Chapter 4

Masquerade!

For everyone the night of the Masquerade came too fast. Paige and Heather were excited because it was one of their favorite parts of the movie. Alyssa couldn't wait to wear her beautiful white dress. She loved it.

The night before, on New Year's Eve, the girls had taken time to mix up the truth spell they were to give Madame Giry. They were all nervous, hoping everything would go according to plans. Nobody wanted a new surprise waiting for them if Joe decided to change scenes. Scot was nervous about being the lead male dancer in a black and white mask. He wasn't used to dancing.

At the beginning of the ball, as Heather walked out of her dressing room, Clay stood waiting for her smiling and holding a small black box in his hand. He offered it to her. Slowly she reached out and took it. Opening the box, she gasped in admiration, it truly was beautiful. Turning around she ran back into her room and grabbed a chain from her dressing table.

"I'm sorry Clay, but I have to wear it on my neck. I wish I could wear it on my finger though. It's so pretty in real life." She smiled at him and he smiled back, taking the chain from her and clasping it around her neck. "Thanks," she whispered. Clay led her down the steps and onto the dancing floor in the entrance hall. Heather touched the ring, making sure it was really there.

"Masquerade! Paper faces on parade! Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you!" the dancers and opera performers sang happily. Everyone was happy, unaware of the disruption to come. Heather momentarily forgot about it as she danced with Clay.

Paige watched happily as Scot did his solo dance. She couldn't believe how good he was. He led the other dancers wonderfully. He never missed a single beat or movement, always in a continuous pattern. Even with the mask completely covering his face, Paige could tell he was having fun.

Then suddenly, Joe, dressed in the Phantom's Red Death costume, ruined it all. And just so he could give the evil owners his dumb opera. Joe threw the folder containing the opera on the ground in front of them. Heather didn't even notice that Clay wasn't by her side anymore. Her eyes were on Joe.

As he sang his last line, their eyes met and he stood, waiting for her to come to him. Heather was rooted to her spot, she couldn't move. Madame Giry stared at her, willing her to move. Everyone stood in silence, waiting for something to happen. After a couple of minutes of waiting Joe looked like he was going to cry. Heather didn't know if it was that look, or if it was something else that made her feet begin to move towards him. She had no control over her body anymore. She met him at the steps. He stepped down one. He opened his mouth to say something but then his eyes found the ring that was around her neck. Anger flooded his face. He yanked it off of her neck, "You're still mine!" he yelled and then jumped off the steps and into the hole that appeared in the floor. Clay suddenly appeared and jumped in after him, just making it before the hole closed.

Everyone gasped in shock and stared at the pattern on the floor that had just closed. They were confused, how did Joe do all of this? How could he have gotten it to work? Was he really a ghost like they all thought? Millions of questions ran through their minds