Young Writers Society

Angelique Tannhauser | Columbus Deck - First Class Cabin

I started at the invitation in my hand for a moment, comtemplating whether to or not to attend the Mourning Ball for Lady O'Hanley. My questions about Lady O'Hanley hadn't been answered, and besides, I hadn't known her personally. But still, I decided to go, since I hadn't been to a real ball ever since I was ten.

I crossed the room and opened my wardrobe, still holding the invitation. Luckily Mother had packed some evening dresses for me, so I didn't need to go up and buy one. But what should I wear?

Seeing that it was a mourning ball, I decided to wear black and pulled out a short sleeved black velvet dress that went to my ankles. I laid it on my bed and pulled out my black ballet slippers before I went and searched for the only diamond necklace I had.

I finally found it --- it was hiding in one of the secret compartments in my suitcase --- and then I looked at the time. It was a quarter to seven already! I quickly slipped into my dress and braided my messy hair up into a bun. As always, some strands had escaped but I couldn't pin them all up, because I had forgotten to bring some hair clips with me.

I applied on some lipstick, even though I really hate make-up. Then, I pulled on my leather gloves and my satin cloak (all black, of course) before checking myself in the mirror, to see if I looked presentable.

For the first time in my entire life, I actually looked beautiful.

I timidly smiled at myself in the mirror and watched as the little smile became a huge grin. Suddenly, I felt giddy and I twirled around the cabin for a while. But then I looked at the clock, and to my surprise it was already five minutes to seven. I picked up my cloak, draped it over my shoulders, and pranced out of the cabin.

Angelique's evening dress looks like this:

Roxi Poole

I couldn't help but smirk a little. It was as if I had cheated death- they knew this room was empty, and therefore, no invite! I laughed with glee. A, because I refused to wear a dress, b, because I was Roxi Poole, heiress, skater, and the girl who cheated imminent doom.

Although...

There would be food. Lots of it. And lots of people.... I wouldn't be seen.

Blast it, I was gonna go to this party.

I rifled through my bag until I found it- a knee length, adorable, black dress. Fitted bodice, strapless, tule skirt. A bit sparkly, but not that much. I stepped into it and tied my low tops, grabbing my board in case of emergency. I suddenly felt twice as proud. Not only was I the girl who cheated imminent doom, I was the girl who cheated it and went anyway.

I mean, yeah I was asking to get caught, and then get my parents called, but this was going to be fun. Cute dress plus skateboard plus "a ball" equals best thing ever, save a day at the skate park.

Oh, this was going to rock.

Jamie:

It was part a good day for Jamie because now she has made a new friend named Angelique. And part a bad day too for the reason that someone famous and powerful could be murdered. It was also rude of Jamie of not knowing even a thing about the victim.

" Murder and now a ball? Perfect combination those two." Jami gave out a small chuckle as she spread her arms around the hanging clothes in the cabinet; searching for a good dress. She didn't have the appetite to go for a party but she has to or else, she might die out of of boredom here. Or she could be the next poor victim who was killed without any better reason to justify her of something.

"What am I thinking about?" she thought to herself.

Her confused mind plus her lurching stomach seemed to crumple her face with an unsteady facial expression. Soon, she grabbed a piece of her chiffon dresses and wore it on with care. It took her a minute to dress it up and another few minutes to place a light make-up on her face. She let her wavy locks flow around her slim shoulder and she actually looked good that night.

Before Jamie could pause and look at the clock ticking against the wall, she clutched her heels and put it on quickly. She took a swift glimpse of her reflection into the mirror and examined herself for the last-minute things.

She was ready.

Finally, she went for the doorknob and stepped out of her cabin.

Chris- the ballroom, 7.00

"Mourning ball?" I said to one of the waitresses from the side of my mouth. "What's that about?"

"Oh, Chris, you know how she was fussing over there not being enough class on the ship."

"I do. Good riddance is what I say. Good evening." I changed my register, offering a couple who had just come through the door a glass of champagne.

Nobody seemed to be exactly in mourning. In fact, most people didn't seem too disturbed by the passing at all. They were laughing and dancing and moving around as they always did, acting as if we didn't exist. Several of the women cast an eye over me and I gave them a winning smile before they turned away again. It was going to be a long night.

Still, I couldn't help but worry about the fact that she was, you know, dead. And not by natural causes either. It meant that somebody had killed her. Killed her. On board! She hadn't exactly been a nice person, but still, you didn't kill someone for annoying you. Unless you were a psychopath. Which posed the question: was there a psycopath on board?

I moved over to a new guest and offered them my tray. "Champagne?"

Angelique Tannhauser | Atlantic Deck | The Ballroom | 7:00 p.m

I arrived at the ballroom exactly at seven o'clock and was greeted by an Italian waiter. At least, he looked like one. "Champagne?" He motioned to his tray.

I haven't tasted champagne before, as Mother had forbidden me to even touch a drop of alcohol. But it was a special occasion, and the golden liquid looked very tempting, so I gratefully accepted the glass and thanked him. He slightly bowed and turned away to greet another guest. I gingerly held the glass and sipped a little of the sparkling wine before looking around.

A lot of people had already arrived, and they seemed to have a lot of fun just by chatting about mundane things, by the looks of it. Several people were starting to dance and I mentally sighed. I fervently prayed that I didn't need to dance, as I wasn't a really good dancer. Okay, a really bad dancer.

I looked around again, observing the beautiful ladies around me while absentmindedly sipping the champagne from time to time. My new friend, Jamie Kyo, who occupied the cabin next to me, wasn't here yet, so I knew absolutely no-one in the ballroom. I was extremely bored, so I was about to walk over to join a bunch of giggling girls that looked about my age (and wore outrageously short dresses, I noted disgustedly) when something caught my attention.

A young girl causally leaned on the wall, looking around from time to time. She had short blond hair and sharp green eyes. She wore an intricate black strapless dress that went to her knees and she would have looked like the many girls around her were it not for her white and black skateboard. Many grown women gave her weird looks, and some even started to gossip about her --- what kind of young, educated, civil woman would bring a skateboard to a ball? --- but she held her head up and ignored them.

I immediately admired her. She looked like the kind of person that could take care of herself, that could accomplish everything without anyone's help --- definitely not a girly girl like me. Tired of just standing around, I took a glass of champagne and approached the girl. She raised her eyebrows and I held out the glass. "Care for a glass of champagne?" I asked. And some company? I silently added in my head.

Jessie

I dug through my closet until I found it, my favorite dress. It was dark green, fitting, and flowed beautifully The fabric was light, but incredibly smooth.

I strapped on a pair of heels and a bracelet. The bracelet was covered in charms and the same shade of green as the dress. I pulled my hair into an elaborate bun, and then put a headband on that matched the rest of my outfit. I took one last look in the mirror.

Why, if I was on a cruise, did I still feel like I was in a beauty contest? Why did I have to be the most beautiful, when I was supposed to be enjoying myself? Was life always like this, a contest to be the best? The rhetorical questions spun around my head. I wiped a tear from my cheek, and began to walk towards where the ball was. I held my head high, and put on my best smile.

I remembered my mothers words clearly before we departed. The words I had refused to believe.

Even if your not on the runway, there will always be a reason to be the most beautiful. It doesn't matter whether your going to bed or meeting the queen. A model's instinct never dies.

It was the last line that scared me the most, the words I would never get out of my head. A model's instinct never died, and now I knew it was true.

Roxi Poole

I smiled tightly. "No thanks. I don't drink."

I'm fourteen, chick!

There were some parts of me that were permanently influenced by the blunt, uncaring skaters back home.

In a fluid movement, I swooped to the white-clothed table and grabbed a sandwich. Eating it casually, I trapped my board underfoot and rolled it back and forth, back and forth. I was dying to go at least one lap around the ballroom, but I refrained, returning my attentions to the roast beef sandwich in hand.

I got some punch, tuning out the chatter of the girl who had offered me champagne. I nodded now and again, listening only enough to know how to respond to her questions. Yeah, I was a skater tomboy from downtown, but I was, after all these years, still a Poole. And being one, you pick up a few tricks. Like fake-listening.

Speak of the devil. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Roxi."

"Roxi who?"

"I really just go by Roxi." I said carefully. No way on earth I was saying my last name, especially if it was unnecessary. Like now.

And besides- just Roxi, the blonde girl with green eyes and a pretty dress and a skateboard, was all I ever needed to be known as by her.

Ella Cameron/7:00/Ballroom

I made my entrance into the ballroom with the captain on my arm. Father had insisted on us dressing coordinately, I dressed in a smoky gray sheath dress, and him in a sharp black suit and gray silk tie. I knew as soon as our entrance was made my father would leave my side and tend to his captaincy. he would mingle with the guests, reassuring all of them, talk to the staff, and finish the negotiating and convincing with the board. I was used to being left alone at large gatherings, and didn't mind it all too much. I made my way through the throng of elaborately dressed guests and waiters serving hords de 'oeuvres, and sat against a wall.

I lost myself in a daydream of colors. The swirling gowns and dresses all blended together and the natural artist in me began to piece together a painting. My eyes, still scanning the room landed on a girl, dressed in black and carrying a skateboard of all things. I recognized her, but couldn't place where. Suddenly it hit me, or should I say she hit me. I know she caught me looking because she started to head in the other direction. I tried to follow, but she was lost in the mass of dancing guests.

Angelique Tannhauser

The girl refused the champagne, saying that she doesn't drink. I shrugged and put the glass on the table beside me while the girl went and got some punch. I was so bored, I started to just chatter about how wonderful this ship is, how marvellous this cruise seemed to be, how sad that Lady O'Hanley had died, and so on and so on. However, even though I seemed to be just rambling about inane stuff, I could see that this girl wasn't a rogue, uneducated barbarian as the older women thought.

How? You would ask. How could you see that this girl wasn't just a mere commoner?

Well, it's because she play-listened. Or fake-listened, if that's how people call it these days. I could see she was thinking about something else, and that she thought me a nuisance, but she still had the manners not to just say bluntly, "Look, missie, you're bothering me. Why don't you go and bother someone else?"

I looked around the ballroom to see if Jamie had came, but there was still no sign of her. I sighed, and turned to the blonde. "What's your name?"

"Roxi."

"Roxi who?" I tilted my head. What an odd name for a debutante, I thought to myself.

"I really just go by Roxi." She said carefully. I know an annoyed person when I see one, and so I stopped talking to her. Perhaps she took my silence as some sort of cue, and abruptly walked away with her skateboard.

I shrugged, telling myself not to fret, that I would make another friend here on this ship soon. I continued looking around and tugging on my cloak while sipping the last drops of my champagne. Then I went over to the table and poured some cola for myself, which suited me much more than the champagne.

The captain happened to walk by, and smiled at me before turning to one of the many tuxedoed men. I guess he was one of his crew, as he laughed loudly and chatted quite happily with him about the sunny weather. He seemed like a very agreeable man.

I looked around and saw another girl around my age walking my way. She wore a dark gray dress and I immediately assumed that she was the captain's daughter or something, for they looked very much alike and wore the same colour. She looked like a pretty pleasant person, too, so I smiled at her, and said cordially, "Hullo there!" I extended my gloved hand and grinned. "I'm Angelique, but you can call me Angeli." Please be nicer than that Roxi, I prayed.

Alex/Ballroom/7:10

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed over a black jacket and grey collared shirt, ear tuned to the conversations going on around him. A short distance away were his closest acquaintances from the department. He was waiting for them to move onto a new topic of conversations, not really being one to follow sports, or get drunk enough they'd be entertaining to watch.

Alex could like parties if they were smaller, usually run by work. He did like the large parties just to people watch; a couple in their late thirties chatted just out of earshot, and the room seemed to be pretty well divided into social groups. Very few people mingled past families or social groups. Diagonally across the room, there seemed to be some interesting mingling going on, around the captain's circle. Parts of his staff seemed to be making every effort to mingle with the crowd.

So long as they don't come over here, Alex thought. His eyes began scanning the crowd, looking for other people he knew. Mark and a few others were with a group of ladies, seeming to enjoy themselves. Alex looked down and shook his head. So much for his chance at a good conversation that night. Although hearing about what happened tomorrow would probably be interesting.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, continuing to watch.

Jessie

I drifted between people, not ever really being comfortable. I didn't like situations like this. I was comfortable in front of the camera, or in my room with a book. Big crowds like this unnerved me, unless I was on a stage. This felt awkward for me, but I knew I had no choice but to smile an pretend I was having fun.

I made small talk with a group of women standing in the corner, and was pleased to find they knew me. In fact, one of them was wearing the very dress I had modeled not two weeks earlier. She recognized me from the ad, and I smiled. This felt more comfortable.

I noticed a man standing alone, and decided to go talk to him. I excused myself from the people I had been talking to, and moved over to where he was. In a valid attempt to be friendly, I stuck out my hand.

"I'm Jessie," I said. He took my hand and shook it.

"Alex," he nodded at me. I looked him over, trying to decide what he was doing on a ship like this. I decided, from the looks of him, he wasn't staff.

"It is unfortunate what happened to Lady O'Henley, isn't it?" I asked after a minute of silence.

Alex/Ballroom/7:15

"Rather," Alex said, feigning politeness. The girl was certainly stunning, wearing a green dress that showed off her body tastefully. "I just hope she's the only one."

Jessie nodded. "Who could have done it?"

Alex just shrugged. "I'm sure the staff will find out who did it soon enough."

Jessie nodded again, leaning against the wall next to him. Alex stifled a sigh. She was going to be staying for a bit. He kept an ear on the conversation, wondering if Kevin or Mark would come talk to him soon. Unlikely, since it looked like he was talking to somebody. Somebody every guy in his department would kill to talk to. I'm never going to live this down.

Silence stretched longer, and Jessie spoke again. "What brought you on the ship?"

Alex ran his fingers through his hair, bringing the spike back up. "Company vacation. We just had somebody pass on a few months ago, so moral's been down a bit since. Bosses figured a cruise would help everybody perk up."

"Oh I'm sorry," Jessie said quietly. "Did you know the person well?"

Alex shook his head. "Not really. A few people still miss him, though. He was the life of the party." And would always come to work hung over, Alex added silently. He shook his head. "But enough about death at a morning ball."

Jessie chuckled a bit. "You wouldn't call this a morning ball."

"Guess not," Alex said with a bit of a chuckle. He glanced at her, figuring one question deserved another. "What brought you here?"

Jessie

His question wasn't one I really wanted to answer, but I did anyway. No reason to rouse suspicion.

"Um, I got a little hot on a runway, and fainted. So my agent got all panicked and sent me on this cruise. She thought I fainted from stress, when it was just the heat. Monica thought the trip would help me relax," I went for a little sarcasm, "and so far, there hasn't been one problem." Alex smiled a little at my use of sarcasm.

"So your not modeling anymore?" He asked politely, not really seeming that curious.

"No, the second I get back I will be in the spotlight again. I wish..." I started, then trailed off. What I wished didn't matter, as long as my mother had something to say about it. I sighed, then took a deep breath to calm myself. I wasn't good with social situations, and I think Alex had noticed that. I eyed him over, then turned back to the dancers.

I watched as a group of guys walked past me. One winked at my, and one whistled. I ignored them both. I got a lot of that, and I had learned to ignore them. Some people didn't understand the meaning of 'not interested'. Sadly, most of the rules of basic politeness didn't seem to apply to models. As Alex was about to say something, two girls came up to me. They looked younger, maybe thirteen and ten. One pointed to me.

"I know who you are. You were in Teen Vouge." she started giggling. This was exactly what I was trying to get away from.

I answered their few questions politely, then turned back to Alex when they went away. "You were saying?"

Ella Cameron

As I lost sight of the blonde girl in the crowd, another girl stepped in my veiw and extended her hand. "Hullo there! I'm Angelique, but you can call me Angeli." she said. She was dressed in all black, but she had a friendly face and looked about my age.

"Hello Angeli, Ella Cameron." I said shaking her hand. "So how are you enjoying the cruise?"

"Oh, it's pretty boring don't you think?" She smirked.

I let out a small laugh, "Most uneventful cruise I have ever been on. And that means alot."

She sighed, "Can't say I have ever been on any comparing cruises."

"Well that will have to change won't it." I said.

Angeli chuckled, "Is the Captain's daughter trying to convert me?"

"Maybe." I said with a wink.

Roxi Poole

I glanced over my shoulder. Good, no one was following me. I really, really hoped that neither of the girls that had seen me today would talk about me. Bad things would happen, and after Lady O Hanley, nothing bad need happen. I mean... urgh. I was rambling. Again.

I rubbed the deck of my board and glanced around again, the tule skirt of my dress twirling just a little. Eyebrows furrowed, I attacked the food table again. I was fourteen, don't blame me! Blame hormones! As I nibbled on another roast beef sandwich, I slunk back to one wall. I didn't want to be seen again.

My knuckles clenched as I saw a group of chattering girls in sparkly, form fitting dresses across the room. I wanted to smack them all, but then I would be reported to the captain, and then people would find out there was a Poole on board- and stowing away, no less! I'd be grounded for months.

I hugged my board to my chest and crossed my heels, eyes shifting around like crazy. I was starting to get paranoid, thinking that someone would blab about the blonde girl with the skateboard, or find out my last name, or realize I wasn't supposed to be on board. I was about to hyperventilate, and mentally slapped myself for it.

Roast beef = good. Hyperventilation= bad.