The Darkness Hidden in the Glitter

The party was held in the most affluent banqueting hall she had ever laid her eyes on and to say Lucy was excited was to understate the young girl’s mood by a factor of one hundred.

Lucy was so elated that you could properly describe her as ‘walking on air’. For a girl who had spent all her working life in bars and in supermarkets, the surroundings she found herself in this evening could have been properly considered as ‘fantastic’, in that all her life she had fantasied about going to a real ball, dressed like a princess and on the arm of a prince charming. Like one of the characters from those movies, Lucy found herself in a hall surrounded by ladies who wore long fancy ball gowns and were decorated by amounts of diamond jewellery that lit them up like Christmas trees despite the dim lighting of the hall. The heroines Lucy admired, on the other hand, were surrounded by heroes dressed in tuxedos and dinner attire that were noticeably new and pristine, not like the thredbare and dusty ones she had seen often hanging on racks in thrift stores.

This evening ticked all the boxes that Lucy ever dreamed about. The banqueting hall was in the most upmarket part of town, and was one of those places where trailer park kids like her never got a chance to go near. The place was buzzing with people dressed like the models she had seen pictures of in the magazines you find in the waiting rooms of doctors and dentists. And, despite the hall being dimly lit, she could tell she was amongst the affluent and well healed of society, the sound of their accents and the glint of the diamonds that they wore precluded the need for illumination for Lucy to tell that she had landed in the middle of the elite.

As they entered the hall, Lucy instinctively moved closer and clutched the arm of her date more tightly. The environment they were entering was unfamiliar, and to a working-class girl like Lucy, a bit scary. However, her date Rupert must have anticipated her anxiety and gave her hand a reassuring pat. Lucy looked over at Rupert and he seemed to read her mind because he looked back and smiled saying, “don’t worry you’ll fit in just fine.”

Lucy was comforted by Rupert’s words and gestures. His actions confirmed what she had said to her best friend Iris earlier that day that Rupert was a “dream date”, which was a departure for Lucy because she did not usually feel this much enthusiasm for someone, she had known for such a short time. However, Rupert was not like anyone she had ever met before and despite all the assurance of the handsome date, Lucy had still felt things were not right the whole day of the date. All this, regardless of the fact that the young man had literally swept her off her feet in the short time that she had known him.

Rupert came into the bar she was working in late one evening after most of the 9 pm crowd had their fill of drink and had filtered out the door for home. Rupert was very well dressed and ostentatiously wore expensive diamond encrusted jewellery on his person. He also wore dark glasses in the bar despite it being close to midnight when he started drinking.

“I think he must be blind or something,” commented Iris in the staff room, “it’s pitch dark outside so why’s he wearing those shades?”

“You don’t know nothing,” said Joe the barman in reply, “it’s part of his ‘cool’ image. Look at the pictures of movie stars, they all wear shades no matter where they’re at and at any time of day.”

Lucy thought it was unusual but didn’t give it more thought, her mind was limited to her sore feet and in large part focused on what sort of tip this new customer was good for.

However, as the evening wore on Rupert steadily kept ordering his drinks and started in a modest way a stream of conversation with all the bar staff he came in contact with. Presently, Rupert started conversing with Lucy and he started by complementing her on her highlights and her braided hair. Lucy pretended to be nonchalant, but she felt a stirring internally. Earlier in the week, Lucy had wrestled with the cost of the highlighting and braiding at the hairdresser. It was a lot of money to get what she wanted done, but as Shakespeare had once said, “vanity thy name is woman.” So, after long deliberation, she dug into her savings and got the upgrade to her appearance. However after she got her hair done no one seemed to notice. That was until Rupert’s complement. So, the stranger managed to hit the right button and thereafter, Lucy felt totally different about a lot of things about her looks, her attractiveness and her life in general.

What followed that was a number of follow-on visits to the bar by Rupert every time Lucy was working, and the staff started referring to the late-night customer as “Hollywood” on account of his attachment to his sunglasses in the dark of night.

Iris caught on to Lucy’s growing attraction to Hollywood and judged that a caution was merited. Iris said one night, “there’s something not right about Hollywood.”

Joe then added, “yeah there’s something not kosher about that guy.”

“Like what?” asked Lucy.

But neither Iris nor Joe could identify what their concerns were based upon. So, Lucy just ignored their subsequent remarks or concerns and allowed Rupert’s advances to continue.

Then one evening, about three weeks after Rupert’s first appearance to the bar, he asked her out for the first time. There was going to be a ball at the banqueting hall next week and Rupert asked if Lucy wanted to go as his date.

Lucy was excited but hesitant, she had nothing remotely suitable to go to a “ball” in. Rupert just smiled when she voiced her concerns and the next time he was at the bar, he came with a bundle of clothing in a garment bag which he proceeded to hand over to Lucy.

“I’m sure you can find something in here,” said Rupert as he handed the bag over, “these are my sister’s old gowns, and she’s about your size so everything here should fit you.”

Lucy was shocked when he presented her with this but she felt she had no choice but to accept the bag.

Later, when she opened the bag at home, she discovered three of the loveliest ballgowns she had ever seen, and they all fit her to a tee. Lucy also discovered that the gowns inside the bag were made to the highest quality and included in the gown bag were accessories like shoes and handbags to match with each ballgown. The contents of bag she had been given were to her like the booty from an Aladdin’s cave. Too good to be true. Nevertheless, Lucy noticed something strange about the treasures she found before her in her bedroom that night. The dresses all appeared brand new, not worn before, despite Rupert telling her that they were his sister’s castoffs. In addition, Lucy decided to look up the labels on the dresses to discover they were all the work of a designer who had died many years ago. Lucy was mystified as to why Rupert had unused gowns from a long dead designer, and a sense of unease welled up inside her. Was this an omen of some sort she wondered?

Regardless the girl was intrigued and she felt an intense sense of curiosity as to the unanswered questions she harboured. Besides which, Lucy was very attracted to Rupert. He was the most exiting thing to have happened to her, ever.

So, a week later Lucy accompanied by Rupert walked into the dimly lit hall full of affluent looking guests milling about and served by an army of formally dressed waiters with more drink and food Lucy had ever come across.

Lucy and Rupert had just entered the hall when the met a slim woman dressed exquisitely in a beautiful ball gown. Lucy could tell by the woman’s body motion that she was looking Lucy over in the dim light of the hall, and despite her inability to determine in detail what the woman’s features were, she could sense the vibes coming from her and they were not approving.

“Hello Rupert darling,” The woman said in a dismissive tone of voice, “I see you’ve brought someone with you tonight.”

“Hello Grizelda, this is Lucy,”

The attitude the woman displayed did not surprise Lucy because she had experience of upper-class customers who occasionally came into the restaurants where she worked in the past, but what she then said next shocked her.

“I rate her as no more than a four,” Grizelda said in her off handed way. Then before Lucy could react, she just walked away.

Grizelda’s remark left Lucy’s mouth open in shock and amazement but Rupert quickly said, “don’t mind her she just jealous of you.”

Lucy was about to make a comment in reply but she decided not to at this time. Perhaps Grizelda was Rupert’s ex-girlfriend or she was just a rich upper-class bitch of the first order, in any case, her quick departure meant there was no time to react. Now they getting deeper into the dining area of the hall and people were pressing closer around them, so she judged this was not a good time to have a meltdown and ruin the evening before it started.

The two of them filed to a table where they were to have dinner and seated themselves amongst several other couples. Lucy noticed they were all a lot older than Rupert and herself but she smiled and prepared herself for small talk before the food arrived.

To her surprise, an old man in his sixties commented to Rupert as soon as they sat down that he had not seen Rupert with a girl for a few months and wondered whether the young man was losing his touch with the other sex. Lucy thought the remark inappropriate considering she was sitting there right next to Rupert but then the old man’s next statement again left her speechless. He said, “this one here looks better than the one you came with last time…but I’d rate her as no more than a six.”

Lucy was offended and outraged by what the old man said, but more than the offense she felt, it was striking to her that this was second time in one evening that a stranger had commented to her face about her appearance. Lucy noticed the strange coincidence but was partly immobilized by her mystification.

‘What the hell is wrong with these people?’ Lucy thought to herself, ‘I know you belong to a different class than a working girl like me but this was beyond the pale’.

Lucy was about to come out with a scathing reply to the rude asshole, but Rupert interrupted when he whispered to her that the old guy was from the old country and Lucy should not be offended because “you know what they’re like.”

Lucy did not know what he was talking about and was about to cause a scene in any case, but Rupert anticipating the volcano about to explode beside him and quickly took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

Whilst the two of them danced in the area next to an empty stage she leaned over to Rupert and asked softly, “what is it with these people? Why the hell do they keep rating my looks to my face? Don’t they have anyone to teach them manners?”

Her date smiled and said, “don’t let what they say bother you, they are just from the part of the old world where people are very direct in how they communicate.”

“What do you mean by part of the old world?”.

“Nothing really, it’s just that everyone here is from the same part of eastern Europe and they all speak in the same unfiltered manner. It’s part of the culture and you’ll get used to it over time.”

The explanation was plausible, a different circle of people than she was familiar with, and a different cultural background from the one Lucy came from; Rupert’s narrative was believable. But Lucy could not shake the feeling that something was not right. The pieces that were supplied with the jigsaw somehow did not fit right. However, she could not put her finger on what or why this whole evening was making her feel uneasy.

Lucy was about to ask Rupert about what he said when a tall distinguished looking man stood on the stage and cleared his throat. That got everyone's attention and the entire hall fell silent before turning to face the stage.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your attention, now for the next event can we please have Rupert and his lovely date come on stage?”

Lucy was shocked but the whole room started applauding at that moment and she felt Rupert’s hand around her arm, steering her towards the stage, whilst all the time this was happening, she could feel rather than see all the eyes of everyone there trained on the two of them.

“What’s happening?” Lucy asked her date, “I don’t understand what’s going on?”

“You’re the belle of the ball,” Rupert answered, “now they all want to recognize you as such.”

Despite a sense of panic, Lucy was led by her date onto the stage and in the spotlight that was on the raised platform she could see less of the surrounding room and its occupants than she could when she sat at the darkened dining area. From where they stood, Lucy could only see darkened outlines of figures beyond the spotlight.

“Now everyone I present to you the belle of the ball Lucy,” announced the tall man who was officiating.

There followed more applause and then suddenly, from somewhere out in the darkness someone shouted, “she’s a seven.”

There followed a pause in the applause and then another voice which shouted out “eight…she’s an eight.”

There was a hushed momentary stillness and then a booming voice somewhere in the back that thundered, “ten she is a ten to me.”

Lucy could not see the person who said those words, but she could tell that they came from a tall shadowy silhouette from the direction towards back somewhere.

The room then erupted into wild cheers and the master of ceremonies had to attempt several times before he got everyone to quieten down. Finally after several attempts, the master of ceremonies managed to say, “thank you for that and congratulations to the Count for his winning bid.”

“Bid?!” Lucy asked out loud to the master of ceremonies, “What do you mean bid?”

Lucy turned to look at the two men on stage with her and she could see Rupert had now removed his dark glasses, and for the first time she could see the pupils of Rupert’s eyes. They were almond shaped like that of a cat. She turned to see the pupils of the master of ceremonies were also almond shaped.

At that point the lights of the stage and room were lit up and Lucy, for the first time, could get a detailed look at all the guests that were in the ballroom. They were all looking up towards the stage and at her, and in that instance the girl felt her blood chilled to the bone by what she saw.

In that instance, she noticed that everyone in the room had long pointed teeth protruding from their mouths. Just like pictures of saber tooth tigers she had seen in books, the long-curved fangs protruded from their mouths when their lips parted and as they spoke or smiled.

She turned to look at Rupert and watched in horror as his canine teeth started to extend before her as she stood less than three feet apart from him.

Shocked Lucy looked further around the room and she spotted a tall man from the back of the room in the direction of where she had heard someone shout that he thought that she was a “ten”. The lights now being on, Lucy could see the man was in the process of pulling out what were clearly shrunken heads from his pockets and putting them into a silver tray one of the waiters were holding out for him. He spotted Lucy looking at him and momentarily waved at her whilst displaying a wide grin that showed off his two long ivory coloured white fangs in the process.

Then in a moment of devastating clarity, Lucy finally understood the true nature of the invitation she had accepted and she realized a universal truth that traps never look like traps and the spider’s skill in weaving her web was always measured by how she could disguise peril by the beauty of her handiwork.