I gave myself a wink in the mirror.

I couldn’t even recognize myself. This was perfect.

Now all I had to do was avoid bumping into Bette at all costs.

◊◊◊

I picked an outfit for Friday: A tight red and black corset, and a flowy-lace skirt. I pulled my hair into an elaborate bun and placed a few jeweled clips to hold it back as I slipped the mask over my head. I finished off my look with a smudge of blood red lipstick across my lips. One of the other girls, Clarissa, was coming to pick us up to go to the party in her large seven-seater space-wagon. We decided that going in a cab would have not been economical.

I had to admit that I was nervous; I just hoped that I would be able to avoid Bette tonight.

After all, I was sure that there would be tons of people there.

◊◊◊

“Good evening, can I get your names?”

There was a guy stationed at the entrance of the massive house we were at. There was valet parking and there were people were walking around, some were trying to get into the house.

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself; there was a myriad of characters here tonight and not all their outfits were exactly glamorous looking. There was a girl in the corner wearing the most hideous shade of yellow and green.

“Chloe, Clarissa, Jamie, Leanne, Rach, Sarah, Maureen and Lois,” I said to the guy as he flipped through a list to check for our names. He gave us a nod and we walked in.

“See you girls later,” I said, trying to find my way to the bar.

“Have fun,” Leanne added with a wink as we all wandered off in separate directions.

I floated my way through people, it felt as if I was in another dimension. Everyone had masks on; some more flamboyant than others. There were a couple of people standing around in little groups drinking, some talking on the sofas and a few couples sharing an intimate moments in various dark spots around the room. I loved this feeling of anonymity and for a moment, my worries of bumping into Bette ceased. Even if I did see her, chances were that she wouldn’t recognize me.