October is ending. It has been two weeks since Poppy's death, and the university continues to move along. The night of Halloween is the masquerade ball. The masquerade is a dry event and most of the initiates are thankful. The sight of any alcoholic beverage would be too soon.

The week before the masquerade is spent preparing. Felix eats less than usual, to prepare for all the eyes that will be on him tonight. He prepares his suit but thinks of the clothing he will be wearing beneath. Everyone will finally get to see how magnificent he is.

Evelyn is busy helping anyone who asks her with their clothes. She has had her outfit picked out since before school began. She wears a ballgown that is barely peach in colour, covered in flowers with large puff sleeves. She hopes it doesn't rain so her dress won't drag in the mud. If she had picked out the dress now, she would've picked out something with more sparkle, maybe even something that showed off her curves. She has become someone different.

Roman wears a suit. It is jacket is brown corduroy jacket with cream pants to match. They wear a pocket watch in their vest pocket, a gift from their father. They aren't sure they want to go. Other than to sleep, they haven't put down Kant in days. They can't.

Tom wears his best, the clothes reserved for funerals and weddings. He bought a corsage from a florist who came to campus in preparation for the event. He hopes to give it to Vieira as an apology. Though he knows how to listen to a no, he hasn't heard one yet. Besides, they are meant to be together. He is sure of it.

Vieira wears a gift from a designer in Berlin. It's a dusty rose. The bodice is simple and it has a tiered tulle bottom. She feels like she sticks out with it on, but with the matching mask, she hopes to at the very least blend into the crowd.

Ez wears a simple black tux. Men's outfits are simple, he thinks. He leaves his curly hair a flop on his head. Men, he thinks, are mostly indistinguishable. He's only going to keep his eyes on the others. His tuition pays for such an event, so he is entitled to go. He realizes that he would rather be drunk out of his mind, debating with Roman. At least, with a version of Roman which he doubts exists any longer.

Unlike Ez, Luis goes a bit more extravagant. He wears a green tux with a black bowtie. Though floral patterns are in, and he could probably get away with one as an art student, it feels a bit tacky for Hawkwood. Green will already be a statement. The rich will see how much he doesn't care. He begins to doubt that it even matters, sticking it to the entitled.

Briar wears a red dress. It plunges deep into her chest but does not reveal her legs. She knows exactly what she can and cannot show and still be labelled as classy. She's been thinking about it a lot. Creating space between her and other men, but also wanting to get too close. She's caught between hypersexual and celibate. No longer can she decide what is her brain acting or what is the consequences of the roofies, or how to even separate herself from that night anymore.

Ellie's sister sent her a dress. It's not Ellie's taste at all, with its a light blue hue, supposedly to match Ellie's blonde hair. It has a slightly more than tasteful amount of lace, long sleeves, and a huge puffy skirt. She understands they are supposed to be wearing ballgowns, but she can't imagine dancing with someone in such an outfit. Ellie doesn't really want to dance with anyone anyway. At least, not with a man.

Jetta doesn't have to worry much about what to wear. The orchestra is playing in the pit beneath the ballroom. She is almost glad; she cannot afford a fancy dress though she would like to be at the party. It is probably for the best, as with her bass guitar and leather jackets, she doesn't really belong at such an extravagant event. Jetta is beginning to feel like she doesn't belong anywhere.

None of them go to the ball together, but of course, they manage to find each other. To their surprise, it is mostly freshmen in attendance. When they arrive, they find refreshments on the table and start to mingle amongst one another, without the fear of being spotted, as they are in costume.

~~~

"These people look so pretentious," Luis points out, shaking his head while Ellie stands beside him, sipping sparkling water. "Look at them, in their ridiculous outfits."

Ellie giggles, "they do look quite ridiculous, but you sound bitter. It's unbecoming."

"Murder is quite unbecoming," he jokes.

Ellie glares at him. How dare he say such a thing amongst this crowd? No heads turn towards them, and she is thankful.

"Are you drunk or high?" she asks.

"Unfortunately neither," he sighs, glancing at Ellie. He turns to her and bows. "Would you like to be pretentious with me and dance?"

"I don't really dance," she smiles.

"You don't really do much except study," Luis shakes his head. His college experience is supposed to be one filled with thrills. Then again, the most thrilling night thus far resulting in one of his friends near sexual assault.

They giggle together. The laughter dies out, and they are stuck in silence. In their minds, they hear the sound of Poppy's head banging against the floor.

~~~

Evelyn finds Kai quickly enough. She ropes him into dancing with her. She is excited, ecstatic even. While she knows no one is aware that she and Kai are dancing, the feeling itself is worth enough. He compliments her dress, of course he does because it is lovely.

Just, not really to his taste.

"I'm so happy," she admits, her fingers resting delicately on the back of his neck.

Kai's white smile lights up her night. He is so spectacular. He's apologetic, kind, determined, strong, and smart. He's the kind of guy she could introduce to her parents.

"I'm glad," he says, looking over her shoulder. He wants to find an out but he feels he is far too deep into this situation. The quicksand is only swallowing him whole.

Dating Evelyn might help keep their relationship strong, but it is not what he wants. Cheating is not a good idea, and not because it's amoral but because it's likely enough that she will find out. Every person is the linchpin in their stories.

Evelyn continues to dance with Kai, not taking her eyes off of him.

From the sidelines, Felix watches on. He watches her twirl with Kai and thinks about how much better of a dancer he is. Felix could glide her in that beautiful dress anywhere she pleased. If it weren't for his performance coming up, and the dizzy feeling in his head, he would already have her.

"You look moody when you sulk," Jetta says from the edge of the ballroom. She is in her all-black uniform, blending in perfectly with the shadows.

Felix looks at her and scowls, "aren't you supposed to be in the pit?"

She had to use the washroom and figured she could get lost and check out all of the hullaballoo before returning.

"That's not how you make friends," she points out. "Maybe be kinder to her, and she'll want to dance with you next time."

Leaving Felix with a frown, she disappears back off to the pit. Her fingers are still bandaged tightly; it's not uncommon for students in music but it is unusual for her. Taking her spot near the back of the orchestra, she struggles to find her place in the music. She should know the swell of the song by heart. Asking for help leaves her vulnerable.

~~~

"Vieira," Tom manages, finding her in the crowd by the refreshments.

She doesn't know why she came. She has no friends, no colleagues, no acquaintances. It was a deal with the designer, to wear her dress in public.

Vieira doesn't answer him. Instead, she moves away from the table and over into a corner of the room.

He follows her because of course he does. He is sick with love. It is terminal.

"Just please, talk to me," Tom begs. He pulls the corsage out of his pocket. It has white flowers, with baby blue and lilac flowers. It's not a perfect match for her dress; rarely is anything perfect. She looks at the flowers, and then at Tom.

"How much did you spend on that?" she asks, swallowing. She knows that money is tight for Tom, and she knows that flowers are costly. She feels bad that it has gone to such a waste.

It doesn't matter to him how much he spent. He knows he cannot buy her affections, but he would give every penny of his scholarship just for her to talk to him again.

"I've missed you," he's rehearsed what he was going to say. He wrote it down and said it to himself so he would remember. "I've missed you like a prisoner misses freedom. I've missed you like a desert traveller misses water and I've missed you like I've missed sleep this past week. Vie, you feel like a part of me. If missing you was the sea, I'd have drowned days ago."

Vieira feels herself suffocating again. When he holds out an arm for her to take, she flinches backwards. Her hands begin to prickle. Her knees begin to waver. She needs to get out and fast but he has her pinned between accepting him or causing a scene.

Tom knows when to back down. He can see the knot in her brows and the quiver of her lip. An actor pays attention to the little details of someone's face. He can read her like he can read Shakespeare.

He walks away.

~~~

"Have you read Camus' The Plague?" Ez asks. It's the third book he has asked if they've read, and he is beginning to grow irritated.

Roman knees are jittering, as energy escapes them, thoughts running wild. They feel nauseous from the lack of a book in their hand. Everything second is nightmarish, haunted, without literature to distract them. They feel horrified at their own actions and there is no answer. Why is there no answer to all the problems that they are drowning inside?

Roman tunes in at the name Camus. They have read Camus.

"Absurdism is the dilemma," they say, reflecting on Camus' body of work.

There are three possible solutions. The third seems impossible. The second, ridiculous. The first, while not a solution, poses some salvation.

"Beg your pardon?" Ez continues. He has no idea what absurdism is, hasn't read those books. He liked The Plague well enough, though it was a bit pretentious. Correct, but self-obsessed nonetheless.

"I need..." Roman isn't sure what they need. This is the first evening that they don't have a book on them and the feeling makes them feel nauseous. They need to read. Escapism is a solution. They've plunged so deep into the ocean of philosophy that they cannot tell up from down. There is no more light. It is cold too.

"To read Camus' The Plague," Ez says. He looks around and leans in close to Roman. "Are you quite alright?"

"Not quite but alright," the words escape their lips, their eyes gloss over. Roman has always been a thinker.

~~~

Briar has been alternating between talking with friends and dancing with men. She likes to flirt, and cannot help but say yes to anyone who approaches her. When her dance ends she is approached by another young man, who bows before her.

"Care to dance?" he asks.

She curtsies and joins him on the floor. He is the first stranger to ask her to dance, certainly an upper-year. Normally she would be excited by the prospect of showing off her partner to her friends. However, she feels uneased. If he's older, does that mean he's in The Divide?

"It's nice to meet you," he says, smiling.

She smiles back. Looking at him more closely, she doubts he is a member. There is a loose seem in his suit, meaning either it was made cheaply or it isn't dry cleaned and instead washed by hand or machine. He has curly long brown hair that goes to his chin. Unkempt.

"Nice to meet you as well," she smiles.

They begin the small talk, all with her remaining cautious. He is a sociology student, second-year, explaining why she doesn't know him. She goes on to discuss global communications. It is nice to be herself. In costume, she doesn't feel like she has to put on a façade.

When the dance ends, they begin to part ways.

"I know this is a betrayal of the spirit of a masquerade, but I can't help but wonder your name," he asks.

"Briar," she asks. She doesn't provide her last name. It is her father's, and she doesn't want him to get to know her for his sake.

The man grins, "I'm Artemis."

~~~

The song ends and people make their way off the dance floor. The dance majors take the floor and begin to do ballet. Felix dances with his partner, his hands moving deftly from her waist to her hands, repeatedly. He catches Evelyn's eye and winks at her. When it comes for the final turn Felix picks his partner up, and he feels the room go dark. 

~~~~~

Welp. There were a lot of tildes in this chapter. Many a page break. It's a snippet of a few little scenes. I will probably be able to add a few more chapters at least. It just feels a little directionless, but I can do it! Argh.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know if you have a favourite moment in the book so far or even this chapter. See you soon!