Funk-N-Fiction

We’re so happy to have an enchanting story from a first time participating author, Darie McCoy! I love this magical story so, so much, and I know you will, too.

The Mask
by Darie McCoy

Charming

Charming ran her fingers over the delicate edge of the mask.  Despite the wear, the filigree swirls made it look ornate.  She guessed from the hints of golden brown around the eyeholes that it must have been colorful in its day.

Speaking to herself aloud, Charming mused over having something so precious in her hands.

“I can’t believe this isn’t in a museum.”

Her grandmother had left the mask to her.  Not particularly close to her father’s mother, Charming was surprised she’d been left anything of value.  Although it came with the stipulation that she wear it to a ball.

Once Charming met the requirement, she could keep the beautiful mask and would gain full access to a trust fund she hadn’t known existed.  With her thriving engineering career, Charming didn’t need the money.  However, having it would allow her to quit her job sooner to focus on the second career she’d planned—becoming a published author.

The unpublished manuscripts resting on her computer were waiting for her to leave her current role, permitting the other side of herself not simply breath, but to flourish.

Gently tracing the fading musical notes above the eyeholes in the mask, she hummed the melody that popped into her head. Charming couldn’t recall the name or place where she might’ve heard it.  The moment she removed her fingertip from the notes, the music stopped.  Thinking nothing of it, she strode into the closet to finish dressing.

One hour later, Charming stepped onto her front porch to see a vehicle waiting in her driveway.  The man from the photo the car service provided stood next to the rear passenger door.

“Good evening, Miss Rhodes.  I’m Trevor.  I’ll be your driver tonight.”

Accepting the hand he offered to help her into the vehicle, Charming smiled. 

“Thank you, Trevor.”

Her primary companion on the drive was silence, which suited Charming.  Her mind was consumed with calculating how long she’d have to remain in attendance at the event to satisfy the terms of her grandmother’s will.  

In her lap, a muted gold reticule held the mask.  The drawstring pouch matched the gold trim of the rouge ballgown draping Charming’s plush frame.  Usually, she didn’t care for such dresses, but this dress fit like it was made specifically for her.  Another gift from her granny’s private collection.

The vehicle rolled to a stop in front of a building that looked more like a castle than a hotel.  Lanterns illuminated the outside.  Charming expected to see horse-drawn carriages at any moment.

“Just a moment, Miss Rhodes.  I’ll be right there to help you out.”

Taking her hand off the door handle, Charming busied herself with situating the mask on her face.  Accepting Trevor’s assistance, she stepped out of the car.

A lovely, familiarly unfamiliar tune played softly, making Charming smile.  She hadn’t expected ambient music to be piped outside, and to continue as she entered the lobby.

A masked man wearing a tuxedo stood near the entrance.  His bright white teeth were a stark contrast to his dark mahogany skin.

“Welcome to La Forteresse!  Guests for the masquerade ball are asked to come this way.”

He extended his arm toward the arched doorway to guide Charming. As she approached, she noticed others wearing a variety of masks.  Call it bias, but she didn’t think either of them was as beautiful as hers. 

The closer she got to the ballroom, the music seemed to get progressively louder.  She still didn’t recognize the tune. 

Once she stepped into the room filled with others dressed in similar finery, the music reached levels that made Charming wonder how any of them could hear.  Yet, people stood in conversational circles, laughing, smiling, and talking.  They didn’t appear to be yelling to be heard over the beautiful, but loud, string instruments.

The beauty of the music lost its appeal the louder it became.  Charming was on the verge of searching out the DJ and asking him to turn it down or switch to another tune.  Stopping near an alcove, hoping for a bit of quiet, she closed her eyes for a moment.  When she opened them, the music came to a halt.  Instead of the duet between violin and cello, were the muted voices of the party-goers.  However, that sound quickly faded away.  Everything beyond two meters from where she stood ceased to exist.

Standing before her, wearing a mask almost identical to hers, was a tall, broad man with long black hair cascading over his shoulders.  The sheer width of his chest was breath stealing, but it was the intensity in the dark monolid eyes behind the ornate mask that made Charming forget she required oxygen to survive.

Isamu

When he’d opened the package earlier and saw a note placed atop an antique-looking mask, Isamu didn’t know what to expect.  Outlined in faded red filigree, the innermost part contained musical notes.  The missive stated simply that he was to put the mask on, wear the tuxedo delivered in a separate box, and attend a ball at La Forteresse. 

If he did, he’d gain his grandfather’s shares in the family business, making him the primary stockholder.  Then he’d have the freedom to run the company the way he’d wanted for years.  Attending a boring gala seemed a small price to pay to achieve complete autonomy.

What he didn’t anticipate was being assaulted with instrumental music from the moment he exited the elevator while tying the mask onto his face.  The tune increased in volume as he wandered around the room searching for the source.  Nothing could have prepared him for the way the space transformed into a gaping, soundless void when he came face-to-face with the most stunning creature ever birthed in human form.

Her lush curves were mostly hidden, but the swell of her breasts and the rounded tops of her shoulders gave him obvious clues of their presence.  Her shoulders beckoned his lips to kiss them. The smooth, deep brown skin with golden undertones looked delectable enough for him to devour her on the spot. 

Only the lessons in decorum drilled into him from childhood kept him from sweeping her into his arms and spiriting her away.  Even thinking such phrases as spiriting away, which weren’t a common part of his vocabulary, seemed perfectly normal when he looked at the vision in the ruby red ballgown.  In a delightful serendipity, the deep red color matched the ornate accents of his mask.

“Do I know you?”

Her voice was a decadent sweet treat presented in a velvet pouch, drawing his attention to the plush temptation of her lips.  Isamu stared long enough for things to become awkward, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

Finally, he could form words that weren’t lustful musings.  Words he hoped wouldn’t cause her to run screaming.

“You are breathtakingly beautiful.”

Her plump bottom lip disappeared between her teeth, making him jealous of her pearly whites.  He wanted to be the one to remove her lipstick—with his kisses.

“Umm… Thank you?”

“Are you unsure of the compliment, or if it requires thanks?”

The beauty’s cheeks lifted in an adorable blush.  Curling his fingers at his sides, Isamu fought the urge to trace the subtle flush with his fingertips.

“Neither… I guess I’m not accustomed to handsome strangers approaching me simply to tell me they find me beautiful.”

“Breathtakingly beautiful.”

Isamu’s automatic correction was mandatory.  Because this woman wasn’t merely beautiful, she should be reminded of it several times a day.  The shy dip of her chin made him want to fold her into his embrace.  But…propriety…  Isamu brushed off her reference to him as handsome.  His physical appeal was only as important to him knowing she wouldn’t flee in terror due to finding him hideous.

“Umm…yes, that.  It’s not the normal.”

“It should be, Utsukushi-sa.”

Although the word beauty wasn’t strong enough to describe how he saw her, it would suffice as his name for her.

“It feels weird for you to be so complimentary, and I don’t even know your name to thank you properly.”

Holding out his hand, Isamu waited.  Once she placed her soft fingers into his palm, he bowed over the delicate digits, pressing his forehead to them before placing a kiss on her silky skin.

“I am Isamu Saito.  It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Straightening to his full height, Isamu kept the soft hand enclosed in his as he searched the eyes of his destiny.  Finally, she gave him the name he’d add next to his on the marriage license.

“Hello, Isamu.  I’m Charming.  Charming Rhodes.”

A fitting name for what she’d done without trying.  Allowing him to touch her smooth skin had sealed her fate.  Saving him from embarrassing himself, new music began to play.  This time, the volume wasn’t obnoxiously loud.

Squeezing Charming’s fingers, Isamu tilted his head toward the dance floor.

“Would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance?”

Her fingers flexed in his as she gave him a shy nod.  Isamu never wanted to release her.  Placing one arm around her waist with his right hand resting against the small of her back, he clasped her right hand with his left. 

After a few moments, her body relaxed.  Enjoying the feeling of her melting into his arms, Isamu dipped his head closer to hers.


“I agree, Utsukushi-sa; this music is far more pleasant than the tune they blared earlier.”

She hadn’t voiced her relief, but rounded brown eyes sought his, and Charming nodded vigorously.

“Absolutely.  It started out soft and sweet, but when they kept playing it so loudly, I just wanted it to stop.”

A wry smile tugged the corners of her mouth up.

“Before I saw you, I was about to search for the DJ.”

Nodding, Isamu finally tore his gaze away from the woman in his arms. Although it had never bothered him to be the subject of scrutiny, something in the way the other guests stared at them was off-putting.  His brows drew together, gaining Charming’s attention.

“What’s wrong?”

Clearing his expression, Isamu looked down into her lovely face.

“Nothing, Utsukushi-sa.”

Her hand on his shoulder migrated to his nape, stroking his hair, nearly causing him to miss a step from the contact.  When she turned her head, he knew she had noticed what he saw.

“Why isn’t anyone else dancing?  Are we not supposed to?  Is it not allowed?”

Flexing his fingers against her back, Isamu shook his head.

“We are allowed to do whatever we want.  Maybe they are shy or do not want to be shamed by our skill.”

To see her cheeks lift in another blush, Isamu would dispense compliments continuously.  She surprised him with her bold reply.

“We are stunning, aren’t we?”

Guiding her in a twirl, Isamu brought her body flush with his again, gazing into the bottomless brown of her eyes.

“All couples are stunning when they are destined for one another.”

Charming’s pouty lips opened in a gasp, and Isamu couldn’t resist the temptation of capturing it with a kiss.  As he did, the strains of the music faded away, and applause followed.

Tucking the hand of his blushing beauty into the crook of his arm, he led her from the dance floor.  As they passed through the crowd, he caught snippets of conversations.

“Do you know what song they were dancing to?”

“I didn’t hear any music.”

“From the way they danced, must have been beautiful.”

Unable to block it out, Isamu sought Charming’s gaze.

“Did you hear music?”

She gave a slow, definitive nod.

“I did as well.”

Twirling her finger, gesturing to the others, her brow dipped.

“But they didn’t.”

“Apparently not.”

“What does that mean?”

Isamu wanted to rub away her frown.  Instead, he slid an arm around her waist.

“It means we are special, Utsukushi-sa.”

Without another word, he led her from the ballroom and into their future.

The End (for now)