask on kid." the ape next to him whispered with a small hint of malice in his voice. Gregory looked down at the mask in his hand, it was a simple black thing that he had chosen from a collection the apes had provided. He slid it over his face and tied the black string around his face to hold it there. "Thanks for the ride." Gregory mumbled, then he walked towards the mansion, accompanied by his goon squad.

It wasn't until after Gregory had started moving towards the mansion that he noticed other people moving from cars that were identical to the one he had just left. In fact most of the other ones had two people getting out of them, or so it seemed. Am I the only one here who doesn't have any real brothers or sisters? Gregory thought to himself as he walked forward, but looked at the people. Suddenly a large fight broke out among one of the pairs of two. Apparently a brother didn't want to be separated from his sister, and was willing to fight for it. Gregory watched as the guy was ruthlessly thrown around by the men surrounding him, and his sister was taken from him despite his best efforts. Why fight? Greg though If they wanted to hurt us, they'd have knocked us out for the ride over here. He shook his head and continued forward. Finally he came to the front steps of the mansion. He looked at his goons, who had placed one hand on each of Greg's shoulders. "We'll wait for the others." One of them said in a deep baritone. Greg nodded and let his eyes wander to the windows of the mansions. He thought about how his life could get any worse, but then again he thought I'd rather this than being back with my "family".... Maybe they'll do me a favor and just kill me?

Earlier that day, Dameon had taken a morphine hit. The effects were taking hold now, and good thing too. If he was sober, there would be two pairs of people screaming for each other. That was a situation he would have rather avoided.

He wasn't even sure how he hadn't fallen over. The images in front of him swam, and he suddenly wanted to go swimming himself. He heard Delia's voice, but not her words. He did see her hand, painted expressionistically against the dark canvas that was the pavement. Instinctively, if a bit desperately, he took it. He knew that he was supposed to be reassuring and comforting her, but the glazed eyes from behind the Guy Fawkes mask needed guidance. He, of course, picked the mask for its prominence in V for Vendetta. It was the only mask he recognized. For some reason, that was important to him. Everything else was so dream-like, he needed something he could call real.

Dameon felt Delia's hand slide away from his, and he momentarily panicked. He was lost. The stairs loomed and shifted. He must have been dragged up the steps, because he knew there was no way be could have climbed them himself. The doors grew taller in front, and his eyes hurt. He blinked hard, and decided to just stare at the inside of his mask when they reopened.

(I dont think the others are on right now. I dont want you guys to have to suffer, so we will just continue.)

Welcome, Children! Iam so glad you have arrived. Some of us are running late, so we will just have a little bit of fun. When they arrive we will continue as planned. Until then, I would like the lovely ladies to follow Jerome up to your floor. Jerome wave your hand high, so the ladies can see it. Alright, you may be off now, to the third floor. Now for our handsome heros, If you would follow Alexander he will show you to your floor. Now dont go wandering off of your floor, unless to a lower floor event. Alexander do the same as Jerome, show them to the second floor. I hope you all enjoy your stay, there will be arrangements for you to do things on your floor.

I saw the fight break out and the man scared me. I felt like huddling in the corner. His anger reminded me so much of my father. The poor girl, must have been his sister. She seemed so scared, then she just stopped. I felt my breaths quicken, my stomach lurch, and my hands get clammy. I felt that falling feeling again, but it lasted a while so I knew it was just a feeling. Then I heard a voice and it frightened me. I realized it was the man who kidnapped us. I looked around for Dameon, I wanted to see him before I left, so I didn't immediately follow when the guy started walking away. I saw him all fuzzy standing at the top of the steps. I ran over to him and latched on. "I love you so much Dameon. At the events, find me please. I dont want to be stuck with that guy." I motioned towards the man who was still screaming.

I was eventually restrained and pulled away from my sister, my outfit now in a state of disarray. "Where are you ass holes taking my sister!?" I yelled, pushing the guy next to me off of me. They were leading me up a flight of stairs, and I really didn't like that. "Oh no. I'm not following anyone anywhere until you all tell me where I'm going!" They responded by shoving me harder, and I went upstairs. "Fine, you win for now. But just wait until later!" I growled. I hated being pushed around. I was pushed into a room, and dimly lit room and I sat in the first chair I found. If they were going to force me to be here, I would fight it all the way.

I arrived at the mansion, nervous. As I prepared to step out of the car, I remembered that I needed to put my mask on. Gently, I slipped on the beautiful golden mask and opened the door. I smoothed out the skirt of my black dress and sighed in a mix of emotions. While I was glad that I was away from my stepfather, I was a bit wary of this whole thing. And pretty much freaked out. And scared.Two burly men walked towards me, and I froze. "Alright, miss, come with us." one of them said. The other made a movement as if to grab my arm, and I whispered, "Can I just... walk behind you? I promise I won't run." They looked at each other, then back at me, and nodded. Trailing behind them, I took in the sights, which were not that much. Dark forest surrounded the immense mansion. "We're here," one man said. "Enter, miss," the other growled. I walked into the mansion to see a group of people not much older/younger than I was.

"Welcome, Children! I am so glad you have arrived. Some of us are running late, so we will just have a little bit of fun. When they arrive we will continue as planned. Until then, I would like the lovely ladies to follow Jerome up to your floor. Jerome wave your hand high, so the ladies can see it. Alright, you may be off now, to the third floor. Now for our handsome heroes, If you would follow Alexander he will show you to your floor. Now don't go wandering off of your floor, unless to a lower floor event. Alexander do the same as Jerome, show them to the second floor. I hope you all enjoy your stay, there will be arrangements for you to do things on your floor."

Children? What? You don't kidnap your children! I cleared my throat. "Um," I squeaked, then cleared my throat a bit quieter. "Hi?" I called out, much louder this time. The ringing left by my speaking made me cringe a little. Maybe I'd been too loud...

Gregory watched his fellow kidnapping victims being hustled to the stairs. The girls cried and the guys were being pushed over to where Gregory stood. One, the fighter, was pushed and pulled into the mansion immediately after the seemingly magical voice told them the laydown. But the other guy, who was obviously on some type of drug, had stumbled up the steps and had waited there. Gregory didn't enjoy either of these young men. One was the the exact opposite of everything Gregory believed in, and the other was most likely a drug addict, which reminded Gregory too much of his older brother Stan, who did cocaine on a regular basis. Not that the girls seem much better Gregory thought. He hated crying, almost as much as he hated loud noises.... Or at least crying in public. It had always been Greg's dream to hold a girl while she cried into his chest... Odd, he knew, but he just wanted to know that someone else was vulnerable. That someone else understood what he had gone through. But no. These girls seemed like all the others. Stuck up, loud, and whiny. Oh well.... It's better than my life back home, and who knows? Maybe one of them will surprise me?

Gregory followed the one that was apparently called Alexander, one of his grunts actually. He led the group of boys through what seemed like a maze of corridors and stairs. Up ahead Greg could hear the Fighter being pushed forward. Finally after going up four flights of stairs and around an infinite number of corners Greg was stopped in front of an open door. After he looked at the Ape who had stopped him, then into the room, he took a step into the room. "You will be summoned when you may leave this floor." The Ape said, and then the door slammed behind him. Greg looked around his room. It was spectacular.

The room had three walls, covered in bookshelves. However there were only three books, and they were immediately above the bed, which was a simple white linen covered single, in the right hand corner away from the door. The lights above his head all looked like candles, that floated of their own free will. Only after closer inspection did Greg see the strings attaching them to the ceiling. The shed a very warm light, that was enough to see by, but not too bright. There was a desk in the left hand corner away from the door with five drawers, one of which had a key hole. Greg walked over to it and put the key that sat on top of the desk in his vest pocket. I could live here he thought. He walked to the bed and looked at the books. One was an apparent map and history of the mansions, another was a self help book, and the third was a guide to "picking up chicks." Looking back at the wall with the door in it Gregory laid down on the bed. I could definitely live here.

"Welcome, Children! I am so glad you have arrived. Some of us are running late, so we will just have a little bit of fun. When they arrive we will continue as planned. Until then, I would like the lovely ladies to follow Jerome up to your floor. Jerome wave your hand high, so the ladies can see it. Alright, you may be off now, to the third floor. Now for our handsome heroes, If you would follow Alexander he will show you to your floor. Now don't go wandering off of your floor, unless to a lower floor event. Alexander do the same as Jerome, show them to the second floor. I hope you all enjoy your stay, there will be arrangements for you to do things on your floor." Alison jumped slightly at the voice.

She followed the man that had grabbed her arm, who must have been Jerome, and finally took in the fellow prisoners. The only male who had come with no fuss or dramatic entrance seemed almost annoyed at the fuss the others were making. He did realize they had just been kidnapped, right? Alison had a feeling that he might get on her nerves.

The next male seemed high on drugs or alcohol, either way he stumbled up the steps and sat down, seemingly disorientated. The girl beside him must have been his sister, as they spoke to each other as if they had known each other for years. She seemed very upset, anyway.

The last one had just arrived, a female, who looked very innocent, shy - though of course, looks can be deceiving. She seemed to be speaking to everyone as she called out a quiet 'hi,' but Alison ignored her, following this Jerome guy up the stairs.

Dameon half-stumbled, half-fell into his room. The floor had suddenly turned to ice, and he was ice skating. Suddenly he found himself on the ground. Had he fallen? He didn't know. He didn't feel it. He was wearing an invisible suit, and couldn't feel a thing.

The room began to spin around, or maybe that was just him walking. Time slowed down as he stared dumbfoundedly at a candle. The fire flickered and danced in slow motion. "Welcome," it hissed to him. "Welcome."

The flames waved him over to the bed. He didn't feel his duffel bag hit the floor as he sluggishly followed the candles. It felt like he was moving through molasses. Did he hear voices? Or was it singing? Music? The candles ushered him forward. They grew taller, the flames becoming hair, and he was surrounded by numbers of beautiful, waxen women with fiery hair, beckoning him towards the bed.

His face hit the covers, and he was on a cloud. But, suddenly, he felt himself falling, and he gave a muffled shout as he clawed the duvet, trying to stay on. In his mind, he was about to fall thousands of feet. In reality, half of him was on the floor, the other half grasping at the bed, his eyes wide in an irrational panic.

Finally, he managed to pull himself entirely onto the bed. In his mind, he was now an angel, laying on the cloud. Relaxing. He shut his eyes and listened to himself breathing, and to the candles whispering to each other. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't awake either.

Tess walked behind Jerome along with two other girls, who were intimidatingly pretty. "This just isn't right," Tess thought. "I hope you enjoy your stay? Yeah, I'm enjoying being held captive, alright." After a bit of walking, they arrived at their floor. Tess opened the door to her room and saw a room that looked, well, old. The room was all dark wood, silky fabric, and buttery candlelight. It was beautiful. There were books everywhere, and she had a gorgeous view of the surrounding forest, but somehow, Tess hated it. She had been kidnapped and now she was in an unknown place, with several complete strangers. Home would have been better. At least then, she knew that her mother would come back home, and she'd have a few days of relative safety. Her old stubborn spirit, which had been smothered over the years, was starting to come back. "...I need... to find a way out. I don't want to be here."

I followed the others up the stairs and found my only chance to cry. I knew once in the building there would be people always watching, and father only wants to see me cry. The tears disappeared when I walked through the doors, and was led to my room. I saw a schedule for the upcoming events on the wall next to the door. It said tonight there was supposed to be a ball, but they did not allow us to retrieve stuff from home, and I had nothing anyway. Shortly after laying down, about to fall asleep, when the door opened. "Miss, it is time to get ready."

I looked at him confused, then I realized what he was talking about. "I have nothin-" I was cut off when a woman walked in with a stunning dress. It was a brownish color with sparkles all over it. It had a couple of ribbons around the waist, then it flared out, and under the breasts. It was sleeveless, and had a jewel between the breasts. Another woman brought in black silk gloves and shoes. After they put the cloths on me, they brought worked on my hair, pushing it to the side and leaving half on my back. It was slightly curled. I had to admit I looked stunning. I just couldn't help but wonder who father had planned for me tonight. When I was ready they escorted me downstairs to a ballroom. There were others dancing, but I decided to wander off to the side. I had hopes of finding Dameon.

Tess racked her brain for ideas on how to get out. She thought and thought until tears of frustration and fear ran down her face. "What if I never get out?" She wiped her tears, and the door opened. Alarmed, Tess stood up and assumed a fighting stance, not aggressive, but ready to strike if something should happen. The man at the door smiled in amusement. "I am not here to hurt you, Miss, but I believe it is time to get ready for the ball," he said, gesturing to the schedule on the wall. "...Am I going to be going in this dress?" she asked quietly, a bit embarrassed of her actions from earlier. The man chuckled. "No miss, your dress has been provided!" He glanced at the door, and a few women came in, one holding a gorgeous gray-blue dress. Tess sighed a little bit at the dress, which looked extremely expensive. One woman unfolded the dress and showed it to her. It was a flowy blue dress, with lots of... straps. And a slit in the skirt. There was a bit of gold detailing on the dress, making it sparkle. ((Yeah, I know it's silver in the picture, but just pretend! :D)) Tess gulped. "Wow, um... Isn't that a bit revealing?" she asked. Showing a lot of skin really wasn't her thing. "Just a little, miss, but it'll show off your nice legs! I am Maura," she said cordially. Motioning to the other ladies she said, "She is Ellen, and she is Candace." Ellen and Candace smiled at me when they were introduced. Ellen set a pair of gold heels on the bed. Tess cringed. Those were gonna hurt. The three ladies helped her into her gown, which proved to actually be very difficult to get into. Then she reluctantly put on the heels, which made her feel... like a princess, actually. After 15 minutes of her face being prodded with brushes and her hair being tugged on and curled, Tess was finally ready. Maura, Ellen, and Candace led her carefully down the stairs to the ballroom, where people were dancing. She felt a little bit alone- there were siblings and half-siblings that were kidnapped and put here, but Tess and one other boy were the only non-sibling kidnappees. Well, she thought wryly. It's a lot better than spending "family time" with Dave. Tess shut her eyes tightly and tried to shake out the memories from the past 6 years that flooded her mind. She set out to find someone, something, to get her mind off of it.

Gregory lay staring at the ceiling. He wasn't really thinking about anything, just laying. He had been laying there since he had been showed the room. He often spent his time in this fashion. Not doing anything at all, just sitting, or laying, around for hours. He sometimes didn't sleep at all, instead he did nothing. Gregory didn't know when he started it, a long time ago he knew, but it always helped him clear his head, and afterword his thought process was ten times faster.

He didn't know how long he sat there. It could have been an hour, or it could have been three days. But finally the door opened and an Ape walked in. He wore all black, a nice suit in fact, and shut the door behind him. He stood looking at Gregory, who didn't move until the man stepped forward and spoke. "The Master has summoned you downstairs. You must get dressed." He then accented this by throwing a garment bag at him. Greg jumped up to catch the bag, and then unzipped the bag. Inside he found a very nice suit "Well at least you all have taste." Greg replied, before taking off his pants.

After Greg had stripped and put on the suit, all in front of the Ape who refused to leave, the Ape then led him out to the hall. Before they left however the man threw his arm out "Wait!" He said "You need your mask. Just in case." So Greg ran back to grab it. Then they set down the hall. The turns and random steps were just as confusing as before, there was no way Greg would ever be able to find his own way around this mansion. However eventually Greg found that they made it to a GIANT ballroom. There were people dancing, but he had no idea who they were and, quite frankly, he didn't really want to find out. "Thanks for the lift." he said to his guide and went to the left corner, farthest from the door he came in, and sat down on the ground.

I walked into my room, closed the door and fell back onto the bed. And that was just when a man came in holding a long, red dress.
"For the ball," he explained. I nodded slowly and stood up, walking over to wear he was holding it.
"It's very.. uh.." I started, before he pushed the dress towards me. I took it and waited for him to leave to get changed. After I had changed, a woman came in, holding red shoes. She motioned for me to sit down on the bed and I did so. She slipped the shoes on me as another woman painted my nails a red color, and a final woman started to style my hair.

An hour later, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked stunning, I had to admit. The mask covered my face, and my hair was curled and styled. I smiled at my reflection, before leaving the room and following the man down the stairs. I was nervous and unsure what was going to happen, but I made my way to the ballroom. There were a few people dancing, but I only recognized two kidnapped people. The innocent looking girl and the annoyed boy, who sat in the corner. I thought about walking over to one of them but hesitated, staying a few metres from the door I entered.

The effects of the morphine was starting to dwindle as Dameon was hand-dressed by the two attendants, one male, one female, who entered his room just as he was coming out of his stupor. The suit was a little less conventional than most, but Dameon liked that it wasn't all black tuxedo. At least the pinstripe had some personality. He very nearly demanded a bowtie, but his mouth didn't want to work for him.

He zoned out as they did his hair. He must have been quite a mess, since they had to add just a tad bit of make-up to make him look more lively. They even put concealer under his eyes. He had horribly dark bags, both from the drugs and lack of sleep, which was funny, since Dameon thought he slept all the time. As they put the mask on him, he thought it was even more hilarious that they put so much attention on his face.

Downstairs, Dameon immediately looked for his sister. He didn't know anyone else here, and he knew Delia would secure him into reality. He found her on the side, and he snuck up behind her playfully and just stood inches away from her back, waiting for her to notice. Everything still moved too fast or too slow, but at least he could see things a little better. The extremities of the high had, for the most part, passed.

(Sorry the trip was extended.)

I was standing alone, looking for Dameon, when I felt someone come up behind me. I tensed up, but ignored them. After a while, when they didn't go away, I finally turned around. "Dame! Your finally here!" I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him close. I finally pulled away and stood as close to him as possible. "I cant do this." I finally whispered, my eyes on the ground. "This is all fathers plan, he wont be happy if I do this." A couple of the men, standing guard you could say, came over and told us we needed to find a partner, and dance. I grabbed Dameon's hand, taking him to the dance floor. "Dont make me dance with anyone else, please." I knew I should have let him go, but I was to scared.

Tess saw the two pretty girls from earlier, the very calm boy, and the boy who appeared to be high. She had no idea where the angry boy was. One of the big men that had taken her to the mansion came up to her. "Excuse me, miss, but you must find someone to dance with." She looked around the ballroom and saw that the other kidnappees were being told similar things. The high boy and his sister paired up immediately, and I figured that the other girl would want to dance with her brother. That left the excessively calm boy. She tentatively walked over to him and crouched down next to him. She pulled her skirt over her exposed leg and inwardly cursed the slit in her skirt. "Um, hi. I'm Tess. Wanna dance?" Tess cringed at her utter awkwardness. No wonder she hadn't gotten a date for prom. "I mean, if you don't want to, that's completely fine-"

Greg had sat in the corner for a reason. He didn't want to dance. He had danced only once in his life, and it had actually resulted in him getting the shit kicked out of him by some guy, who's toes had been mashed by Greg's wild feet. However when the Ape who escorted him down came over and told him he had to dance...... Greg did absolutely nothing. He sat there, and stared at the Ape until he left. Greg had that affect on people, he could always stare them down. He looked at all the other people dancing. Elitists no doubt. He though grumpily All high in society, and all part of this little scheme. That's when the girl came over towards him. No.....no, no, no, NO! he thought as she came his way, obviously meaning to talk to him. God damn it! Why couldn't they let me sit! He thought. But then she kneeled down next to him, and he was under her spell the second she spoke. That's how Greg was, he could tell if he liked someone from a simple sentence, and he could tell from her body language alone that he liked her.

"Um, hi. I'm Tess. Wanna dance?" She said as she crouched next to him. Her leg was exposed for an instant, which she quickly covered up, and Greg liked that. It meant she was modest. "I mean, if you don't want to, that's completely fine-" she continued, and the uncertainty in her voice was astoundingly cute. Greg looked at her for a second "Um.... I mean.... Yeah, I'd love to.... But..... Uh.... Haha I can't really dance..." He managed to say. That much alone was astounding, considering how much noise there was in that God forsaken ball room.

Dameon nodded, grinning. "Of course, Delia. I'd do anything for you."

He held her casually, not too intimate not too awkward, and swayed to the music. When he was sober, he was a fairly good dancer, but it was difficult now to make his legs do exactly what he wanted. "You lead," he told her quietly, "I know you can do it."

The song changed to a slower pace, and Dameon grin spread wider. "I love this song," he said, "Makes you want to hold someone tight." He didn't act on his words, though. He wasn't that high. But the emotions were getting to him, and he felt his eyes well up at the beauty of the truthfully somewhat generic love song. "Doesn't it? Doesn't it make you want to hold someone tight?" He spotted a couple just starting to dance, and voiced his question louder. "Doesn't this song make you want to hold her tight?" he asked the guy.

I was happy dancing with him, like a brother and sister danced. Of course I took lead when he asked, I had often done this at home when father would leave, and he was on his high. Then he seemed to get all excited, and started talking to someone. I realized there was another couple close to us, I instinctively moved so I was hidden, by the much taller Dameon.Then brought my attention to his words. His words made me want to cry. My brother wanted love. I couldn't keep him from that, that would be just horrible of me. So I did what I thought would make my brother happy. "Dame, go dance with a girl you can hold tight. There are so many girls here, I am sure they would love to dance with you. You deserve to dance like that. Maybe they will play the song again." There was so much hope in my voice, hope that he would be happy. I pulled away slightly, giving him his chance to leave. "I will be fine, I promise. I have to go to the bathroom anyway." THe last part I practically whispered to him. I soon realized I did something I often did, when I was with those men. I put on a fake happy face, one that I wore so often I occasionally believed it. "Go on now. Father doesn't want me dancing anyway." It came out as a mumble, but I still held that fake happy face.

Tess smiled a little bit. "Um.... I mean.... Yeah, I'd love to.... But..... Uh.... Haha I can't really dance..." the boy said. "It's fine, neither can I. Apologies in advance if I step on your feet with these daggers that are currently attached to my feet," she said, gesturing to her shoes. They made their way onto the actual dance floor. The brother and sister- twins, presumably- were dancing. The boy was still a bit out of it, and the two of them were talking to each other quietly. The girl shied away from Tess and her dance partner, who she still hadn't gotten the name of. As the music changed to a more mellow tune, the high boy asked quite loudly, "Doesn't this song make you want to hold her tight?" Tess stiffened. PDAs were not quite a comfortable thing for Tess, especially with people she just met. She looked away slightly. The song went on, and Tess was almost half-wanting to know the boy's answer.

Tess heard no answer from the boy, and she let out a half sigh of relief. She really hoped that the boy didn't hold her tight. Dancing with him was already uncomfortable anyways. In fact, dancing with anyone would have been uncomfortable. Suddenly, Tess wanted to be alone. Her feet and ankles hurt, she was cold, there were too many people looking at her, her mask was too heavy, and nothing felt right. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be a prisoner under this... Master's hold. She pulled away from the boy.

"I think I need to go somewhere for a minute. I'm really sorry for ditching you on the dance floor," she whispered apologetically.

Without staying long enough, Tess turned and walked as fast as she could in her high heels, and once she reached the doorway of the ballroom, she kicked off her heels, grabbed both of them in one hand, hitched her skirt up just enough to allow her feet some freedom, and made a mad dash towards the staircase to her room. She ran for one and a half glorious minutes... and then ran right into a pair of angry henchmen.

Tess bit her lip. Forcing her sweetest smile, she stepped back.

"Um... I was looking for the restroom, and I got lost?" she lied.