In the Human Realm, Princess Luzura anxiously waited for the guests to arrive. She was wearing a dress in shades of black and gray with a jagged skirt resembling a tutu, a black jacket with purple accents, purple leggings, a pair of black mini boots, and a purple mask that covered half of her face. King approached her; he just wore a simple white vest and a red bowtie.
"Are you ready, Your Highness?" He asked.
"I don't know, buddy. I hope everything goes well tonight." She answered as she took a look at her surroundings. The ballroom was beautifully decorated just for the occasion; there were streamers and balloons in orange and black, paper ghosts, spiders, and skeletons hung from garlands, and lit jack-o-lanterns were scattered about while the band was practicing and a few servants were wandering around making sure everything was perfect. She swallowed nervously. "I'm not sure if it's just nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk, but something is making my stomach squirm."
"It's okay, Princess." Lilith chimed in; she wore a midnight blue dress with medium length sleeves, black gloves, and a feathered mask. "You did a great job putting everything together. It'll be great."
"Yes, mija. Everything will be fine." Camila said as she gave her daughter a kiss. She wore an aqua blue dress with a white mini sweater and matching white ballet flats.
"Hey, it's almost time." Vee said as she joined her adopted family. She was in her human disguise and wearing a pale green dress with teal accents to match her hair.
"Right." King said before making his way to the ballroom entrance. He looked out one of the windows and gasped. "They're coming! Everyone into position!" He gave a clap.
The staff quickly finished up what they were doing, the band got themselves ready to perform, and Luz and her family stood together on the other side of the ballroom just as the doors swung open. The band started to play a spooky, yet happy tune; the guests had already started pulling up to the palace outside. Luz watched as people, witch and demon and human, started trickling into the ballroom; some were dressed in formal attire while others wore costumes, makeup, and masks. She took a breath and scanned the crowd; she was happy to see a few familiar faces, but there was one face in particular she was searching for.
"You looking for someone?" Camila quietly asked.
"Huh? Oh, no." Luz lied, trying to hide her blush.
"Come on. King told me you met someone earlier this week." She put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll come."
"I hope so." She smirked as Stringbean rested on her shoulders and nuzzled her face.
Just as everyone was already inside, CinderAmity had finally arrived. Her Pegasus-drawn carriage had pulled up in front of the castle and as she stepped out, she stared in awe. She had never seen anything more beautiful, but she also felt a little anxious.
"Hey." Eda's voice said.
CinderAmity turned to see her godmother standing near the steps; she was casually leaning against the railing.
"As of right now, you're on your own." She said.
"You're not going in with me?" CinderAmity asked.
"Nah. I'm going in through the back entrance, but don't worry. I'll be here the whole time, although you might not be able to find me right away." She took out a feathered owl mask and smirked.
"But… I'm scared to go in by myself."
"Don't be. I got you to the ball, but the rest comes from you. Just be yourself, you'll be fine."
"Really?"
The Owl Lady nodded. "But remember, you gotta be out of there before the clock strikes twelve. So enjoy it while it lasts, Bossy Boots. Good luck." And with that, she winked and jogged off towards the side of the castle for another way in.
CinderAmity glanced back up at the castle, the butterflies in her stomach ready to burst out of her at any moment. Ghost took the cat mask in her teeth and offered it to her mistress with a comforting mew. She looked down and smiled before taking the mask and putting it on.
"She's right. I can do this." She said before she and her palisman made their way up the stairs and through the doors. "This is it, Ghost. No turning back now."
Back in the ballroom just as everyone had started to settle in, King stood in front of the crowd and declared, "Humans of Gravesfield and Witches of the Boiling Isles, I'm pleased to welcome you all to Queen Camila and Princess Luzura's annual Halloween Ball! With that being said, let the party begin!"
Everyone clapped in applause before the band started playing another song and the guests started to mingle and have fun. Boscha and Bria were gossiping with one another and a few other popular kids, Camila was joking around with Lilith and some friends, Belos chatted with a small group of older humans, Vee was messing around with some of her human friends, and Luz had met up with her closest friends from the Boiling Isles.
"Great party so far, Luz." A boy with blonde hair said.
"Thanks, Hunter." She replied. "Since my mom and I always did the same thing every Halloween, I guess I wanted to try something different this year. And I'm so glad you, Willow, and Gus could make it."
"Of course, Luz!" A boy with dark skin and hair, Gus, chimed in.
"We wouldn't miss this for anything." Willow, a girl with glasses and pigtails, added.
"I'm surprised you losers were actually invited." Boscha's voice taunted.
The group turned to see Boscha and Bria sneering at them through their masks; they were standing with their equally mean cliques.
"Yeah, who would want a plant nerd or a lousy illusionist at their party?" Bria added before the two laughed and walked away with their little pack.
Hunter, Luz, Willow, and Gus shook their heads in annoyance.
"I do NOT like them one bit." Hunter commented.
"Titan, I really should talk to Lilith about this." Luz said, sounding embarrassed. Her eyes casually glanced up at the entrance doors and what she saw made her stop and do a double take. She saw CinderAmity enter the ballroom and her eyes widened in awe.
Her friends quickly noticed.
"Luz? You okay?" Gus asked.
"What are you staring at?" Hunter asked.
Willow was about to say something until her eyes glanced up at CinderAmity; her friends followed suit. When she walked in with Ghost at the top of the staircase and gazed at the ballroom, she couldn't believe her eyes.
'Wow. It's even more beautiful than I imagined.' She thought, a smile creeping onto her lips. She took a breath and made her way down the stairs to the floor with her palisman at her side.
Soon enough, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their heads towards the staircase to stare at the new arrival. The ballroom fell silent; the entire court was entranced by CinderAmity, especially the Princess. Whispers quickly started to rise; everyone thought this masked girl was beautiful and believed she was also a princess, but no one knew who she was. Not even Bria, Boscha, or Lord Belos recognized her.
"Who is that?" Willow asked.
"No idea." Hunter replied.
"She looks amazing. Doesn't she, Luz?" Gus asked, turning to his friend. "Luz?"
They noticed Luz wasn't listening; her main focus in that moment was the mystery girl. She had never seen a witch so lovely in all her life. Feeling her confidence rise, she pushed her way through the crowd and made her way to CinderAmity with single-minded determination. Finally, Luz approached CinderAmity at the foot of the stairs. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before the Princess spoke.
"Hola." She greeted in a hushed tone.
"Hi." CinderAmity whispered before she noticed something familiar about the Princess. Then it hit her. "…Luz?"
Luz's eyes widened in realization and she smiled. "…It's you, the girl from the night market. Isn't it?"
"Just so."
"Wow. I… I never would've expected this." She noticed CinderAmity's hair. "Your hair… it's different."
"Oh yeah. That." She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. "I was always told to keep it green. I thought I could use a change."
"Well… you look great." Luz's cheeks started to turn red.
"Thank you." CinderAmity's face flushed. "You look great, too."
"Thanks." Her eyes glanced downward to see Ghost and she lit up. "Oh! Is that your palisman?"
"Yep. Her name is Ghost."
"Aww, what a cutie." Luz knelt down and gently scratched Ghost's ears and she rubbed against her hand in response.
Stringbean also recognized CinderAmity and she licked her face to greet her. She giggled. "Good to see you too, Stringbean."
Luz stood straight and anxiously cleared her throat. "Hey, uh you know… I was just wondering. I mean if you don't mind, I'd like to… I mean would you… uh, would you like to… I mean… You wouldn't want to dance, would you?"
"I wouldn't?" CinderAmity asked.
"Eh, I didn't think so."
"No, no. I mean, yes. I'd love to. Thank you."
Luz smiled, took CinderAmity's hand, and led her out to the middle of the dance floor. The assembled guests instinctively formed a circle around the couple to give them some room. King rushed over to the band and whispered something into the ear of the band leader, Raine Whispers. They nodded at King's request and while leading the other bards, they started to play a song similar to a tango. Luz held a hand at CinderAmity's hip and held her hand in her other before she started moving across the floor with her in sync with the music. CinderAmity had never learned to dance before, but that didn't seem to stop her from gliding across the ballroom with Princess Luzura at her side. As the pair of them danced, the other guests stared in awe while a few stared with envy, including a few elder witches.
"Such grace." Terra Snapdragon commented.
"Such elegance." Adrian Graye added.
"Such nerve…" Belos muttered, narrowing his eyes at the masked stranger through his golden, antlered mask. "Who is she? And who does she think she is?"
"Can you believe that? She must be the one." Camila beamed.
"How romantic." Lilith commented.
"Whoa, go Luz." Vee whispered with a smile.
"They're all looking at you." CinderAmity nervously whispered.
"No way. Trust me, they're all looking at you." Luz said reassuringly.
She then pulled CinderAmity in for a dip just as the song came to an end. After a long moment of silence, the crowd erupted into applause. Even a few of the more jealous guests clapped their hands, just to be polite. The pair stood straight and blushed at each other as Camila rushed up to her daughter and gave her a hug.
"That was amazing, baby." She said.
"Thanks, mama." The Princess replied.
"Ugh! Why are you clapping?!" A new voice shouted.
Everyone turned their attention to see a man with brown hair and wearing jeans and glasses enter and stumble to the floor. He wasn't wearing a proper suit or a costume, so he stuck out like a sore thumb. Camila pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head; she was familiar with this one. He got back onto his feet and angrily addressed the crowd.
"Hear me, fellow humans! These people are demon spawn and they want your teeth!" He shouted before he grabbed King by his tail and picked him up. "Look at this thing! It's a dog with a skull for a head!"
"Hey! Why does everyone always think I'm a dog?" King pouted.
"Uh, excuse me." CinderAmity tried to intervene, but the man suddenly grabbed her left ear. "Ow!"
"Look at this girl's ears! She's from Mars!" He yelled.
She suddenly smacked his hand away and cried, "Don't touch me! What is the matter with you?!"
He suddenly turned to Belos, who was standing nearby, and tore his mask right off his face. The elder man cried out in surprise.
"What about this guy? Look at his face, it's rotting! He's practically a zombie!" The stranger ranted, not seeming to care.
Belos angrily snatched his mask out of the man's hand, pulled him closer to him, and through gritted teeth, he hissed, "You dare try that again, and I will rot YOU from the inside out." His eyes flashed blue.
"Ugh, who let him in here? Guards!" Camila called.
Two guards in matching masks suddenly appeared and tackled the man to the ground. He abruptly dropped King in the process and the little titan ran over to the Queen, who stared at the restrained man.
"Take him away, please." She said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guards said in unison before dragging the stranger towards the exit.
"What?! You've all lost your minds!" The man shouted before he was promptly thrown out.
"I am so sorry about that, everyone. I have no idea how he got in." Camila turned to the little titan. "King, are you okay, baby?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." King replied, dusting himself off.
"And you, sir?" She asked, turning to Belos.
"I'm alright." Belos coldly answered as he put his mask back on.
"Lost our minds? He's one to talk." CinderAmity scoffed.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he wasn't invited." Luz replied; the two girls shared a laugh.
Belos froze and turned his head in the direction of the girl in the cat mask. His eyes narrowed at her through his mask; that voice was familiar. In fact, quite a few things about her were familiar. Luz noticed Belos' intense glare aimed at her new companion and thinking fast, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Hey, why don't we take a bit of a break for now?" She suggested. "Let's head over to the snack table and get some punch."
"Oh. Uh, okay. I am pretty thirsty." CinderAmity said as she and the Princess walked away in the direction of the snack table; they were quickly joined by their palismen.
Belos watched the pair from afar; he didn't even notice the band beginning to play another song and a few other people starting to dance. He kept his eyes on the masked girl. "Strange. Do I know that girl from somewhere…?"