LUCY POV

It is now 6:55pm, and it is the night of the ball. I am standing in the bathroom listening to my friends shouting at me to come out. I was wearing a red one strap dress that flowed down to my ankles. The strap was lined with sequins that followed down onto the dress and across, below the chest. The dress was a tight fitting but was loose at my ankles. It was in one word, stunning. Shame that the wearer was not as beautiful.

After many shouts from my friends, I eventually came out, only to be greeted by gasps.

'What? I look horrible in it don't I?' I said quickly, immediately doubting myself. A flaw that Joe always tried to knock out of my head, but always failed.

'No Lucy, you look gorgeous,' Katie said still looking at me. I looked up from my dress.

'You think?' they all nodded, I smiled.

'Thank you so much, it means a lot to me, but what about you guys! You all look stunning!'

'Well of course! I picked out their outfits! Now Lucy sit I need to do your makeup,' Gracie said in her demanding voice, but I shook my head.

'No, let me do my hair and makeup,' I said before she could come at me with a hairbrush.

We were all standing at the main entrance to the hall, everyone looked wonderful. I looked around and took in everyone. I never noticed how uniform our uniform makes us look. Girls of every shape, size and colour wore shimmering saris and elegant gowns. For the first time ever in my time here, I am proud to be a Gallagher girl. At the top of the stairs, I could see Cammie Morgan, do exactly the same as I was doing. She caught me looking and smiled at me, I smiled back. I had gotten to know her over the past few weeks, even though she was a year below me. She knew what it was like to have lost a father. I was about to go up to her and say she looked lovely, but Zach, a familiar Blackthorne boy, already had her attention.

'Wow, not bad my Blackthorne buddy. Not bad at all,' I smiled and turned to Matt. He was wearing and tux and it suited him, not that I have feelings for him, it was the truth.

'Same to you, my friend, same to you,' we always speak strangely to each other like that, it was just our thing. Matt held out his arm.

'May I take your hand,'

'You may,' I linked my arm with his and we walked into the Grand Hall. I have to say, it looked amazing. The tables and benches had gone, and were replaced by small tables around the side of the room, covered with Orchids and Lilies and roses. A string quartet played Beethoven. Waiters carried trays of food almost too beautiful to eat. The whole room was nothing like the Grand Hall, but instead looked perfect and elegant, and I knew straight away tonight would be fun.

I was talking with Matt when Joe came up behind us. He couldn't see me because I was at the back of the group he was talking to.

'Hello ladies and gentlemen. You all look very nice but I am afraid aren't quite finished getting ready,'

I am very glad that Joe is a fully trained operative, because that is not something to say to a group of girls that have recently waxed, gelled, plucked, sprayed and mascaraed. Then not be worried about your physical health.

'I'm afraid we didn't mention that this is a masquerade ball,' that's when all the juniors started to panic.

'But we haven't got masks.. Or disguises...' a junior called out. I rolled my eyes.

'Ten points for captain obvious over there!' I said sarcastically, most of the Blackthorne boys and the seniors laughed. Joe didn't even look up to see who said that, he knew it was me.

'Thank you Ms. LaFleur, and these are your disguises Ms. Bauer,' he said holding up some files. Covers. I thought as I pulled mine from the pile and looked at it.

So now I am not Lucy LaFleur, moderately new Gallagher Girl. I am Emma Dule, world famous con- artist, wanting 'revenge' on Samuel Frosby. (AKA Joseph Solomon) Hmm, I wonder who made these covers... I had to get his credit card and his watch without him noticing.

About forty minutes had passed and the quartet was playing Bach. I still need to complete my 'mission' you might say, and I thought now was the best time. I looked around the hall for Joe and spotted him easily, he was standing by the drinks table drinking a glass of 'Champagne', scanning the hall. He was wearing a Tux and boy did he look good. I strolled over to him.

'Good evening,' I said politely, as Madam Dabney was lurking. Joe turned around and nearly choked on his drink when he saw me, he covered it up quickly of course.

'Good evening,' he just managed to choke out, I held out my hand.

'I'm Emma Dule, I don't think we have met before,' Joe, who had now regained his 'cool', as all Blackthorne students like to say, smiled and took my hand and shook it.

'No, I don't believe we have, may I say Ms. Dule, you look lovely tonight,'

'Thank you, I don't suppose you would like to dance, I did have a partner but he seems to have disappeared,' playing the sympathy card there Lucy.

'Of course,' Joe took my hand and led me onto the dance floor, as soon as we started to sway, I started looking for his card.

'So, what does a girl like you do for fun, Ms. Dule?' I smiled,

'I'm sorry, i don't believe I caught your name?' I said politely, avoiding the question.

'Samuel Frosby, at your service,' I laughed softly, just then I found the shape of his car in his pocket, the song was slowly ending, so I had to get it quickly. No worries, I had been under worse pressure.

'So, you never answered my question, what do you like do around your spare time?' I was about to respond, but just at that moment I had gotten hold of his card and slowly slipped it out of his pocket. I then realised that I hadn't answered his question and he was waiting.

'Oh, you know,' he spun me, I could feel almost all of the juniors staring at me, 'avoiding strange men that pester me about what i do in my spare time, what about you?' Joe, sorry 'Samuel', laughed and spun us round.

'I just love to find beautiful girls to pester, especially when they hate it,' and at the end of that he dipped me and slowly brought me back up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cammie run out of the hall. The dance had just ended so I stepped away and smiled at Joe, still holding his hands.

'Thank you for a lovely dance, now, I must find my original partner, before he does anything crazy,' Joe nodded and we both walked off in different directions, but not before I slipped his watch from his wrist. Joe didn't notice though, so went to ask more covert questions to younger students. I went to look for Cammie.

I slipped out the hall, before anyone could notice and was about to make my way upstairs when I heard Ms. Buckingham's voice cut out through the silence of the empty corridor.

'No exceptions Ms. Morgan,' bingo, now I can see what's wrong. I knew instantly where Cammie was heading, because I heard her footsteps. She wouldn't hear mine because I made sure mine were silent. I was about to round the corner to speak to Cammie when yet again, I heard a voice. Well, two actually, one a clear and crisp one that belonged to Zach, and another which clearly didn't belong to anyone attending this school.

'Come quietly, and we won't harm you, or the pretty girl round the corner,' an icy voice whispered in my ear. I didn't turn round though.

'Okay but tell me one thing, when you say 'we' do you mean, you and three others, or you and three others at the van waiting for you,' but I already knew the answer so I didn't let him finish. I spun round and kicked the 'attacker' you might call him, in the head. He was knocked out cold. I dragged him towards the kitchen, where, for some reason, I know there is a garbage chute that leads outside the Mansion.

Without getting seen or caught i dropped him down the chute, and ran back to the hall. As soon as I got in the hall a piercing siren stopped the music.

'CODE BLACK, CODE BLACK,' crap, that would be my garbage chute buddy. I only knocked him out long enough to get him out of the Mansion.

Soon enough the whole hall was in lock down and everyone was going crazy. I just found Matt and Chris, and we all found a table and sat down at it, slowly watching as the Gallagher Girls go into a state of panic. At Blackthorne we had these quite often, so it had become part of our routine. However at Gallagher, that clearly wasn't the case.

I was about to say how crazy everyone looked, when two hands grabbed me from behind. This time though I knew who it was, and I was ready.

I swiftly placed a kick in Jason's gut and another one to his face. I then swiped my feet under his feet so he was knocked to the ground. Grabbing both his hands and flipped him on his back, and, using a piece of ribbon that Chris had thrown to me, that was formerly wrapped around the flower vase. I tied his hands and feet together so that he couldn't get up.

Me, Chris and Matt all ran out of the hall to see what the commotion was at the Grand stairs. I pushed through the crowds to see Cammie standing in the middle of the crowd, looking like a deer in headlights. The first thing I noticed was that Zach was missing.

'Ms. Morgan, exactly where have you been? There is an exam taking place, Ms. Morgan- not to mention level four security infraction. Now why weren't you in the Grand hall with your classmates?' she looked so frightened, so I stepped forward.

'Wait! Cammie, where's Zach? I saw him leave the Grand Hall,' she looked so thankful that I had said something about Zach, because she knew that no one would believe her if she said that. They would of just thought that she was just lying to get out of trouble.

'He followed me, I needed to leave for... reasons,' and every girl in the room understood that it was a girl problem.

'When the code black sounded, we started to head back to the Grand hall, but then he just disappeared,'

Everyone started to talk at once, but the noise immediately stopped when a voice rang clear and loud through the hall.

'Cameron!,' we all looked up to see Mrs. Morgan standing at the top of the stair case, looking down on Cammie, 'my office, now!'

Once Cammie had left, everyone started to walk back to their rooms, not that they would sleep of course. The amount of rumours that will be going round tomorrow will untrue. Me? No I followed Cammie, out of sight of course, and waited till Joe came out. He looked concerned, so I thought I better check to see if he was okay.

After 36 minutes Joe came out by himself, his bow tie now undone and hanging around his neck. I knew the party was definitely over. He looked so down I decided to cheer him up, I followed him to his room and then knocked on his door, when he opened the door he look surprised.

'Hey,' I said softly, ' You look pretty down, so I am here to cheer you up, anything I can do?' Joe grinned.

'Well, there is one thing...' and grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a deep kiss.

Hi! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I have been busy. but it is a long chapter to make up for it!