---Chapter 18---
While Kyle and Victoria danced, Michael came up to them and grabbed Victoria's hand - although not actually rough, and walked her a little ways away.
"Has anyone ever told you it's rude to skip out in the middle of a dance?" -Michael.
"Has anyone ever told you it's rude to interrupt when a girl's dancing with someone else." -Victoria.
"So we're even." -Michael said and pulled her to him for a dance.
The people all seemed to fade away as they danced. A sinking feeling overcame Victoria and then the people all came into focus again. Except the music. was that music? So beautiful - but -well, it didn't matter. It was so right. contentment assailed her. She glimpsed a fraction of her gown and it was green. What? How? But - she couldn't think, because she was being pulled away.
Michael's face loomed before her as she was pulled away - the scene swam again and she was being pulled again.
No. her hair was.
Michael pulled the mass free of it's clips and it flowed all around her.
Victoria looked up at him. He wore his mask still, but hadn't she seen him without it a moment ago?
Michael's hand was still in her hair, as if he couldn't let it go.
"You know-" Victoria started.
"I knew all along it was you." -Michael.
"Michael, I . feel strange. Did you see it, did you feel ---" Victoria was almost at a loss for words.
'yeah." He simply said enigmatically and only then did she see his lips move, but not the words.
Michael was leaning down and she was looking up at him. And then she felt the softness of his lips amid the backdrop of vast images.
Michael saw a sea of red, eyes of green, a circle of children, a ---, she -- - what was he seeing? This wasn't from him was it? Victoria saw flashes like she was lost in a dream. Michael clamped down on his mind and she could no longer feel his soul running into hers.
But Michael could still see hazy glimpse of stuff that didn't make sense, so he pulled away from her rather forcing himself - and took a breath, like a drowning man.
Victoria looked up at him, her eyes half-closed, feeling as if she was being pulled from a dream that she didn't want to escape.
She finally came to her normal senses to see Michael staring over her shoulder. Victoria turned around and saw that another guest had made an entrance. She wore a long scarlet dress, no mask, and a crown of - thorns? From the distance it looked like such.
"Isabel." Michael said.
Victoria's heart almost stopped. The girl. from the base. She almost expected her to crash the party, but the girl didn't. She simply sailed through the crowd.
+++++++++++++++++++
Max was in the midst of dancing with Liz, a breathless moment between them, caught up in a dark fairy tale atmosphere. It was broken when Max saw Isabel a moment later than Michael had.
He gasped in shock and stepped back from Liz a fraction. Maria on the sidelines, turned to watch Isabel too, after seeing Max and Liz's gaze.
Isabel mingled happily through the crowd, a smile on her face -grabbing a champagne glass here, a bite of food there.
Max hurried over to her, pushing his way through the crowd slightly as he did so. Liz and Maria were on his heels. "Isabel! You - " Max gasped out when he reached her.
Isabel turned around to him, a bright smile on her face - only faltering a bit into a surprised look when she looked at Max's shocked face. "Max, what's wrong?"
"What's. wrong? Iz, you've been missing!" -Max.
Kyle joined the small group after seeing Isabel. The group did not make a scene in the huge crowd, because midnight was upon them and time for the revealing, the shedding of all masks.
"What are you talking about, Max?" Isabel said with surprise. "I was just on a road trip. I needed to get off by myself for a bit. No biggie."
Max gripped her arm. "You can't be serious. You - you're saying you went voluntarily somewhere. You didn't even take your car! You were kidnapped, we thought that ---"
"Oh calm down Max. You're being so melodramatic." -Isabel.
Max was at a loss for words, so he simply went with the flow and took off his mask along with everyone else.
Only Victoria didn't do so. Michael took his off, but only after he noticed something wasn't right with Max. And it wasn't just Isabel's shocking arrival. Max, Kyle, Liz, and Maria looked like they had seen something or -someone.
He followed their eyes over and saw that there were three people in the same gray cloaks. Unmasked, with hoods thrown back.
Michael started over to Max and the others, when Victoria put a hand on his arm. "Michael."
Michael looked down at her a long moment, but without a word he made his way across the room after the departing group of Liz, Maria, Kyle, with Max pulling Isabel behind.
Victoria watched as they left, with Michael not far behind them. What was going on? Then she saw her and Adam's guest, that strange man, go after them outside - stealthily but not hurrying.
When she dashed outside herself, she didn't see their "guest", or Michael's friends - but she got outside just in time to see Michael speeding away from the mansion.
---End of Chapter 18---
While Kyle and Victoria danced, Michael came up to them and grabbed Victoria's hand - although not actually rough, and walked her a little ways away.
"Has anyone ever told you it's rude to skip out in the middle of a dance?" -Michael.
"Has anyone ever told you it's rude to interrupt when a girl's dancing with someone else." -Victoria.
"So we're even." -Michael said and pulled her to him for a dance.
The people all seemed to fade away as they danced. A sinking feeling overcame Victoria and then the people all came into focus again. Except the music. was that music? So beautiful - but -well, it didn't matter. It was so right. contentment assailed her. She glimpsed a fraction of her gown and it was green. What? How? But - she couldn't think, because she was being pulled away.
Michael's face loomed before her as she was pulled away - the scene swam again and she was being pulled again.
No. her hair was.
Michael pulled the mass free of it's clips and it flowed all around her.
Victoria looked up at him. He wore his mask still, but hadn't she seen him without it a moment ago?
Michael's hand was still in her hair, as if he couldn't let it go.
"You know-" Victoria started.
"I knew all along it was you." -Michael.
"Michael, I . feel strange. Did you see it, did you feel ---" Victoria was almost at a loss for words.
'yeah." He simply said enigmatically and only then did she see his lips move, but not the words.
Michael was leaning down and she was looking up at him. And then she felt the softness of his lips amid the backdrop of vast images.
Michael saw a sea of red, eyes of green, a circle of children, a ---, she -- - what was he seeing? This wasn't from him was it? Victoria saw flashes like she was lost in a dream. Michael clamped down on his mind and she could no longer feel his soul running into hers.
But Michael could still see hazy glimpse of stuff that didn't make sense, so he pulled away from her rather forcing himself - and took a breath, like a drowning man.
Victoria looked up at him, her eyes half-closed, feeling as if she was being pulled from a dream that she didn't want to escape.
She finally came to her normal senses to see Michael staring over her shoulder. Victoria turned around and saw that another guest had made an entrance. She wore a long scarlet dress, no mask, and a crown of - thorns? From the distance it looked like such.
"Isabel." Michael said.
Victoria's heart almost stopped. The girl. from the base. She almost expected her to crash the party, but the girl didn't. She simply sailed through the crowd.
+++++++++++++++++++
Max was in the midst of dancing with Liz, a breathless moment between them, caught up in a dark fairy tale atmosphere. It was broken when Max saw Isabel a moment later than Michael had.
He gasped in shock and stepped back from Liz a fraction. Maria on the sidelines, turned to watch Isabel too, after seeing Max and Liz's gaze.
Isabel mingled happily through the crowd, a smile on her face -grabbing a champagne glass here, a bite of food there.
Max hurried over to her, pushing his way through the crowd slightly as he did so. Liz and Maria were on his heels. "Isabel! You - " Max gasped out when he reached her.
Isabel turned around to him, a bright smile on her face - only faltering a bit into a surprised look when she looked at Max's shocked face. "Max, what's wrong?"
"What's. wrong? Iz, you've been missing!" -Max.
Kyle joined the small group after seeing Isabel. The group did not make a scene in the huge crowd, because midnight was upon them and time for the revealing, the shedding of all masks.
"What are you talking about, Max?" Isabel said with surprise. "I was just on a road trip. I needed to get off by myself for a bit. No biggie."
Max gripped her arm. "You can't be serious. You - you're saying you went voluntarily somewhere. You didn't even take your car! You were kidnapped, we thought that ---"
"Oh calm down Max. You're being so melodramatic." -Isabel.
Max was at a loss for words, so he simply went with the flow and took off his mask along with everyone else.
Only Victoria didn't do so. Michael took his off, but only after he noticed something wasn't right with Max. And it wasn't just Isabel's shocking arrival. Max, Kyle, Liz, and Maria looked like they had seen something or -someone.
He followed their eyes over and saw that there were three people in the same gray cloaks. Unmasked, with hoods thrown back.
Michael started over to Max and the others, when Victoria put a hand on his arm. "Michael."
Michael looked down at her a long moment, but without a word he made his way across the room after the departing group of Liz, Maria, Kyle, with Max pulling Isabel behind.
Victoria watched as they left, with Michael not far behind them. What was going on? Then she saw her and Adam's guest, that strange man, go after them outside - stealthily but not hurrying.
When she dashed outside herself, she didn't see their "guest", or Michael's friends - but she got outside just in time to see Michael speeding away from the mansion.
---End of Chapter 18---