1 Chapter 1: The Beginning

I let out a deep sigh of annoyance as I rested my chin on the palm of my hand. My eyebrows were furrowed in frustration as I stared blankly outside my bedroom window in an attempt to ignore my friend, Ellie.

“Sandra, please.” Ellie’s despondent voice snapped me back into reality. I pursed my lips into a thin line. Even though I denied Ellie’s offer multiple times, she was still very determined to convince me to attend this party with her later.

I turned to look at Ellie. She was sitting at the edge of my bed as she stared at me expectantly for an answer. “I promise you that tonight’s party will be fun.” She added, her voice was laced with desperation.

“No!” I retorted sharply as I glared at her. She pouted her lips at my response. “Ellie…” I trailed off, giving her a tired and exasperated look.

“Please?” She begged, raising the pitch of her voice a little bit. I grimaced at her cringey attempt of convincing me as I shook my head.

“Ellie, I said no.” I said firmly, there was a hint of annoyance in the tone of my voice. “You won’t be able to convince me otherwise.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest as I slumped against the wall, feeling the bumps of my archaic wood-chip wallpaper dig through my blouse.

“Please!” Ellie pleaded, her dark brown eyes held a glint of desperation in them. “I really want you to go.” She added, emphasizing on the word ‘really.’

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” I said, shaking my head wistfully as my eyes fell to my hands that rested on my lap. I would honestly go with Ellie to this party if there weren’t any prominent figures from the entertainment industry. I definitely do not want to risk seeing anyone I know after what happened to me the last time I saw them.

“You know what happened the last time I faced those people.” The moment those words left my mouth, a sickening wave of memories washed over me. I met Ellie during my brief time in the entertainment industry. Emphasize on the word ‘brief’. Let’s just say unpleasant things happened to me during my time there and so I am too traumatized now to face any of them.

My chest tightened at the thought of it. “You don’t understand what it’s like.” I mumbled to myself sadly. “It’s really hard.” I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

“Sandra…” Ellie trailed off. I turned to look at her. Her eyes showed the kind of gentle concern that my mother used to have. Like my mother’s, Ellie’s eyes were probing into my soul, desperately trying to find ways to understand me and make me feel better.

“You know I care about you, right?” Ellie laid her hand lightly on my shoulder, and instead of flinching like I usually did, I was surprisingly soothed by it. It was just the simple realization that I'm not alone. I appreciated that she cared about me this much. I know that she only invited me to this party so I would stop sulking at home.

“You don’t have to keep punishing yourself like this.” Ellie’s voice was laced with concern. I breathed out a soft sigh, knowing that she was right.

“Look, I know you’re only looking out for me but I really don’t want to be recognized by those people in the industry.” I spoke rather sharply, making her wince. She breathed out heavily, knowing that she can’t force me.

After a couple of minutes in silence, Ellie’s eyes suddenly widened in realization. “I have an idea!” She exclaimed as she suddenly stood up from her seat in excitement.

I arched an eyebrow at her sudden burst of energy. “What?”

“No one would be able to recognize you if you just transform yourself with makeup!” She responded as she grabbed my makeup bag and placed it on top of my hands. “This is your chance to just have fun and be normal again.” She added sympathetically.

I gaped at her as if she grew another head. “Are you kidding me? How will that work Ms. Smartypants.” I told her sarcastically, returning the bag to her. She groaned in frustration as if I hadn’t understood her.

“You’re one of the best makeup artists I know. You once transformed into Angelina Jolie and decided to prank me yet you’re here asking me how will that work. Go figure.” She rolled her eyes at me and turned her back at me. It was only then that I realized her plan is actually possible.

I exhaled deeply and approached her. "Alright, I'll go to this party.” Her whole face had immediately gone from desperate and irritated to hopeful and happy. “But only if you help me pick out my outfit." I said with a smile, making Ellie’s grin widen with happiness.

I was visibly nervous but Ellie assured me that nothing bad will happen. "It's only one party, what could possibly go wrong?" She added reassuringly. She walked towards my wardrobe leaving me with my thoughts as she excitedly searched through my pile of clothes.

I looked through my makeup bag as I decided on what type of look I should go for tonight. It’s really hard to choose among different shades of lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, eyebrow, primer, concealer, etc. Maybe I should go for something that looks a bit fierce since I don’t apply this much makeup on a daily basis. Or how about a bit more gothic look?

“Why are you all scrunched up looking at your bag? Is something missing?” Ellie asked, taking a break from finding a suitable attire.

“I’m just trying to picture my makeup look for tonight.” I responded casually.

“You know, you’re one of the most artistic people I know. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Ellie said assuringly as she sat down and held my hand, giving me a sincere smile before heading back to my cabinet.

Her encouraging words really helped me focus. And with that, I was almost finished with my eyebrows and I was already applying the final touches for my lips. I decided to go for a fierce look tonight to highlight my eyes and lips. I wore dark brown eyeshadow and a bold winged eyeliner with dark red lipstick.

“Wow... who are you?” Ellie asked jokingly, looking like she had seen a celebrity. I rolled my eyes at her sarcastic remark but decided to play along.

“Oh, I’m just the best hair and makeup artist in town!” We both laughed before I proceeded to curl my hair.

Ellie finished picking out my outfit. She handed me a red cocktail dress. I liked how the dress was able to accentuate my body features and compliment my makeup. “Are you finished? You already look great!” Ellie said impatiently as she placed her hands on her hips.

“I still need to finish these final touches with my hair,” I retorted in a rush as I parted my hair to the side and fixed my curls in place. I can definitely feel my hands sweat and shake lightly as I tried to comb through my hair. After being satisfied, I took a step back and looked at myself in the mirror.

“I can do this.” I muttered to myself as I took one last look at my appearance. A smile crept to my lips once I’ve become satisfied with my transformation.

“Ellie, I’m finally done!” I announced with fake confidence in an attempt to hide my nervousness as I picked up my purse. Ellie turned to look at me and gasped. She placed a hand over her mouth, pretending to look like she was about to cry. I scowled at her dramatic reaction before the both of us laughed heartily in unison. “That reaction was too much.”

Ellie held her stomach, wiping the tears that started to form from laughter. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you really look great, Sandra.”

“You too.” I said as my grin widened. As we walked towards the uber that we booked a while ago, I sighed with relief feeling grateful that she was in my life. I definitely feel more at ease now about the party.

On our way to the venue, silence immediately filled the car. Nervousness slowly crept into me. I tried to calm myself down by shifting between looking outside checking to see if we’re near and checking my phone to check my appearance. This made Ellie notice my nervousness.

She reached her hand out to me. “You can do this! This is just a one time thing, don’t worry. I’ll be here.” She smiled reassuringly as she clasped my hands. Her warmth eased my nerves. We fell into silence again as she focused back on driving. Being drowned with silence, I can’t help but think about what happened the last time I went to a party.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Ellie’s excited voice. “We’re here!” I quickly scanned my surroundings, trying to see if I recognized anyone. My hands began to moist as my heart rate quickened with nervousness. Possible scenarios started to fill my brain as I started to expect the worst. As we walked inside, I felt the cold air hit my skin, sending chills down my spine.

This is not good.

The bar is filled with hundreds of conversations told in loud voices, all of them competing with the music that has dominated the atmosphere. The moment I noticed that the crowd was full of young, sophisticated and prominent figures from the entertainment industry, I desperately looked around, terrified that I might see him. I glanced around to check where the bar was. I badly needed a drink to get over my nerves.

After spotting where the bar was, I gently squeezed Ellie’s arm to get her attention. “Hey, Ellie! I’m just gonna go get myself a drink.” I shouted through the loud music inside.

Ellie flashed me a thumbs up. “Sure! I’ll just find you later.”

I’m not entirely sure if being separated from her is a good idea or not but it’s a good thing that I easily found my way to the bar to order a drink. “One margarita please!” I told the bartender. While waiting for my drink to arrive, I saw Ellie talking to someone across the bar. I smile to myself. I’m glad she’s having fun.

My drink has finally arrived, the first sip really helped me relax. The alcohol somehow managed to turn down the volume of my thoughts. I let out a soft sigh as I swirled the drink in my hand.

I just hope that no one recognizes me at this party.

I suddenly started to feel a strong presence beside me. I felt someone’s eyes on me and I started to squirm from the intenseness of that person’s stare. I finally glanced up and met his intense gaze. My eyes widened in shock as I gaped openly and observed his features.

He had the kind of face that could stop anyone in their tracks. He had prominent cheekbones and a well-defined chin and nose. His curls were midnight black and his eyes were a deep ocean blue, framed by his thick, bushy brows.

I cleared my throat and gave him a small smile in a desperate attempt to try and play it cool. I leaned on the bar, my black hair lying over one shoulder of my tight fitted dress. I tilted my head to one side and nodded my head at him, acknowledging his presence.

“Hey,” I finally plucked up the courage to say. “I’m Sand--” I cut myself short. I almost said my real name even though I knew that I shouldn’t.

“I’m Sandy, and you?” I continued with confidence. I decided to lie about my name. This is my alter ego, I guess. The new ‘me’ that I have created for this party. Tonight I am like Cinderella that has transformed and went to the ball to escape reality and to enjoy even for just one night.

However, unlike Cinderella, there should be no glass slipper. I knew that I shouldn't let myself be recognized at all and that I should leave no trace.

He smirked cockily. “Nice name.” Thank you random stranger, I just thought of it.

He then brought out his hand for me to shake it.

“Arthur.”