Kiss Me at Midnight

Part 1

I stared at myself in the mirror, my face a picture of absolute horror.

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?" I groaned.

"Because when was the last time you got invited to a masquerade at a haunted mansion?" My best friend Katelyn rose from the velvet fainting couch she was sitting on, grinning.

I smoothed my hands down the satin bodice of the gown I was wearing. No, not a dress. It was well and truly a gown. It was powder blue with silver brocade hand-embroidered onto the fabric, a giant bustle on the back (which made my butt look abnormally large), and lace trim along the quite-low neckline. I looked like Marie Antoinette's weird cousin.

"Haunted?" I chuckled. "Doubtful we'd be so lucky. Do we really have to dress up, though?" I asked, scratching at my chest where the lace itched my skin.

Katelyn came up behind me, tossing her beautiful red hair over her shoulder. Her pale skin, vivid blue eyes, and delicate freckles made her a total knock-out. I, on the other hand, was about as average as a girl could get. My hair color was a mixture of several different hues, which I lovingly referred to as "dishwater blonde". My eyes were blue, but not very bright. I was pale, but in a rather unattractive way (think "Casper the Undatable Ghost").

Katelyn gathered my hair, twisting it with finesse. When she was done pinning it up, I couldn't believe how good I looked. With some makeup, I might pass as pretty.

"Of course we have to dress up! I know you don't like to be the center of attention. Imagine showing up at a costume masquerade in your jeans and t-shirt! Everyone would be staring. Not to mention, my mom has graciously lent us these beautiful ensembles before they hit the stages of Broadway!" she practically vibrated with excitement.

I sighed in defeat. As much as I wanted to climb in bed with my favorite vampire novel and watch the ball drop on my TV, I knew she was right. The Ravencrest Manor had sat empty for the last sixty years, and she knew how much I'd always wanted to go inside. The newest owners had just arrived a month ago, and they'd invited the entire town over for a welcome/New Year's Eve party.

"Fine." I grumbled. "But don't expect me to be very social. I intend to explore every nook and cranny of that place before we leave, and small talk is not my thing."

She grinned in triumph. "Yes! Okay, I'm going to go get my dress on. You can help yourself to my makeup if you want. My dad sent us some masks from Italy- he also sends his love, by the way." She disappeared out her bedroom door.

Katelyn's dad was one of my favorite people on the planet. He was the only person who entertained my love of the creepy and macabre. He was a film producer, and he was currently traipsing around Europe working on some summer blockbuster. Around Halloween he had sent me an amazing memento mori locket he'd found in a British antique store- complete with a lock of hair from the 1800s. I'd never wanted to wear jewelry so much!

Since we were going to be wearing masks, I went very light on most of my makeup. I may have gone too dark on the mascara- mostly as an accident, but I figured it would be fine.

By the time I had meagerly finished my makeup, Katelyn walked in, fully assembled from head to toe. Her emerald gown fit like a glove. It had a beautiful black lace overlay, with tiny delicate flowers woven in. She looked so incredible that she could have made Rhett Butler give a damn.

She held two beautiful masks in her hands. She handed me the one made of silver lace, while she adorned herself with the delicate gold venetian mask.

"You look great, Bren! We should probably get going if we're going to make it by eleven." She grabbed my hand and yanked me out the door. I barely had enough time to slip on my favorite black Chucks on before we were outside.