"Ow! Not right there, Deena! You're pulling too hard." I yelled at one of my mother's maids. They never seem to listen to me.

"S-sorry, Miss Layne, but don't you think that, maybe, the corset could be a bit tighter?"

"Are you calling me fat, Deena?" I asked with a sigh. I ran my hands over the front of my corset as she struggled for an answer.

"N-no, that's not what I meant-"

"Whatever." I murmured, cutting the maid off. Looking at my reflection in the old floor length mirror. I was to wear this long, coral, strapless dress with the white corset underneath. It hurt like hell and was sure to leave deep prints into my skin. After Deena finished squeezing the life out of me, I slipped into the ugliest dress in the planet.

I still don't know why my mother buys dresses like this anyway. I'm not even all that sure that Mother understood my dilemma when it came to this ball. I think she though of it as dress up.

"Can I come in now?"

"No Mother." I yelled but that didn't stop her from opening the door and coming straight in.

"Oh my goodness, Layne! You look marvelous!" She exclaimed, looking at me through the mirror. I gave a thin smile in return.

"I know dressing up isn't your thing, but it damn well might be." She says with a wave of her hand.

"Mother..."

"I'm just saying that maybe you'd think about always doing stuff like this."

I uncontrollably giggled at her.

"Ha! Mother, this is only for tonight. There has to be a representative of the Avery family at Nobel Nathaniel's ball, right? I'm only doing it for that reason." I retorted. Her cheeks turned the same color as Deena's.

Mother's quiet for a while before saying, "An outfit's never complete without accessories."

"I don't want any." I said a bit to late.

She ignored me as she placed earrings and rings on my person. I wore a pair of dangling earrings that pull at my ears slightly and rings that looks like it could fall off my hand at any moment. I hate rings; they make me sweat like crazy and I don't trust earrings. I have sensitive ears and cheep earrings make them burn.

"Oh my goodness! You look like a million dollars."

"Mother, you haven't seen a million dollars, only a million chreks." I told her with a roll of my eyes. I pulled up the hem of my dress so I could finally see my feet.

"Oh! It's an expression."

"Yeah, in America." I mumbled.

Soon after, I had a pair of silver shoes put upon my feet that were actually okay. They were a bit sparkly, but not as bad as the Pepto-Bismol dress.

~

The limo ride to way to long for comfort. Our butler, Arthur, drove me to the Nobel Nathaniel Castle. He didn't try and small talk, thank god, but still, there was a tense atmosphere. Truth is, he was basically my tutor when I was younger, but I hated everyone so it never mattered.

I thanked Arthur as I got out of the car and made my way up the grand staircase leading to the actual entrance. I sighed slightly, taking my first step up the many. Around me being halfway there, a butler ran down the stairs towards me.

"Oi! Miss Layne, let me escort you in!"

"Ted?! You've grown." I exclaim, looking wide-eyed at one of my childhood friends, who I haven't seen in years. He was a tot when I was a chubby first grader.

He shrugs, holding out his elbow to me. I take it, smiling up at him. He's changed a lot. He used to work under Arthur, kinda like an apprentice. He had to be my butler for a little while and it was some of the most fun I ever had.

"How are you liking it at Nobel Nathaniel's?" I asked him as we neared the doors.

"It's swell, but the old man takes a lot of medicine." He said.

"Old man?!" I laughed. He was always so carefree like that.

He opened the door for me and I was welcomed to a seemingly magical sight. I've heard rumors, but never the real thing. Nobel Nathaniel has marble flooring and royal red rugs that go on for miles.

Wow, I think, This is beautiful.

"The ball being held in the main ballroom, right down that hall there." Ted tells me, pointing down the hall to our right.


I thank him with a smile and make my way down towards the loud ballad.