Masks concealment

Once a week, Brea and her friend, Abigail, met for lunch. They always met at the same
cafe, always sat at the same table, always got the same things. This day started off just
like that, no different than any other. They walked in and sat across from each other at
their little table by the window, using the two extra chairs for their purses. They ordered
their usual and talked about their weeks so far. Soon enough, Brea got up to refill her
drink, and when she came back, Abigail had a look on her face that she knew all too
well.
What? Brea asked as she sat back down.
Abigail raised her thin eyebrows defensively. Nothing.
You have that look on your face that you only get when you want to ask me something.
Well...theres this party.
Brea sighed. I knew it. You know Im not a big fan of parties, Ab.
I know, but Bre, I really dont want to go alone!
Well, what kind of party is it? Brea asked wearily.
Do you remember the Augustines?
That super rich family your family is close with?
Yeah. Theyre having a masquerade ball.
I thought you guys hadnt even talked to them in years.
Well, my mom started talking to them again, and this party is just super important! Itll
be really rude if I dont go.
Cant you just go with your family.

Abigail blinked at her. Are you kidding? Thats even lamer than going by myself. They
need to see that Ive grown up and that Im successful. Especially because Ive heard
their son Xander grew up to be super hot. Please, please come! We can do our hair and
makeup all pretty; itll be fun!
...alright, alright, Ill go.
Abigail squealed and grabbed Breas hands across the table, nearly knocking her drink
off the table in excitement. Yes! Yes! Thank you! Oh, thank you! I promise you wont
regret it!
She regretted it. Sure, the makeup wasnt bad, but now Abbie had been yanking on her
hair for the past hour. Half of it was up, half of it was down. The half that was up was
braided into a fishtail braid and Abbie was currently working on two tight braids going
along Breas head on each side.
Are you almost done?
Yes, little miss impatient, Im almost done!
I could have been working tonight. Brea grumbled.
Your dead bodies will still be there when you get back to them, sweetie. They arent
going anywhere, theyre dead.
Hey, my work is serious!
Youre a mortician.
Im a serious mortician!
Brea got up and Abbie plopped down in the chair for her turn. Alright then, serious
mortician, make me up like one of your corpses.

Brea grinned, picking up a foundation brush. This was what she was good at. One look
at a person and she could tell exactly which colors would look great with their skin tone
and their eyes,exactly which hairstyle would work best with their face shape, and
exactly how to use the makeup to highlight and enhance their best facial features. Shed
inherited her business from her father. Growing up, she never thought shed be happy
with the work. It was just her and her father, so she spent a lot of time in the funeral
home. Often her homework was done in her dads office and her playtime was spent
running around the darkwood interior of the funeral home with its dark red velvet
carpets. It was a beautiful little place, and though it was an unconventional place to
grow up, she was happy. She started working with her father in high school, and that
had been what had really affected her. She had plenty of friends, sure, but a lot of kids
thought she was weird. After all, not a lot of teen girls spend their time doing the
makeup and hair of the recently deceased. Often shed end up dressing someones
dead grandma, which created a special kind of awkwardness. Sometimes shed hear
whispers about herself. They called her the morticians daughter, never referred to her
by name. They whispered about how something had to be wrong with her and about
how strange she was. But there was one girl who would always stand up for her: a tall,
scrawny girl with ashy brown hair and thin eyebrows. If someone so much as looked at
Brea wrong, Abbie would yell out some form of insult. She was certainly creative (Breas
personal favorite was still shut you useless jug of expired milk, you smell like eggs and
look like Stevie Wonder!), and had nearly gotten herself suspended a few times. The
two were as different as could be, but a special bond had formed between them, one
that endured, one that had kept them the best of friends all these years. Eventually both
girls went off to college, but they never strayed far from home, or each other. Abbie
started up her own coffee shop and Brea continued her work at the funeral home. She
had realized she didnt care much what others thought of her. So what if she didnt have
a lot of money and thought she was creepy and weird? She was happy to be doing what
she was good at, and even happier to be doing it alongside her father. Though she had

mostly grown out of her self-esteem issues, she hadnt outgrown her shy and quiet
nature, which was why she was dreading the party Abbie was dragging her to.
Itll be fine. She told herself, looking out the window of the car as Abbie drove. You
always have fun with Abbie.
Then they pulled up to the mansion. It was huge. Brea was pretty sure the mansion was
bigger than the high school they had gone to.
Abbie, is everyone at this party going to be filthy rich? she asked when they parked.
Well...yes.
Great. Everyone except for me.
Oh, come on, at least give it a chance! Abbie grinned, hopping out of the car and
running over to Breas door. My lady. she said, opening the door with a bow.
Brea couldnt help but be infected by Abbie's enthusiasm. Thanks, Im charmed. she
laughed as Abbie pulled her out of the car.
Cant forget these! Abbie proclaimed, handing Brea a mask. Abbies was a bright,
colorful red to match her dress, covered in sparkly teardrop shaped jewels. Breas was
black and finely detailed with elaborate silver patterns, matching the light gray her dress
faded into at the bottom. The two approached the door together. Abbie knocked on the
door confidently and cheerfully presented the doorman who answered with her
invitation.
Welcome ladies. he smiled, letting them in. Good to see you after so many years Miss
Abigail.
Thank you Gerad, its nice to see you too. Abbie said as they walked in.
The house was even more breathtaking on the inside. There was a grand staircase right
in the center of the front room, which was like a ballroom. There was a sparkly

chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the floor was made of beautiful pearly tiles.
Beautifully dressed couples glided across the floor, pleasant classical music playing
softly in the background. There were two long tables of food on each side of the room,
covered by white table cloths with simple silver detailing. Brea thought it had to have
been some miracle that the white clothes werent stained and spilled on. People stood
by the tables, happily chatting. There were men walking around with glasses of
champagne and small food items on trays, and the sound of champagne glasses
clinking could be heard among the chatter.
So, how are we supposed to find your guy? Brea asked.
I dont think Id even recognize him, but he does have a pretty big scar under his left
eye. Although I guess that doesnt help us much, if everyones wearing masks. Oh well.
Are you hungry?
Not really.
Yeah, me neither. Abigail grabbed Brea by the waist. Dance with me!
The two giggled and whirled around, and Brea was surprised how much fun she was
having. They danced for quite a while, sometimes stopping for champagne, until Brea
felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to see a young man, tall, dark, and
handsome.
May I cut in?
Breas eyes snapped back to Abbie and her friend could immediately realize her panic.
Thank you, but I shouldnt leave my girl. Abbie smiled apologetically.
A wave of guilt immediately washed over Brea. She could tell Abbie obviously wanted to
dance with this guy. Its alright, she said quietly.
Bre, no.

No, really, its okay. I think I see Richie over there anyways.
Are you sure?
Yeah, Im sure. Why would I not want to catch up with your pesky little brother? Brea
teased.
Alright. Then I accept your offer, kind sir! Abbie couldnt help the wide grin that was
beaming across her face as the young man whisked her away.
Brea, happy her best friend was happy, headed over to Richie. Richie was only a few
years younger than Abigail, and though he was very annoying when they were younger,
he grew out of it quickly. Despite the orange and gold mask covering his face, he was
easy to recognize. How could he not be, with that shock of bright red hair?
Hey Richie! Brea smiled.
Bre? Wow, you look so great!
Thanks, so do you!
The two hugged.
I remember when you used to be all knobby knees and scabs. Brea teased.
And I remember when you used to be all frizzy hair and horrible eyeliner.
Brea gasped. My eyeliner was not that bad!
The two talked for a while, catching up. Brea wasnt surprised that Richie grew up to be
a successful computer programmer. That had always been his talent.
Hey Rich, do you know where a bathroom is?
Up the stairs and to the left. Im pretty sure its the second door.
Alright, thanks!

No problem.
Brea trotted up the stairs, her heels clacking on the marble. She wished she was the
type of person who could look graceful on these stairs, but she was mostly just gripping
the railing and praying she didnt slip. Thankfully, she made it up without incident. She
turned the knob on the second door to the left, and it was most certainly not the
bathroom. Instead, she found a young man sitting on a bed. He had been focused on
his phone, but now she had his attention.
Oh, my apologies. she stammered, attempting to sound sophisticated.
Oh, uh, no problem. I was just hiding out, needed a break. He stood up, and he was
much taller than she thought he would be.
She went to back out, but he stopped her with a Wait!
Yes?
Whats your name?
Why do you ask?
I just wanted to know the name of the beautiful girl who walked in on me playing Candy
Crush at a highly sophisticated party.
Its Kimberly. Kimberly Von her eyes darted around as she tried to draw out the last
syllable in what she hoped was a seductive manner until her eyes landed on the window
shade. Schade. Kimberly Von Schade.
Well Kimberly, Im Andy. Somehow, she missed the fact that his eyes darted around
too, also landing on the window. Andy Payne.
Im off to the bathroom now. It was nice to meet you.
Would you care to join me for a dance after?

Perhaps.
She flipped her hair and strutted out. She was shocked she was having so much fun
pretending to be rich. And sure enough, when she left the bathroom, Andy was waiting
for her.
My lady. he held out his arm to her.
She let out a fake sigh. I suppose.
He grinned and led her down to the dance floor. It felt completely different from dancing
with Abbie. Mostly because he was good foot taller than she was. Eventually, after tiring
of dancing, he led her to the food table. They ate and talked about themselves. Well,
Brea talked about Kimberly. Kimberly was the cousin of another guest. She, on top of
her family fortune, had made a good chunk of money as a successful fashion designer.
He had never seen her work before because it was marketed exclusively in Europe, of
course. Andy told her he was an engineer. He was just here with his friend. His suit was
so nice because it was a rental.
Do you want to go have some actual fun?
Is this not fun?
Well, I personally think the garden is much more pleasant.
She wouldnt admit it, but she was eager to get out of there. The garden was truly lovely.
The backyard was so vast that there was room for at least two other houses. Suddenly,
she was splattered by cold water. She let out a shriek of surprise and Andy laughed.
Oh Im so sorry, the sprinklers!
As the water rained down on her, she decided it was time to completely wash away the
charade and pulled off her shoes. You wanted fun right?
I like your thinking! he too pulled off his shoes, along with his suit jacket and vest.

They took off running through the sprinklers, laughing and trying to catch one another.
Little did he know, Brea was the queen of sprinkler running. It took him quite awhile to
catch her. When he did, they went rolling down the hill. They came to a stop at the
bottom next to each other, out of breath, but still laughing, their masks knocked off in the
tumble. She looked over at him, eager to see the face of the young man shed had so
much fun with. He had a handsome face and great eyes, one of which had a large scar
under it.
Youre...youre him! Youre the son!
He was observing her with the same curiosity. And youre the girl that Abbie always
posts pictures with on social media.
She nodded. My name is Brea.
They were quiet for a moment, until he asked ,Why did you lie?
It wasnt accusatory or angry, just inquisitive.
Well, Im a mortician. Im not rich, I didnt grow up rich. Whenever Abbie brings me to
functions like this, I feel like an outcast. Whyd you lie?
Most of the time I feel like people only get close to me because of my money and my
family. I wanted to feel normal for a night. I only get to be an engineer in my free time. I
work for my dads electronics company.
After another quiet moment, they apologized to each other at the exact same time and
began laughing.
Would you wanna go out some time, no masks? he asked.
She nodded. Yeah, Id like that.
They made the climb back up the hill, and he draped his suit jacket over her shoulders.
When they walked in, all eyes were on them and they realized they had forgotten their

masks. They looked at each other, smiling wide, and both had the feeling they were
better off without the masks anyways.