Stranger

Your mother raucously barges through your bedroom door and asks, “Do you know where the remote control is?” Surprised to see you so dressed up, she looks you up and down with eyebrows raised. “And where are you going?”

“A masquerade ball,” you reply, glancing at the mirror. In the reflection, you see a long, graceful gown following the curves of your body, soon billowing out and falling to the floor around you. Turning away, you grab your mask off your desk as you slip by your mother through the door. “And sorry, I don’t know where the remote control is.”

The door bell rings as you make your way down the stairs. You open the door and find your two best friends, smiling, also in beautiful gowns.

“Bye, Mom,” you say as you exit the house. Your mom doesn’t reply, so you close the door and head to the dance with your best friends.

The three of you chat animatedly in high-pitched, excited voices all the way until you arrive at the masquerade ball. Once the three of you walk in, you’re split from them almost immediately.

It’s a thrilling scene, replicated right out of a movie. You can’t stop the grin from appearing on your face as you study the new surroundings. Lovely gowns, like yours, trail the glossy floor that reflects the light form the chandeliers, illuminating the entire ball room. Boys in identical penguin suits court giggling, innocent girls. Ornate masks hide the identities of everyone in the room, adding to the mystery in the air. The entire situation sets butterflies off in your stomach.

“Contain yourself,” a boy warns as he approaches you, clearly amused.

“I’m trying,” you squeal.

He offers you his hand, requesting a dance. You place your hand in his and he leads you to the dance floor. The grin on your face only widens as your partner spins you and pulls you closer.

“What makes you so happy about this place?” he asks you, noticing your continuous smile.

“I don’t know,” you respond, “I just love this atmosphere of mystery. With all these identities hidden, I can just make up my own mental image of how everyone else looks and acts. It’s like my own real-life fairytale.”

His lips twitch as he suppresses a smile. “So what do I look like in your head?”

You bite your bottom lip, contemplating his question. “Decent looking, fit, smart, funny, and sensitive.”

“In other words, the perfect guy.”

“Exactly.”

He gives you a charming smile. “So that means you like me.”

“I don’t know you,” you laugh.

“Isn’t that the point?” he replies.

You smile in agreement.

Once the song finishes, he excuses himself and is soon replaced by your two best friends. The night continues on and you spend the remainder of it with your friends. Unfortunately, the evening is cut short once a chandelier crashes to floor and everyone is evacuated.

Outside, a boy in a penguin suit and a mask walks up to you and your best friends. He smiles, clearly amused. “Of course the three of you would be together,” he laughs. “Joy, Love, and--” he stops as he meets eyes with you, his smile faltering for a moment.

“Hi,” you finish for him. You recognize him as an acquaintance. It’s evident he doesn’t enjoy your company.

He recomposes himself. “Hello,” he replies.

Joy wraps her arms around Love. “The three of us will always be found together. After all, where would Love be without us?”

The boy smiles. “This is correct. Love wouldn’t be Love without the two of you always hanging around her.” He parts with you three after that and the three of you begin to walk back to your homes.

“I don’t think he likes me very much,” you say once he’s out of earshot distance.

Love takes off her mask and gives you a sympathetic look. “Well, you and Familiarity are strangers. Opposites almost. It’s only natural you guys wouldn’t get along.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever talked to him long enough to know that we’re opposites,” I point out.

“Exactly,” Love replies. “You’re always friendly and respectful to everyone, but you rarely get close enough to truly know them. So most people are virtually strangers to you. He, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily respectful to everyone at the first meeting, but he always takes the time to understand people.”

“He’s pretty much friends with everyone,” Joy says. Before you can add anything else, she perks up and squeals, “Oh, you danced with that one guy tonight, right? How was he?”

Your mind reverses back to earlier that night. “Yeah, I liked him.”

Your two friends exchange amused looks.

“You don’t know him,” Joy laughs.

“That’s the point,” you respond as you arrive at your house.

You say your goodbyes to your friends and enter your house. You find your mother in the kitchen. Like she had done earlier in the night, she looks you up and down with raised eyebrows. “Did you go trick-or-treating or something?” she asks.

“I went to a masquerade ball with Love and Joy,” you sigh.

Your mother makes an unpleasant face. “I never liked those two friends of yours. They’re clearly fake and superficial; people not worth your time.”

“You don’t even know them,” you reply, slightly frustrated.

Waving you off, your mother walks out of the kitchen, leaving you alone. You remember your mother is Ignorance. She’s always like this concerning everything.

And you remember who you are and the various names given to you.

Love is rarely seen without you and Joy. Familiarity and you are strangers. You’re the daughter of Ignorance. Or otherwise known as Admiration.