I cannot apologize enough for the delay. Part of it is my fault, part of it is out of my control. I wanted to make this chapter extra awesome, so it took a while. I've also had a lot of schoolwork, plus endless holidays (I'm Jewish) and my grandmother died. I promise to make it up to you all, though, which is why this weekend you will be getting not one, but two - count 'em, two - updates, both 11 pages long. Do I love you guys or do I love you guys?
Also, before we begin, I would like to give a shoutout to everyone who has written a review, favorited my story or me, and put alerts on my story or me. This story is for you guys and I couldn't be happier to hear that you are enjoying it. Also, a shoutout to my beta, SporkFilledDeath345, for catching the mistakes I'm too unobservant to catch myself, and to TayuyaFluteofDeath, for just generally being super supportive and making me laugh with your reviews. I love you both!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just the plot. And Marie. And Jonathan. And Augustus. And the horses. And Rosalie's unnamed butler.
Chapter 17 – Behind the Mask (Bella's POV)
I cautiously climbed up the stairs to the Cullen's house, the full skirt of my ivory and gold dress swishing and swaying with every step. I sighed. Alice and Rosalie had insisted on dressing me for the ball. They had searched my closet for hours, finally deciding on the dress I wore. It was ivory, with a basic rounded neckline trimmed with gold. The sleeves were long and tight, with small triangles edged in gold over the backs of my hands. The bodice was tight too; the majority of the front was gold while the back and part of the front were ivory. The gold of the bodice ended in a point just after the full skirt began. The skirt itself was ivory with a gold trim around the bottom and gold vine design that got sparser as it went up. My mask was a half-face mask in ivory with gold sparkles, gold sequins around the edges and eyeholes, and gold feathers at the point on each side. It tied with gold ribbons at the back of my head. Rose quartz hung from my earlobes and my throat. My hair hung freely down my back and I wore no makeup. Alice and Rosalie thought I looked gorgeous, and I had agreed.
As I entered the ballroom, I was ambushed by two masked females. They dragged me across the ballroom towards one of the alcoves off of it. "Oh, Bella, thank goodness you're here," one girl cried, a brunette in a periwinkle blue dress and a metal mask of periwinkle blue closer to her nose, progressively darkening until it turned sapphire blue at the ends. Sapphires hung from her ears and throat to match. I could tell instantly it was Alice.
"Why, what's going on?" I asked as we moved through the crowd.
"Not in public," the second girl, a blond in a violet dress and a violet and silver mask with amethysts on silver chains at her earlobes and throat, cautioned. I saw the violet eyes flashing through the eyeholes and knew it was Rosalie. "Wait until we're alone." Reaching a small alcove, Rosalie pulled us inside, making sure we were out of sight and wouldn't be overheard. "Masks off," she ordered. I reached up and undid the gold ribbons, pulling my mask away from my head. Alice undid the thin sapphire ribbons holding up her mask and pulled it aside, as did Rosalie; she reached behind her head, undid the silver ribbons supporting her mask and pulled it away from her face.
"Now then," I said. "What's going on here? Why are you two so scared?"
Neither girl spoke. Finally, Alice said, "They're here."
"They who?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
"Edward, Jasper, and Emmett," Rosalie replied.
"How do you know?" I asked. "Everyone's wearing a mask."
"Carlisle and Esme told us," Alice said. "The fact that this is a masquerade ball just makes things more difficult. We won't know who's who behind the mask. Any of the guys here could be them."
"We just have to be careful and stay together no matter what," I told them.
"Bella, I don't think that will work," Rosalie commented. "If anything, that will just give us away, and I don't think that that's the smartest idea."
"Good point, Rose," Alice said. "Actually, it may be a good thing that you and I are attending this ball with our fiancés. That will keep us apart, which will keep them away from us since they won't know who we are."
"Good thinking, Alice," I told her.
"I agree," Rosalie said. "Now, then, we probably should get back to the ball before people start wondering where we are and the whole plan is ruined."
"Definitely," I said. "Should we all go in at once, or one at a time?"
"All at the same time, but keep apart and don't acknowledge each other," Alice said. "It's less suspicious." Rosalie and I nodded in agreement.
"We should put our masks back on," I said. One by one, we helped each other retie the ribbons that held our masks over our faces. Once my mask was secure, I turned to them. "How do I look?"
"You look beautiful, Bella," Alice said. Rosalie nodded in agreement. "How Edward could be so stupid as to do what he did… I don't know." I tried to ignore the wound Alice's comments had opened, but it was hard.
"Thanks, you two," I said. "You both look beautiful too. Jacob and Royce are two lucky men." Rosalie smiled at the mention of her fiancée while Alice grimaced.
"Come on," Rosalie said. Without hesitation, we left the alcove side by side. As we neared the ballroom, we widen the space between each of us and staggered our line, pretending not to notice the other two. We merged back into the party and went our separate ways without being noticed.
Rosalie's POV
Alice, Bella, and I exited the alcove where we had been talking and split off from each other. I had barely gotten a few steps away when a young man in a dashing navy blue suit and mask stepped up to me. "Would you care to dance, Miss?" he asked me.
I was about to decline his offer when I noticed the two flowers pinned to his lapel. It was a violet and a rose, side by side. Instantly, I knew what they were and who this was. "I would love to dance with you, Royce," I said sweetly.
Royce moved closer to me and put his hand on my waist. I braced my hand on his shoulder. "How did you know it was me?" he whispered in my ear.
"The flowers," I murmured back. "You told me you would have a rose and a violet pinned to your lapel so I would know it was you."
"So I did," he said. "So I did." He offered me his arm and I took it. We swept out onto the dance floor and began to dance.
"How did you know it was me?" I asked as we danced.
"Your eyes," Royce answered. "Your eyes that sparkle like violets. No other girl has eyes like yours, so I knew it must be you. Nor is any girl here as beautiful as you are."
"I'm flattered, Royce." Royce and I danced the next few dances together before I excused myself to go get a drink. I floated through the room, stopping to socialize with people I knew, even through their masks. Time passed quickly and soon it was a half hour until midnight. A half hour until the unmasking.
I stood talking to Lauren when a man came over to me. "Excuse me, Miss, would you care to dance?" he said to me. I considered saying no, but then I thought one dance won't hurt. I'm simply being polite and sociable.
"I would care to dance," I answered. He took my hand and led me out to the dance floor. He took me in his arms and we began to dance. There was something familiar about the way it felt to be in his arms, but I couldn't understand why. I looked up at his face, trying to figure out who he was, but his mask made it impossible. I sighed.
"What's wrong?" he asked me.
"Who are you?" I asked in reply.
"A friend," he answered. A friend? I thought. What an odd answer. Though maybe that's what I need right now. Someone to talk to, someone who will listen. Someone like Alice or Bella or… or Emmett. At that, I felt my carefully construed façade collapse. Tears began to fall down my face, sliding out from under my mask.
"What's wrong?" the masked man asked, seeing my tears. "Are you alright?"
"No," I said through my tears. "I'm not alright."
"What happened?" he asked. "Why are you so upset?"
"I made a mistake," I said. "I hurt someone I really care about badly and I'm afraid they'll never forgive me."
"I don't understand."
"There was this gentleman. We met at a previous party of the Cullens. We became friends and eventually stronger feelings got involved. He started courting me, but I became engaged to another man, who made me end things with this gentleman. At first, it didn't bother me. He was hurt, but I didn't care. Now I've realized how foolish I was. This man meant so, so much to me, and I ruined things. Now the damage is done. He hates me and nothing I say to him – saying I'm sorry or telling him that I care about him – will ever change that."
"I don't mean to be rude, but I think you're wrong," the masked man told me. "I think if you told him you were sorry and that you care about him, he would forgive you."
"How can you know that for sure?" I asked him.
The masked man disregarded my question. "There was something else you were wrong about. He doesn't hate you. He could never hate you because he loves you too much to hate you. He's loved you from the first moment he met you and he still loves you now. He's just waiting for you to realize that you love him too."
"How do you know this?" I repeated my question as the midnight bells began to chime. All around us, people were unmasking. The masked man met my eyes. Slowly, he reached for the ribbons holding up my mask. Gently, he untied them and pulled my mask away from my face. He handed it to me, never breaking our connection.
"How do I know this?" he murmured to me. Slowly, he undid the ties holding up his own mask and began to take it off, his eyes never leaving mine. He pulled it away from his face and I gasped.
Involuntarily, I took a step back, shocked. "Emmett?" I whispered. He took a step closer to me and I took another step back.
"Rosalie…" Emmett said, moving closer to me again.
"No…." I said, turning and running away.
"Rosalie!" Emmett called after me. I kept running, thankful that I had thought to come separate from Royce. As I raced from the ballroom I collided with someone. I saw the flowers on his lapel before I saw his face.
"Rosalie, dearest, wherever are you going?" Royce asked.
"I… I don't feel well," I lied. "I'm going home."
"Do you think you can wait a few minutes, sweetheart? It's almost time for us to announce our engagement."
"I don't think I can wait. Besides, the newspaper is running the announcement tomorrow. We can wait a few more hours, can't we?"
"Well, alright," Royce said. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, stay and enjoy yourself," I said. "I'll be fine."
"If that's what you want, Rosalie, I'll stay." Royce kissed me on the cheek. "Feel better, sweetheart." With that, Royce disappeared back into the party. As he went, I saw Emmett frantically searching the crowd. Desperate not to be seen, I hurried away. I got into my carriage and sped away, lost in thought.
Alice's POV
Bella, Rosalie, and I exited the alcove, pretending not to know each other. We each swept off into the crowd. I found Jessica and began to talk with her. After a little while, I excused myself and began wandering around the ballroom. After a few minutes, a masked gentleman with russet colored skin stopped me.
"I've been looking for you," he said. He leaned in closer so I could see his black eyes through his mask, the eyes of my betrothed. "Where did you disappear to?"
"I needed to speak to some friends," I said, careful not to give names for fear that one of the boys was nearby and would know it was me.
Jacob nodded. "Come dance," he bade me. We swept out onto the dance floor and began to dance. The hours ticked by slowly and soon it was a half hour until unmasking. The musicians struck up a new dance, one that required us to change partners halfway through. When it reached that point, Jacob let go of me and went to a new girl. I stood and waited for another gentleman to ask me to dance.
A blonde man in a silvery-gray suit and mask came over to me. "May I?" he asked, extending his hand.
"You may." I took his hand and we began to dance. I looked up at him as we spun around the room. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I felt an aura of trust running between the two of us. I remembered the last time I had met a man in this room who I thought I could trust. Tears began to trickle down my cheeks as I thought of him.
The masked man noticed my tears. "Why are you crying?" he asked me.
"I'm sorry," I told him. "I was just remembering an old friend of mine. We're… we're no longer friends and I miss him so, so much."
"What happened?"
"Well, when I was younger, I was betrothed to the son of good friends of my parents, but the son died fighting in the Civil War. I got engaged to this friend of mine, only to find out that my betrothed was still alive. Now I have to marry him, and my friend is mad at me for betraying his trust."
"Do you love your betrothed?" the masked man asked me.
"Once upon a time I did," I told him. "But now, now I'm not so sure I do."
"So if you don't love him, do you love someone else?"
I thought about this for a moment. Was it possible that, even after what happened and what had been said, I still loved Jasper? Had I ever stopped loving him? "I think I love him. My friend."
"Does he know you love him?"
"I know he knows, but I don't think it matters to him anymore. When we had to end the engagement, I tried to convince him that I was against my parents' decision and that I still loved him, but he wouldn't listen."
"If he knows, wouldn't it matter to him?"
"Why would it? He doesn't love me anymore. My feelings are irrelevant."
"You're wrong," he told me. "He still loves you." Silence filled the air around us and the midnight bells began to chime.
"Are… are you sure?" I asked. Slowly, the masked man undid the ribbons holding my mask and pulled it away.
"I'm sure," he told me as he began to untie his mask. "I may not know everything, Alice, but one thing I do know," he pulled off his mask. "Is my heart." I gasped as I stared up into Jasper's navy blue eyes.
I stood there, frozen, for what felt like an eternity. All around us people were moving, laughing, socializing, but I couldn't. For me, none of it existed. All that existed was Jasper. Slowly, I reached my hand out and stroked his cheek. Gently, Jasper reached up and took my hand, holding it tightly in his. He pulled our interlocked hands away from his face,but smiled at me reassuringly, as if worried I would look at things from the wrong angle. Our fingers laced together and he squeezed my hand reassuringly. I squeezed back.
"Alice!" a familiar husky voice called from near by. I wretched my fingers from Jasper's and spun around, coming face to face with Jacob. If he had witnessed the exchange between me and Jasper, his face betrayed nothing. "There you are," he said. "I've been looking for you. It's getting late, you should probably get home." Reluctantly, I followed him out to our carriage and away from Jasper.
Bella's POV
As soon as Alice, Rosalie, and I split off, I trailed through the crowd, pausing only to talk to people I could recognize through the masks. I ended up talking to several of our friends: Leah and her brother Seth, Victoria and her fiancé James, Emily and her fiancé Sam, Kim and her fiancé Jared, Rachel and her fiancé Paul, Claire and her fiancé Quil. As I walked, I also thought I saw several of the gentlemen whom Carlisle and Esme had introduced to us in the hopes of us getting married. At one point, I passed a trio of men who looked like they were Riley, Embry, and Laurent, three of Carlisle and Esme's more recent attempts. I drifted over to talk to them and found out I was right. I enjoyed a lively conversation with them, laughing about the good times at Cullen parties past. More than once, I caught Laurent looking at me, turning away when he knew he'd been caught, only to start watching me again when he thought I didn't notice. I vaguely remembered Alice and Rosalie trying to convince me that Laurent had taken a fancy to me after that first meeting; suddenly, I thought they might be right.
The conversation between the four of us began to wind down about an hour before unmasking. Laurent seized the opportunity at once.
"Would you like to dance, Isabella?" he asked, his slight French accent pronounced.
"I would, Laurent, but only one dance," I replied. We swept onto the dance floor and were immediately caught up in the lively music. Laurent tried to make small talk, to keep me entertained and by his side, but to no avail. When the dance ended, I promptly stepped free of his grasp.
Laurent caught my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my fingertips. "Thank you for honoring me with a dance, Isabella," he said.
"You're welcome, Laurent," I said. With that, I left him and went to find my other friends. I spotted my friends Irina, Kate, Garrett, Carmen, and Eleazar a little ways away, talking. Maybe I should talk to Irina and Kate about their sister, I thought. Maybe they can give me some advice. Garrett may also be able to put in a word or two of advice, since he's engaged to Kate. Carmen and Eleazar too; they're close to them. I began making my way towards them, only to spot a sixth figure among their midst. I recognized the curly strawberry-blond hair instantly. It was Tanya. I looked for a seventh figure, a bronze-haired man, but saw none by Tanya's side. I found it odd that Edward was not with Tanya, but did not dwell on it. Instead, I turned and began looking for someone else to talk to. I so desperately wanted to talk to Irina and Kate and Garrett and Carmen and Eleazar, but not if Tanya was around. Instead, I found Angela and began talking to her. After a while, she excused herself and left. I made my way over to one of the vacant couches around the room and sat down, careful not to ruin my appearance. I glanced at the clock. 11:15. Forty-five more minutes until the unmasking. I sighed.
Fifteen minutes later, a young gentleman came over to me. He had bronze colored hair and pale skin, emphasized by his black suit and mask. The hair sent me into a frenzy. There was only one guy I knew with hair that color and that was….
Don't be silly, I told myself. Just because he has the same colored hair doesn't mean it's automatically him.
The masked man interrupted my thoughts. "Excuse me, Miss, would you care dance?" he asked me, holding out his hand.
"As a matter of fact, I would." I took his hand and he helped me to my feet. Hand in hand, we swept onto the dance floor and began to dance. For a while we were silent. Suddenly, I felt my foot catch on the end of my skirt and I stumbled; thankfully, I didn't ruin the dress. The masked man tightened his grip around my waist to make sure I wasn't hurt.
"Are you alright?" he asked me. He sounded so concerned, so intent on making sure I was okay, just like Edward had…
The tears started to fall as I thought of Edward. I turned my head away, hoping he wouldn't notice, but he did.
"What's wrong?" he asked me.
"It's nothing," I said.
"Please tell me," he begged. "I won't judge you. I would never judge anyone. I can't stand seeing you hurt."
"How about I tell you a story."
"I'm listening."
I hesitated. "Once upon a time, there was a princess," I began. "One night, the princess went to a ball. At this ball, she met a prince. There was an immediate attraction between the prince and the princess. The prince saved the princess from a rowdy courtier. The princess was thankful. Slowly, the prince and the princess started to fall in love. The prince began courting the princess. One day, he told her he loves her and she said it too. The princess was so happy, until she saw the prince out walking with one of the ladies of the court. The princess was so angry that she told the prince that she didn't want to ever see him again. They got into a fight and the prince confessed to having feelings for the lady. The princess was hurt and told the prince to leave. He left, and the princess was devastated. She talked to two of her ladies, but the wound was still there." I stopped.
"How does the story end?" he asked me.
"I… I don't know," I confessed. "It doesn't have an ending yet."
"Well, why don't I give it one?" he suggested. I nodded. He thought for a long moment before beginning. "The prince was deeply hurt by what had happened between him and the princess and he vowed to fix things. He waited and waited for the right moment to approach the princess and apologize to her for what he had done. Finally, opportunity presented itself in the form of a masquerade ball. He plotted and planned to make sure that he would get the chance he needed. At the masquerade ball, he tried all night to find the confidence to find the princess and apologize to her. Finally, he found the confidence. He went to find her and told her he was sorry." I looked up and found the masked man staring at me passionately.
"Wh…what did she say?" I whispered, my voice barely hearable over the chimes of the bells.
Slowly, he undid my mask and pulled it away from my face. "Why don't you tell me what she says, Isabella," he asked me quietly.
"She… she would want to know if the prince was truly sorry for what he did," I said.
"And if he was?"
"If he was, then she would forgive him."
"And what about this princess?" He took my hand. "Would you forgive your prince if he apologized?"
The answer was on my tongue before I could even think. "Yes," I whispered.
"Good," the masked man said. "That's all I needed to hear." Without letting go of my hand, he undid his mask and pulled it away from his face. I gasped. "Hello, Isabella," he murmured.
I tried to pull away, but Edward's strong grip on my hand made it impossible. "Edward…" I said, my voice strangled.
Edward pulled me closer to him. "Bella…" he whispered. Just then, a mass of pale blue silk appeared and wrapped itself around Edward. Tanya.
"There you are, Eddiekins," she cooed, locking her arms around his neck. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Tanya…" Edward said in a growl. He didn't remove her arms from around his neck.
"Come dance, sweetie," Tanya said. Then she noticed me. "Eddiekins, who is this?" she said, the smile on her face being replaced by a frown.
"This is Isabella Swan," Edward said. "She's a friend of mine."
"It's nice to meet you, Isabel," Tanya said.
"It's Isabella," I corrected through gritted teeth.
She ignored me. "Eddiekins, let's dance," she said to Edward. She tried to pull Edward to the dance floor, but he resisted. "What's wrong, sweetie? Don't you want to dance with your sweetheart?"
The word "sweetheart" was like a slap in the face. "So she's your sweetheart, Edward?" I asked, my voice quiet and deadly.
"No, Bella, it's not like that," Edward said.
"So what is it like then?" I asked.
"I can explain, Bella, just give me a chance," he begged.
"I've given you enough chances Edward," I said.
"Bella, please, just let me explain," Edward said.
"I'm sorry Edward, but I can't. I just can't," I said.
"Bella, please, I care about you, only you, I really do," he begged.
"Goodbye Edward," I said as I turned away from him and Tanya and began to make my way through the crowd.
"Bella, wait!" I heard him yell after me, but I didn't stop. "Bella!" I kept walking until I was out of the ballroom and in the entrance hall. I paused, debating what to do now. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and someone calling my name. "Bella!" they yelled. Edward. I turned around, furious.
"What do you want, Edward?" I snapped.
"I want to apologize," he told me.
"I already told you that I can't let you apologize," I said.
Edward moved closer to me so we were inches apart. "Why can't you, Bella?"
"I… I just can't," I said, my resolve weakening.
"You're fighting what is meant to be, Bella," He said to me softly. "We belong to each other. Surely you've seen that this is so." I nodded. "Then why are you fighting it?"
"I… I don't know," I confessed.
"Don't fight it, Bella," he whispered. "Give in to your heart." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. Without thinking, I leaned my head on his chest. We stood like this for a few moments, then I felt a pressure on the top of my head. Edward's lips. Something inside of me snapped and I jerked away, out of Edward's arms. Edward looked at me, shocked. "Bella…" he said.
"I can't do this, Edward," I said, my voice choked. "I'm sorry."
"Bella…" Edward reached for me. I pulled away again and turned and ran outside, towards my carriage and away from Edward. I listened for footsteps behind me, but heard none. I raced outside and up to my carriage.
"Take me home," I ordered the driver. Immediately, I was in and we were driving away. I allowed myself one last look at the Cullens' house as we drove away. Edward stood at the top of the stairs, watching my carriage, pain etched across his face. Then we rounded the corner and vision slipped away into darkness.
Ouch. Poor Bella. And Alice. And Rosalie. And Edward. And Jasper. And Emmett. Don't worry, things will get better soon. I promise.
xoxoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212