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The invitation arrived wrapped in black velvet, sealed with Saint Mercy’s silver crest.
You are cordially invited to the Annual Masquerade Ball.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjrrRSC3Gi
Attire: Formal. Mask: Mandatory.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GDirTVqM3
Midnight. East Hall. No exceptions.
For most, it was a chance to dazzle.
For Isabel—it was a trap.
And she was walking right into it.
Karoline stood before her mirror, adjusting a silver half-mask that shimmered like ice.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7imz62wreQ
Pearl zipped her dress behind her, quiet.
“You’re really going?” Pearl asked.
Karoline nodded. “We all are. If we don’t show up, Rose wins by default.”
Pearl hesitated. “Or… we walk away. Start over.”
Karoline turned. “People like Rose don’t let you walk away.”
The ballroom had never looked like this.
Twinkling chandeliers. Blood-red roses. Gilded staircases.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWImatwFPyj
Everyone glittered, faceless behind satin and gold.
The tension was masked too—barely.
Ryan stood beside Mark and Adam, sipping something amber. “Anyone seen Isabel yet?”
“She’ll come,” Adam muttered. “She’s not the type to miss her own reckoning.”
And then she arrived.
Isabel, in a sleek black gown that swallowed the light. Her mask was matte obsidian, simple—elegant. Dangerous.
She didn’t need sparkle.
Her presence made the room colder.
Rose watched from the mezzanine, face unreadable behind a gold lace mask that gleamed like a crown.
“She came,” she whispered to Samantha.
Samantha didn’t respond.
At 11:17 p.m., the music shifted. A slow waltz. Deliberate. Sharp.
Isabel danced with Adam, then Ryan, then Andrew—never long enough for comfort.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhsSHsegb4
Eyes followed her everywhere.
And then the lights dimmed further.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsgC8lSyQx
A figure in white stepped onto the center floor.
Anonymous.
A full mask. White suit. No name.
He (or she) held a mic.
“Saint Mercy’s thrives on secrets,” the voice echoed, distorted.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kJIFVelXR
“But tonight, we unmask truth.”
A projector flickered to life behind them. Emails. Screenshots. Images. Records.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYj2ohJXXr7
Everything Rose buried.
The room fell into chaos.
Rose rushed toward the projector booth—but someone blocked her path.
Karoline.
“You think you control us,” Karoline hissed. “But you don’t own our silence anymore.”
Behind them, whispers exploded into shouting.
Samantha stepped in. “Stop this, Rose. Stop before you burn completely.”
Rose, breath heavy, mask cracking at the corners, looked like a queen caught naked.
And then—
Boom.
The fire alarm went off. Sprinklers erupted.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFXL7j7flx
Students screamed, running for cover.
Amid the chaos, the projector melted.
But not before every image was burned into memory.
Outside, soaking wet and breathless, Isabel stood near the back gates with Ryan.
“That wasn’t you, was it?” he asked.
“No,” Isabel said.
He stared at her.
“Then who the hell was it?”
Isabel didn’t answer.
Because this time… she didn’t know.
From the shadows, a figure peeled off their soaked white mask, threw it into the fire pit, and disappeared into the woods behind Saint Mercy’s.
The game wasn’t over.
It had just turned savage.
84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfMtmMw5EQ
Stay Tuned For Chapter 9
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