Callicas Boarding School For Otherworld Youth

“Oh, Ellie! Come look at this one! It’s utterly divine,” Mina shouted across the small dress boutique we were currently dress shopping at.

After frowning at a pale pink strapless dress, I placed it back on the rack and walked over to where Mina was gawking at a lovely deep emerald green ball gown. “Eh, not my color,” I stated.

“Not for you silly! For me!” She said breathlessly, a dazed look taking over her face.

“Well, it would most certainly fit the imaginary criteria of a masquerade ball,” I told her.

You see, the day after they announced the ball, they told us the theme, which was to be masquerade. Why a masquerade theme for a Yule ball? I honestly have no clue. Nothing about my school is normal, so I just shoved the thought to the back of my mind for later, and focus back on the task at hand, dress shopping.

The school had been letting all the girls go out in groups of twenty once a day for the past two weeks, and finally it was our turn. So with credit cards in hand, we had taken off down the main street with all of its little vintage boutiques and small unnoticed stores while the rest of the girls hit the local mall, Gwen and her little posse being part of that group.

“I’m going to go try it on,” she told me, excitement written all over her face.

Two minutes later I was sitting on a bench outside of the dressing room, when Mina called me in to help her get laced up into the dress.

Once she was properly fastened into the dress, we both walked out to stand in front of the full length mirror.

“Oh. My. God!” I told her. “You look like a goddess!”

“It’s absolutely perfect,” she murmured.

“And this is why we shop at little unknown shops that no one knows about,” I reminded her and gestured to the store clerk. “We’ll take this one.”

“Yes, madam,” she said with a little curtsy. “Will you be buying anything else?”

“No, sadly nothing quite caught my eye,” I told her.

After the dress was boxed up carefully and paid for, we walked out of the shop and went to a local ice cream shop for a much needed sugar fix. Shopping took a lot out of a girl!

“Maybe we can find a dress for you at the mall?” Mina suggested, then gagged on her ice cream when she saw the look of pure venom on my face.

“Like I want to look like another freaking Gwen and one of her slut-kicks! The mall is too generic for my taste. I don’t want to get a dress that someone else might have,” I told her and shoved another spoonful of chocolate ice cream in my mouth.

“Well, then we’ll just keep looking. If push comes to shove we can order it off the internet,” she told me as we were throwing our trash away later.

“Only as a absolute last resort,” I told her as we walked down the street, passing countless little shops selling little trinkets and antiques.

Suddenly I was hit by this feeling of longing, something strong. I felt a little tug on the feeling, as if it was pulling me in a specific direction.

“Ellie? Are you okay? Your jerking around, and I must say it’s a bit frightening,” Mina said.

“I’m fine, I think,” I said, looking off in the direction of the tug. “Follow me, okay?”

“Uh, sure I guess,” she agreed, a perplexed look on her face.

Then I took off in the tugs direction, walking so fast that Mina was having trouble trying to keep up with me.

Finally, I reached a little shop squished between to really big buildings, that at first look you wouldn’t have know it was there. It was called The Witches Keeper, and through the window I saw the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen.