The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Okay,” I said, dragging the word out. I took a sip from my wine. “What are you supposed to be?”

  “Oh, wait a minute. These might help you figure it out.” She held up a set of black and purple devil horns that seemed twisty. “Any guesses now?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Um, a she-devil?”

  “No!” Brielle shouted. “Think fairy tales.”

  Fairy tales?

  “As in my favorite fairy tale,” she said. My confusion must have been clearly displayed on my face because she never gave hints.

  “Oh! Maleficent!” I shouted. “You're Maleficent this year!”

  “Bingo!” Her face lit up. “Isn’t it the best costume? I mean, look at this dress. It’s made out of genuine leather, and it dips super low in the front to show ample amounts of cleavage. Also, check out this slit. I don’t know which is going to be showing more, my legs or my boobs.”

  “You’re definitely going to look hot.”

  If this was the costume she’d bought for herself, what on earth had she bought me? I wanted to ask but was positive it would open up the conversation of me going out with her again and I didn’t want to go there.

  “I know!” She gushed.

  The oven beeped as Brielle darted back to her room with her costume in hand. I moved to spread the pizza rolls on a pan and then popped them in the oven.

  “All right, I need to get back to studying,” Brielle said when she came back. “No more interruptions.”

  “Got it,” I said as she situated herself on the couch and picked up her notebook.

  I sipped my wine and scrolled through my social media accounts while waiting on the pizza rolls to cook. A frown formed on my face. It seemed everyone I knew was getting ready for a night of Halloween fun. A tiny piece of me wished I could be as excited about Halloween as everyone else, but I just didn’t feel it.

  Halloween wasn’t my holiday.

  Chapter Seven

  After Brielle left, I carried the rest of the pizza rolls and bottle of wine I opened to the living room and plopped in front of the TV. I was eager to see what happened in the final few episodes of my show. Lola settled in at my side. She wanted a pizza roll, but I wasn’t willing to share. Instead, I lost myself to the world of zombies.

  The last four episodes of the season were so good I barely gave myself enough time to go to the bathroom in between each and didn’t take my eyes off the screen while refilling my wine glass. Five hours passed and I’d barely noticed. In that time, I had drank an entire bottle of wine by myself and eaten forty pizza rolls. I was beyond stuffed and super tipsy. I grabbed my cell and scrolled through my social media accounts while I sipped the final remnants of wine. Pictures of people at Halloween parties cluttered my newsfeed on each account. I frowned. Maybe I should have gone out with Brielle. Heck, at the very least, I should have tried on the costume she got me. The desire to put it on now became overwhelming. On numb, shaky legs I slipped off the couch and made my way to her room.

  The door was closed, but I twisted the knob anyway and let myself in. I paused for half a second before stepping in, feeling uncomfortable about being in her room while she was out. Privacy was something she seemed to care about; it was also something I respected. However, the bottle of wine flowing through my veins had me overlooking such things easily.

  I flipped on the light and soaked in Brielle’s room. Her bed wasn’t made and there were a few discarded articles of clothing on the floor, but other than that the room was clean. I loved the color palette she used in here. The sophisticated shades of grey and deep plum colors gave the room a dark, serious, grown-up vibe. Brielle’s style had always been something I admired. She herself had a sexy, mysterious air to her. It was something I could only dream of exuding. My taste was the exact opposite of hers. My room was done up in shades of green and yellow. Both colors that reminded me of nature, and I tended to shy away from sexy clothing at all costs. It made me feel awkward.

  I stepped into her room, not stopping until I stood in front of the closet. When I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was her amazing selection of clothes. Nothing would fit me, though. Brielle’s hips and boobs were more voluptuous than mine. Unfortunately, I still had the body of a preteen.

  I thumbed through her clothes, searching for the costume she bought me. My fingertips brushed against something soft and lacy in the back. I pulled it out. Apparently, this year’s idea to go as a sexy villain stopped with her costume because mine seemed to be an elegant gown made of leaves.

  Was this my costume?

  I searched through her closet again but didn’t find anything else in my size or even remotely resembling a Halloween costume. This had to be it.

  My gaze shifted to the gown. It was dark green with an open back and completely made of tiny leaves. There was a crown made of leaves as well and matching gloves that would most likely reach my elbows when pulled on.

  It hit me then what I was supposed to be—Poison Ivy. Or at least a more glamorous version of the villain.

  I spotted a pair of dark green heels on the floor of Brielle’s closet that matched the dress perfectly. I grabbed them. The desire to see what I looked like in the costume flitted through me. Brielle wouldn’t mind if I tried it on. After all, she’d bought it for me.

  I peeled off my clothes and changed into the costume. It fit perfectly. I wasn’t sure how she knew my size so well, but I was impressed. The gown fit so well it was almost as though it had been made for me.

  I slipped on the heels and moved to the full length mirror in the corner, eager to check myself out.

  The costume looked even better on me than I thought it would. Its dark green color contrasted well against my red hair and creamy skin. I regretted not having gone out with Brielle tonight. We could have caused some serious chaos together.

  The pitter-patter of paws pacing in the hall grabbed my attention. Lola needed to go out. My gaze drifted to the alarm clock on Brielle’s nightstand.

  It was almost midnight already. How was that possible?

  “Hold on, girl,” I called out as I made my way into the hall. Lola stood at the front door, whining as though she were desperate to go out. I reached for her leash and hooked her up. “Come on, let’s go.”

  It was dark and chilly out. Music from a few nearby apartments floated to my ears as I walked down the steps to the ground floor. On the last step, I rolled my ankle in Brielle’s heels and nearly face-planted on the concrete. Laughter bubbled from the center of my chest.

  Shit, I was drunk.

  I walked behind Lola, struggling to keep up with her. Who was walking who here? When we made it to her designated potty area, I closed my eyes and listened to the thumping music coming from the apartment nearest me. I couldn’t make out the lyrics to the song playing, but the beat had me swaying my hips. Laughter and liveliness from those at the party rolled out of the cracked windows and all I could think of was how I wanted to be there dancing with everyone else.

  Once Lola finished doing her business, I walked behind her to our building. A cool breeze kicked up, causing goose bumps to prickle across my skin and the crown of leaves on my head to move. I started up the stairs, careful not to trip in my heels again. When we made it to our door, another gust of wind slammed against me, this time knocking the crown off my head. I opened the door and shoved Lola inside, her leash still attached, before darting after it.

  Brielle would know I’d been in her room if I lost the crown. She’d be pissed. I had to get it back and change out of this costume. It needed to go back in her closet, and my drunk ass needed to get to bed.

  Each time I reached for the crown though, another gust of wind blew, sending it farther away from me than before. When it landed on the ground level, I started down the steps and bolted after it. Thankfully, it got hung up on a branch in the tiny wooded area beside the complex. I snatched it up and gripped it tight in my hand as I made my way back toward my apartment. I’d only taken a few steps before moonlight
shined on me like a spotlight. A cool touch caressed my skin as the words from the slip of paper rippled through my mind.

  Just as the moon has brought me to you, so shall the moon bring you to the ball.

  The brightness of the moonlight grew until it became so bright I was forced to close my eyes. What was happening? This couldn’t be real.

  Yet it felt real.

  I opened my eyes as a sense of weightlessness enveloped me and found myself floating in an endless sea of white.

  Chapter Eight

  My fingertips threaded through something cool and damp that was definitely not the sheets on my bed. I forced my eyes open slowly. Where was I? This wasn’t my room at all. Heck, this wasn’t even my apartment. I was outside somewhere.

  I forced myself to sit up and glance around.

  Damp grass surrounded me. A cool breeze pressed against my skin. And silence met with my ears.

  Where the hell was I?

  I tried to think back, to remember something, anything, but couldn’t. No memories of how I’d gotten here surfaced. Icy tendrils of panic worked their way through my chest, making it hard to breathe. Had my stupid brain glitched again? I pressed my hands to my eyes and forced myself to focus. What did I remember?

  Wine. iZombie. Trying on the costume Brielle bought me. Lola needing to go out.

  Pieces of my night came to me. This was good. It meant I was okay. I hadn’t suffered another incident like before.

  Relief burned away the icy tendrils snaking through my chest, and I forced myself to stand. The need to figure out where I was pounded through me. Maybe I was still in the grassy area beside my apartment complex.

  Nope. I didn’t recognize this place with its low-lying fog and twinkling soft-blue lights sporadically placed among the grass.

  Where was I?

  The Monster Ball, a soft voice whispered in the back of my head.

  More clips from my night came back to me. The strange moonlight touching me. The weightless feeling of being carried away.

  Was I at the crazy Halloween ball?

  Something glistened in the grass near where I stood. A scrap of paper. I picked it up with a shaky hand. My stomach twisted when I realized it was the same paper I’d tucked into the pocket of my coat last night. How had it gotten here? My hands came to my temples. I spun around. How had I?

  Magic, the word vibrated through me with so much power it was impossible to deny the truth behind it.

  A stone pathway became visible in front of me as though whatever magic at play here was now prompting me to follow it. I stared at it, debating what I should do. Really, did I have any other choice besides to follow it? It wasn’t as though I could go back the way I came.

  I placed one foot in front of the other and started down the stone path.

  After a few steps, a castle revealed itself as if by magic. That seemed to be the theme of the night so far. An archway to the castle cast in shadows captured my attention, as did the twin stone gargoyles flanking its sides.

  Was this place real? Was I dreaming? There wasn’t a castle anywhere near my town. So how was I standing in front of one now?

  A chill crept up my spine as my gaze drifted to the creepy gargoyle statues. I couldn’t shake the odd sensation they were watching me, anticipating my approach. Unease prickled across my skin as I continued toward them against my better judgement.

  When I was less than four feet away from them an electrical pulse zipped through the air causing the hairs on my arms to stand on end. I blinked and the gargoyles had disappeared. In their place stood two dark-skinned men. One was dressed in dark clothing, causing him to blend with the shadows, and the other wore a blood red jacket. My feet faltered. Where had they come from? Surely they weren’t the statues come to life.

  That was crazy. Then again, wasn’t all of this?

  My body told me to run, but my brain didn’t know where I should go. I had no clue where I was or how to get home.

  “Ticket.” One of the men insisted. His accent was heavy, but I couldn’t place it. He was American though, which had to mean I was still in the USA, right? “Did she hear me?” he said to the guy standing across from him. The other guy shrugged. “Ticket, please,” he said louder.

  I didn’t speak. I couldn’t.

  “Miss, you have to give us the ticket before you can enter the ball,” the other man said. His voice was softer, but he still held the same accent as the first guy. Was it a New Jersey accent? New York? Maybe I was up north somewhere. “Miss?” He nodded to the scrap of paper in my hand.

  “Oh, right. This. Sorry.” I hesitantly took a few steps closer to him and held the paper out.

  “Breathe. You’re going to have the time of your life,” he insisted as he took the paper from me.

  I opened my mouth to ask where I was, but soft blue lights illuminated the archway between them, revealing a set of stone steps.

  What the…?

  “Let loose. Have some fun. And enjoy the ball,” the other man said. Amusement hung in his tone. When I glanced at him, he flashed me a wide smile that put me at ease.

  “Thanks,” I whispered then I stepped forward.

  My heels clicked up the stone steps. Was this the way to the Monster Ball? It seemed like the guys below had implied it was. A tiny sense of satisfaction slithered through me because it looked as though I’d be attending a Halloween party tonight after all.

  Brielle would be happy her costume had been put to use.

  As I made my way up the stairs, the blue lighting faded away to blackness. Panic seized my lungs again. Where was all the light going, and what the hell waited for me at the top of the stairs? Why had I started up them in the first place? I should’ve asked one of those guys how to get home instead.

  My mouth grew dry. I leaned against the wall, feeling the coolness of the stones press against my hot skin while I tried to calm my racing heart and think. What would Brielle do in a situation like this?

  She’d party and enjoy the adventure. I should be doing the same. After all, the gargoyles at the bottom of the steps hadn’t given me the impression they were dangerous. They seemed nice. Fun even.

  Latching onto that thought, I forced myself to keep going up the stairs, darkness be damned.

  When the remaining flickers of soft blue light disappeared, my feet rooted in place. Seconds passed as I wondered what I was supposed to do now. The pacing of my heart sped up. It thundered in my ears in a rhythmic beat.

  Wait, that wasn’t my heartbeat...it was music.

  Light filtered into the area where I stood, revealing a large room before me. A ballroom.

  My gaze swept around the space. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, but they weren’t bright enough to light the room by themselves. Tiny fireflies of various colors flashed their lights across the ceiling to help. I stepped forward for a closer look, and the music grew louder. A firefly flew in my face. I swatted it away and heard a tiny voice scold me. It hadn’t been a firefly. None of them were.

  They were tiny people with wings.

  Before I could think too hard on them, I became mesmerized by the band playing on stage across the room. The name Dastardly Deeds was written in neon purple lights on a large set of drums. The lyrics to the song playing caressed my skin, pulling me further into the room. My eyes focused on the woman singing. She was hypnotizing. Long blue hair fell down her back and sparkles glistened off her tanned skin as she swayed to the beat while singing.

  Where was I? Some weird nightclub?

  “Hey, love. Can I get you a drink?” a guy shouted at me from somewhere to my left.

  I spun around to face him and noticed a bar. The guy speaking stood behind it. He had short golden blonde hair, a full beard, and emerald green eyes that pinned me in place with their intensity. The corners of his lips twisted into a smirk, one that made him seem amused at my reaction to not only the place but him as well.

  He crooked his finger at me, and I found myself walking toward him.

 
; “That a girl,” he said. “Now, how about that drink? What’ll it be?”

  “Uh.” My teeth sank into my bottom lip. A woman working the bar alongside him caught my eye as she maneuvered around. Her hair was stark white and her eyes blood red. Tattoos covered her arms. She wore a black leather bustier, the shortest shorts I’d never seen, and a pair of patterned tights.

  This place was like nowhere I’d ever been before.

  “You like pineapple?” The guy asked, pulling my attention back to him.

  I nodded.

  “How about I make you my specialty then, a twenty-four karat gold?”

  “Uh, sure. Thanks.”

  “No problem, love.” He went to work on creating the drink he’d mentioned. “What’s your name?”

  “Ivy.”

  His green eyes glimmered at the sound of my name as the same amused smirk from before graced his lips again. “Right. I should’ve guessed from your dress. Funny.”

  I didn’t reply. Instead, my gaze wandered around the room as I soaked in the eccentric group of people filling it. Their costumes were spectacular. Not a single one looked store-bought.

  “My name’s Dec,” the bartender said. He passed me the drink he’d made. “Hope you enjoy my drink but also your time at the ball.”

  I reached out to take it from him and spotted scales tattooed along his forearm.

  “Thanks,” I said averting my eyes from his tattoo.

  “Thank me after you take your first sip.” He watched me with a careful eye. “Tell me what you think.”

  I took a tentative sip. Pineapple with a slight hint of cinnamon tickled my taste buds.

  “Pretty good, eh?” He nodded. Approval of his own drink glistened in his eyes.

  “It is.”

  “Just wait, it’s even better with this.” He revealed a skewer lined with chunks of pineapple. I held my cup out to him, thinking he was going to stick some sort of alcohol-infused fruit garnish in it, but he didn’t. Instead, he pulled in a deep breath, and when he exhaled, fire flowed from between his parted lips. It roasted the pineapple to crispy perfection in seconds.