The young girl, Eira, scolded herself as she walked farther and farther away from the boy she had just met. If her family’s butler hadn’t been walking beside her she would’ve run back, but the knowledge that word of it would get back to her father kept her from doing so.
Eira came from a decently wealthy family; her father was a baron, after all. However, she had always disagreed with his opinion of the social classes. Being a friendly person, class differences had never really mattered to her. She could strike up a conversation with pretty much anyone, and she did so as often as she could.
Unfortunately, as she grew older, her father was becoming more strict about who she could be seen in public with. She was certain that it wouldn’t be long before he tried to set her up with some rich peacock of a young man, and she always shuddered in disgust at the thought.
She walked into the main ballroom of the Masquerade and looked around with a smile as she took in the sights. Every year it was absolutely breathtaking! Colorful lights were everywhere, excitement buzzed throughout the room, and lively music could be heard over the joyous chatter of the guests. While she didn’t have any positive or negative leaning opinions on Count Lucio, she couldn’t deny that he knew how to throw a party.
Lucky for Eira, her father was already busy speaking with others, so she didn’t have to explain her new mask to him. She made her way to the snack table first and grabbed a cookie. She had just taken a bite when-
“Miss Onfroi?”
She whirled around and couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she saw him.
“Oh don’t even, Reggie,” she said and placed an untouched cookie in the young boy’s hand. “You know how I feel about being called ‘miss.’ It makes me-”
“Feel old. I remember,” Reggie chuckled and shook his head, “You should start getting used to it, E. You’re gonna be called that a lot when the suitors start coming in.”
She gave her best friend an unamused look. Sensing that she wasn’t in the mood to talk about the inevitable suitor problem, he quickly changed the subject, pointing to her face.
“Is that a new mask?”
A blush quickly crept up onto her cheeks and she nodded, “Yes...”
“Oh, boy. I know that look. Who is he?” he asked as he took a bite of his cookie.
“I don’t... actually... know.”
Reggie coughed. “You don’t know???? What the heck is that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly that! I didn’t ask for his name. I should have, but I just didn’t think of it. I was... distracted,” she admitted.
“By the hair, the eyes, or the smile?” Reggie asked with a raised eyebrow and teasing smile.
“All three at once.”
“Uh oh... Well, is he here now? Maybe we can find him and get his name and address so you can stalk him for a few months, write a few anonymous love notes, and then it’ll either happen and you won’t have to marry some jerk with money, or it won’t.”
Eira sighed and shook her head. She loved Reggie but he could be impossible sometimes, even when she knew he was trying to help. “I’m not going to stalk him! And I don’t think he’s coming.”
“Then why would he buy you a mask?”
“He didn’t,” she answered. “He gave it to me. He was selling them and wouldn’t let me pay for it.”
“So he’s not that great of a businessman,” Reggie pointed out and grinned when it got a chuckle out of Eira. She elbowed him lightly. “What? I’m just saying ‘you like it? you can have it free of charge’ is not financially sound at all.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Eira said with amused exasperation.
After about an hour of exploring the masquerade together, Reggie ran off on his own to work on what he had called “a surprise,” leaving Eira to sit down with some food while avoiding anyone who might ask her to dance. But most importantly, avoiding her father, who would undoubtedly introduce her to someone who might ask her to dance.
To lessen her chances of either scenario coming to pass, she got her food and took it out to the garden. As she walked in the brisk night air, her mind couldn’t help but wander back to the boy whose name she longed to know.
Did he mean anything by giving me the mask? Probably not, she told herself. After all, we only spoke for five minutes at most. There’s no way he could have an interest in me that quickly. And yet...
She looked down at her hand, remembering the brief moment they touched. "Magical” was the only word that came to her mind when she tried to describe the sensation.
It was magical. He was magical.
She raised her eyes up towards the stars in the sky and searched for the brightest one she could find. Once she had found it, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Please,” she softly whispered her wish to the star, “let me meet him again someday.”
