A/N:

! IMPORTANT !

I am changing a few bits about the story, so just bear with me. Another idea came to mind. Anyway! In chapter 2 we met Courtney. At first everyone thought she was going to be Jessica, so did I, but I changed it last minute. Courtney doesn't actually look like that.

She is tall like Angela, but she has long, straight black hair. She has piercing blue eyes and she is really pretty. She is also a senior so that is why we don't see much of her. Every dorm room needs a sort of...head girl (or boy for the guys) and the head girl/boy is always a senior and it changes every year. This year Courtney is the leader because well... she is a senior!

So there. It is very important that I tell you this or you won't get the next bit of this chapter :)

One more thing! In my rush to get this chapter out there, I didn't do a grammar check. So deal with it.

Umm yeah. I have nothing left to say...

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Vallier Court Academy

Bella POV

I walked through my dorm door and collapsed on my bed. Angela was a step behind me. She hung up her coat and came to join me.

"Long day?" She was referring to our shopping trip.

"You have no idea." I said as memories of Mike flashed into my mind. We lay there for a few more minutes just relaxing.

"What do we do now?" I asked her. She sat up and looked me in the eye. Her facial expression was dead serious.

"Bella, I have something to tell you." She said. I stared at her wide-eyed and she continued.

"I can't let you leave the dorm. Not before I do your hair, make-up and get you ready for the ball." A smile crept up onto her face at the last part.

I gave a joyful little scream and hugged her. She giggled at my reaction and hugged me back. If it wasn't for her, I would have no idea what I would do with my hair and all that stuff. Thank god she was here to help.

"Well, it is nearly six o'clock. We need to start getting ready. The ball is at eight." She abruptly got off the bed and started getting things out of her drawers.

"Starting already? We have nearly two hours!" I complained. (A/N: sound familiar? Sorry, but Bella doesn't know Alice yet. She will soon!)

"Bella, these things take time. Trust me on this." She explained while she placed her make-up and hair products on the bed.

"Alright." I sighed. If she wanted to do this, I would let her.

"Let's get started." She smiled at me and pointed to the bathrooom. I walked to the bathroom while she followed close behind with all her hair and makeup stuff.

She started by wetting down my hair and applying loads of product. It felt like it took forever. Then she started blow-drying my hair and combing it. She took out a curling iron and clips and started clipping my hair into place. She finished curling my hair - which I thought was pointless because she was just going to put it up - and then stepped back to admire it. She smiled to herself and stepped back towards me. She lifted up parts of my hair and took clips from the counter and put them in. I felt her pull, twist, clip and hold my hair. Finally she finished after a few more pulls and clipping and stepped back to admire her work. She smiled and turned me to look at her accomplishment.

I gasped when I saw my hair. It was beautiful. Angela had pulled my hair back into an intricate bun with loops of hair and pins to hold it there. My hair looked soft and touchable, but I didin't want to touch it incase I ruined all of Angela's hard work.

"Angela! It's beautiful!" I told her. Angela gave a satisfied smile and admired her work.

"Ok! Time for make-up!"

She pulled out blush, and eye shadow, and mascara, and lip stick, and lip gloss, and all these other little things that I had no idea as to what they were. She turned my chair back to her so I could no longer see myself in the mirror and so it would be easier for her to apply everything. I watched her as she picked up this and that and I would feel the soft touch of a brush.

Angela finished putting something on my lips and stepped back. Her eyes became wide and all her movements froze.

"What?" I asked her. Was there someting wrong? Did she make me look like a monster? Or a vampire?

Whoa.

I mentally slapped myself for that last remark.

Angela just shook her head and turned my chair around to face the mirror. I was confused when I looked into the mirror. What I saw was not myself.

I searched the mirror for my reflection but I couldn't find it. All I could see was a girl sitting in my chair. But the girl... she was beautiful. No, beautiful didn't cover it. She was dazzling, elegant, stunning. She looked like a princess from a fairytale.

Her skin was creamy and white, her eyes were smoky and dark, her lips were red and full. Everything about her was perfect. The way her dark hair was twisted up in a style fit for royalty. She was beautiful.

I continued looking for myself, but I couldn't see my reflection. But every movement the perfect girl made registered in my mind. Then it hit me hard and fast.

That girl was me.

I gaped at myself. Angela had done marvelous work. I had never seen myself look as I did now. I didn't think I was capable of looking how I did now. How I wished Edward could see me now...

"So? What do you think?" Angela asked me.

"I... I think I look... pretty." I answered her. What else is there to say?

"Pretty? PRETTY? I think you look GORGEOUS! My God Bella, you are too self-concious..." She trailed off her little rant.

"Thanks, Angela." I blushed. She smiled and looked at the clock.

"Oh my God, Bella! It's seven o'clock! We have barely any time left!" Angela was thrown into a frenzy after looking at the clock.

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the bathroom. She opened my drawer and grabbed the box with the dress in it. She took off the lid and carefully placed the dress on my bed. She placed everything else around my dress. Seeing my dress again put into sort of a daze. It was like I couldn't believe that I was truely going to do this. I couldn't believe that I was about to walk into a masquerade looking the way I did.

Angela helped me into my dress because there was no way I could do it by myself. She tightened the waist because it was actually a corset. One word. Ouch. After she had laced me up and I had gotten over the fact that I couldn't breath, I was thrown back into my daze. The dress felt like heaven. It wasn't too heavy or hot. It wasn't too big or too showy. It was perfect.

At last Angela had draped the sleeves over my shoulders. She took the jewelry out of its box and placed it on my neck and through my ears. She took one shoe off the bed and carefully strapped it over my ankle. She took the other shoe and did the same. Then she asked me to do something impossible. She asked me to stand up. In these shoes.

I tried my best. I needed to use Angela for support otherwise I would have surely finished my belated meeting with Mr. Floor. As I stood, Angela draped the cloak over my shoulders. She laced the strings together and too a step back. She smiled with satisfaction and took my hand and guided me to the mirror. Yet again, I was shocked.

My dress skirts were flowing to the floor. My cloak was black as night and concealed most of me. I looked at the face staring back at me. She looked like Snow White. She looked graceful even standing still. As I stood there, Angela gently raised the hood of the cloak over my head. The fabric hooded my eyes but I could still see clearly the figure of beauty standing before me.

I had no idea of how long I had been standing there until I realized that Angela was gone. I must have stood there for quite some time because my legs were stiff. The door to the bathroom slowly opened and Angela stepped through the frame. She was dressed for the ball and looked stunning.

Her dress was mermaid style which emphasized how tall she was and how small her waist was. The dress was cream coloured with elegant ruffles at the bottom. There was a bow at her waist which was held together with long ribbons. Her earrings were bronze coloured and dangling from her ears. Her hair was loosely waving down her back with a pin here and there to keep it in place.

"Angela, you looked beautiful." I said as I looked at her.

"Thanks." She blushed. I thought I was the only one who blushed!

"We better get a move on. It is already 8:10," Angela said to me.

She picked up a cloak similar to mine and tied it around herself. She grabbed her mask and placed it on her delicate face. It was a half mask with pleated gold all around. The mask was trimmed with golden lace and had a gemstone at the top. It was quite a beautiful mask and it fit her perfectly.

She picked up my mask and handed it to me. I quickly put it on as Angela brought her hood over her face to match mine. She out the dress box away and walked back over to me. She looked at me through her mask and gave me a reassuring smile. I smiled in response and grabbed the invitations off the bed. We wanted to be sure to leave no trace of our activities behind. We walked out the door and I turned off the lights as I closed the door.

There was no one else in the dorms so we had no troubles leaving undetected. Angela led the way because I had no idea where we were supposed to go. We followed a pathway that looked like it hadn't been used in years. The stones were old and cracked with lichen and ivy growing over them. The castle was only lit in certain parts so we were walking in total darkness most of the time. The wind was picking up so we kept our heads down, not only because of the wind, but because we didn't want anyone to see us, or ever worse, recognize us.

We must have looked pretty cool from a distance. Two cloaked figures walking along an old stone pathway in the dark. Both with hooded faces bent down to protect themselves from the howling wind. Yeah, that would look pretty sweet.

I looked up to see where we were going and stopped walking. The building was just as magnificant as the rest of the castle, but this part was huge. It was made of the same grey stone but built as high as a tower. At the front were two monsterous oak doors with golden knockers in the faces of lions. Angela tugged on my wrist for me to keep walking. As we neared the doors, she fearlessly climbed the stone steps and grabbed the massive rings. The door knockers looked heavy as she slowly gave three loud thumps. I stood at the bottom of the steps, too intimidated to go any further.

I heard a deafening crack and the door started to slowly open. A man in a suit stood in the frame. His face was impassive as he looked at Angela. This must be the way he always is. There was no way that he could look at Angela without even a little bit of appreciation. Angela quickly climbed back down the stairs to grab my wrist and drag me back up the stairs. I couldn't help but notice that when I walked past the doorman, I saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes. He looked away before I could tell what it was.

We entered into a hallway which was richly decorated with heavy fabrics and ancient statues. I heard a low thunder behind me and turned to see the man closing the doors. He would look anywhere but at me and I wondered why. I turned my head around towards the front and continued walking side by side with Angela. I was amazed at how little problems I had walking in these death traps of a shoe.

We came to another set of heavy oak doors with two men on either side. Angela pulled on the strings on her cloak and one of the men took it. I rushed to undo my strings as Angela waited for me. I fiddled with my mask, trying to put it in just the right position. Of course, it was already in perfect position, I was just so nervous. Angela layed a gentle hand on mine and lowered it to my side.

"Bella, relax." Her soft tone did relax me a little. But only a little. She paused and then spoke again.

"Are you ready?"

"I think so," I said shakily.

Each man took a handle of the heavy doors and opened them. You know how in the movies where the two men would open the doors and it was so beautiful that a bright light would blind everyone? Well, it was nothing like that. Sorry to let you down...

I lie. It was just like the movies. When the doors opened, I froze. It was spectacular, fit for a fairytale. In fact, this entire castle was fit for a fairytale. The floors shone like glass, the walls were lined with mirrors and pillars plated with gold, the ceiling was curved into a dome with murals all around. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings with candles placed inside, lighting this wonderous room. There were three windows at the end of the room, all of which had heavy gold drapes to cover them. Velvet chairs and antique tables were off to the sides, waiting for tired dancers. And that was the most spectacular part: the dancers.

The men were impossible to tell from each other. Each wore an old style suit fit for the 18th century with masks to hide their faces. The women were the ones who truely gave the room its light. Colourful dresses and masks twirling in the candlelight. It was a beautiful sight. At the centre of all the dancers, I could see a little space of the rest had left. For in that space were two sets of dancers. The first couple were incredible. The man was tall and blonde with a silver tie to his tux. He must have been 6.3ft he was so tall. I couldn't make out his face because he was wearing a full-faced mask which made him look extremely handsome. It was of black wrought iron mixed in with the occasional silver swirl. Instead of the mask being fit to his face, it came out like a point at the end. It matched the victorian scene perfectly. But the girl he was dancing with! She was beyond beautiful.

She had short, spiky black hair that only a model could pull off. She was thin to the extreme and wore a half-faced mask. I could see the bottom half of her face and it was no less than the rest of her. Her features were sharp and angular, but delicate and petite. Her mask was of black wrought iron, just like her partner's, but without the silver. It fitted her face perfectly as did her dress. The gown she wore was a deep purple with gold designs around the bodice. It was a sleevless dress but as the gold design wrapped around her waist, it continued to grow over her chest and up to her neck where it turned into a sort of collar. The skirts swept to the floor where they would move airily around when dancing.

Up against her partner, I realized how small the girl truely was. She couldn't have been over five feet while her partner was well over six feet. It would have looked comical on any other couple, but it made them look even more like professionals. The height difference didn't hinder their dancing what so ever. The steps the two of them took were incredibley graceful. Every move they made was like watching a Russian ballet, every twist and twirl looked so natural.

The next couple were just as beautiful. The man was huge! Not in the way of being fat, but of being just... solid. I could almost see the bands of muscle under his suit. It was a wonder of how he moved with the same grace as his fellow couple. His suit was different from the other man's. Instead of the earlier century look, it seemed as though he was more in modern time. His suit had the typical trousers, coat and vest, but the dress shirt was much different to the rest. The collar was flipped up and he wore no tie but a button in its place. It looked shockingly handsome, though.

I could not see the man's face for her also wore a full-faced mask. It was the face of a jester. The face was smiling and cut in two. One side was all white and the other completely red. The dividing line was of leafed gold, which looked very elegant. The tops of the mask were like the "hair" of the jesters back in medival times. It was red fabric dangling over the mask with bells attached. I must say, it was quite the mask. But the girl, or I guess I should say woman, he was dancing with was probably the most beautiful at the ball.

Her dress was the colour of rubies and the bodice was tied together with ribbons, which showed much of her body, but still looked elegant. The dress showed the womanly curves of her body. She had the kind of body that you would see on some sports illustrated magazine. Her skirts were ruffled and they wrapped around her body as she danced. Her flaxen hair was in curls and waves as it flowed loosely down her back. Her mask was a half-faced mask and I could see the perfection of her face. The mask was as red as the dress and was decorated with silver and a deeper red. The blood red feathers coming from the side only added to the image of her beauty. She moved with as much grace as her fellow dancers, perhaps more.

I tore my eyes from the dancers in the middle. They were captivating, but there was someone, hopefully, here that I needed to find. As I looked around a little more, I though I saw somebody I recognized. She was tall with pale skin and hair as black as night. Her dress was chocolate coloured with no sleeves and a tiny waist. Her hair was up so I could see the full length of her cream neck. She truely was beautiful, but no match to the dancers in the centre of the room. Her mask was bronze with golden sparkles and finished off with a brown quartz gemstone. There was something oddly familiar about that girl. She reminded me of Courtney... but I couldn't be sure.

The man she was dancing with, I had not seen him before. His skin was the same chocolate colour of the girl's dress and he had short, stubby, black coloured hair. His mask was gold which showed great contrast between his own appearance and that of the girl's. He was taller than her 5.10ft, and looked very dashing in his black tux. As the couple sashayed by me I could have sworn I saw the girl's sky blue eye wink at me.

I looked around the ballroom to see if I recognized anbody else. I did.

She was at the punch table, throwing herself at some poor guy who only wanted a drink. Her dress was atrocious. It was a sickly red with ugly lace in the front. The lace on her skirts were ruffled and stitched poorly. It was soo poofy she could barely walk, and it also made her look stubby and a little shorter than her regular 5.10ft. It was obious that she was wearing heels because she tripped over herself so often. The bodice was too small in the waist (she looked as if she couldn't breath) and it was too big in the chest (she was obviously a hopeful in that area). The bodice was in an odd V shape with more of that lace. She wore cheap elbow lenght gloves that weren't even a pure white.

Just to top it off, her mask was of white cardboard with more ugly lace and golden... stuff. Cheap fabric rose buds were glued onto either side and as if to imitate the beautiful girl dancing in the centre of the room, she had dollar store pink feathers coming off the side of her mask. They were stuck onto the mask along with that awful string you use to wrap really cheap christmas presents with. She looked completely disasterous. And there was only one girl I knew who would dress like that.

Lauren.

A/N: OMC! I'm back! I know that I have been back nearly a week, but I got a little distracted. Everytime I would try to write, I would end up reading more fanfiction. Sorry guys!

All described items (like dresses, masks, suites...) will be on my profile.

I love you guys! Thanks for waiting!

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VRD