Moonlit Masquerade
by Anna Nipert
Stella glided through the masquerade ball like she wasn't even touching the floor. It had been a rough day at work today and she just needed to get the stress out. As soon as she had come home to the house she shared with her twin sister, Luna, Stella had thrown herself down on the couch and refused to do anything. Luna, on the other hand, had different plans. She had found an open, free admission masquerade ball in a close by town and she declared they just had to go. It was the perfect place for a few mysterious murders.
Stella pretended to bump into a random girl in the crowd of the ball and apologized to the girl in the beautiful blue gown with a hand sliding across her back. The girl just smiled and laughed along with her friends, forgiving Stella without a second thought. Stella just continued to push through the crowd hoping to find her sister again soon. The sisters shared a very unique bond. A bond that they had sealed with matching tattoos and spilled blood. The girls both had bleeding red heart tattoos with knives through the middle on their ankles. The only difference was that Stella’s heart had demon wings and Luna’s had angel wings. The sisters were killers. Their parents before them were killers. Even their grandparents on their father’s side were serial killers. The greatest thing about the Andrus family tree is that none of them have ever been caught. Their styles vary too greatly, not only between the family members, but in each individual killer. Hardly any of their crimes can be linked together, especially because the sisters have just moved to America from England. They decided big city, but not something cliche like New York or Los Angeles. That’s how they ended up in Philadelphia, PA. That’s also how Stella ended up at a masquerade ball with her sister. Sometimes she hated this city and the parties you could find.
Luna had already planned their kills for the night. She was researching some gel when Stella got home. Stella was too tired to remember what it was even called. All she knew was that you could mix drugs or poisons with it and if it made contact with the skin, it would absorb straight into the bloodstream. It’s amazing what science can do. It was even more amazing what her sister could do with said science.
Right after Stella denied her sister’s request to go to the ball, her sister had pulled out this gorgeous black gown. It wasn’t truly black. It was actually red with a sheer black overlay. It had halter straps and Stella could tell even on the hanger that it would cling to her upper body in a perfect shape, but flare out at the black ribbon that would wrap around her waist. The upper half of the dress was beaded with intricate red designs that she knew Luna must have done herself. Her sister also knew her weaknesses too well and knew Stella couldn’t deny her when she pulled out her own white dress. Devil and Angel.
Stella continued to walk around the masquerade, no one even paying attention to the girl in the black gown, except for the few people she apologized to with a simple touch on the arm or back from her gloved hand. Luna had really thought this through. They had latex gloves underneath the elbow high satin ones that matched their dresses. All they had to do was dip the ends of their fingers and brush it against someone's skin. Meaningless kills. It’s what they did. They didn’t have a type, they just loved the thrill of the reports on TV, knowing no one would know it was them who did it.
Stella caught Luna’s eyes, only letting the contact last for a few seconds before holding up ten fingers. Luna gaped at her before holding up six fingers. Stella smirked over at her. Luna was slacking tonight. Right before Stella could start to make her way over to Luna, She was swept over to the dance floor by a tug of her wrist. She felt the pull of a strong arm and before she could even think about pulling away from the stranger, she looked up to meet bright forest green eyes hidden behind a Guy Fawkes mask. Stella’s eyes were blue, just blue. The sisters’ eyes were bright, but otherwise unmemorable and just to be sure, they both wore brown contacts to cover the bright shades underneath when they went on trips like this. The stranger’s eyes, however, were like an explosion of colors and shades. Her breath was gone in an instant as the stranger pulled her in a waltz across the floor. He leaned down to whisper in her ear and she could feel her heart skip a few beats. She had never been this close to another person outside her family or among her small groups of friends.
“Felix,” the man whispered. Suiting, thought Stella. Saint Felix was the patron saint of spiders in the Catholic church. Stella loved spiders so much. She blushed and looked down. A spider pin was situated at the man’s shirt collar. The man knew his stuff. She smiled and looked back up at him. She went on her toes to whisper back.
“Abigail,” she said quietly in his ear. A huge grin spread across the man’s face and they continued to dance across the floor. Luna was going to be furious. No boys. That was the deal they made when their parents died in a house fire and the two sisters were left all alone at 19 years old. Stella was breaking that rule with every step away from Luna she took. What was it about the man in front of her that felt so right? Even the weight of his arms around her waist just felt natural.
They danced for what seems like ages, but was really only one song. As the room around them exploded in applause, Felix grabbed her hand and pulled Stella towards the balcony door. As they weaved their way through the crowd, Stella watched this stranger from behind. His dark hair was tousled and wind blown, probably from dancing all night while Stella was killing. He wore a dark suit that looked like crushed velvet in the lighting. Stella remembered the classical ruffle that went down the front of his shirt, held perfectly in place by the metal spider with rubies embedded in it. She wondered if he knew about his name, or if it was just a fashion. She also wanted to know if he knew about Guy Fawkes or he just found it somewhere and thought it was cool.
As they broke out of the crowd and onto the balcony, Felix spun Stella around so her dress flared out and the bright red of the underneath flashed quickly like a burning inferno that flashes bright before simmering down. Felix laughed and Stella couldn’t help but burst into laughter herself. How could Luna say this is wrong when it just felt so right? They continued to waltz around the empty balcony to the faint sound of the music from inside leaking underneath the doors as Felix dramatically hums along and Stella just continues to laugh.
Felix picks her up by the waist and continues to spin and it feels like she’s flying. The wind whips through her red hair and her gown flutters all around her as Felix’s dramatic humming turns into dramatic singing and he’s trying to sing all the sounds the instruments are making. Felix slowly lets her down as the song ends, her dress moving all around them. They stop. Both of their breathing stops and it feels as though their hearts beat as one as they realize how close they are to each other. With only an inch or two between their faces, they stare into each other’s eyes. Stella reaches up and places her hand onto his cheek, but then her heart stops all together. The gel.
Stella backs away quickly. The drugs. The killings. The gel. It all flashes back to her. She just touched his face with her glove, the glove she used to spread the cyanide. What was she thinking? She got distracted on a trip and now Felix, this strange and incredible man, was going to die. What made him so different? Why does she care? She already killed 6 women and 4 other men, so why does Felix matter? Stella just stood there staring at Felix. He was going to die.
The clock at the top of the ancient building the masquerade was being held in rang out. Midnight. The sisters came in at 10:30, saying they’ll leave at midnight because cyanide takes 2-6 hours and they wanted to be out of there by the time any people started hitting the floor. She had to leave. Felix removed his mask, revealing a strong, handsome face. She stared at the bright green eyes that held every emotion. Shock. Confusion. Worry. Wonder. Curiosity. Excitement. She couldn’t stand it. She had to go. The chimes of the clock finished right as Stella threw herself at Felix, kissing him in a way that she’ll never forget and he’ll never have a chance to remember. She pulled back right as the tears started to fall from her eyes and stared into the deep forests of the eyes that have changed her in only half an hour. Twenty six years of living and seven years since the deal with her sister and this one man changed everything in half an hour.
“Abigail?” Felix asked. That's only the second word Stella even heard him say to her and it only made her cry harder. The tears fell in big, fat drops down her cheeks, catching on the lace and rubies of her black mask.
“I have to go,” Stella whispered quietly. “I’m so sorry.” With one final kiss, she slipped from his grasp and quickly made her way through the crowd. She was vaguely aware of him calling for her through the crowd. Abigail. Abigail. Abigail. She had to get away. She glided through the crowd like nothing was wrong, but obviously had a mission. People parted for her, but didn’t even pay attention to her. No one even noticed the tears streaming down her face. She fell into Luna’s arms right as she broke out of the crowd and through the huge front doors. Luna didn’t even question her, she just ushered her into the back of their rental car and let her lay down on the seat as she gathered her dress and got into the front. Luna drove and drove until they were finally home. It was only on the walk from the car to the house that Stella realized she wasn’t wearing one of her shoes.
by Anna Nipert
Stella glided through the masquerade ball like she wasn't even touching the floor. It had been a rough day at work today and she just needed to get the stress out. As soon as she had come home to the house she shared with her twin sister, Luna, Stella had thrown herself down on the couch and refused to do anything. Luna, on the other hand, had different plans. She had found an open, free admission masquerade ball in a close by town and she declared they just had to go. It was the perfect place for a few mysterious murders.
Stella pretended to bump into a random girl in the crowd of the ball and apologized to the girl in the beautiful blue gown with a hand sliding across her back. The girl just smiled and laughed along with her friends, forgiving Stella without a second thought. Stella just continued to push through the crowd hoping to find her sister again soon. The sisters shared a very unique bond. A bond that they had sealed with matching tattoos and spilled blood. The girls both had bleeding red heart tattoos with knives through the middle on their ankles. The only difference was that Stella’s heart had demon wings and Luna’s had angel wings. The sisters were killers. Their parents before them were killers. Even their grandparents on their father’s side were serial killers. The greatest thing about the Andrus family tree is that none of them have ever been caught. Their styles vary too greatly, not only between the family members, but in each individual killer. Hardly any of their crimes can be linked together, especially because the sisters have just moved to America from England. They decided big city, but not something cliche like New York or Los Angeles. That’s how they ended up in Philadelphia, PA. That’s also how Stella ended up at a masquerade ball with her sister. Sometimes she hated this city and the parties you could find.
Luna had already planned their kills for the night. She was researching some gel when Stella got home. Stella was too tired to remember what it was even called. All she knew was that you could mix drugs or poisons with it and if it made contact with the skin, it would absorb straight into the bloodstream. It’s amazing what science can do. It was even more amazing what her sister could do with said science.
Right after Stella denied her sister’s request to go to the ball, her sister had pulled out this gorgeous black gown. It wasn’t truly black. It was actually red with a sheer black overlay. It had halter straps and Stella could tell even on the hanger that it would cling to her upper body in a perfect shape, but flare out at the black ribbon that would wrap around her waist. The upper half of the dress was beaded with intricate red designs that she knew Luna must have done herself. Her sister also knew her weaknesses too well and knew Stella couldn’t deny her when she pulled out her own white dress. Devil and Angel.
Stella continued to walk around the masquerade, no one even paying attention to the girl in the black gown, except for the few people she apologized to with a simple touch on the arm or back from her gloved hand. Luna had really thought this through. They had latex gloves underneath the elbow high satin ones that matched their dresses. All they had to do was dip the ends of their fingers and brush it against someone's skin. Meaningless kills. It’s what they did. They didn’t have a type, they just loved the thrill of the reports on TV, knowing no one would know it was them who did it.
Stella caught Luna’s eyes, only letting the contact last for a few seconds before holding up ten fingers. Luna gaped at her before holding up six fingers. Stella smirked over at her. Luna was slacking tonight. Right before Stella could start to make her way over to Luna, She was swept over to the dance floor by a tug of her wrist. She felt the pull of a strong arm and before she could even think about pulling away from the stranger, she looked up to meet bright forest green eyes hidden behind a Guy Fawkes mask. Stella’s eyes were blue, just blue. The sisters’ eyes were bright, but otherwise unmemorable and just to be sure, they both wore brown contacts to cover the bright shades underneath when they went on trips like this. The stranger’s eyes, however, were like an explosion of colors and shades. Her breath was gone in an instant as the stranger pulled her in a waltz across the floor. He leaned down to whisper in her ear and she could feel her heart skip a few beats. She had never been this close to another person outside her family or among her small groups of friends.
“Felix,” the man whispered. Suiting, thought Stella. Saint Felix was the patron saint of spiders in the Catholic church. Stella loved spiders so much. She blushed and looked down. A spider pin was situated at the man’s shirt collar. The man knew his stuff. She smiled and looked back up at him. She went on her toes to whisper back.
“Abigail,” she said quietly in his ear. A huge grin spread across the man’s face and they continued to dance across the floor. Luna was going to be furious. No boys. That was the deal they made when their parents died in a house fire and the two sisters were left all alone at 19 years old. Stella was breaking that rule with every step away from Luna she took. What was it about the man in front of her that felt so right? Even the weight of his arms around her waist just felt natural.
They danced for what seems like ages, but was really only one song. As the room around them exploded in applause, Felix grabbed her hand and pulled Stella towards the balcony door. As they weaved their way through the crowd, Stella watched this stranger from behind. His dark hair was tousled and wind blown, probably from dancing all night while Stella was killing. He wore a dark suit that looked like crushed velvet in the lighting. Stella remembered the classical ruffle that went down the front of his shirt, held perfectly in place by the metal spider with rubies embedded in it. She wondered if he knew about his name, or if it was just a fashion. She also wanted to know if he knew about Guy Fawkes or he just found it somewhere and thought it was cool.
As they broke out of the crowd and onto the balcony, Felix spun Stella around so her dress flared out and the bright red of the underneath flashed quickly like a burning inferno that flashes bright before simmering down. Felix laughed and Stella couldn’t help but burst into laughter herself. How could Luna say this is wrong when it just felt so right? They continued to waltz around the empty balcony to the faint sound of the music from inside leaking underneath the doors as Felix dramatically hums along and Stella just continues to laugh.
Felix picks her up by the waist and continues to spin and it feels like she’s flying. The wind whips through her red hair and her gown flutters all around her as Felix’s dramatic humming turns into dramatic singing and he’s trying to sing all the sounds the instruments are making. Felix slowly lets her down as the song ends, her dress moving all around them. They stop. Both of their breathing stops and it feels as though their hearts beat as one as they realize how close they are to each other. With only an inch or two between their faces, they stare into each other’s eyes. Stella reaches up and places her hand onto his cheek, but then her heart stops all together. The gel.
Stella backs away quickly. The drugs. The killings. The gel. It all flashes back to her. She just touched his face with her glove, the glove she used to spread the cyanide. What was she thinking? She got distracted on a trip and now Felix, this strange and incredible man, was going to die. What made him so different? Why does she care? She already killed 6 women and 4 other men, so why does Felix matter? Stella just stood there staring at Felix. He was going to die.
The clock at the top of the ancient building the masquerade was being held in rang out. Midnight. The sisters came in at 10:30, saying they’ll leave at midnight because cyanide takes 2-6 hours and they wanted to be out of there by the time any people started hitting the floor. She had to leave. Felix removed his mask, revealing a strong, handsome face. She stared at the bright green eyes that held every emotion. Shock. Confusion. Worry. Wonder. Curiosity. Excitement. She couldn’t stand it. She had to go. The chimes of the clock finished right as Stella threw herself at Felix, kissing him in a way that she’ll never forget and he’ll never have a chance to remember. She pulled back right as the tears started to fall from her eyes and stared into the deep forests of the eyes that have changed her in only half an hour. Twenty six years of living and seven years since the deal with her sister and this one man changed everything in half an hour.
“Abigail?” Felix asked. That's only the second word Stella even heard him say to her and it only made her cry harder. The tears fell in big, fat drops down her cheeks, catching on the lace and rubies of her black mask.
“I have to go,” Stella whispered quietly. “I’m so sorry.” With one final kiss, she slipped from his grasp and quickly made her way through the crowd. She was vaguely aware of him calling for her through the crowd. Abigail. Abigail. Abigail. She had to get away. She glided through the crowd like nothing was wrong, but obviously had a mission. People parted for her, but didn’t even pay attention to her. No one even noticed the tears streaming down her face. She fell into Luna’s arms right as she broke out of the crowd and through the huge front doors. Luna didn’t even question her, she just ushered her into the back of their rental car and let her lay down on the seat as she gathered her dress and got into the front. Luna drove and drove until they were finally home. It was only on the walk from the car to the house that Stella realized she wasn’t wearing one of her shoes.