to a midnight show tonight;; {MASQUERADE}

[Paolo Giovanni]

paolo
but there's room for two,
six feet under the stars
_______________

Needless to say, Paolo had never got his heart broken. As romantic as the young Italian boy was, he never had too many girlfriends in his lifetime. Sure, he swooned the girls and should be writing a book on a how-to about girls and making them feel beautiful. Every girl deserved to be swept off their feet. Some guys here in Valkyrie, needed to learn that. No girl was just a piece of ass to bed, and then brag about it to their buddies the next day. He didn't care how sleazy or 'easy' the girl was. Taking advantage of them (with consent or not) was just morally wrong in Paolo's eyes. He probably thought this way with the way he was brought up in Italy. Women were everything to a man. They helped ground you, they bore your children, you had to treat them with respect. That's what Paolo did, no matter how difficult one could be. He had never cut down to a girl, he just wasn't like that.

With Sam here with him right now, he was happy. He was throwing the very last party of the year, from what he could here, everyone was having a great time. Laughing, dancing, eating. He liked to think this was probably one of the most upscale party thrown for the students yet. No parents. They were all busy out of town or at other parties, but this gave all the youth of Valkyrie one night when they could wear their best attire and hang out with their best friends or dates while ringing in the new year. Like Paolo, he was sure everyone wanted this year to end. They needed a mix-up and start 2007 with a fresh start. To him, even if the year was ending, it was the beginning in a new sense of starting something new. With him, it was with Sam, and he was looking forward to how their relationship could be like in the future. He liked her, a lot. And he was hoping she felt that same way.

He saw her look down at the rose in which he had given her and the question in her voice whens he said 'beauty'. He knew girls could be modest going, 'beauty? me? yeah right.' But it looked as if Sam really never thought she was beautiful. Paolo lifted up his mask to where it rested on the top of his head. They were alone out here as far as he could tell, so it didn't really matter. He lifted her chin with his finger and looked into her eyes. "You are so beautiful. With the soft lights on your face casting a glow on your skin," he hesitated a moment when his two hands touched the bottom of her mask, but after a couple seconds he lifted up the mask to see her entire face, "and your eyes, filled with wonderment...my eyes are blinded by your beauty. I can't seem to take my eyes off of you," he said this all in a soft, low, voice. As if he were to say it in a tone higher, someone would hear and ruin the moment. He was already close to her, their faces no more than a foot apart. He leaned in, not quickly, but not slowly either until his lips met up with hers. It was the perfect moment and happened at the best time to have a first kiss between the two.

"Giovanni."

Exactly out of a romantic movie, it was interuptted. Paolo frowned as they both stepped away. He looked over his shoulder to see who was coming. A lean figure stepped out of the shadows, a black mask covering his face, and dressed in a very own suit. Paolo couldn't say he recognized him, or the voice, but he was diguised. "Am I interuppting anything?" Paolo turned to fully face the man, standing in front of Sam. "Who are you?" The man took his mask off and it was a face that Paolo did not recognize at all. The man stepped into the light, a few scars were on his face with what looked like black beady eyes that matched his black hair. "I am looking for your father, is he here?" Paolo stood up a little straighter, tightening a little. This wasn't someone he knew, not someone that was in his father's mob. This had to be someone else, someone that wasn't friendly. "No, he isn't. I think you should leave, now," Paolo said his voice growing louder. The man held his hands up. "Hold on there, Giovanni. I just want you to deliver a message to your father." Paolo narrowed his eyes. The man seemed to look at Sam, "Is that your girlfriend?" Paolo looked back at Sam and turned back at the man, about to say something. "She sure is a looker. She has this-"

"Ok, what's the message." Paolo said, cutting the man off quickly. The mood a few minutes ago was peaceful and calm. Now, there was a lot of tension, it settled un evenly in the air. "A little protective there, Giovanni? Tell you father, what had happened last weekend, it's still unsettled." Paolo didn't know what had happened last weeked. There was a lot of things that happened in Los Angeles that maybe Paolo didn't always find out about. "Why don't you to tell him yourself?" The guy shrugged with an evil smile, fitting his mask back on his face, "Because I want him to know how easy it was for me to get into his house, with his family. Happy New Years, Giovanni."

Paolo did not relax until the guy walked through the gate that led out to the driveway. When he heard the heavy gate clink shut, he turned back around to face Sam. How the hell was he suppose to explain and cover up soemthing like this? "Um...pesty family members. My dad and his lawyer put away this guy who assaulted him the prevous week. Guess the brother or something thinks he can threaten us."



[bleh, sorry this is way late. but i decided the speed the plot up a bit so we can finish it before the ball ends. & i don't expect you to make something this long, had to interact with creepy man.]

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[Riley Turner]

riley.
smile like you mean it

_____________

As Riley walked up to his friend, some girl, that seemed to be a waiter, walked by, a tray of filled flutes in her hand. She too, had a white mask on and a short white dress. Riley took one as she passed, even though he really didn't want it. The twenty-one year old really didn't like alcohol. Oh but wait...he sure seemed to like it that night. Oh, Riley Turner loved all the alcohol that night. He even made two new friends before Liz had come. Their names were Jack and Jose, and they were very good listeners. He really just... didn't want to talk about or think about that night. And yet...that was the entire reason why he even came to this thing. A man like Riley would never look forward to going to a masquerade ball for the new years. Riley could still imagine himself sitting in front of the tv at the apartment and watching the ball drop with the annoying TRL v-jays making comments about the celebrities that had come. Hell, that sounded more interesting than bringing up what had happened. Riley looked down at the tinted color and looked back up at Zack.

He shrugged at the question of what was up. He didn't even think he could sum up what he was thinking in a nutshell. His mind was on overdrive and did someone turn up the heat? Because Riley was getting a little hot just standing there. He shifted on both of his feet awkwardly, feeling like he was a sore thumb, sticking out of the over populated house. How would he find her in this mess? "Yeah she's around here, we just got here." Riley visually scanned the crowd as if she would be right there, but it wasn't that easy. Because he didn't see anything at all. "She was just at our place, I told you I was giving her a ride tonight right?" Riley turned his head back to Zack. "She was at our place?" Well, if he would have known that he probably would have stopped there instead of spending the entire day with Reed who was becoming such a lonely boy with every passing moment. He loved his brother, but he could always figure out Reed later. Right now he wanted to figure out Liz, and get a few things straight.

Zack explained what she was wearing, and Riley nodded. He gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks. I'll see you later." He would have liked to stay and hang with him. They were roommates and best friends and they never ran out of things to talk about. It wasn't like it was 'party central' over at their apartment either. They were very different in personalities but never threw parties in their apartment. Except for that one time when their friend Andrew threw a party there. That was a mess to clean up.

As Riley ventured out and into the house moreso than he had, he was looking at everyone he passed, even listened to hear his voice. Who would have guessed that when he met her in the park, he be chasing after her on New Years because he slept with her, couldn't remember any of it, and knew he was too much of a sensitive freak to let this one go as if nothing happened. Tan dress and butterfly mask. That was what Zack told him and that was what Riley was looking for. After about a good half hour to foty-five minutes of looking, he saw someone in a tan dress. He looked hopeful as he got closer to see if she had on....yup, butterfly mask. Finally...he had found her. He didn't march right up to her, nor did he do somethign coy and sly. She was talking with people and Riley awkwardly joined the group of people. "Liz," he said. "It's me. Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, not revealing his name to the other people. He already was motioning to a secluded corner in the room that at this time, was not being occupied.
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[amberlyroberts]

i wish that there was so much more than that
about me and you

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Earlier in the night, Regan had let Amberly choose what she wanted to do, which was quite odd considering that the two had never gotten along like that before. For once they were acting like an actual couple that liked each other, and Am absolutely loved it. Maybe a breakup wasn’t going to happen as soon as everyone expected it to. Of course, Amberly didn’t have too much to choose from for what she wanted to do considering that they were at a party. What all was there to do at a masked ball? Dance? No, lame. Mingle with people? Nah, they didn’t exactly have the same friends. Fuck? Yeah, she knew that Regan wanted to do that, and honestly, Amberly was horny as well, so she went along with it, knowing that it would be the best thing for them to do that night.

It was now a couple of hours after the couple had arrived at the amazing Valks party. Amberly was having a hard time staying up on two feet as she wobbled around on the thin black heels that were strapped to her small feet. Her balance was way off, and the room seemed to spin around her. The girl had never felt so relaxed but dizzy before. It was crazy. If she would have been able to think straight, then she would have realized that it was Regan who made her that way. She would have figured out that when she had gone to the bathroom, Regan had put something in her drink to make her not herself at all. It was probably that reason that Am had even wanted to sleep with him that night. Too bad she couldn’t think straight enough to know that it was him.

Of course, Regan was the only guilty one in this situation though. After Amberly began tasting the alcohol in her drink, she went and got even more because she started to love it. Hell, she knew that she was already tipsy, so why not just make the best out of the night, right?

Amberly knew that she was drunk, oddly enough, even though she hadn’t ever even had a taste of alcohol in her life before. Long ago, she had gotten separated from Regan, which was okay with her because she wanted some time to see if any of her friends were at that party. Of course they were, but the girl was having a hard time actually getting to them. She knew that taking off her heels would help her find people faster, but the problem with that was that no matter which way she turned to find a seat, she would catch people making out of fucking on every possible location for her to sit down, and she was not going to sit on the ground. There would be no hope of her getting back up if she did so.

Rounding another corner, with one of her hands on the wall to give her some stability, Amberly began to feel her hair slip down and fall against her shoulders. She sure was a wreck that night, and things were about to get even worse. Seeing a couch, with yet another couple on it, Am rolled her eyes and began walking past it. It was at this point that she decided to just leave on the shoes and do the best she could without falling and making a complete idiot out of herself. However, as she passed the couch, and the horny couple, she couldn’t help but to notice that her boyfriend, yes, the one that she was finally getting along with, was on top of some other girl. Her eyes grew wide as she threw a red plastic cup, full of vodka and some other crap, at Regan. It wasn’t a perfect throw, but it got him somewhat wet and sticky.

“What the fuckkkk issss your problem!?” the girl shouted, not caring about causing a scene in front of anyone who happened to hear her and care. Plenty of other Valkyrie girls had done this before, and Amberly figured that it was just her turn to do so. “Weee got along jussst fine earlier!” Her words were so slurred, and it was probably really hard for Regan to even understand what she was shouting about. “Why the hell arrrre yooou on top offfff soooome otherrr girrl, Regan!? What the fuckkkkk did I everrrr dooo to yooou?” Her hands rested on her hips, and she stood there with the most pissed off look on her face. Miss Amberly wasn’t happy at all. She knew dating Regan had been the biggest mistake ever, but now, he was finally proving that to her.

“Damnit!” she yelled, running a hand through her now dyed brown locks. Thoughts ran through her mind about what she was going to do now. Beckett surely wouldn’t want her back, and Max, well, he had probably stopped caring about her the moment after their sex had ended. Tears swelled up in her eyes. Ugh, what a horrible night this had turned into.

[jamescostello]

james costello

[/b]
nothing can compare to when you roll
the dice and swear your loves for me
decemeber 31st, 2006 ; evening
______________________________[/font][/center]

"I don't think I could agree with you more." James answered, nodding with a smirk as everyone piled into his Range Rover. These were the good times he had been looking forward to. The little flashbacks in white dream bubbles where it pictured the four of them laughing, smirking and especially Ashley. Her taste, her touch - even the air around her was making him lose his oxygen. The only difference he figured was that Anne and Oscar actually had something going on, which he had definitely not expected. The drive over to the mansion was short and sweet, really, they could of just walked, but that was more of his sister's plan. He had overheard Adeline talking to Julia about going with Ben, whom James had no idea who it was, but planned on doing some investigating on his own. His sister had been through enough to let some jerk ruin a fun night - and James had a feeling that tonight would be.. special.

The Giovanni estate was never to be underestimated, and was looking at beautiful as it could be. He could see many many people already there, talking and just enjoying the beautiful view. Valkyrie never yearned to disappoint a single soul. Parking the car a bit away, he hopped out of his seat and slowly opened the door for Ashley, whom was in the passenger seat next to him while Anne and Oscar did.. well.. whatever they do in the back. He didn't mind. With mild conversations, the fab four made their way to the front of the mansion. It was actually quite nice. For on the site you had the tough brawn, brooding and no emotions shown except around Adams. Then you have the notorious mess who has been somewhat divorced before even being legally wed. Of course, you have the cliche comic nerd with witty remarks and a boyish charm. And finally, the snob with a fake smile to keep walking along in hundred dollar heels. But the main thing they all had in common?

They trusted each other, and sometimes that's all you need.

Inside, Oscar and Anne went one direction, while James and Ashley went somewhere else. Masks.. everywhere. James had his on, and felt, well, different. But yet with this mask, only one person knowing whom he was, he felt as easy as being alone with Ashley. Minutes, maybe hours, (who knew), passed with dances, conversations and just inside jokes in the making. The night was going well, and now, finally, he felt like he was home. He was around people he loved, and around the girl of his dreams. It was nearing late when his throat started feeling a bit dry. "Hey, I'm gonna get something to drink.." James said, leaning in and whispering into her ear, while they stood on the dance floor. He wasn't much of a dancer, but Ashley seemed accepting to his hips that simply wouldn't sway that way. "I'll get you something too. When I come back I have a surprise for you." Oh yes, did I mention that James was a man of mystery? It was a given - he was.

So, James slowly head to the refreshment table, examining the people around him. Anne and Oscar seemed to be.. colder.. than they were in the car. Weird. He saw Laura, one of his eldest friends whom he still hadn't said hi to since his arrival, looking much more grown up and gorgeous as always. Anne's posse seemed scattered that evening, but he noticed his sister waiting anxiously in the middle of the dance floor. Was she dumped? Looking for someone? Ah, he couldn't care at the moment, for as he anxiously poured the party drinks into the cups with the serving spoon, he only thought of his date. But, slowly turning around, holding the drinks, he spotted Ashley, sure. She stood out. But then there was.. no.. could it be? Tall, brown hair, strong jawline.. that could be any guy in Valkyrie. Except for the when you really hate someone as much as James hated this guy - he knew him behind any mask. It was Reed Turner.

Frustration, anger and jealousy raged into James' veins, as he clenched the cups, grinding his teeth but trying to find a center of calmness. As much as he tried to think reasonably, he really knew why Reed was talking to Ashley. There had to be only one reason, and James Costello didn't like it. Obviously butting into their conversation, James stood beside Reed, glaring a cold, dead stare into the other mask of Turner's. "Reed. What are you doing here, man? I thought you were stilling behind bars in an orange jumpsuit." James growled, heard easily enough over the loud music. Oh yes, this was going to be one hell of an interesting night, especially now with Reed Turner as a special guest in James' now ruined plans.

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[samantha]

♥ s a m a n t h a
_______________

Samantha had never liked parties. She had always thought that they were unnecessary and would only lead to trouble. Why? Because most parties had students that were drinking along with some drugs. Samantha had never had a problem with anyone doing that, she never really cared. They could do what they want. Okay, so maybe Samantha didn't care about what party-goers were doing, so what was the real reason? Samantha never seemed to know anyone at parties. She had went to one, once, but left a little early because she got bored a little too easy. She was too shy, and it wasn't like Samantha was going to join the other people in drinking. She didn't even talk to anyone that night.

But tonight. Tonight was different. She didn't exactly think of this event as a party. She just thought that it was exactly what it was called - a masquerade ball. It was nice to finally have fun at a place like this. She enjoyed Paolo's company. He made her feel so special. Many guys have told Samantha that she was beautiful, but she could easily tell that they were only trying to get in her pants. And it wasn't like she was going to let them. Samantha thought that so many guys were always trying to have sex with a girl these days. It was so nice to meet Paolo Giovanni. A guy that was actually sweet. One that understood what Samantha liked even though they just met. He seemed to know her, but they had met not too long ago.

And when he complimented her...Wow. Paolo knew how to charm a girl. If her skin wasn't so tan, someone could easily see that Samantha was blushing. She always felt like she was blushing when someone complimented her, but her face didn't ever seem to turn red. Samantha had a small smile on her face. How could a girl not smile at a moment like this? When he spoke about her eyes, Samantha just couldn't stop looking at him. Not in a staring way, but there was no word that could describe how the girl was feeling right now. Her stomach was having some kind of gymnastic competition while her heart beated a little faster. Since both masks were off, it wasn't like she could hide anything. Then again, Samantha didn't have anything to hide.

When their lips met, Samantha could have said that she felt like she was a princess. Samantha had never expected for something like this to happen when she moved to Valkyrie. She expected endless nights of studying with barely anytime to have fun. Valkyrie seemed like such a high class school, and she thought that their expectations were too high for her to handle. But look at her now. Samantha felt like she was in a fairytale book. This seemed like a dream. And if it was a dream? Well, Samantha should enjoy and cherish it for as long as it could. And it didn't really last long seeing as Samantha heard an unfamiliar voice. Romantic moment gone.

Samantha looked at the man, but her eyes looked away. She thought he was just some other teenager, until the man took off his mask. Who was that? He seemed..Well, honestly, the man seemed creepy. Samantha didn't speak since the guy obviously wanted to talk to Paolo. After a few words were exchanged between the two, Samantha noticed the guy looking at her. What did he want? She felt a chill travel up her back. This man didn't seem like the most friendly person and Samantha really didn't want to know what he really did in life. Then he said something about Sam being Paolo's girlfriend, but Samantha still didn't say anything. She didn't want to get involved with this guy.

Then the man spoke about something happening with Paolo's father. What could happen that was so important? What could be unfinished? Samantha didn't like that guy being so close to her. Now, she definitely felt a little worried. What did Paolo's father do? Was he some kind of bad man? Maybe it would be better if I didn't know what that guy is talking about. Samantha thought to herself as the man spoke to Paolo. Some things were better left unsaid, and maybe the thing the guy was talking about were one of those things.

Once the man left, Samantha felt relieved. But she couldn't help but feel curious. She wanted to know who that guy was, but maybe this was something that was private. Maybe it should only be known by Paolo, his father, and that creepy man. Thankfully, Paolo explained to Samantha. Once again, she felt relieved. It wasn't anything that horrible. Just some guy trying to threaten the Giovanni family. Okay, that still was creepy, but it was better than all the possible things that guy could have been talking about. "Oh." Samantha said. "I..umm.." She didn't know what to say next. They had shared a kiss, and then some freaky guy came. What was she suppose to say?

[alesandrasibbitts]

[/i] she thought in disgust. A wallflower for God's sake! What the hell am I doing here, anyway? I don't like crowds, I don't like dancing, I don't like masks, and I don't like dresses. What the fuck?

Alesandra's gaze changed to one of dismay with herself. Mentally, she debated whether or not she wanted to just sit there and wait until the thing was over and people cleared out, or if it was worth it to suffocate herself in the crowd again and leave now. Frowning, she internally cringed. Wait it out, she decided at once. There were too many unkown's to risk if she tried to get out now.

With an audible groan, she stopped leaning on the wall and stood upright. This was pointless... There was barely any dancing going on, anyway. For the most part, people were just chatting incessantly. What about, she really didn't care - the point (or lack there of) remained the same. She allowed her eyes to gently close for a moment, absorbly everything, before she opened them again. This was going to be one hell of a boring night.[/ul][/size][/color]

[Anne Lévesque]

anne lévesque

[/b]
i won't hesitate no more
& it cannot wait i'm yours
decemeber 31st, 2006 ; evening
______________________________[/font][/center]

You see, in Anne's mind, Oscar Lyon was something you have to get used to. Harsh, very harsh, but that's what really happened to her. At first, she could hardly be around him, constantly finding his cocky, witty remarks horribly annoying. But now, as she stood in front of him at her own mansion, the night cascading on their shoulders, the winter air brushing on their cheeks and his tall, lanky figure consoling a smile - she couldn't imagine being without him. Believe it or not, Oscar had spent many times at her house; making out, helping with homework or even talking. He had even come up with the idea to introduce her to some comic books, but the only thing she had on her mind was slipping her tongue down his throat. She had no idea what pulsed her with it, but in a sense, you have to realize that she is Jason's sister, and while not being exactly the same, sometimes, they're similar. Another example? The Saab blanket on the bus trip to Vegas.

The moments when Oscar could be quite innocent, well, that's when Anne got a little peeved. "Seriously Lyon? You are so out of the loop. And weren't you the one that told me back in September that you did attend these things?" Anne recalled the moment clearly. Mr. Phillman, and ass of a teacher, sent her to the office from her dorm. However, the irony of the matter was that Oscar was already there, for some unexplainable reason. Another point was that Mr. Princeton had flaked on her for her own Homecoming. The bastard. Yet, as they got closer to the mansion, she started to feel nervous. She knew it was a masquerade, but since the recent postings of scandal star, many people have been asking whom her secret men were. It was fucking annoying. So, Anne had made a plan. Oscar Lyon wasn't going to be Oscar Lyon at this ball. Oh no. For if anyone asked, Oscar was Mr. Princeton.

Arriving inside, the party was already in full swing. People everywhere, and plenty of masks. Well good. Hooking her arm into Oscar's, she tightened his mask as well as hers. She smirked as she glanced over at James and Ashley go off in a whole different direction of the party. Alright, she could handle this right? And by golly, Anne really did. In a horrible, bitchy way. For as the hours dragged on, it seemed to be Homecoming all over again, except that she was by his side. For every time someone would come up to the pair, whom danced for a bit, talked under their breaths and fed each other little appetizers, Anne would answer quickly that her 'mystery' date was none other than Princeton. And whenever Oscar would try and argue? She'd simply step on his shoe with her high heel and scurry off to a new spot. She liked spending time just alone with Oscar, and not for the, like say 'scandal star' scooping out her entire life, which right now included bunches of Lyon.

Little did she know that as the clock drifted closer to midnight, her secret was going to be surprisingly revealed.

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[maximasin]

maximillian sinclaire

Upon her face,
I saw stars and the moon
Glowing so brightly,
Blinding my eyes from the other,
Who means the most to me

_________

[djkjkd.]

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[krueger]

Emilia Demtra
Love will find a way
Anywhere we go, we're home
If we are there together
Like dark turning into day

Emilia stood in a slightly awkward position, looking around as people began dancing and drinking, laughing and smiling. She almost felt separate from them; as if she wasn’t really there at all. Once and a while, people would come and say hi to her, but never would they stay for more than a moment. Most of them had dates anyways, and the ones that didn’t had a group of people to be with. She had planned staying with Faden most of the night, but it was becoming more and more apparent that it probably wasn’t going to happen. She had seen brief glimpses of him through the crowd, but never for more than a few seconds. And as soon as she turned back around to go to him, he was gone.

Every once and a while she would see Ben as well, still looking for either Adeline or Laura. He would smile at her, or stop and say hi for a second like all the others, then leave to continue on his hunt. For some reason, Emilia couldn't get herself to go and say hello to Faden. She shouldn't really be too worried; so they had a fight...What was the big deal? Couples fought all the time. Emilia supposed that it wasn't exactly that they had fought, but what they had fought about. How could Eric have actually believed that she had kissed Luke?! After all that he had done, Emilia hated Luke, and Faden of all people knew that.

It wasn't really her fault that Luke had kissed her. She had gone for a drink with no idea that Luke was going to be there. Alright, so she was pretty drunk at the time, but that didn't mean that she would go around kissing anyone besides Faden. Luke had kissed her. She was also fairly certain at this point that he had done it just so that Faden would see them. God, this was all so confusing! All of that on top of Amanda and the pictures of Faden she had found...She had known that Faden hadn't really taken those pictures for Amanda; that's not something he would do. Did he seriously think that she would go around kissing Luke, or anyone for that matter? She was in love with Eric an no one else; kissing another guy just didn't make sense.

Maybe that was why Faden was having his doubts about this situation. He didn't know exactly how she felt about him. Sure, they knew that they liked each other, but so far, the time hadn't come up to go around saying just how in love with this boy she was. With the cotillion catastrophe getting done with finally, the Luke thing followed quickly. Neither were very appropriate times to talk about such things. Sighing, Emilia reached up and touched the charm around her neck. Staring down at it, she was slightly startled after a moment to realize that someone was standing in front of her. Looking back up at the person, she was slightly startled to find that it was none other than Faden himself. Even though they were technically in a fight, seeing him standing there sent her heart into a tizzy of flutters. Not life threatening ones, like what had happened at cotillion, but the good kind. The kind that you read about in story books when you were little. That was usually the way it was with Faden; he had a grip on her that he probably didn't even know about.

"Hey. I'm glad you came... we should talk."

"Hey..." She said quietly, smiling a little. Was it okay to smile? Not that she could really help it anyways; it was just natural when she was around him. "Yeah...We should talk. We need to talk." Blushing slightly at her redundant slip of toungue, she looked away for a moment. Damn it, this was like taking ten steps backwards in their relationship. She was back to being awkward and shy, never sure of what to say to him without seeming stupid. Well, this was going to be fun. Hopefully, the night wouldn't all go like it was now. "Should we maybe...Go outside?" It was more private that way; not everyone needed to know their relationship issues. Besides, it was warm and loud in the room. No need to talk here.

[brianna]

♥ b r i a n n a
_______________

The entire masquerade ball seemed to be known by everyone. The house seemed to fill up really quickly. Soon enough, every corner was filled with people in masks. People were looking for their dates while other already found them. Brianna hadn't found Sylar yet, but she knew she would find him somehow. Even though everyone was in masks, after the few days hanging out with Xavier Street, Brianna seemed to know him pretty well. She certainly knew that he was a good friend - that was for sure, and Sylar knew how to make Brianna feel better. Jason hadn't been on Brianna's mind too much lately, but that was because Sylar was here to keep her company. He kept her happy so that she didn't have to spend this night miserable.

And there he was. Xavier "Sylar" Street. Brianna saw him entering this huge place and tried to get to him. There were so many people and she had to squeeze through several people. Finally, she got to him and said, "Hey Sylar." She didn't say much more seeing as he had just come in. Brianna didn't want to, all of a sudden, talk, talk, talk, and of course, talk. She had to give him a moment to kind of just..chill. Brianna smiled under her mask, something he probably saw many times already. After that one day in the park, when she first met Sylar, Brianna has been smiling a lot more than usually. The girl had been feeling like her old self once again. She finally felt like...Like...Brianna finally felt like a cheerleader.

Not long after, some girl came up to Sylar. She said something to Sylar, but Brianna didn't really pay attention. She liked her space and privacy, so Brianna would let her say whatever she wanted to say to Sylar. Brianna just said a sort of quiet, "Hi." What was this girl's name? She certainly went to Valkyrie Academy, Brianna knew that much. What was it? It started with a 'C', but Brianna wasn't sure after that. She thought that this girl was just talking to Sylar about something. She didn't expect anything surprising to happen. That is, until Brianna suddenly saw the girl kiss Sylar. What the fuck? Brianna thought to herself. Of course, she didn't say it out loud - that would just be really weird.

It wasn't like Brianna was jealous..Well, not exactly. Sylar was just a friend, right? But then again, he was her date. Brianna was so confused. She knew that Sylar was just a friend, but this was just really awkward. Brianna got her thoughts out of her head, but more entered. Didn't she have a date? Brianna thought. She could have sworn that she saw that girl with someone else. That guy could have been just a friend like Sylar was...If he wasn't, wouldn't this girl try to hide the fact that she just kissed someone else? Then again, Valkyrie females weren't always so nice. Maybe this girl was one of those females in this place.

After the girl left, Brianna couldn't help but laugh after she spoke her last few words. Suddenly, she couldn't contain all her laugh, and let out a giggle. If Brianna had laughed a little harder, she might have snorted. With little giggles between the words she spoke, Brianna said, "Sorry, but..." Brianna let out another little laugh. "Poppa bear?" It seemed funny to her, but Brianna tried to stop herself from laugh as soon as she could. Soon, Brianna stopped and wiped away a tear with her index finger. This might have been embarrassing for Sylar, but the girl couldn't help it.

[Indigo Casablancas]

S y l a r Street ;;

I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"
I am the wind blowing through your hair
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
________________

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For as long as he could remember, Xavier Street hadn’t been the type to like these big, extravagant parties. There was just something about them that had never quite agreed with him. Maybe the ridiculous fact that these people got dressed up in Chanel and Armani, stuck Jimmy Choos or Monolo Bloniks on their feet and spent the rest of the evening staggering around drunkenly. Spilt drinks on their clothing, the designer shoes long forgotten once they were abandoned for other activities. What was the point? Even when he first moved to the US, even in Bumblefuck, New Mexico, he had gotten a feel for all sorts of parties. In his personal opinion? The only real difference between extravagant events and keg parties in Jim’s backyard was the price of everything. A girl could look just as hot in the newest Chanel gown as in a short skirt and simple tank top. A guy could look just as suave in a Ralph Lauren suit and in jeans and a simple blazer. What – really – was the point?

Unfortunately, when he moved to Valkyrie, California, those extravagant events seemed to come up more than once a week. It was like dressing up for the Oscars was an everyday chore for these people. In fact, when he first heard about the Masquerade Ball held at the Giovanni Estate, Sylar had smirked in amusement and shrugged the entire thing off. The people he was generally seen with? Their idea of an extravagant ball was a barbeque at Sylar’s and using Nathan’s connections to score themselves half-decent cocaine. Sure, he saw his school friends dressed in their Gucci tops and DKNY jeans. For the past few weeks, he had seen them all scurrying around, trying to find the right thing to wear or attempting to get a date with that hot blonde in chemistry class. In fact, he had only given the event a second thought when he began to befriend Brianna Malinda more and more. Obviously, she was among the people expected to be seen there. How they ever ended up agreeing to go as friends, he would probably never know.

But hey, it was worth it to see the pretty blonde girl smile once more.

After he had waved Blake off to return Julia’s cell phone, the Ireland native had spent the good part of half an hour searching out his “date”. Receiving quite a few mildly stunned glances, each and every time, he had forced a strained smile and continued his search. How the fuck did these people live in such large houses? No. Mansions? Hotels? The Giovanni Estate, in fact, had to be the side of a small country in South America. Just had to be. Arching an eyebrow as he mused over these thoughts, Sylar finally managed to settle himself with leaning against the bar counter, dark eyes looking around for Brianna. Twisting his lips into a small frown, he began to lose himself in thought once more. Nothing in particular, mind you, just everything in general. Like why the hell he was here. He didn’t belong here, like this. He belonged in his backyard with Shawn and the rest of his “crew”, drinking until the cows came home and then lighting the fireworks out in the middle of no where like everyone in his neighbourhood had originally planned. Shannon would, no doubt, be there, hanging onto the arm of some sleazy blonde bastard. Maybe even Nathan. But the youngest Street? Not so much.

“Mushroom. Glad I finally managed to get tracked down.” The dark browns of his eyes moving to examine the petite girl; he simply tilted his head to the side. There was, no doubt, an improvement in the way she carried herself from the first time he met her, back in the park during the early days of the Christmas break. Since that day, he had even seen her crack a few authentic smiles. Most of the time, he didn’t care for people. However, the odd time someone came along that he did, in fact, care for them – he cared very deeply for them. When his sister was miserable, his heart warmed temporarily when he saw her charming smile break through that curtain of depression. It was a similar sort of thing with Brianna. He felt, as they stood there in silence, that it wasn’t overly uncomfortable. Not like when you’re stuck in a room with a stranger who smells revolting.

Letting his thoughts wander, Sylar’s dark eyes finally fell on a particular blonde approaching the quiet pair. Ah, none other than the legend herself: Coco Lehoux. A wry smirk falling into place as she approached him, Amusement dancing in his brown eyes as she spoke to him in hushed tones, the Irish male didn’t have a chance to say anything before she pressed her lips against his own. Jerking backwards slightly in surprise, he lightly responded while looking towards Brianna the entire time. His own tongue dancing against hers briefly until Coco pulled away, spoke once more and drifted off into the dance floor. Still not saying anything to the blonde bombshell, he simply watched as she departed, the same shocked look on his pale face. Okay…what the fuck had that been all about? Him and Coco were best friends, and nothing more than that. She obviously knew he was a good toy to make someone else jealous, damn. Arching his eyebrow at this, he moved his eyes to look at his date once more.

Hearing her charming laugh, a sheepish expression fell over his face. Not something usually seen on this one, but this is a night of surprise, after all. A mild amount of red coloring flushing over his temples and around his eyes – his personal way of blushing – Sylar merely shrugged. His accented voice stuttering slightly, he took a few moments to find the correct words. “It’s just a nickname she gave for me…” It wasn’t so much embarrassing as…confusingly humiliation?

Yeah, right.

[/color][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Regan Turner]

regan

it ends tonight.
____________________[/center]


Regan just happened to have one of the best nights...ever. What a way to end out the year, huh? No matter how hard he had been trying to break away from this 'shadow' he was standing behind. Two very big shadows of both his older brother, Reed and Riley. But hey, this Turner brother was the last of the generation to filter through Valkyrie. As far as he knew: the legacy ended with him, and he wanted to go out with a very big bang. He was staying true to himself the entire time. Surfing, music, and lots and lots of girls. No way was he going to pussy out and end up like Reed; divorced and still whipped. Or Riley, the 'hottest nerd' back in Valkyrie who still looked awkward as hell. But Regan, he was going to be different. He didn't care if he went down as the biggest player. For all he knew, by the end of his senior year, he could be known as the newest Luke Summitt. He just had to keep doing what he was doing and he'd be just fine. The legend awaited at the end of the long tunnel.

After getting Amberly wasted he ended up taking her off somewhere in his cousins pad. He still found it weird that Paolo and his family were filthy rich and on the other hand were living in some three-bedroom hellhole down in the 'bad section' of the shaks. Looks like his aunt knew how to pick them. His mother....not so much seeing his father probably didn't make nearly as much as Paolo's father did. Anyways, he found some room and then ended up having sex, purely what their relationship was based on. They never really 'hung out' or got to know each other. No serious conversations. Not that Regan even knew really what a relationship was since he hated how that simple word binded two people together. Ok, she was either not showing it or just really, really stupid. It was like she was too shallow and drunk to realize he doused her drink with some heavy alcohol. After both he and she done it, Regan kind of just ditched her, and entered the party again as she was probably stumbing around the room.

Regan left the room, still buttoning up his shirt. Not even reaching the last button did the boy notice a very luch, blonde looking a little lonely by herself. Well, she could get a little lonely over by him. The two basically met with their tongues as they fell into the couch, lips sewn together as they publiccaly made out for everyone to see. That's what Regan liked. Shoving it all in other people's faces that he was getting something and they weren't. The points, the stares, the comments made nothing to him. The sophomore only vaguely wondered if the girl was in fact someone he knew. Maybe hooked up with earlier that year. Well, all he knew was that he didn't know who she was, and she probably didn't know who he was. Right as he started to enjoy it did he feel this substance on his back, soaking through his tux. That was when the whinny drunken slurs started.

“What the fuckkkk issss your problem!?”

Regan clambered off of blondie and spun around towards the wobbly Amberly that looked like she was ready to tip over. "What the fuck is my problem? What the fuck is yours? Throwing shit at me," he stopped and wiped some of the vodka off of his fae. Oh, maybe if Blondie was going to stick around, maybe he's let her lick it off of him. "I mean jesus fuck, Amberly. I'm done listening to you bitch and complain about your petty little problems. We've over, Amberly. Done."[/blockquote][/blockquote][/font]

[garrettlevesque]

garrett lévesque

[/font]
masquerade paper faces on parade, masquerade
hide your face, so the world will never find you
december 31st & janurary 1st ; 2006 & 2007
_____________________________________[/font][/center]

ενύπνιον.

What did that mean to Garrett, or to anyone in particular? Translated from Greek to English, from Patras, it meant a nightmarish dream. A night full of tossing, turning and complete bullets of sweat dripping down your forehead. The kind of things during the night as you lay your head to rest that you pray won't be coming along, or else that means another hard morning to wake up to. So really, anyone could relate to this topic, because once in your life, your conscience could turn psycho on you and you end up having awful nightmares that sometimes slip away.. or stay for a while. Maybe even reoccurring dreams. Garrett Lévesque, the charming sixteen year old Greek transfer, unfortunately related to the devils of Valkyrie, was a dreamer. No doubt about it. So what did he dream about?

Many things to be honest, but at the moment and to his utter surprise, about three were coming true. One was that he would see Daphne Hayes again, the first beautiful Californian girl he had met at the airport. Secondly, to dance with a gorgeous girl, and that seemed to be the case with this lovely girl in the red dress. Not to mention, she seemed to actually enjoy his somewhat awkward company. But the third one wasn't exactly something that was making his insides patter like Daphne or the mystery girl in the red dress. Nope, this was a nightmare he kept on having, something that simply wouldn't end. It always begun and ended the same. Him walking down a lonesome road, seeing a beautiful dirty blonde haired girl, pretty young, walking across the street. A car driving her way and with one big scream and crash - he woke up with shakes.

Sure, everyone had dreams like those.. but now, as his eyes followed different people in the room, he caught a glimpse of her. The girl from the dream, the one that the car was aiming for. Of course, he couldn't be sure. Logically, it was almost impossible. Yet, she was a stranger to him, but had the same face he recognized every night. His face felt frozen, and as time passed on throughout the night, his mind trailed on. Yet, throughout it all, amazingly, he kept in contact with this mystery girl. The girl in the red dress - whom he still didn't ask for a name. Despite that simple mistake, they seemed to find a lot to talk about. School, what grade, (she happened to be a Sophomore as well), and their family. Then, it was back to the dance floor, just in time for the countdown.

Garrett was never a forceful guy, and always like to take his time with the ladies. He was, to say the least, extremely different from his cousins. Yet, as everyone stopped dancing, Garrett stood by the girl with curiousity. This was slight spontaneous, especially for his standards. Rarely was he the type of guy to kiss for only knowing a person for a few hours. Still, the pressure and adrenaline rush built up as the countdown continued. "10, 9, 8.." Garrett turned to face the quite smaller girl, glancing into her mask sincerely. "...7, 6, 5.." He stepped a little closer, the back of his neck turning cold with sweat. "...4, 3, 2, 1 -" But before Garrett could even hear 'HAPPY NEW YEAR', he gently held the girl's back and passionately swung her into a kiss, dipping her a little and then slowly bringing her back, her brown hair grazing the dance floor before he leveled with her.

"Happy New Year." He said breathlessly, not taking his eyes off of her. But suddenly, he looked at his watch. He had to get home! he promised he'd call his little nephew into Patras, for it was his birthday and the only time he could do so. As much as he didn't want to leave his sweet mystery, family truly did come first. Apologizing continuously, feeling terrible for just leaving the girl like that, he simply said, "I'm so sorry.. I have to go. My nephew.. it's his first birthday.. I don't have much time to call. I uh.. I'll see you at school?" Hah, hard to do Garrett. Not only do you not know her name, but her barely know her face. Yet, slowly, he couldn't keep her off his mind throughout the night.

[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Adrian Mitchell]

adrian.
In my head theres only you now.
And this will falls on me.
In this world there real and make believe,
And this seems real to me...

Adrian wandered around the ballroom excusing himself constantly and apologising as he pushed and shoved past people. Maybe he shouldn’t have come he was in foul mood and couldn’t recognise a familiar face or maybe he was only searching for a certain one? Adrian had felt an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach after that night on the pier with Jordin – what she had told him, sure it was harsh and hurt him but could he really live in a Valkyrie without Jordin Ames? Well he could but if he was always going to have that empty feeling within himself he would rather have her in his life. Friend or lover it didn’t matter to him just as long as he could spend hours on end with her making her smile and laugh and maybe for a moment, have her realise how amazing she is.

Running a hand through his dry and slightly tangled hair Adrian licked his lips nervously. He spotted Bailey walking out of the ballroom another brunette girl following her, one of the Trio girls he supposed as he walked towards the bar. Where they serving minors? Well almost everyone here was a minor and the bar was crowded and he was sure the line wouldn’t be that massive for soft drink. Standing behind a group of girls Adrian couldn’t help but scoff at the conversation about one of his sister’s best friends Daphne Hayes, about her ‘almost’ rape with Jason Levesque. In Adrian’s opinion the guy was a tool and he couldn’t even comprehend who you could do that to anyone let alone your sisters best friends, but Jason Levesque was one sick puppy and who knew what went on in his head.

Pushing to the front of the bar when the group of gossiping girls moved away Adrian promptly ordered several shots of Vodka telling the bartender they where for ‘Me and my mates’ when he shot him a funny look. Yeah, he and his mates sympathy and pathetic moping loser. ”Thanks” Adrian mumbled grabbing the tray and weaving through the crowd to tables that had been set up in the far end of the ball room. Sliding onto a chair he stared at the tray he sat down in front of him, this is what he had resulted to. It was almost like conforming to the Valkyrie trend of being a teenage alcoholic, drowning your sorrows. There is no happiness and love for a rich teen with all the money in the world and as Adrian looked around the room he knew that the majority of the people in this room tonight had problems deeper and a worse then what most people would face in their lifetime. What is money worth when you can’t be happy? Or you have a family that is so broken and messed up that it will never be normal, and the people in your family will never be truly happy.

Downing the last shot Adrian let out a deep breath pushing the shot glass away from him as he stood. Oh boy did he feel loose now, swaying slightly as he balanced himself by placing his hands on the table in front of him looking around at the people dancing and laughing. It was all fake and they all sucked! Grumbling, Adrian pushed through the crowd of dancing people with no apology or second glance – he didn’t know where he was headed and with no particular destination in mind and his thoughts unfocused he couldn’t help but take a step back in shock when he spotted Jordin. She wasn’t with anyone but she didn’t look lonely like Adrian. Taking a step forward Adrian swore loudly ”Fuck, shit! I shouldn’t have come…” he panicked to himself. God, should he approach her? What if she noticed him and he didn’t talk to her, he would hate himself if she thought he hated her. Damn, she probably already thought Adrian hated her.

Walking towards her Adrian clasped at his hair nervously, stumbling as he took hurried steps. What would he say to her? Ask her why, why Parker out of all the people his best friend? He had a right to angry at her she had dumped it all on him! How could she not realise how he felt about her, was it that she just didn’t feel the same way so she decided to just string him along and hope he grew out of it? Would she do that to him? It was all so annoying, it made him angry and it hurt so bad.

He paused a few feet away from her and took a heavy breath attempting to compose himself. Instead it just made him frustrated as she turned to walk in another direction he walked forward reaching out and grabbing her arm, not hard but firm to get her attention he didn’t want her to slip away anymore, whether it was physically or emotionally. He just needed her to know right now how he felt. ”Jordin! Adrian said over the music, dropping his arm and stepping back a little. It was now or never and he couldn’t be in a worse state to do it.

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[amberlyroberts]

i wish that there was so much more than that
about me and you

[/size]

People have always done stupid, mindless things while they are drunk, ever since the invention of alcohol, and Amberly was being just like every other drunk person in the world by doing stupid shit. The smart thing, which she should have done, would have been to leave once she first felt the effects of the alcohol and had realized that Regan had disappeared. But of course, what kind of drunk person thought of the sensible thing to do? Amberly surely didn’t because she was still stumbling around the huge mansion without a real destination or any idea about what she was going to do for the rest of the night.

It seemed like she had been alone for hours, and really was starting to feel unwanted. What did she expect though? Am had gone to the biggest party of the year with the biggest underclassman jerk. Back when they had started their relationship she knew that she was going to go through hell and more to even get to spend some time with this kid. So the question was: why was she being so idiotic by dating someone that she didn’t care about and that didn’t care about her? Her life would have been so much better with Beckett, and even Amberly knew that, but she choose not to accept it. Love is blind, and she sure as hell was being blind about her true feelings for the only guy, other than Max, who acted as if he cared for her. Little Miss Amberly had made many mistakes within the past month, and it was about time that she fixed them.

However, throwing her drink on Regan wasn’t exactly the best way to solve her problems.

She stumbled back a couple of steps, but regained her composure by placing her hands on her hips. She stood there, tall and proud in her heels, and she had no worry about falling over because she was strong now, both mentally and physically. Spilling alcohol on Regan had been the bravest thing she had ever done in her life, and Am was quite proud of herself. Of course, she had committed one of the biggest sins of all though: alcohol abuse; she had wasted some of the precious vodka that some people would have killed for, but that wasn’t on her priority list of caring.

“No, Regan! It was over a loooong tiiiime ago! Neither one of us wanted to admit it though.” The majority of her words weren’t slurred now because she was trying really hard to focus on what she was saying. Her sobriety was all that she wanted at that point because she didn’t want to look like another one of those drunk sluts who will have no idea what happened the next day. “You’re not breaking up with me, I’m breaking up with you!” It was funny how she contradicted herself by saying that they had already ended, yet she was ending it that night. Apparently her attempt at trying to not look like a drunken high school girl wasn’t working too well.

Suddenly, her eyes began to swell up with tears. Uh oh. Amberly was one of those emotional drunks. The break up with Regan really didn’t bother her that much, but it seemed to because while being under the influence, everything going on around her was exaggerated greatly.

The girl started to stomp off, her heels making loud clicks on the ground as she did so. However, after only taking a few steps, the female stopped in her tracks, turned around, and scowled angrily at Regan. “Oh, I hope you and your little bleach blonde tramp have a good night. Try not to get too frisky, kay? She might not want your STDs.” After speaking those words, Amberly turned around again, and continued on her way out of the room. It wasn’t until she reached that kitchen that she finally broke down and began crying. She leaned against a counter as she tried to hold the tears in, but it wasn’t exactly working. “God, where’s Max when you need him?” she whispered softly, to herself.

Wait. Why in the world would Amberly need Max, the other guy in her life who was probably off making out with some other chick, when she had called Backett earlier in the night when she had been alone? Beckett was on his way to be her Prince Charming and save her, and Amberly had completely forgotten about him… again. She really needed to start realizing who was there for her and who wasn’t. It was about time that she got the right people in her life.

After drying the last tears that had rolled down her cheeks, Am made sure that she had a tight grasp on her clutch bag before she started to attempt to make her way to the front of the house. It took much effort, and even walking past Regan again, but Amberly made it to the front door with her head held high. However, before walking out of those front doors for good, she caught sight of a cooler that someone had brought and left by the door. Man, these kids had alcohol everywhere, now didn’t they? She considered her choices for a few seconds before deciding to take a risk again in her life. The girl picked up a bottle of grape Smirnoff and walked out of the large front doors. The cold immediately hit her, but she didn’t mind. With wobbly steps, Am made her way over to a bench, where she sat and drank her vodka as she waited for her Prince Charming to come to her rescue.