WHEN: October 31, 2022 WHERE: Helloween Masquerade WHO: @eliasvelari AVAILABILITY: Closed
Please zip, Priscilla prayed with her hands behind her back, fingers clutching the silver zipper at the base of her spine. When she consulted the mirror she didn’t yet look any different to herself, but she knew how deceptive looks could be. It felt like nothing short of a miracle when the phosphorescent dress she’d bought too soon and for too much money still looked just as flattering as it had in the shop.
If the shape of it hugged any tighter around her stomach than it had at the offset, the dark fabric and bright glow hid it well enough that even her knowing eyes would never tell something—well, someone—now grew inside her. Priscilla tried not to think too much about that, for myriad reasons but mostly because her time to enjoy what remained of her somewhat comfortable life was running out.
She was Cinderella, and her metaphorical midnight was fast approaching.
Meanwhile, actual midnight struck across the island. Priscilla hurried to the party, butterfly mask concealing any uncertainty she wore on her face.
Though she didn’t arrive late, the festivities were already in full, overwhelming swing when she entered the party, knocking back the shot of ethereum to gain entry.
Ethereum was fine to consume when you were pregnant, right? She couldn’t imagine that her mother hadn’t taken it, and worse, when Priscilla was still in the womb, and she’d turned out... fine. She left the thought at the gate, and wandered into the mass of masks searching for, well, she wasn’t quite sure what. She’d know when she saw it though. For now she meandered, grabbed a canape and a drink (accessories, both), and much like the insect she was dressed as she simply fluttered around the edges, trying to decide where to land. A stroll around the party put her near the entrance of the second circle; she watched and learned how others gained entry.
Then, reaching out to the person nearest her, asked, “Are you here alone too?”












