Bloody Princess by Helen Scott
30
Lyric
Halloween used to be my favorite holiday when I was a kid. I’d loved playing dress up, putting on costumes and makeup, and all of that. Now? It's just another excuse for my father and Sampson to use me to their advantage. This year they aren't, though, and that makes me nervous.
After my last trip home, I'm not particularly looking forward to Thanksgiving break. The dressing down I'd received from Paige about missing a pledge event when I had no proof of a family emergency had actually been unpleasant, and the amount of alcohol I've been consuming because of that has been ridiculous. I’m not sure how she expects me to still function, attend classes, and keep my GPA where it needs to be if she wants me to get drunk almost every other night.
I'm exhausted and ready for a break, not that I'll get one if I go home, but tonight is the Halloween party for APT and Pi Ep, and it's a formal affair. Well, sort of. We have to wear themed outfits with masks. It's a masquerade, but with Halloween instead of those crazy Venetian masks where you look like a plague doctor or a clown or something.
Small mercies.
Instead, I'm dressed as one of the seven deadly sins. Paige said that, since I'm already a slut, I get to be lust. Woo. I’d thought not having to parade in front of my father's friends dressed like a slutty version of whatever they chose this year was going to be a blessing, but instead, I'm just dressed provocatively at someone else’s bidding.
At least none of these people can pay to use me like a blow up doll. Plus, though I'd been assigned lust as my sin, I was at least able to dress myself. Again, small mercies.
When I'd told Mel about the party, she’d said it was the perfect opportunity. For what, I'm not sure, but she told me to get something new to wear and to buy two. So I knew she was planning on coming to the party as well.
The formal is at a local restaurant at the top of the biggest skyscraper in downtown Ascendance Bay. There are windows all around that look out over the city, and apparently, we’ve rented the entire thing out for the party. Fancy.
Half of the restaurant is set up in reds and oranges, with a Hell theme. The other half is in whites and creams, with a Heaven theme. Balloons and clouds made of some kind of fluffy white material seem to cover most of the Heaven area, along with twinkle lights as far as the eye can see. The Hell side has fake rocks, and instead of the warm white twinkle lights, the lights are orange, red, and even black, giving the whole area a more sinister feel. Whoever is on the decorations committee has knocked it out of the park.
Before I get too far in and get pulled away by pledge duties, I check my phone. There's a text from Mel telling me to meet her in the bathroom when I get here. I've brought a bag with me that has the dress and mask I picked up for her to wear. The dresses are similar, but hers is black, whereas mine is a deep crimson red.
My gown is satin, with a deep v-neck and spaghetti straps that come down to what is essentially two triangles of material that connect to a band that goes around my rib cage and is wide enough to reach my waist. After that, it flows into the floor-length skirt, which has two extremely high slits in the front. So, the piece of material that covers what needs to be covered just kind of flaps about between my legs, but it does show off my legs, which might be short, but are nice and toned.
My mask is a headband with lace coming down in front of it, covering my eyes and hanging all the way to my lips, almost like a veil. Fortunately, the lace is complicated enough that it obscures my face quite well. On top of the headband are two twisting horns covered with the same lace that's in front of my face. My vision is slightly obscured, but once I get used to it, it's not so bad.
I send a quick text to Mel to let her know I'm on my way, and when I push into the bathroom, she's leaning against the sink looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair has changed and looks more like mine again. She reaches up and pulls on the sides, and I see everything move, so I know it's a wig. I don’t know why she feels that’s necessary, but I’ve learned it’s best not to question her methods.
When she sees me, her eyes drop down to my dress. "I hope you don't expect me to wear something like that," she says, sounding upset.
"I have to dress the part. So yes, if you want to be here for some reason, then you need to wear a dress. Your dress is different, though." I hold out the bag to her, and she reluctantly takes it from me before disappearing into the handicap stall. When she comes back out, she looks even more irritated. I thought I’d picked out something she’d like.
Apparently not.
"I'm here because I want to talk to them and see if my questioning will yield anything different from your... tactics. Plus, I know Atlas' Achilles heel."
"Which is?"
She shakes her head and puts her mask on. "You'll see," she says with a smirk.
"Fine. We should probably switch dresses and masks at some point to keep them guessing. I don't want them to think I'm the one asking all the questions and ruining the progress I've made." If she wants to be bitchy, so can I.
"Fine. Once I've got everything set up and asked what I want to ask, I'll probably leave anyway."
"I need to get back out there. I'm sure someone is looking for me by now. Give it a few minutes before you leave, so no one sees us together. Try not to screw anything up," I snap at her before walking out.
What happened to my sister, the girl I grew up with and was so close to? It's like she's disappeared. The person that's taken her place has no patience for me anymore.
My heart is heavy as I walk out into the now crowded restaurant. Everyone had the option to bring a date if they wanted, so there's more than just the sisters of Pi Ep and the brothers of APT there. Everyone looks stunning, and I know this is one of the events that all of the attendees look forward to.
I weave through the crowd to the small group of girls who are clustered together on one side. As pledges, we weren't allowed to bring dates, so I know as soon as I see the group that they are my pledge sisters. When I get there, I can see that they are in beautiful dresses and masks. I mean, so is everyone else, but it's nice to see my pledge sisters all dressed up.
When I find a spot among them, I start scanning the crowd, looking for anyone who might be the guys. Keats should be easy to spot with his tattoos, unless he's covered them up, and Atlas' blond hair is a stand out as well. It's Thayer and Jude I'm not sure I'll figure out. The masks are surprisingly effective, and no one is wearing anything that gives away who they are, so it's actually hard to tell.
I know a few of my pledge sisters by voice and have been able to figure out a couple of the others by what they've said. At some point, I'm sure Paige will have us do something ridiculous, since I doubt she'll turn down the opportunity to embarrass us.
"Has anyone seen Paige?" the girl dressed in a green and black dress asks. I assume she is supposed to be envy. The voice sounds familiar, but I can't place it. All I know is that it's not one of my pledge sisters, which immediately makes me suspicious.
"Not yet. Hopefully, she's sick and can't come. I just want to be able to relax for a night," another one dressed in green says. Maybe she's greed? Or maybe it's the other way around?
"Ugh, I just want to quit this whole thing whenever I'm around her," a voice that sounds kind of like Victoria says.
"I hope she's okay, though," Natalie says, her voice distinctive, even as the room starts to get louder.
"I think she's going to kill us during hell week, legit," another says. Lili maybe?
I'm starting to lose my ability to recognize them as more guests arrive and start talking, and the music gets louder. The general volume of the room goes up more than I expect. We're supposed to get dinner, but I'm not convinced that we pledges actually will. When the music abruptly cuts out, someone comes on the mic and says, "Active members, please find your seats."
My group stays where we are, except the one who'd asked about Paige.
The girl in the green and black dress walks toward the center of the area where the two sides, Heaven and Hell, meet. There's a microphone set up, and the DJ area is just behind that. She pauses and chats with one of the frat brothers before stepping up to the mic. He doesn't leave, though, just stands off to the side.
I glance around and see all the APT pledges huddled in one area, just like the Pi Ep pledges are.
"Welcome angels and devils to the Halloween Masquerade for Pi Ep and APT. Tonight, your food will be served to you by the Pi Ep pledges, and the APT pledges will be on cleaning duty, which seems to be a common theme for them." She pauses for the laughter and insult calling to die down. "One thing that we all agree on is never speaking badly of our fellow sisters and brothers, something that our pledges still need to learn. You never know when someone with bad intentions may be listening. Since the girls were at least a little nicer about it, they get to serve the food and then have some dinner, if there's any left. The boys, unfortunately, will have to go without."
A round of boos go up from the APT brothers, but the guy who I assume is their pledge master just shrugs and spreads his hands to the sides, as though to say, "It is what it is."
"Ladies, your assignments are waiting for you in the kitchen. Please head through those doors," Paige gestures to the swinging doors it seems like all professional kitchens have.
Our little group troops off, and we find a few servers waiting for us back there. They hand the trays off and tell us which tables to go to, and we dutifully start delivering the food.
For once, I'm thankful for all the strength training I've done over the years. It means I'm not struggling to carry the trays like some of my pledge sisters. I head to the table the server pointed out and set the stand out before putting the tray down on top of it and delivering the individual dishes. Thankfully, no one is being rude or mean; they are all pretty understanding that this isn't something we have a lot of experience with.
A great crash sounds from another area of the room, and I see Amy standing there looking horrified with salad dressing and soup splashed all over her dress, and a down tray of soups and salads on the floor, plates and bowls broken everywhere. The guy I assumed was the pledge master earlier whistles loudly and points at the mess. Which only makes Amy shake her head and blush furiously.
I finish serving and carry my tray and stand back to the kitchen. We wait back there for a while and make awkward conversation with the servers, while the APT pledges pick up empty plates and dishes, bringing them back to the kitchens as they do so. After a little while, we get sent back out, this time with the main course, which is heavier.
"Do you want me to take care of your table?" I ask Amy, who is sitting in the corner sobbing as she dabs at the ranch dressing splattered all over her beautiful dress.
"Would you?" She looks up at me with big, doe eyes that are red from all the crying.
I nod and answer, "I'll take care of it, just go get cleaned up."
She gives me a watery smile and disappears toward the bathrooms. I spare a second to hope that's not where Mel is hiding out while we eat, but there's nothing I can do if it is. I carry my tray out to the table and serve as quickly as I can before hurrying back to get Amy's tray. I take it out to her table, which is easy to find, thanks to the stain on the carpet. I set it down on the stand and begin serving.
"This is so nice of you, to take over for your sister. See, Pi Ep sisters do help one another," one of the active Pi Ep members says as she swats a guy on the arm.
When I glance over, I see that it's Jude. I can tell from the unruly hair curling on top of his head. I glance around the rest of the table and see the other three there as well, along with another girl, who I think might be Thayer's girlfriend, but it's hard to tell because of the masks.
"She's pretty upset. Seems like she needed the help, and I'm happy to do it," I say. It's not quite the truth, but it's close enough. I'm not happy to help per se, but I'm willing to do what needs to be done so we can get past this and hopefully get some dinner.
"That you, Little L?" Keats whispers as I set his food down in front of him.
"Hey," I whisper back.
"Save a dance for me?" he asks.
I hesitate for a moment but then nod. I hold back the smile that wants to stretch my lips, because, for some reason, I can't seem to say no to him—not that I really want to, but I don't want him to know that. Neither he nor Atlas can know what kind of effect they have on me.
The rest of the evening passes relatively quickly as the main course is finished and dessert is served. We stay huddled in the kitchens, and the APT pledges line the walls like ball boys waiting for their chance to retrieve an empty plate and do something instead of just standing there.
Paige gets up at the end and makes an announcement about the charity the ticket money will be going to, and then the DJ starts playing. We don't leave though, not until Paige comes back and tells us herself that we can.
"I hope you all learned your lesson," she says, once the door swings shut behind her.
We nod and all reply with something along the lines of "Yes, Sister Paige."
"Good. Have whatever food you want, and then feel free to go out and dance. It's an open bar, so no one is carding, but try not to get too sloppy, understood?" she asks.
We nod and agree once more, and she disappears back through the door. I know as soon as I go out there I'll be faced with two things—one, my twin sister going about and interrogating four of the heirs of the most powerful families in the city, and two, Keats waiting for the dance I said I'd save him. One fills me with dread and the other excitement. Though the emotions themselves are fine, I'm feeling them for the wrong thing. I should feel excitement over Mel getting involved and interrogating them and dread at having to dance with one of them, not the other way around.
Yet, as I walk through the doors, I can't help but scan the crowd for Keats and not my sister.
