A Mask
She stood on the top step and watched all the couples dancing below. She looked for familiar faces, people she met whenever she shopped in the village, but everyone was masked. She could not find a source of comfort in these mysterious figures or even in the faces of people who did not want her to attend the ball. Somehow, she found the courage to walk down the stairs, and felt the eyes of all those hidden faces gazing at her.
Her dress sparkled like the stars, and even the mask on her face added to her mystical beauty. Her appearance was the result of magic, but she did not feel any different from anyone else in the room. For a moment, she wanted to run, and show her true feelings. Something inside pulled at her, and she remained on the ball room floor. Somehow, she knew that she could fool them all, and that no one would believe she was actually a servant in her own home.
She saw a man walking at a brisk pace towards her, and wondered if he was only coming to tell her to leave. She thought that he could see through the mask, and reveal her to be a fraud. She breathed a sigh of relief when he only asked her to dance, and she kept trying to keep these negative thoughts out of her mind. She deserved one night of happiness even if the entire evening was based on a lie. She had a charming smile on her face while they danced, and for a few split seconds, she felt like she was dropping her façade. She could not and would not let anyone discover what she truly was. She could not disgrace her family even though she did not love them, she could not bring herself to ruin them. She glanced at her partner's eyes to see if he had any idea of the battle she was fighting in her mind, but his masked shielded her from seeing the exact expression in his eyes.
The night continued, and she rarely spent time with anyone other than her partner. Every moment she stayed with him, she built more of a shield to protect herself. She played the coy and charming young maiden to perfection, and noticed the looks of envy hidden behind the masks. In her mind, she laughed at all of their folly because they had nothing to be jealous about. She wondered if she was playing the role too well, but she could not take off the mask because everyone would be disappointed to know the truth.
Suddenly, she heard the chimes of the clock. She began to run and ignored the voices every person trying to stop her. She could not let them see who she really was, and her pace became much faster, almost as if she was flying. She could hear the people following her, but her only destination was to find a place where she could hide. In her haste, she felt a shoe come off, but she could not retrieve it. Her identity was more important than a shoe.
She made her way into the woods just as the final chime rang. She felt her beautiful gown transform into tattered rags. She noticed people looking for her, but stayed out of sight. One by one, people returned to the ball room once they realized that the search for her was futile. She stole one last glance and saw the man she had danced all night with holding her missing shoe. She wanted to run to him, but she could not take a step towards him. She studied her appearance, and felt unimportant. She knew he was looking for a princess, and not a simple servant who had no right to be dressed in such a fine gown. She watched silently as he walked back into the castle, and she began the long journey home.
As she walked, her thoughts returned to the magical evening, and her mind flooded with memories. She wondered if she really was that girl that spent the night at the ball dazzling everyone who crossed her path. The entire night, she had been so worried about revealing her station in life that she did not notice how comfortable she was being a part of a world she had long forgotten. She did not regret her decision to remain hidden after fleeing from the ball, but for the first time in her life, she believed that being a servant was only masking the person she truly was inside.
A/N: I know it's been forever since I've written anything, but I figured this little one shot would be a nice warm up before I started posting new chapters to other stories.