.
The invitation wasn't printed on paper, but instead on something black, heavy, and cold. The writing on it was done in iridescent ink, the letters swirling into each other in graceful arcs and loops, hundreds of hidden meanings in the slant of this dot, or the slope of that line, or the exact tint of iridescence. It was writing made for codes and people who hid themselves and was virtually indecipherable to anyone but the intended recipient.
That didn't stop Maddie and Jack from trying as soon as Danny had tried to explain it to them.
"What did you say this was again?" asked Maddie. "An invitation from one of your ghost friends?" She adjusted the sight on her microscope again and slid a new light filter in.
"No, it's an invitation to the Midnight Masquerade." Danny scratched the back of his neck. "I was actually kind of hoping I wouldn't be invited this year."
"Huh? Why's that, Danny boy?" asked Jack, looking up, wrench in hand. "Is it no fun?"
"No, no, the Masquerade itself is actually pretty cool. It's the reason you get invited that kind of makes me…" He shrugged. "Unenthusiastic."
"And what's that?" asked Maddie.
"You only get an invite if you're hiding a big portion of yourself."
"You-? Oh," said Maddie. "So, because you told us about yourself…"
"Yeah, I was hoping. But I am still hiding it from almost everyone else in the world, so, you know." He shrugged. "Not a huge shock."
"So, are you going to go?"
"Yeah, I have to."
"Have to?" asked Maddie, frowning.
"If you get an invite, you're sort of… drawn in. It's fine, I'm not upset about it. Like I said, the thing itself is pretty cool. Everyone gets masks and cool outfits. Also, everything inside is completely anonymous."
"Oh, is it like the Winter Truce?"
"Not exactly. No one fights there, but, like… You literally can't recognize anyone unless they tell you who they are outright, no matter how much they look like themselves. Ghost magic."
"There's no such thing as magic," said Maddie, as Jack gasped like Danny had said a dirty word.
"Just things that haven't properly been explained by science yet!" said Jack.
"Come up with a shorter term for it, and maybe I'll say that," said Danny.
Maddie sighed. "Will you take the equipment?"
"I can try," said Danny. "But most stuff like that doesn't actually work. I mean. It is supposed to be sort of a haven. A night you don't have to hide yourself, because you're hidden."
"But you're forced to go," said Maddie, always eager to jump on apparent inconsistencies in ghost culture.
"There's a lot of stuff like that," said Danny, shrugging. "It doesn't really feel like being forced, it's just…" He trailed off. Sometimes it was hard to explain the push and pull, the tides of ghostly instincts. His parents tried, but they just didn't get it. Not really.
"Do you want us to go with you?"
"I mean, you could come, but it probably wouldn't do much good. Like I said, you can't recognize anyone there. Even if you go in together. And going in is a bit of a thing in and of itself… There's like…" He waved his hands. "A maze? At least, that's what it was before. It might change. Anyway, you have to go in one at a time, and, well. Yeah. I can try and take a camera, but I'm not sure how the recording would work."
Maddie sighed. "Do you really have to go?"
"Do you want to go?" asked Jack.
"Yes," said Danny. "Still photos might work better. That's a thing Sam noticed."
"We know, sweetie. Are you sure? We can set something up to stop you if you're being forced to go against your will."
"I am sure I want to go. You can call Jazz if you like. I told her about last year's."
Maddie sighed.
"When is it?" asked Jack.
"Next week, midnight," said Danny.
"And you're sure you don't want us to go with you?"
"I'm sure, but if you want to go, I don't think there's a rule against it. Uninvited ghosts do drop in. Humans…" He shrugged. "Ghosts usually don't care if humans show up, as long as th- As long as we follow the rules."
His parents exchanged glances.
"We'll think about it," said Maddie. "We have a whole week to talk about this, after all, don't we?"
.
Danny flew to the Midnight Masquerade alone, but with a camera that, theoretically, would send footage back home. He seriously doubted it would work but didn't feel like taking the time to dissuade his parents.
Following the invitation, he found the relatively inconspicuous door to the Masquerade. It floated among a dozen others that looked exactly like it, purple and unassuming. Danny opened the door to reveal what appeared to be a path between totally normal hedges. Through an overhead rose trellis that gave the path a tunnel-like feeling, Danny glimpsed what many people would take to be stars.
This was a pocket dimension. The stars were illusory.
Danny inhaled deeply, night air washing over his tongue, carrying with it the scent of grass and wine.
Not that he'd be allowed to drink the wine unless he got really sneaky. Ghosts still treated him like he was fourteen.
Which. He did look fourteen. Stupid portal stunting his stupid growth.
He walked through the maze, picking paths at random for now. At one point he caught a glimpse of a woman in a neon blue evening dress—But just a glimpse. He could hear laughter and music in the middle distance, but it was far enough away for him to feel alone.
His clothing was adjusting itself to something more appropriate for a formal party. The hazmat fabric softened and recut itself. He acquired a tie out of nowhere. His boots turned into shoes and blackened, leaving only a thin silver pinstripe between the soles and uppers. A mask condensed out of the moisture in the air, settling gently on his face. Only the top half of it this time, thank goodness.
He wouldn't be able to take it off until he left.
He'd have to look in a mirror before he left. He wanted to see what he looked like in all this.
A clock tolled midnight just as he stepped out of the maze. The party was only just beginning.