Birthday Party

"You'll see." He leaned in so that I got a good whiff of his neck. I had the feeling he did it on purpose. "Love your shoes," he said, and I shivered. Like Eve with the apple, Dorian was tempting me.

Just a taste, my mind cooed. But I resisted. Now wasn't the time.

As I waited for him to help Cindy out, I stared up at the mansion. Lit with thousands of white, shimmering lights, it seemed to possess its own glow. "It's beautiful," I breathed, feeling like I'd stepped into a fairytale land.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Dorian said. "C'mon." He stood between Cindy and me and held out his elbows. I took his arm in one hand and my dress in the other.

We climbed the steps. The front door opened without any of us knocking, as though they were waiting for us. We went inside.

The brothers and Professor Pops stood off to the right.

Several of them were fidgeting with their tuxes, but they all wore their masks.

One of the brothers, Sebastian, handed Dorian his.

He slid it on, moving next to