Ghostly Masquerade
I do not own Crimson Peak in any way.
A/N - Hopefully I will get over this Crimson Peak obsession. I think a second viewing may be required. The last two chapters of my other Crimson Peak fic will be up soon!
"Did you hear that there's a masquerade ball at Allerdale Hall tonight?" Kelsey said.
"Who hosts masquerade's anymore?" Iris asked, "Besides, don't people call that place the 'Murder Mansion'?"
"Are you thinking of going?" Kelsey asked, "Who knows, maybe you'll meet a tall handsome stranger".
Iris just rolled her eyes at her friend.
Kelsey bailed at the last minute, so Iris had to go to the ball alone. She arrived at Allerdale Hall and entered the mansion.
It used to be a old run down, crumbling mansion, but the people who bought it had fixed it up quite a bit.
Iris imagined that this was what it looked like in its prime.
"May I take your coat, milady?" a man asked. The man had appeared out of nowhere.
"Um…yeah", she said, "It's kinda cold in here, don't you think?"
"It is warmer in the ballroom", he said, "It's straight through there".
"Thank you", she said. Iris made her way into the ballroom, but it wasn't any warmer than the foyer.
The ballroom was full of people dressed in clothing from all eras, but most were dressed in Victorian age clothing.
No one acknowledged Iris' presence, so she decided to get something to drink.
As she was standing by the refreshment table, the small orchestra started playing a waltz. Iris looked up from her drink and noticed a man with a candle in his hand walking towards her.
A black mask covered his face, which made his crystal blue eyes stand out.
"Would you do me the honor?" he asked holding his hand out.
"I don't know how to waltz", she told him.
He took her hand and led her to the center of the dance floor as he said, "The key to a good waltz is for the movements to be so fluid, they won't blow out a candle flame".
Iris wrapped her hand around her partner's as he pulled her closer to him. She stared into his eyes as he twirled her around the dance floor. She found it near impossible to look away. She imagined this was how Christine Daae felt when she finally met the Phantom for the first time.
He had an air of mystery surrounding him and she found it quite sexy.
But as they continued dancing, Iris noticed her surroundings started changing.
The fully furnished ballroom started to fade into rotting wallpaper covered in blue moths.
The people faded away into nothing, leaving her and her partner alone in the ballroom.
Even her partner had changed.
His clothing was covered in blood and his blue eyes had turned into a fiery amber color.
Iris broke away from him, the candle hitting the floor and going out.
"Thank you", the spirit said.
He leaned forward and pressed his icy lips to her cheek before disappearing.
Iris picked up her dress and ran from the house.
Later that week, their teacher announced, "Today we will be talking about Crimson Peak".
Iris' head snapped up.
"Allerdale Hall was owned by Lady Lucille Sharpe and her younger brother Thomas Sharpe", she said.
A picture appeared on the overhead and Iris' mouth dropped open.
That was the man she had danced with!
She spaced out as she thought about that night. She snapped out of it when her teacher said, "Thomas and Edith danced that night and it's said that on the anniversary, the ghosts recreate that night in the ballroom of the mansion". Iris shot out of her seat and ran to the library. She logged onto a computer and looked up the date of the ball all those years ago.
Sure enough, it was the night she was there.
She actually found a ghost attractive! She was going to need serious therapy.