“It’s usually packed in here,” Polly said, as they continued down a corridor. “But not today.
Most of us are sleeping. Getting ready for the big night.”
Caitlin looked over the place, and thought of the twins, and wondered about the other coven members. Was there anyone else she’d know? Her heart beat faster, as she suddenly remembered: Blake. She was almost afraid to ask.
“Among your coven members, is there somebody here named Blake?”
“No Blake here,” Polly said. “Why?”
Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief. She was on edge enough as it was just looking for Caleb. Having Blake there now, too, would just be too much.
“No reason,” she said, then quickly changed the subject. “So what is this Ball, exactly?”
Polly looked at her, eyes wide in excitement. “It’s only the biggest night of the year. I’ve been waiting for ages. Everyone, and I mean everyone, will be there. Not just humans, but every vampire, too. Everyone has a date. Everyone looks stunning,” she said, getting more excited as she went.
Caitlin thought. Everyone. She wondered if that meant Caleb.
“So, are there…vampires from all the covens?” Caitlin asked.
“Everyone who’s anyone in the vampire world,” Polly said. “Not just the surrounding covens—
they come from all over Europe. It’s the very best of high society. Not only that, it’s also a masquerade. You would not believe it—there are the most elaborate costumes. You can’t get in without a mask. And it goes on for hours. No one knows who’s who. It’s always someone different than you think.”
“Are there parties here all the time?” Caitlin asked. “This whole city seems like it’s drunk.”
“You’ve really never been here, have you?” Polly shook her head in disbelief. “It’s Carnival season. It’s days and days of games, parties, drinking, gambling….That’s why it’s such a madhouse here. I mean, it’s always a madhouse in Venice, but now, especially. Everyone’s out in force. The finest costumes from all of Europe, all in one place. It’s like a huge party, and it never ends. You came at the perfect time! And very convenient for vampires, I might add: with everyone in costumes, no one thinks twice about whether someone is human.”
Polly opened an arched, oak door, and entered a small room, leaving the door open. Caitlin followed tentatively, with Rose.
This was clearly Polly’s bedroom. The simple stone room had a large window in it, looking out at the trees, and Polly had a big, comfortable straw bed, covered in a pink linen and in what looked like straw teddy bears. Polly blushed at the site, and quickly shoved them under her pillow.
There were clothes strewn all over the floor, and all over her wooden dresser. Polly quickly tried to tidy the place.
“Sorry,” she said, “my room is such a mess. I wasn’t expecting any guests. Aiden would kill me if he saw it like this. But what does he expect? Tonight’s the big dance. And I still have absolutely no idea what I’m wearing,” she said, as she hurried through the room, trying to make sense of the chaos.
Caitlin saw several elaborate dresses along the wall, and several intricate masks. She was amazed by their craftsmanship. They looked like works of art. Some had long, curved noses, while others were small, no more than just an eye mask. There were gold masks and silver masks, some simple, and others elaborately adorned. Some were sinister, some jovial; some had feathers, others were plain. It was quite a collection.
Caitlin, fascinated, made her way over to the wall, and reached up and touched one.
“Go ahead, try it on,” Polly said. “It’s fun. You can be anyone you want. And you can switch every night. That’s what Venice is about.”
Caitlin gingerly removed a mask. It was the most unusual of them all. It was ornate, with a Persian or Indian influence, and its colors were copper, gold, and a burnt orange. A pattern of flowers was carved over the forehead and down between the eyes, giving it a regal quality.
Caitlin reached up and gently put it on her face. She walked over to the mirror, and then remembered. No reflection.
“I know, it sucks, doesn’t it?” Polly asked. “I can never tell what I look like. It’s so frustrating. I don’t know why I even keep a mirror. I guess I’m hoping one day it will work. In the meantime, you just have to learn to go by what other people say.”
Caitlin couldn’t see what she looked like, but she felt different just wearing it. She felt like she’d stepped into someone else’s shoes, like she had a license to be anyone. It felt liberating.
“It suits you well,” Polly said. “You can wear it tonight.”
A pang of fear raced through Caitlin.
“Tonight?” she asked, her voice nearly cracking.
“You’re coming, aren’t you?” Polly said, then grabbed her wrist. “Oh, you have to come. You just have to. How could you possibly miss it? Please. I could use the backup. Everyone else here is so boring, or they have dates. I’d love to have you with me. The best boys, the very best boys will be there, and it helps to have support. It will be so fun. Please, please,” Polly said, grabbing her arm.
Caitlin thought. The last thing on her mind right now was going to a dance, or looking for boys.
All that mattered to her was Caleb, and she simply could not allow herself to rest, or enjoy herself, until she found him.
She slowly removed the mask and handed it to Polly.
“I’m sorry, Polly,” she said. “I don’t want to disappoint you. But I can’t go. I really need to focus on finding someone.”
“That guy you asked about? Caleb?” Polly asked. “Well, if so, then you need to go. I’m sure he’ll be there. If he’s one of us, that’s where he’ll be. You have to go. For your own sake.”
Caitlin thought about it, and as she did, she realized it made sense. If Polly was right, if this ball was really such a big affair, maybe he would be there. Besides, she had no other leads, no other ideas for where to search for him. Perhaps she should go.
But another worry struck her: she had nothing to wear. She was never good at going to dances; she always got so nervous leading up to them. And this sounded like the biggest, most formal dance yet. Plus, she wasn’t even a good dancer in the 21st century—how could she possibly dance well in the 18th? She would just look clumsy, conspicuous, stupid.
“Don’t worry, the dances are easy,” Polly said, annoyingly reading Caitlin’s mind again. “I’ll teach you, I promise. Just grab the wrist of the person next to you, and they lead you along.
Everyone’s so drunk anyway, I promise no one will notice.”
“Drunk?” Caitlin asked. “Do they let girls our age drink? Isn’t there, like, an age limit?”
For a brief moment, Caitlin worried about getting in, about having I.D.
Polly laughed aloud. “Are you kidding? This is Venice. No one cares. Toddlers can drink if they want to.”
“But I’ve nothing to wear,” Caitlin protested.
Polly’s eyes lit up. “Oh, but you do,” she said. “Have you not seen this room? I have enough gowns here to last me for fifteen balls. And we look to be the same size. Please, try one on. Let’s have fun! It’s almost the 19th century, after all! When else will we get a chance to live like this!?”
Caitlin thought. She certainly had a point. If not now, when? And she’d always wanted to try on one of those elaborate gowns.
Not to mention, if Caleb was there, what better way to meet him again than in a beautiful, elaborate gown?