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THE MASKS ARE UNABLE TO HIDE THE HATE IN THEIR EYES.
The Masquerade was an event that looked and felt like it came right out of a fairytale, complete with the edge of darkness.
The cavernous hall was a lost Renaissance piece in itself with its extravagant diamond chandeliers brightly illuminating the room. The hand-painted vaulted ceilings above revealed the story of the royal coven, stoic figures in black waging battles and securing the secrecy of their kind. A full orchestra of vampires in pure white played an unending song, symphonies and melodies flawlessly flowing from one to the other.
There were no tables or other chairs anywhere in the ballroom, vampires having no need to rest or dine for servants careened around the room with filled glasses. Just behind one of the doors was a room full of humans hooked to IV lines, refreshing the supply. Two guards stood outside the door.
However, it was not the rare art of the room or the vulnerable meals behind a doo that captured attention, it was the girl spoken of with nearly unlimited power, the shining jewel of the Volturi.
She felt hundreds of eyes on her the second she stepped into the ballroom, her entrance delayed by command of her masters to show off their celebratory debutante. They knew how to best display their trophies.
Across the room, three oak-carved thrones were erected upon a dais, the kings always above the masses. Behind the thrones stood the two queens surrounded by a circle of guards. They, too, watch Rory standing alone on the top of the stairs.
"My dearest friends, we have gathered tonight in the celebration of the Equinox," Aro began in his usual beatitude. "A day in which the dawn and dusk are approximately equal, and thus the veil between our world and the mortals is the thinnest."
Caius spoke next, swiftly jumping into Aro's flow with cruel eyes setting on a particular area of the crowd. "May this Equinox masquerade be a reminder to us all the importance of our kind's secrecy. For secrecy defends our kind's safety."
In a softer tone that still cut through the crowd, Marcus added, "In addition, we are to celebrate a most rare occasion: the expansion of the Volturi's elite guard."
One could almost say Aro cut Marcus off as he gestured toward the grand staircase. "Allow me the pleasure of formally introducing my coven's greatest treasure yet. Aurora of the Volturi."
As Rory descended the grand staircase, she carefully scanned the ballroom.
Nearly every immortal in the world was in attendance—those in the good graces of the Volturi at least. Her eyes do not linger on the ones she knows. She doesn't miss the stares, like daggers pinning her to the board. They know who she is now—what she is—and the worst part is is that she liked it. As wicked and manipulative as the coven was, she can't deny enjoying the spectacle they make of her.
