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Chapter Text

"Phoebe!"

Phoebe jumped from her spot next to the ironing board, nearly tripping over and falling straight into it before she steadied herself. Putting the iron in the little iron holder, she turned to who had spoken her name. "Yes, Mother?"

Her mother walked into the room with a scowl on her face, inspecting the clothes that Phoebe had already ironed out. Phoebe held her breath and shut her eyes, praying that any imperfections would fall beneath her mother's eagle eye.

She wasn't so fortunate this time.

Phoebe flinched as a dress was thrown onto her head. She gently took it off, being as careful as possible; as soon as the dress was off, a slap that sent Phoebe's head turning to the other side was delivered. Phoebe didn't wince, didn't express any sign of pain.

"That one was still wrinkled!" Her mother snapped. "Do them all again! Jesus Christ, can you do anything right?!"

Phoebe simply bowed her head. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart, and I will make sure to never make such a heinous mistake again."

She said it in monotone. She had lost count of the number of times she had recited that very statement whenever she made a miniscule mistake.

"See that you don't!" Her mother huffed. "Do it again and no food for two days!"

Her mother left, slamming the door behind her, and Phoebe sighed. She gently folded the dress that had been thrown at her into the 'to do' pile of clothes she had yet to be ironed and tried to will herself to pick up the iron again.

Her gaze returned to the window.  

Phoebe kept her fascination for the windows in their house a secret. Knowing her parents, if they found out she enjoyed looking outside, they'd have blackout curtains covering all of them. Front and back.

A pair of birds flew by at that moment, one calling back to their partner, and Phoebe smiled. The birds were free; They were pretty, majestic, and they could go or do whatever they wanted. 

Phoebe wondered what any of that felt like.

Phoebe had never been outside before. She constantly wondered what it would be like to be outside; to run around and fall in the grass, to climb a tree, to walk to the store. To be able to stand outside and feel the air around her and be free.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she would be getting that chance anytime soon. Her parents kept her busy with endless chores, constantly making her redo them if they weren't absolutely perfect and beating her at the end of the day if she hadn't finished her chores list.

Phoebe almost never finished her chores list.

As she tried desperately to complete them and go to bed without any new aches, Phoebe often watched her father or mother walk out the door and come back after hours. Phoebe was always curious about what the difference between them and her; why was she stuck inside and they were free to go out wherever they wanted?

Technically, Phoebe could ask them about going outside too. That was shot down immediately in her mind however, as Phoebe was too frightened to bring up going outside. She knew that they would react extremely poorly.

She had actually tried to bring it up when she was younger. She hadn't said much and had simply asked to go to the store with them.

She was hurting for a long time after that conversation.

Phoebe shook the thought off and forced herself to tear her gaze from the window, going back to her task. Absentmindedly, she listened to life go on outside. It was her music. It was the best way to get her focused on her task.

Phoebe finished ironing for a second time and had neatly folded the last shirt when her mother burst into the room again, nearly frantic. Phoebe let out a squeak and shielded her face and head as her mother began scattering the clothes she had just folded.

"I need the fanciest dress I have!" She was yelling. "Urgently! Get out of the way, you little rat! This is more important than your entire worthless life!"

Phoebe scrambled out of the laundry room, backing up and accidentally running into her father. She shoved herself out of the way. "I'm so sorry!"

Her father swatted her away as if she weighed nothing and stepped closer to the laundry room, not bothering to spare her even a single word.

Pandemonium was happening in the laundry room, and Phoebe dreaded when she was going to have to clean this all up. She wasn't going to be completing her chores list today. 

To distract herself, she slipped down to the kitchen, figuring that she could at least get a head start on another chore. She grabbed a broom out from a small closet and began to sweep the floors, paying special attention to each corner so that she got every last speck of dust.

It was only when she leaned against the kitchen table to take a short break that she saw the letter.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Balcom,

It is with great pleasure that we cordially invite you to Your Majesty's castle on July 6th of this year for the yearly ball. It is a great honor to be invited, and we are beyond pleased that you have been chosen to receive this letter.

We hope that you may join us.

Sincerely,

King Virgil and Queen Calliope 

Phoebe stepped away from the letter. Well, that explained a lot.

Phoebe's parents had been to the ball before, but it had been a long time. They had always wanted to go again. Unfortunately, they had continuously had empty mailboxes when the time for the ball arrived.

Phoebe's mind began to wander again. She wondered what the castle looked like, what a ball was like, what the king and queen were like. She only knew bits and pieces that had come from years ago. She had been caring for her drunken father as her mother laid on the couch, gushing about how wonderful of a time they had had and how everything was so regal and beautiful.

Phoebe wanted to experience that for herself.

In a second, she forced herself to make up her mind. Phoebe's heart began to pound as her father walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, opening the fridge door to get himself a bottle of beer.

Phoebe nearly chickened out multiple times, but eventually she cleared her throat. "Father?"

Her father turned to her. "What do you want?"

Phoebe flinched, but it was too late to back out now.

"I, uh- I just so happened to see this letter on the table, and it's great that you two are able to go- fantastic even, marvelous -and I was wondering if I could- I could, maybe- come with you? Just for a little while? Please?" 

Her father stared at her. 

Phoebe felt the beer bottle smash against her head before she saw any of it. She barely had time to cover her head, only managing to shut her eyes as the force knocked her to the floor.

"Are you kidding me? Take you with us? To the royal ball?" Her father snarled. "You're insane. You'll only embarrass your mother and I. To think you would ask such a question after everything we've done for you!" 

Phoebe trembled on the ground, not daring to look up.

"Get all of this cleaned up. Now."

Phoebe scrambled up, ignoring the beer and possible blood that dripped from every part of her and how her clothes now clung to her, exposing how skinny she truly was. She immediately grabbed a cleaning cloth and began mopping up the beer, stopping multiple times to pick up glass shards with her hands.

Her father grabbed another beer from the fridge and walked off, which is when Phoebe finally allowed herself to look up.

She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, and she willed herself to stop it. Crying never helped. If anything, crying only made everything worse since it resulted in slower reaction times and drama.

Phoebe looked up and stared out the window that sat above the kitchen table, teasing and inviting. The letter sat beneath it.

As she knelt on the ground with a bleeding forehead and shards of glass embedded in her knees, Phoebe wondered for not the first time what was so wrong with her that it caused her parents to be ashamed.

For not the first time, she wondered how she could fix herself.

Just like how it always was in her mind, her thoughts returned to the window.

Chapter Text

That night was a little better than the events that preceded it. 

Phoebe's mother had pranced down the stairs as Phoebe finished cleaning up the broken glass, showing off a loud and pompous ballgown and declaring that this was the dress she was going to wear to the ball. Her father had raised his eyebrows but told his wife that it was a wonderful outfit that the queen especially would be sure to love.

Phoebe privately thought that it should be thrown into the fire.

Fortunately, her mother and father were so caught up in the whimsy of getting the invitation that they forgot to ask Phoebe about whether she had completed her chores list or not. Phoebe hadn't, so it was a welcome breath of fresh air.

However, all that really meant was that Phoebe wasn't going to get beaten. She still had to complete all the chores on her list before she could sleep, otherwise she'll be beaten in the morning.

There was no time to waste. Phoebe got to work.

Cooking dinner- easy enough. Phoebe knew exactly what meals they would want in times like this. She prepared each meal with a precision that shouldn't be expected from a child her age, especially one that was hurting, and she made sure to steal more than a few bites for herself on the likely chance that she wouldn't be fed that night.

Finish sweeping the floor- that was done quickly enough. Phoebe had already started when her father came down the stairs.

Help her parents with their bedtime routine- Phoebe was numb to that one at this point. She's done this every night without fail. Even so, she was relieved when she was finally able to curtsy to them and leave the room.

Scrub the floors- this one was easily the most time consuming one. It was repetitive work and Phoebe's back always ached by the time she was halfway done. 

Dust the attic- this was admittedly Phoebe's favorite chore. She liked dealing with the fluffy feather duster and, if she was lucky, she'd catch glimpses of several mice that lived up there.

Now, Phoebe knew she should be throwing them out the window, but she couldn't help sympathizing with the little guys. She'd end up finding herself bring lone morsels up to the attic to feed them, and a few times the mice had come up close to her because of that. They'd let her pet them on their good days. She'd even named a few. 

The one that always had some form of drool flowing out of its mouth- that one was Slimer. He was always dirty.

The slightly bigger mouse who always seemed to be eating something- she called that one Muncher. 

The mouse that always seemed to have a different personality than the last time she saw him was one she called Possessor. 

Last but not least, there was the fluffy albino mouse that was always the friendliest. She liked to call him Puffy.

Phoebe was sure that there were more up there that she'd never seen and didn't trust her, and she couldn't blame them. To them, she was a big scary monster who was disrupting their home. It was a miracle that those four seemed to trust her.

Phoebe became lost in her thought as she traveled up to the attic and began her final chore for the night, most of her thoughts melting into nonsense due to a lack of sleep. She became so unaware that she startled at the familiar squeaks.

"Oh, hello!" Phoebe immediately knelt down in front of the four mice in front of her. "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts again. How have you four been?"

Puffy was the only one to let some sort of squeak out in response, which Phoebe smiled at. The other three were doing their own thing; Possessor and Slimer seemed to be arguing in some sense of the word, as they mainly seemed annoyed with each other, and Muncher was busy with a small crumb of bread.

Phoebe sighed and reached out, hesitantly rubbing her finger on Puffy's head. She knew that it was pathetic that her only friends were a couple of mice, but she couldn't help it. Without them, she'd have no one. It was nice to be able to talk to someone and not have to fear them attacking her for saying the wrong thing.

She was quickly stopped from disassociating by another squeak, and she looked down to see Muncher nibbling on her already ragged clothes. 

"Oh, no you don't." Phoebe smiled as she gently pulled herself away from Muncher's grasp and reached into her pocket. "Don't worry, I have something for you all." 

She quickly got every single mouse's attention by gently scattering crumbs of food onto the ground, and within seconds they were all eating. Phoebe stifled a laugh as she went to continue her chore.

Phoebe was able to finish up dusting without much problem, and with a sigh of relief dusted herself off. She was about to bid the mice goodnight and retire to her blankets down in the basement when she noticed someone had beaten her to it.

"Slimer? Possessor!" Phoebe immediately darted after the two mice as they escaped from the attic. "You're going to get hurt!"

The mice paid no attention to her warnings and simply darted down the ladder Phoebe had used to get up here, and Phoebe scrambled after them. She knew far too well that her footsteps were bordering on the realm of too loud, but she needed to get Slimer and Possessor back. If they were caught by her parents, then it would mean either a butcher knife would be embedded in their necks, or they'd be drowned in a bucket.

The two mice made a sudden turn into a laundry room and when Phoebe followed, she had to momentarily stop and sigh.

The laundry room was a mess- no doubt from her mother tearing the place apart to find a suitable dress. Another chore to do before she could sleep.

Phoebe's foot caught on a piece of fabric, and she bent down. Multiple dresses had been torn into pieces- all for the sake of finding the perfect one. Phoebe bent down, looking at the shewn apart pieces. It was such a shame- Phoebe would have done anything to have something so nice to wear.

A crash jolted Phoebe from her thoughts and she froze, covering her head out of instinct. After a few moments, she slowly unfroze, letting her hands go back to by her sides, and she looked to what had fallen.

Her mother's old sewing kit laid strewn on the floor, needles and thread everywhere, and on the shelf above sat the two culprits.

"You two!" Phoebe halfheartedly scolded as she straightened up again and cupped her hands out. "Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Come on down- let's get back to the attic. You'll be safe there."

Slimer and Possessor obeyed, although did not scurry into Phoebe's waiting arms. They instead found their way down to the sewing kit, rummaging about in it and genuinely making a better mess.

Phoebe sighed, carefully bending down again and picking the two mice back up. "You two are nothing but trouble. It's a wonder that you haven't died yet."

Both mice looked up at her innocently, and Phoebe sighed again. 

"You guys are lucky I have a soft spot for you."

Several squeaks cut out whatever Phoebe had been about to say, and she looked behind her. Puffy and Muncher had followed them and were currently caught in the sleeve of one of the torn dresses. 

"So are we having a ball of our own?" Phoebe raised an eyebrow and carefully shook the two mice out of the sleeve, picking them up as well. "What's with you all today? Is the attic not good enough? Well, I suppose it might not be anymore, when you live there your whole life," Phoebe answered herself. "You want to get out and see the world. For you four, the rest of the house. I should expect this."

Phoebe looked down at the sewing kit again, then at the torn dresses, and it reminded her of the one her mother had paraded around earlier, the one she was going to wear to the ball.

Phoebe still wanted to go to the ball. At the moment, it was the only dream she had.

Something began to nag at her. "I must fix these. Mother won't be happy with me if I don't." 

She looked back to the mice, who were all watching her curiously. "Or, maybe... Mother doesn't have to know?"

An idea began to form, one that made her smile in anticipation and exhilaration. "I think you four may just be the key on how to get out of my own attic."

Quickly, Phoebe dashed back up to the attic and let the mice free. They scurried off to their own dark corners of their home, and Phoebe watched them go for only a minute before she locked the attic up again and dashed back to the laundry room.

Not missing a beat, Phoebe shut the door behind her and began to gather up the bits of dress and sewing kit. She began organizing everything by necessity, by color, by fabric and by tool.

She pulled a measuring tape and pencil out of the kit and got to work.

This was her only chance. She wasn't going to blow this.

Phoebe was going to get into that ball and be free.

Even if it was for just one night.

Chapter Text

The days leading up to the ball went by slowly. 

They all seemed to blend together, at least when it came to Phoebe. Her sleep schedule had gotten even worse than normal. Of course, there was a reason for that, but Phoebe had no desire to complain about it. 

Her dress was almost ready. She had worked on it for hours each night, paying special attention to line up the colors and textures so it didn't appear stitched together and messy. The stitches were visible if one looked closely. 

She had taken special care to keep the dress hidden. She kept it in the attic where she knew her parents would never go. Her mother hated how dark and dingy the place was, and her father had no desire to go rooting through all the storage up there. They always told Phoebe to go up there if they needed something from the attic.

Phoebe had taken an old box and folded the dress as small as she could before storing it in there, making sure the box was hidden enough so it wasn't an obvious first pick on the extreme off chance her father (her mother never stepped foot into the attic) decided to go up there.

He never did, but there had been a few close calls. Phoebe hadn't felt anxiety like she had when her father pulled down the ladder to the attic as if he was going to go up there himself before he shouted for her to find her mother some old jewels they had stashed away up there. 

The anxiety was starting to become a bit of a problem. Phoebe had begun obsessing over every little thing that could go wrong long ago. However, she only had one worry plaguing her mind at the moment.

How was she going to keep her parents from recognizing her?

Surely they were going to be able to tell it was her if they spotted her from across the room. One dress wouldn't transform her into a whole other person. They were going to see her and then drag her home. 

"I don't know how I'm going to do it." Phoebe fretted to herself, pacing back and forth in the attic. Her dress and sewing materials lay on an old broken ironing board that Phoebe had tried her best to repair, and the mice sat on the large box she had taken to using as a chair. "They have eyes! They know my face! Maybe they'll recognize the dress too- no, they shouldn't, they won't have seen it before. I just made it. But what if they recognize the pieces the dress is made from?"

She turned on her heels suddenly to the mice. "Oh, and aren't balls supposed to be really fancy events? Where everyone looks like a queen? I don't look like a queen! I'm all dirty and I'm not pretty at all. I'll look out of place for certain and they'll know for sure it's me! Should I have been worrying about my appearance all these years? Maybe that could have prevented this!" 

Puffy let out a squeak curiously. He seemed to be the only one besides maybe Possessor who was paying attention to her panicking. Slimer and Muncher were eating the crumbs she had brought up for their food.

"Oh, I don't know." Phoebe raised her foot as if to stamp down, then remembered that she couldn't be loud. "I hate not knowing things! Normally I know stuff! Father called me smart before- remember that? That was the last compliment he gave me- but I'm not being smart right now!"

Phoebe let out a frustrated noise as she grabbed at her hair, forcing herself to whisper shout. "I hate this! Why does this stupid ball have to exist? I just wanna go outside! Is that so much to ask? What's wrong with going outside anyway? Why can't I go out? I wanna go out!" 

Phoebe crumpled to the floor in a ball, grabbing at her legs and burying her head in her knees. She began to to rock back and forth, trying desperately not to start crying, although she ended up tilting over and falling onto her side. 

The moon was high in the sky before Phoebe bothered to look up from her little tantrum, and it was only because Possessor and Puffy had started checking her out. She looked up when she felt one of the two climbing on her leg. 

"Pathetic, right?" She whispered, moving to heave herself up. "That's what mom and dad would say if they saw me now. Pathetic, ugly little freak. Little rat. Useless. Nothing but a burden. Another mouth to feed that's taking up too much space. Re-" She paused. "Actually, they haven't called me that one in a while. Must have moved on." 

A sigh escaped her lips. "Why am I like this? If I was normal, they'd love me I bet. Why do I have to be like this?" 

Puffy and Possessor offered no comfort. The only noise was another squeak from Puffy.

Phoebe let out a wet giggle at the noise. "At least you guys don't call me that. You can only squeak. Maybe you are calling me names, but I don't know! You can only squeak!" She moved to nudge at Puffy. "That's a silly thought anyway. You guys don't think like people do. You're so simple. I wish I was that simple."

Puffy squeaked again, and Phoebe began to laugh. "Squeak!" 

She fell backwards again and for a moment Phoebe was able to just laugh. Forget her worries, forget the breakdown she just had. Forget the insults and the abuse and the dress and the outside.

There was just squeak.

Phoebe eventually pulled herself up again, gathering herself as a final stray giggle escaped from her lips. "Oh, I'm insane, aren't I?" She smiled. "Lying on the floor of an attic, talking to mice as I cry and try to make a dress. They're right about me, I am crazy."

She leaned over to the two mice near her. "But I haven't laughed like that in years." A pause. "I liked that."

Another squeak caught her attention, and she turned her head over to the two neglected mice, forgotten about in the chaos. 

She shot straight up. 

"Oh my god." 

Slimer had managed to gnaw his way through a scrap piece of fabric that was left over from making the dress. He had chewed a hole in it and currently had it on his face. As he looked up at her, the fabric fell off.

Phoebe stood up immediately and grabbed the fabric, studying it. 

She held it up to her own face, eye peering through the hole. Phoebe's mouth was open as a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Slimer, you're a genius! Genius! Thank you, thank you!" 

Slimer peered up at her, clearly pleased with himself. The other three mice stared up at her in confusion.

Adrenaline filled Phoebe, and she rushed to the box to rummage through it, grabbing any and all fabric she had. "I need some form of supports. Maybe a band? Mother should have waistbands- I could take one of her old ones! Oh, and I'll need to map out dimensions- I need a pencil. And my measuring tape. I should have enough fabric- we always have spares for mending! Oh, there's a pencil!"

Said pencil began flying across cardboard, and the mice looked on. In no time at all, a design was sketched out on the side of the box.

The mask was designed to cover both eyes, and a portion of it stretched down in a curved design to cover part of the lower face. It was the perfect cover up.

"They won't recognize me with this! How didn't I think of this sooner? I must be an idiot. Come on, we need to get started on this right away!"

The sun was rising when Phoebe took a step back from her work station.

She hadn't slept a wink, and she knew instinctively her parents were going to be getting up soon. She needed to get down and start making breakfast. She just hoped that her lack of sleep wouldn't impact her performance today. 

Quickly and quietly she cleaned up her work station, making it look as if nothing had happened. 

The last thing to be put into her box was her mask. Not quite done, but it was certainly coming together. 

Phoebe couldn't help smiling, and she shut the box and hurried away. With a goodbye to the mice, she dashed downstairs. 

On her way to the kitchen, she passed a calendar hanging on the wall. She paused, grabbed the pen that they kept on a nearby table for this purpose, and crossed out another day. 

Five days until the ball. 

Chapter Text

Tonight is the night.

Tonight is the night. 

Phoebe's mind kept repeating that single sentence over and over and over again.

Tonight is the night.

Her anxieties were skyrocketing from the moment she opened her eyes down in the deep dark basement. Her mind spiraled constantly with everything that could go wrong. Phoebe was convinced that the only reason she wasn't caught and questioned by her parents was because they were also rushing around the house. It was a day of chaos in the Balcom household. 

As soon as Phoebe walked upstairs, she had been grabbed by her mother to help her with her dress, to measure things and cut off threads and button the back up. Phoebe obeyed everything with shaking hands while her mother fretted about her hair and the possibility of meeting the queen.

Her father was much more controlled, but the atmosphere of his wife scrambling around the house got to him as well. He was much more uptight, much more stern than normal. He was constantly fiddling with the suit he had put on, and the two parents got into multiple arguments about anything and everything. 

Phoebe had to resist covering her ears. The overstimulation was good. It calmed her mind. This way she couldn't fret about the night and accidentally give herself away.

All she could do was force herself to focus on a single sentence.

Tonight is the night.

A broom was shoved in Phoebe's face. Phoebe let out a tiny gasp as she barely prevented it from hitting her, then looked up at her father.

"You understand your instructions?" He scowled at her. "Every inch of this place needs to be clean before we return home. We cannot return home from the ball to a dirty home."

"If I get even a speck of dust on my dress when I come home, I'll see to it that what's left of you will be left outside for the crows to pick at!" Her mother's shrill voice came from the other room. 

Phoebe nodded numbly. "I understand."

"Good." Her father scoffed, then turned to his wife. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready!" Her mother snapped, then turned and walked out the door without saying another word or waiting for her husband. Phoebe's father rolled his eyes and walked out after her, slamming the door behind him.

Just like that, Phoebe was alone. 

For a while, Phoebe just stood there. She didn't know how much time had passed before she forced herself to drop the broom and rush upstairs.

The mice were seemingly waiting for her when Phoebe slammed the attic door open and climbed in. Her breathing came unsteady from the anxiety, fingers trembling as she reached for the box.

"Tonight is the night." She whispered mostly to herself. Then louder: "Tonight is the night." 

She pulled out the dress, holding it up and gazing at it. She turned to the mice and, feeling like a broken record, repeated the phrase that she had just spoken. 

"Tonight is the night."

For the most part, the mice didn't have any reaction to the information. They just seemed to be disappointed that she hadn't brought up any food. 

Fifteen minutes passed.

In those fifteen minutes, Phoebe got herself dressed. She fiddled with the dress after she'd put it on, she pulled her curly hair back and brushed it like she'd seen her mother do, and she put a pair of her mother's shoes that she had managed to resize on.

Finally, she sat in front of a handheld mirror she had stolen from her mother's dresser and stared at herself.

She held her mask in her hands, hesitant to put it on just yet. Gingerly, she adjusted her taped glasses and looked towards the mice. 

"I'm really doing this, aren't I?" she whispered. "I'm leaving this place."

Slimer let out a squeak, and Phoebe decided to pretend they were having a proper conversation. 

"No, not forever. I need to be back by..." 

Phoebe quickly ran downstairs, looked at the clock, and came back up.

"Twelve o'clock. It's currently 8:38. That should give me enough time to go there and then get home to do my chores."

Phoebe took a deep breath. The mice studied her curiously.

"I don't..." Phoebe took another breath, this one more unsteady. "I'm... I'm scared. I've never gone outside before... and what if this goes wrong? What if I can't find the ball? What if my parents recognize me? What if I'm not allowed in?"

Phoebe's breathing began to pick up, but before she could spiral too far into the abyss of anxiety, a squeak from an unidentified mouse drew her back in.

Phoebe put a hand on her chest, forcing herself to control her breathing. "You're right. I can't let myself back out. Not when I've come this far. And hey; on the bright side, even if I can't find the ball or anything bad happens, at least I'll have gone outside."

Another squeak came from a mouse. Phoebe didn't bother to look to see whose squeak it was. 

She looked down at her mask again. 

Carefully, in slow movements, Phoebe lifted the mask and attached it to her face. She carefully adjusted her glasses so that she could still see comfortable while wearing the mask, then looked in the mirror again. 

She nearly didn't recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror. 

Phoebe stared at herself for a few moments more, then gave a dry chuckle. "Well, this should be at least presentable for a fancy ball, right?"

She turned back to the mice and reached out to them, gently rubbing a finger on each of their heads. "I'll tell you how this goes, alright?"

Puffy squeaked at her. The other three either looked disinterested or just stared at her. 

Phoebe smiled down at them. Tears pricked her eyes as what she was doing began to fully hit her, and to prevent that she turned around quickly and walked to the door, stopping as she began to climb down the ladder. 

"Bye, guys."

That was all she said before she rushed down the ladder, down the halls, and opened the front door into her great unknown.

The outside was beautiful. 

Phoebe felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her.

Her head was on a swivel, taking in every little sight. 

There was so much color, there were so many people going to and from, there was so much going on...

There were so many smiles.

Phoebe stared as people exchanged happy conversation, as children played games before being ushered in by their parents, and most of all as people left their houses all dressed up.

They must be going to the ball too!

Phoebe's hope soared through the roof. If I follow them, then I'll end up at the ball for sure!

That was what Phoebe did. She stayed far away from them so they didn't see her and get mad, but close enough so that she could easily see them to follow.

Her gaze was torn away from them at every little thing. Once, she spotted a few rabbits in the grass and nearly lost the people she was following due to her fascination. She kept gazing up at trees due to being in awe at how tall they really were. Once she nearly got lost in a small market that was closing up shop.

Phoebe wished that she could explore this place during the day.

As Phoebe rushed down the paths, she was unaware of the looks she got. If Phoebe had seen them, she would have assumed it was the mask, or perhaps she had done something wrong. 

The looks were for an entirely different reason.

The sun had fully set by the time Phoebe got to the palace.

She had to stop and stare as soon as she fully caught sight of it.

Nobody had told her just how big it was.

She had never seen something so huge. The other houses didn't even come close.

It was so pretty too. So regal and beautiful.

So this is where the king and queen live.

Phoebe thought it was unfair. How come nobody else could live in this big beautiful palace? Surely they had the room for it. The entire town could probably fit in here! 

Instead, it was just the king and the queen and a... and a prince, she thought? She remembered her mother had mentioned a prince. She was complaining about how easy his life must be since he was born into royalty and how she wanted to be born into royalty. 

Phoebe didn't realize she was moving until she nearly tripped on the steps leading up to the palace. Caught off guard, she flailed and attempted to steady herself.

"Whoa! Are you okay?"

Phoebe didn't acknowledge the voice at first, but then it came again. "That could have been really bad. You could have lost your shoe or... or something. I don't know. You good?"

Phoebe turned her head and blinked. "Are you- are you talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" A smile was thrown her way so casually, and Phoebe's eyes widened. Her parents didn't smile at her unless they were drunk. "Whoa, your mask is so cool! I like it. It covers most of your face in such a cool way, it makes you look so mysterious. Isn't mysterious such a cool word? Mysterious. Ooh, you should let me interview you!"

Phoebe had to take a moment to register the entire conversation. "I'm sorry- what?"

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm sorry." The boy she was speaking with reached out and shook her hand. "My name's Podcast! I work here. And live here. It's such a cool home, don't you think? Not everyone gets to live in a palace! I work for the librarian here- Dr. Stantz. I'm his apprentice. Although the term 'librarian' is just for show- we're really doing lots of research on all sorts of cool creatures. It's so neat! What's your name?"

Phoebe's head was spinning.

This was another kid- scratch that, a person -and he was being nice to her. He was talking more to her than her parents spoke to her in an entire day. 

"My- my name- not important." 

"Oho, not willing to give up your name? Why, are you a secret murderer on the run... from yourself? Maybe you're a troubled soul, about to assassinate the royal family... to finally gain the respect of your peers?" Podcast raised his eyebrows in a joking manner, yet alarm crept up Phoebe's spine. 

"No!" She might have shouted it a little too loudly, as she got some looks from people walking up the stairs. "No," She muttered again, suddenly self conscious. "I don't want to hurt anyone, much less kill them. I just... don't wanna share my name."

Podcast held up his hands. "I know! Don't worry, it was just a joke. You like jokes?"

Phoebe stared at him blankly. "What's a joke?" 

Podcast's mouth dropped open, and he stared at her as if she'd just admitted that she killed animals for fun. "You don't know what a joke is?"

Phoebe shook her head. "I just haven't heard of it before- I'm sorry-"

"No, don't apologize! But that is a crime. What cruel psychopaths raised you?" Podcast reached out and grabbed one of her hands with both of his. "That's it, I'm going to take you to the library where I will be showing you some joke books. After the ball, of course. Maybe tomorrow! Let's do it tomorrow."

Phoebe didn't have the heart to tell him that tomorrow would most likely never happen.

Instead, she just nodded mutely. 

Podcast beamed. "Amazing! Now come on, I've got to show you around the castle. I know the king and queen! We've had like... two conversations, but that counts! I think! I may have to go at some point during the night though, Dr. Stantz has said that he may need my help tonight..."

Podcast began to drag Phoebe up the stairs, waving off a guard who tried to reach out to Phoebe for an invitation with the excuse of "She's with me!". Throughout all of this, Phoebe's mind was blank. 

However, as she was led through the palace gates, she had one thought in her head as she stared out at the gorgeous interior.

I'm in a whole new world.

Chapter Text

Tick. Tick. Tick.

It was easy to get lost in the ticking of the clock.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

It moved so quickly, yet so slowly. Great entertainment for the night. 

Tick. Tick. Tick-

"Melody!"

Melody groaned as she turned around, averting her gaze from the clock. "What?"

Her mother tsked at her. "You can't spend all night in the corner staring at the clock! You need to socialize. Why do you think we come to these things?"

Melody let out another annoyed groan. "There's no point in socializing here! Everyone only wants to suck up to the royals and nobles of the world. Including us, if you recall correctly! At least the clock provides more decent conversation than half of the people here."

"The clock can't talk, Melody."

"Exactly!"

Melody's mother rolled her eyes. "Then if you don't want to talk to the people invited here, then why don't you talk to some of the other royals and nobles, as you put it? Look, There's the Spengler boy over there. You've talked to him before, haven't you?"

"We've had like, two conversations. Not nearly enough to go just talk to him." Melody moved closer to her mother. "And besides, he's too busy drooling over that one girl who works at the castle. I'm not about to go over and have to listen to his constant plans to talk to her that he never enacts." 

"Well, he's better company than the clock." Her mother scoffed. "Not like you can go to the clock anyway, because I am officially kicking you out of this corner. Go talk to someone." 

"Oh, come on, Mom!" Melody looked towards her mother indignantly. "You can't do that! These balls are stupid anyway. Why does the queen here bother hosting them?"

"They're extremely special to her." Her mother looked at Melody sharply. "Don't criticize them in earshot of her. I don't want to be here that much either, but I'm attending just for the queen's sake. Save it for when you're home."

"Why are-?"

"Save it. Now shoo! You socialize fine at the balls back at home."

"Those are different; I have my friends there! And people I actually know!"

"Shoo! Begone!"

Melody rolled her eyes and stepped away from her mother into the hustle of people. She had half a mind to go grab her jacket and pull up the hood of it so that nobody would recognize her.

She wrinkled her nose at people gossiping around her and averted her eyes in disgust at people's attire. Every year people went way too far with their outfits when there was really no need. Not even the king and queen dressed up too fancy.

Melody eyed Trevor for a moment, wondering if she should go talk to him after all. He wasn't bad, and he seemed just as annoyed at being royal as she was. He would be fun to pull a prank with or sneak out with at night. Too bad he was crushing so hard on that Lucky girl she's already heard so much about. Half of her wanted to ask him about what her mother had been talking about with the balls being special to the queen in particular. Why just her and not the king? 

Ultimately, she decided against it. He might not know himself, and he doubted prying into his family history would please him. And as she said before, she didn't want to be the subject of more useless pining.

However, wandering around aimlessly proved to not be a very effective strategy when it came to spending her time. In a total of five minutes (she timed it, that clock was large) at least three people came up to her to try and get in her good graces when Melody could tell that all they wanted was money.

Oh well. It wasn't like Melody wasn't good at telling people to get lost.

Her feet eventually led her to the refreshments table, where she decided to hang out for the time being. The food was mediocre at best, but food was food. Melody just felt sorry for all the people who had been tasked with preparing and setting it all out.

For a while she just stood there with a drink, praying that none of her family ended up seeing her here. Her brothers were probably hanging out together somewhere and her parents were probably dancing. Who knew, maybe they were meeting the king and queen of this place. 

Then someone stepped on her foot. 

"Ow! Watch where you're-" Melody stopped as soon as she saw the culprit's face. Or lack thereof. 

"I'm so sorry!" The girl apologized. "I was following this boy- he said he had something to show me, but I've lost track of him in the crowds. One moment he was here, and the next he wasn't."

Melody didn't say anything for a moment, then barked a confused laugh. "What's with the mask? What is this, Halloween?"

She thought the girl's face flushed for a moment. "Well, some of us can't afford to be seen by the entire viewing world. I like to keep some privacy, thank you very much."

"Oh girl, believe me if I could hide my face behind a mask I would. My parents would never allow it." Melody took another sip of her drink. "How'd you get your parents to agree to that? Who are they?"

"Nobody you would know or care about. I swear, I used to think they were unique, always fussing about their looks and how people think of them, and then I come here and that's how everyone is. Podcast told me that this was the norm. I don't understand how anyone stands it."

"Yeah, that's just how commoners are." Melody let that slip accidentally. She normally hated whenever her parents said that, and she cursed herself for accidentally picking up their phrases. Hopefully this person wouldn't notice. "You've just gotta-"

"Commoners?"

Fuck. She noticed.

"Oh, are you a noble of some kind? I'm so sorry that I'm not up to your standards then. Here, let me bow for you- I've got experience, don't worry -and clean your shoes since they must be so dirty, and nobles have assigned people to shine their shoes according to my parents. Need anything else, your majesty? How about a sandwich? Need the floor swept? I can do all of that! Easily, in fact!"

Melody stared at her for one second.

In the next second, she was bent over herself, practically wheezing as what that girl had said fully processed in her brain. "Oh my god- I'm- I'm so sorry that- holy shit-"

The girl stepped back, seemingly flushed again. "Are you okay? Did I say something wrong? I'm not good at talking-"

"No, you didn't- oh my god, I like you." Melody straightened up, wiping away tears of laughter that had formed. "And the way you just said all that means you didn't know that I'm a noble. That explains why you weren't sucking up to me before- holy shit. You, my friend, are something else."

"I'm unsure if that's a good or bad thing." The girl crossed her arms. "May I ask who you are?"

"Mel- wait, are you asking for permission to learn my name? You really are something else. You got shitty parents or something?" 

"You could say that, I suppose. Podcast- the guy I lost -said that my parents were 'psychopaths' as he put it."

"Well, that seems accurate." Melody smirked and took a sip of her drink. "Name's Melody, Melody Hayes. And you are?"

"Classified."

Melody choked. "Really? You get to know who I am, but I don't get the same luxury?"

"Nope." A hint of a smile appeared on the girl's face. "After all, a commoner's name isn't important for a big important noble to know, right?"

"You're going to hold that over my head forever." 

"Sure, why not. Am I doing this right, by the way?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Talking to someone. I haven't done that before besides my parents! Well, and Podcast, but he talked to me first, so I don't know if that counts-"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up." Melody put her drink down. "What does that mean?"

"Oh- this is the first time I've been out of my house in- actually, there's that's the end of the sentence. First time. Ever."

"What?" Melody looked down at the girl, extremely disturbed. "Your parents really are psychopaths!"

The girl shrugged. "I'm here now, so it doesn't really matter- I've just told myself that I have to be back my midnight and everything else is easy. Hopefully. Well, I've been making progress here, so-"

"Hey! Mysterious person! There you are!"

Melody and the girl both turned around. The girl broke into a relieved grin. "Podcast! There you are."

The boy- now dubbed Podcast -nearly toppled over when he came to a stop and grabbed onto the table to prevent himself from falling over. "Hey! Sorry about that, I keep forgetting how crowded these things can get- I turned around and you were gone! I must have run around the entire room. Twice."

Melody took note at how the girl's eyes widened from behind her mask and- and glasses? Why was she wearing glasses under a mask-

"You were actually looking for me?"

"Duh! Of course! I can't just lose the most interesting person I've met- well, besides Dr. Stantz. He's got so many stories about all the creatures he's come against- ooh, I should take you to him. He'd love to meet you!"

"Oh, um, maybe later."

Melody narrowed her eyes. The girl sounded extremely resigned, as if it would never happen. Yet she was clearly interested.

Wait, hadn't she said something before about this being the first time she's been out of her house?

"Tomorrow for sure! We were already going to go to the library anyway- oh, who's your friend? Sorry, I just noticed you- Mysterious Person is just too, y'know, mysterious."

Melody forced a laugh. "She wouldn't tell you her name either?"

"Nope! Maybe she expects us to piece it together? Maybe she's created some type of crime scene that will give us hints-"

"No." 

"Alright, alright, fine. She's as innocent as she seems, I suppose." 

"Which isn't at all." 

"What did you want to show me, Podcast?"

"Oh, right!" Podcast grabbed the girl's hand. "Come on, it's something that Dr. Stantz discovered with his friends- you'll love it, I promise!"

Podcast began to drag the girl off in the direction that he came in, and the girl had enough sense to say goodbye to her before she left- notably with no resistance, Melody noticed.

Melody watched them go and took a sip of her drink, a smile bordering on her lips.

Maybe she wouldn't have to spend the night staring at the clock after all.

Chapter Text

Phoebe couldn't take her mind off of the girl she had just met.

She let Podcast drag her around as he showed her all kinds of fancy structures and special things, from portraits to old heirlooms. All of them were extremely interesting, don't get her wrong. Phoebe had never seen such things before, especially with how old they were. In her house, the only old things were everything that was given to her.

Yet Melody remained in her mind.

Phoebe assumed that it was just because Melody was the second person she's ever spoken to outside of her parents. She was much different than Podcast, so of course she'd stand out. It was logical.

Then why did she feel something fluttering in her stomach at the thought of her?

Phoebe shook her head, having half a mind to pinch herself. That usually worked to snap herself out of disassociating whenever she was up late doing endless chores. Maybe it would work here?

Worth a try.

Phoebe waited until Podcast was looking away to do so. Ow.

...Her mind was still on Melody. Dammit. 

Phoebe looked up to the portraits lining the walls again in an effort to distract herself. Most of them showed the royal family: the king and queen and prince. They all looked so... so nice, she supposed. They had smiles, but not all of those smiles were genuine.

Podcast was jabbering on about something or other, and Phoebe tried to listen. She smiled slightly as she let his voice flow into her head, gazing lightly at each portrait as she walked past them.

She stopped.

"Podcast, what's this one?"

Podcast stopped talking, and Phoebe realized she had blurted that out. She forced herself to keep her arms at her side rather than covering her head at her rudeness and instead went to apologize when Podcast walked over next to her, a mischievous look on his face.

"Ah, this one! This portrait, my mysterious friend, is something even more mysterious than yourself! A case that has yet to be solved to this very day!"

"What do you mean?"

Podcast pointed up to the portrait, eyes glinting. "You see, some years ago the queen had not one, but two children! A beautiful baby girl, according to everyone I've spoken to. She was adored by everyone around her, by practically the whole kingdom!" He spread his arms, in complete storytelling mode. "But somehow, in some way, one day the princess just went missing. Vanished without a trace! Even with everyone in the kingdom searching, nobody could find even a clue to where she had gone off to! To this day, nobody has any idea to where the princess could be- or if she's even still alive!"

Phoebe opened and shut her mouth again. "Oh."

That was all she could think to say as she stared up at the portrait featuring the queen beaming as she held the little bundle in her arms. The prince crouched next to her, not looking out but instead completely focused on the baby. The king was noticeably absent.

"That's really sad." She managed out after a moment.

Podcast nodded. "Nobody was more devastated than the queen. Apparently, she shut herself in her room for months after the princess went missing. Prince Trevor was the only one who could get her out."

"What about the king?"

"No idea. Supposedly the king was 'keeping the kingdom together', but I've never really trusted that. The king has always seemed shady to me. Like he's hiding something really big."

"Like what?"

"Like... he's secretly a sasquatch that's managed to kill the real king and stole his skin in order to take his place!"

"What's a sasquatch?" 

"...I forgot how you're uncultured. Don't worry, I will be sure to tell you everything you need to know about this world! Then you'll know what you need to look out for."

"I have enough to look out for already, but thank you." Phoebe smiled. "Is there anything else I'm missing?" 

"Lots!" Podcast's eyes gleamed. "I've got so much to show you, just you wait-"

"Podcast!" 

Both Podcast and Phoebe turned their heads. A much older man was walking down a nearby staircase. "What are you doing?"

"Dr. Stantz!" Podcast's face lit up even more, if that was possible. "Sorry, I didn't notice you."

"I just came down the stairs, of course you didn't notice me." Dr. Stantz's eyes rolled good naturedly. "Who's your friend?"

Phoebe barely heard Dr. Stantz's question, as she couldn't help becoming caught off guard and confused. How could an adult and a kid speak so casually together?

Podcast answered for her. "This is my new friend! She won't tell me her name though, which makes her really cool to be around. Like a superhero!"

"Is that so?" Mr. Stantz chuckled. "How do you do, Podcast's new friend?"

"Fine," Phoebe stammered out, unused to the warm look on Dr. Stantz's face. "Fine. Thank you, sir." 

"Please, just Dr. Stantz is fine." He smiled warmly at her, and Phoebe felt her head nearly spin. 

"Okay."

Dr. Stantz smiled again, then directed his attention back to Podcast. "I am sorry to do this to you, kid, but I need your help back up in the library. The new shipment of books is too big for me to do by myself, plus multiple of them hold valuable information that would take me hours to get through."

"Oh." Podcast's face fell. "Right now?"

"Unfortunately. We have to get this information to the king by tomorrow, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Podcast turned back to Phoebe, forcing an awkward smile onto his face. "Hey, so sorry about this. We can still hang out tomorrow, right?"

"...Maybe. It depends on my parents." Phoebe nearly whispered it. A brick of guilt had settled in her stomach as she watched Podcast struggle to keep his smile on his face. "Don't apologize, I understand."

"Great! Great," Podcast seemed to be reassuring himself that it was okay as well. "I'll see you then, I guess. Can I- can I finally get your name before I go?"

Phoebe considered it. It was dangerous for people to know her name- if they knew her name, then they could let it slip to her parents, and they'll figure out what she had done. 

But she couldn't leave Podcast feeling so upset. 

"Phoebe."

She whispered it softly, half hoping Podcast couldn't hear her, but instead his eyes widened.

"Phoebe? That's your name?"

Phoebe nodded. 

"Cool. Cool." Podcast seemed like he had something he wanted to say, but held it back. Which was severely unlike Podcast, by this point. "You know how to find your way back to the ballroom from here, right?"

Phoebe nodded again. 

"Great!" Podcast smiled wider. "See you, then!"

"See you." Phoebe whispered it again, but she had adopted a small smile onto her face as well.

Podcast lingered for a minute, then rushed to Dr. Stantz and together the two headed up the staircase. Phoebe watched them go for a moment, then turned and slowly made her way back into the ballroom. 

She let her mind wander for a moment. The story of the princess lingered in her mind, and Phoebe wanted to cry as she thought about what the queen must have felt to have her daughter go missing. What mother wouldn't be devastated to have her child vanish?

Your own, the voices in her head whispered. Mother would be so happy if you were to vanish. So would Father.

Phoebe blinked the tears back. She had already come to terms long ago about how her parents didn't love her, but that didn't mean that it didn't still hurt. Why wasn't she good enough? Why won't her mother cry over her if she were to disappear like the queen had with her own daughter?

The world would be better off if you did disappear. Go away. Nobody wants to see you.

Except... that wasn't true now, was it? Podcast wanted to see her again. He'd expressly said so. Melody also expressed interest in wanting to see her more. Even Dr. Stantz, someone she had barely met, had treated her kinder than her parents ever had.

Why were they so different than her parents? Why were they kind to her when her own parents beat her every chance they had?

Phoebe pinched herself again, willing herself to stop thinking. She couldn't be sad on the only night she was free. She could be sad tomorrow, when she was back in her attic with her only friends being the mice. That's when she could cry over everything. Alone and lonely. 

Lonely wasn't a very nice feeling.

Phoebe could feel her thoughts starting to spiral, but they quickly were ground to a halt as she stepped foot back into the background. She was unable to stop herself from flinching as the noise rushed towards her, filling her mind with panic and the sensation of thunder.

Phoebe balled her hands up into fists and willed herself to walk more into the ball room. She began to wander around, taking everything in a way she hadn't been able to do because of Podcast. Now she could take everything in at her own pace.

"Boo."

Phoebe jumped, and the person behind her began to laugh. "Holy shit, I did not expect you to actually get startled. Five points to me."

"Very funny." Phoebe turned to face Melody. "What are you doing right now?"

Melody shrugged. "Just hanging out around here, I suppose. This place can get boring, if you haven't noticed already. What about you? Why are you back here? Didja lose your friend again?"

"No, he had to go help his mentor with something." Phoebe shrugged. "I'm just... alone, for now."

"Same. Wanna be alone together?"

"How exactly does that make sense?"

"It doesn't. I'm a bit of a rulebreaker, obviously. It's my main schtick in my family. The rebellious teenage daughter who doesn't want to be nobility but was unfortunately born into it. Cliche, I know."

"That doesn't sound... 'cliche', to me."

"Well, you haven't been around the block much. Trust me, you'll think so when you learn more about this place."

Without warning, an elegant tune began to circle around the ballroom, and Phoebe startled. As she looked around to see what was going on, people began to pair up and Melody groaned.

"What?"

"It's dancing hour. All the couples partner up to do the waltz and other boring dances for a while."

"Huh. Do you normally dance?"

"Not really. Never had the right someone to dance with."

"That makes sense, I think. I've never danced at all."

Melody cast a side eye at Phoebe, then chuckled. Phoebe looked at her, confused. "Why are you laughing?"

"No reason." Melody brushed herself off, then turned to Phoebe. "But don't you think it's about time you learn how to dance, Mystie?"

"...What did you just call me?"

"Mystie. I can't just go around calling you 'the mysterious person I met at the ball', now can I? Yes, I know it's bad," Melody put a hand behind her head. "Workshop name until you give me your actual name."

Phoebe rolled her eyes affectionately. "I suppose I can let this slide."

Melody snickered. "I'm honored that my nickname for you has been approved." 

"Oh, hush, you."

"I will not hush. My offer still stands, after all."

"Offer?"

Melody smiled and extended her hand to Phoebe.

"Would you care to dance, Mystie?"

Chapter Text

"What?"

Melody smirked, keeping her hand outstretched. "You heard me."

Phoebe opened and closed her mouth again. Her mouth felt dry as she tried to grasp at any response, anything she could use to create a reasonable reply.

Her mouth wasn't working. Her brain wasn't working. Her hand- 

Her hand had placed itself into Melody's own.

Genuine surprise was replaced with sincere joy in Melody's eyes, and she tugged on Phoebe's hand. "Come on, then- dancing hour won't last forever, you know?"

Head spinning, Phoebe's hand tightened on Melody's.

"But I don't know how to dance," Phoebe finally managed out as Melody brought her out onto the floor. "I told you; I've never done it before."

"Well, I'll teach you." Melody shrugged. "Unfortunately, I was forced to be subject to dancing lessons at my own home, so I have a relatively good grasp on it. I should be able to help you so you don't fall flat on your face, yeah?"

"Oh," was all Phoebe could think to say. "Yeah. Cool. Dancing."

Melody eyed Phoebe, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You really haven't been out to get this flustered at just dancing."

"I thought I told you that already."

"You did! This just... confirms it for me, I guess." Melody averted her eyes. She moved awkwardly, pulling Phoebe into a more secluded area of the floor. Phoebe followed her dutifully, more than willing to let her take the lead. 

"So, how do we...? Is there something I should be doing right now?" Phoebe looked around at the couples around her, then reached out to take Melody's other hand. Melody let her, taking a deep breath that made Phoebe wonder if she was doing something wrong.

"Not... really? Dancing's weird." Melody tugged Phoebe closer, and Phoebe felt her face grow warm. "Just follow my lead, okay? I should know what I'm doing... hopefully."

Phoebe couldn't bring herself to reply verbally. A nod was the only form of consent that Melody was given.

A small smile growing on her face, Melody began to guide Phoebe through the steps of the dance. Phoebe narrowed her eyes, looking down and trying to memorize everything that their feet was doing. Step left, step right, step back, step left again-

"My god, Mystie. You're acting like you've got a big exam on this tomorrow, and you haven't studied. It's dancing, not something that'll kill people the moment you take your eyes off of it."

Phoebe glanced up sharply at Melody, old instincts kicking in at the teasing. "Oh, I- I apologize from the bottom of my heart, and I will make sure to never-"

"What? Mystie, what the hell are you talking about?"

Phoebe nearly wanted to flinch at Melody's tone. "Apologizing?"

"Okay, there are multiple things wrong with what I just heard, but I think we're going to wait until later to unpack it." Melody shook her head, and Phoebe was unable to tell if she was displeased, amused, tired, or some strange combination of all three and more. "Just try to relax, yeah? This isn't supposed to be something stressful."

"I'll do my best," Phoebe immediately promised, although she questioned internally her ability to relax. The only relaxing she did was being in the attic with the mice. "Am I dancing right?"

"Who knows?" Melody grinned at her. "This is just something that you're meant to get lost in. So lost in that nobody can judge you!"

Upon reaching the end of her sentence, Melody suddenly spun around, and Phoebe let out a surprised yelp as she was brought along. Upon looking back up at Melody in alarm, she found Melody beaming down at her.

"Just let yourself get lost in the movements!"

Phoebe nearly stumbled as her feet got tangled in the steps, holding onto Melody for dear life.

Let myself get lost...

Phoebe's grip tightened onto Melody.

Okay. I can do this.

Phoebe found that she lost track of time the longer the dance went on.

Her feet moved practically on command, completely in sync with the girl in front of her. Fumbles began to become less and less common, and when they did happen, they were simply laughed off by the both of them.

Phoebe was shocked to see that a few of the fumbles were made by Melody herself. Yet Melody didn't apologize, didn't flinch as if she was expecting to be slapped, just grinned brightly at her and let out a small laugh as the dance continued.  

Melody's smile was extremely contagious. 

The two girls soon forgot about their awkwardness, the signs of something not being quite right, and the fact that Melody didn't know Phoebe's name. They never realized or felt the stares that settled on them as they attracted more attention to themselves. 

They never noticed how exactly three people, no more and no less, had their eyes solely on Phoebe. 

Soulmates, the people buzzed whenever one or two of them happened to steal a glance over to the couple. Never seen such an obvious case of soulmates before.

When the night ended, it would be up to the two of them as to whether they would realize this.

There was only each other in the moment, just the two of them. They were the only people who existed in that moment, the only people capable of building each other up or breaking them down. The only people capable of holding their hearts in their hands, the only ones who could choose to treasure such precious things or shatter them into a million pieces.  

They looked at each other as if they were the most beautiful people in the world, laughed as if they were friends who had known each other for years, held each other and danced as if they were lovers who had not seen each other in eons. 

The music seemed to be going on just for them, as if none of the musicians wanted to be the one to ruin their moment. The song lasted for an eternity yet lasted for only a fleeting second.

Unfortunately, all songs come to an end eventually. As is the case with all the good things in the world.

The music slowed to a halt, and the room broke out into a polite applause. The dance slowed down, and two pairs of hands clasped each other tightly.

The two girls looked at each other as if they were the world, their own worlds, and without a word Melody tugged on Phoebe's hands. 

Phoebe understood what she was saying and let Melody take the lead once again.

Melody walked briskly, leading the other girl to a large set of double doors, and Phoebe nearly protested when Melody had to untangle one of her hands in order to open the door. 

A balcony greeted them once the door swung open, and a warm burst of air hit them as they wandered outside. Phoebe's eyes sparkled, and she unconsciously moved closer to the edge of the balcony. 

The night was beautiful.

Off handedly, Phoebe felt her hand being squeezed, and Phoebe felt her face heat up for some number of time that night. 

"Some dance, huh?" Melody kept her voice low, and Phoebe nodded again. 

"It was wonderful." She whispered back. "I don't think I've ever been this happy before."

"That's not hard to believe," Melody joked, and she leaned onto the balcony railing. "But yeah. I get what you mean. I don't remember the last time I've felt like... well, this."

Phoebe smiled faintly. "I'm glad I can make you that happy."

"You've made me happy for a while now, Mystie." Melody reached up to brush her hand against Phoebe's mask. "And I still don't know your name."

"Top secret." Phoebe smirked. "I'll have to stay with you for a while longer before you get to learn my name."

Melody began to play with the edge of the mask. "How long do I have to be with you to get you to take the mask off?"

Phoebe froze.

Her free hand reached up, but she let it fall to her side.

Taking her mask off was dangerous. It could lead to her being spotted. Despite the enchantment that had been on her all evening, she hadn't forgotten the danger.

And yet...

Phoebe gazed into Melody's eyes. No one had ever looked at her the way Melody did. Like she mattered, like she was a person.

People weren't supposed to hide their faces from each other. 

And besides... Melody couldn't identify her. She didn't know her name.

She'd taken so many risks already. What was one more? 

Hands shaking, Phoebe reached up and carefully removed her mask. She hesitated twice, keeping the fabric in front of her face for just a moment, before letting the mask fall to the floor. 

For the first time, it wasn't the masked girl who kept herself close in order to protect herself staring up at Melody.

Instead, there was just Phoebe. 

Melody didn't say a word at first, instead trailing her eyes all across Phoebe's face, taking in every little detail. Phoebe stared at the floor, unsure what to do, before she heard Melody speak.

"You're beautiful."

Phoebe looked up at Melody, startled, but a smile was forming on her face again. Off handedly, she felt Melody trace the few scars she had visible now thanks to the lack of mask, and Phoebe prayed that the scars' mere presence wouldn't disrupt the moment.

"You're beautiful too."

Melody smiled. 

She began to get closer, and Phoebe felt herself leaning in too- fireworks were exploding in her head, Melody was so close, this moment would last her for the rest of her life- Phoebe shut her eyes, waiting for it- 

Twelve, deep, loud chimes pieced through the air.  

Chapter Text

Melody felt the moment that Mystie went rigid in her hands. 

Their lips had just been about to touch- they had both been leaning in, eager, when Mystie suddenly froze where she was, eyes shooting open.

Confused, Melody pulled back. Mystie looked like a deer in the headlights, and Melody felt a wave of guilt flash inside of her. She should have made sure Mystie was okay with this before leaning in. 

“Hey, Mystie, are you okay? We don’t have to do this if you don’t-”

“I’m so sorry.” 

Melody barely had a moment to question what Mystie was apologizing for before Mystie had pulled herself free and was sprinting away. 

Melody stood there for a moment, stupefied, clock chimes fading away into the night behind her. 

“Wh- hey!” 

Melody was after her before she fully realized what she was doing.

“Mystie!”

Mystie didn’t respond. Didn’t turn around, didn’t slow her pace.

She just ran.

They both rushed down the stairs, Melody holding onto the railing so she didn’t trip, still calling for Mystie. 

She couldn’t leave, not now, not now-!

Mystie reached the bottom of the palace entrance stairs and turned back. Her face was flushed and her eyes looked like they were holding a waterfall of tears behind them.

“I’m sorry!” 

Melody stiffened from her spot on the middle of the stairs.

Then stay with me!” 

Melody’s voice rang out, useless, into the night.

Nothing she said could have prevented Mystie turning back around and fleeing back into the darkness.

Melody didn’t know how long she stood there, staring at the spot that Mystie had previously stood, before she found it in herself to move. 

“God fucking dammit!”

She turned around without thinking about it, staggering her way back up the stairs, and upon reaching the entrance made a move to slam the door shut behind her.

Just like Mystie before her, she froze before she could complete the movement. 

She was holding something in her hand.

Melody stared at the object for a moment, then brought her hand close to her and opened it, soothing the crumbled fabric.

It was a mask. 

Mystie’s mask. 

She hadn’t given it back to her, and neither of them noticed.

Bewildered, Melody stroked the now obvious stitching with one finger, nearly losing herself to thought, only moving inside hastily when a cool gust of wind rushed towards her, nearly snatching the mask from her hands.

Melody found herself in the main hall, presently empty. Music faintly emerged from the nearby ballroom, combined with laughter as everyone there enjoyed the final hours of the ball.

She slid down the wall, nearly collapsing in her haste to sit down, and shakily moved the mask so she could hold it in both of her hands. 

This… wasn’t store bought.

Now that Melody was able to take a closer look at it, it was clear. Every single stitch was hand sewn rather than being done by a sewing machine, and it seemed to be made up of different types of fabrics that had been colored to be at least a similar shade, to match up properly. 

This meant two things. 

One, Mystie felt the need to hide- otherwise she wouldn’t have needed the mask at all.

Two- Mystie had no money.

The second option perturbed her. If Mystie had no money, then the king and queen wouldn’t have known of her to invite her. If the king and queen didn’t invite her, then how the hell did she get into the ball? 

Come to think of it, everything about Mystie was strange. The fact that she had this mask and wouldn’t tell anyone her name was weird enough, but add this onto it? Something wasn’t right. 

Her mind wandered back to when they were on the balcony together, closer than Melody had ever been with someone before. To when Mystie had removed the mask for the first time.

To when Melody had felt the faint scars that were present on her face.

Melody felt like screaming. Why hadn’t she said anything? Maybe she could have convinced her to stay. Maybe she could have gotten some answers. Instead, it was just her trying to solve a mystery that could have been- Wait. Hold on. 

Just her?

No, it wasn’t- Mystie had had a friend. She couldn’t remember his name, but she remembered what he looked like. Maybe she had told him something that she didn’t know. Maybe he had answers.

Melody heaved herself up with some difficulty- he must still be in the ballroom, that’s where everyone was- this was her chance-

The door to the ballroom opened.

“Oh- hey Mel. You escaping the ball too?” 

Melody forced herself to act normal. “Yeah, things are just way too boring in there. Complete snoozefest." 

"Tell me about it." Trevor yawned, heading for the staircase in the middle of the hall. "I'm gonna hide in my room until my mom sends someone to say goodbye or something. I've socialized enough for the evening." 

"How much of that time was talking to Lucky?" 

"You can stop talking." Trevor rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault that she's the only friend there I have." 

"Obviously, and it's naturally not the fact that you have a big fat crush on her." 

"Shh!" Trevor spun to face her. "I don't want anyone to hear that. Word could get back to my parents then." 

"What, scared of your parents finding out?"

"Sort of?" Trevor put a hand behind his head. "I know my mom won't mind, she'll just be embarrassing, but my dad's the problem. He hates most of my friends, and Lucky's one of them."

"Why? Lucky seems nice."

"I don't know! It's so dumb!" Trevor threw his hands into the air. "He's always like 'Trevor, I must approve of all your friends before you can hang with them because they might influence you' or some shit like that. It's so stupid."

Melody raised an eyebrow. "Influence you into what, drugs? Alcohol?"

"No, apparently it's quote-on-quote 'not being a good prince'." Trevor groaned. "I think he just doesn't want me to have any friends. Also, he'd be a massive hypocrite if it was because of alcohol. He and Mom are the biggest alcoholics I've seen." 

"Sounds like a charming guy." Melody chuckled. "What's his opinion on me?"

"I have no idea- I don't think he knows that I know you. I don't think he'd like you though."

"Good."

Trevor smiled and held up a hand. "See you." 

He began to head up the stairs, and Melody became aware again of the mask she was still clutching tightly.

An idea struck her.

"Wait."

Trevor paused, looking back at her.

"I need your help with something." Melody held up her hand, showing him the mask. "Or finding someone, I guess." 

Trevor studied the mask for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright, I've got nothing better to do. Let's talk in my room, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"No problem- come on, before Ms. Melnitz comes looking for me to scold me for leaving a big event again."

Melody tried to hide how much her heart was pounding as she joined Trevor in heading up the stairs. 

Mystie's not getting away from me that easily, that's for sure.

Phoebe's chest was heaving when she slammed the front door open. 

Without missing a beat, she rushed up to the attic, slamming that door open too in her rush, and immediately changed out of the dress and into her normal clothes. The dress was soon buried in boxes, most likely to never be seen again.

Heart pounding, she reached up to take her mask off.

All she could feel on her face were her glasses.

With a small gasp, Phoebe rushed to her mirror. Her mask was gone. She must have left it back with Melody.

Melody...

Phoebe felt a great sadness appear inside her at the thought of her name. She had run away during such an important moment. Melody must hate her for that now. Her chest ached again at the thought.

Podcast too- there was no way she was going to be able to go to the castle tomorrow to see him. He was going to be so sad, and then he'll hate her too. The ache in her chest grew. 

At least Podcast would have that nice man to comfort him- Dr. Stantz. He was nice to her too. Another person who will hate her.

Phoebe stood staring into the mirror for a moment more, then crumpled to the ground. 

A number of minutes passed as she laid there, quietly sobbing into herself, and it would have been even longer if it weren't for the quiet squeak she heard. 

She looked up.

Puffy was looking curiously at her, and she could see Muncher, Slimer and Possessor in the back. 

"Hello again." Phoebe whispered. "Have you four had a good night?" She didn't wait to pretend they answered. "I did. It..." 

Her mind flashed again to Melody, to Podcast, to Dr. Stantz, to the dancing, to the running around, to the balcony. 

"...It was the best night of my life."

At the admission, Phoebe lowered her head back onto the floor, fighting not to wail with the tears despite knowing that for once, there was no one in the house to beat her for being too loud. 

Soon, she would get up again. She had chores to do. It was her duty.

For now, she lay there crying her eyes out, a hollow feeling spreading throughout her as she ran out of tears.

A hollow feeling that wouldn't go away for a long time.

Chapter Text

Phoebe's parents came home during Phoebe's final chore. 

The door slamming open was enough to make Phoebe yelp, jolting her right out of her daydream that slowly had been shifting to sleep. A loud voice followed immediately after, and Phoebe was rushing downstairs before she even knew she was moving.

Her father barely spared her a glance as he marched into the house, going into the kitchen immediately for a cup of water. Her mother, however, was a different story. She was nearly falling over herself with how drunk she was, causing Phoebe to have to rush to steady her.

"You're still here," Phoebe's mother slurred. "slaving away, doing alllll of what we need, while we were out there having a great time! That's hi-larious. You... ya must have been soooo depressed."

"Yes, Mother." Phoebe didn't bother having a reaction to the taunts. However, on the inside, she was smiling.

I had a great time too.

"We met the queen," Her mother began again. "And the king. Imagine that! They were dressed up all fancy-lookin' and they shook my hand, how funny. Th'... the kid was there too. The kid!"

"I'm sure he was." Phoebe said shortly, helping her mother sit down. She couldn't stand it when she was drunk.

"Phoebe, get your mother some water and something light for both of us to eat." Her father called from the kitchen. "I have a headache." 

"Of course." Phoebe was at the kitchen almost as soon as her father had spoke. The water was dealt with easily. The food took a little longer. While she prepared it, Phoebe let her mind wander.

The beautiful castle. Running around with Podcast. Dancing with Melody. The balcony-

"Stop that infernal noise!"

With a start, Phoebe realized that she had begun to hum the music from the ball and quickly stopped. "I'm sorry."

"Where did you hear that tune? It was... very particular." 

Phoebe felt her insides about to freeze over.

Deep breath. Set your face into neutral. If you're caught now- 

She turned around.

"Oh- late last night a crowd of people passed by our house. One of them was humming that loud enough for me to hear. It seemed to have just stuck in my head. I'm very sorry for bothering you, Father." 

Her father studied her for a minute more, then looked away. "Don't do that again. I have enough pounding in my head to listen to your insufferable voice right now." 

Phoebe could have deflated from the relief. "Of course. I apologize from the bottom of my heart, and I will make sure to never make such a heinous mistake again."

Her father didn't bother acknowledging her again, allowing Phoebe to calm herself down more. Despite this, she still trembled from the adrenaline when she placed his food in front of her.

Smiling to herself, she walked back to her mother, carrying her own food. 

"Here, Mother. This will help your-"

Her mother reached out and grabbed the side of her face.

Phoebe stifled a gasp, setting the plate of food down quickly onto the couch and grabbing her mother's hand. "Mother...?" 

"You- you look just like him." 

"I'm- I'm sorry?" 

"You do!" Her mother gasped out. "Like- like the kid. Same hair, esp- especi- the hair color, same eyes. Oooh, same eyes. Same eyes!"

"Mother, I think you should sit back, you're far too drunk for this-" 

"You two could be- you could be related. Mebbe you are, y'know? Given how we found you, mebbe you are...?" 

. 

..

...

Phoebe let her hand slip from where she held the hand touching her face. 

"What?" 

"Oooh, that's right... yur father wanted to keep ya from knowing that... Oopsie!" 

"No, no, keep talking." Phoebe grabbed the hand again, preventing it from retreating. "What did you mean by that?" 

Her mother(?) laying in front of her just giggled.

"Answer me!" 

"Aww, yur so mad. Neva seen that on you before." She rolled her eyes. "You were- were just outside. I didn't want ya- never wanted ya! Yur father though... he said yes. Didn't care about what I thought, no siree. Now yur'are here. Yur here." 

.

..

...

Phoebe slowly let go of her mother's the woman's hand. 

"Eat your food."

That was all Phoebe could manage out before she left. 

She was on the floor before she fully processed where she was, where she had fled to. 

Distantly, she heard the squeaks of mice, felt one scurry on her hand. She turned her head to them, yet couldn't fully see them.

"They never wanted me." She whispered. "I'm not theirs." 

Silence echoed, a silence that was pressing into her, forcing its way down her throat, suffocating her in the knowledge spoken aloud.

"I'm not theirs." 

The silence echoed.

"I'm not theirs!"

The silence was pushed back. She grabbed at her head, begging for this to just be a dream. 

"I'm not theirs!"

The silence began to pound all around her.

"I'M NOT THEIRS!"

Time had passed. 

The only reason Phoebe could figure that out was through the light turning to darkness, the room deflating into shadows. 

Nobody had come up to find her. 

Phoebe staggered to her feet, reaching up to her head to gather herself. Her hand came back slightly wet.

Huh. She'd accidentally cut herself when she grabbed her head. Who knew.

She half-heartedly flicked the blood away, and began to stumble her way back the way she came.

A squeak drew her attention back. 

Puffy, Muncher, Slimer, Possessor. The four of them stared at her, for once each at a rapt attention. Phoebe would have laughed if she had the energy.

"Hi." She clumsily made her way back towards them. "I'm sorry about that."

They stared at her.

"You know too." 

A squeak, almost in agreement. 

Phoebe was about to say something else when the attic door opened. The mice scattered. 

Time began to move in slow motion.

"What are you doing up here? We need you downstairs. Come on, get a move on." 

Phoebe didn't move.

"I know you heard me. Get to it, girl!"

Phoebe didn't move.

"You want to do this the hard way then? Fine, I have no problems with-"

"You're not my father." 

.

..

..

"You- what did you just say-?! Of course I'm you're-" 

"Your wife said it when she was drunk. Drunk people don't lie." Phoebe turned to face the man she had once called a father. Face blank, emotions gone. "Nothing you say is going to change the truth." 

For once, her father the man she had been living with seemed to be at a loss of words.

"Do you not even have the decency to acknowledge it?" Phoebe felt her emotions return. One emotion stood out in particular. "Do you not realize what you've done? I am someone else's kid. Not yours! Yet you treat me the way you do?"

"Don't get mouthy with me, young lady!" His voice returned. "If this is how you react to being told such information, then I was right to withhold it!"

"I'm not mad at the fact that I'm adopted, I'm mad at the fact that you took me away from the life I was supposed to have!" 

Memories from the previous night were flooding her. The reactions everyone had to her, the way that they reacted to her doing and saying things that she had once believed were normal.

"It's not right for you to hurt a kid at all, regardless of whether they're your child or not, but to take me away and force me into this life makes it worse!" 

Her fear was gone. Never in a million years would Phoebe have believed before that this would happen.

She sat back and let her anger take control.

"Years! Years of this... this constant hurting and you justify it day after day! I'm tired of this! So you know what, 'sir'? Fuck you! Fuck you and your wife and everything you two have done up until this point!"

Phoebe was expecting the blow at this point.

The force knocked her to the floor. More blows followed after it. There she lay, not because she was beaten down, but because she didn't want him to see the smile that began to grow on her face. 

She tuned out all of his shouts. 

Only one thing was clear to her. 

As he stomped his way back to the attic door, he spat at her. 

"You should be grateful to me! Without me, you'd be dead somewhere all alone in the wilderness!"

Phoebe forced her head up, meeting his gaze, smile completely visible. 

"I'd rather have died out there than lived here with you." 

Face red, the man slammed the attic door down. The click of a lock was heard. 

Phoebe laid her head back on the floor and slept. 

Chapter Text

A knock sounded at the door. 

Groaning to herself slightly, Melody raised her head from where it had been resting on the desk she sat at. She barely registered the door opening, two voices exchanging a quick conversation.

"-lody! Earth to Mel!"

Melody let out a much louder groan as Trevor smacked the side of her head. "Whatdya want?" 

"Nothing, your mom's at my door. Go deal with that." 

That got Melody's attention. Forcing herself to stand up, she made a face at Trevor, stretched her arms over her head and went on over. "Hi, Mom."

"Don't you 'hi mom' me." Her mother had her hands on her hips. "When I said go socialize, I did not mean sneak away from the ball with a friend." 

"I did socialize. Socialized a lot, actually." 

The memory of her arose inside her. 

Melody put a hand on her forehead, willing her image to go away for now. After this conversation she could let the thought consume her. After.

Her mom was studying her. Shit.

"Seriously, Mom, I did what you asked me to. Can you leave me alone?" Melody growled, sounding harsher than she meant to. She was lucky that her mom was already used to her mouthing off.

"I will in just a moment, missy. I wanted to tell you that in two days' time, we'll be leaving. I have some business to attend to with the royal couple, and once that business is done we'll head on out." 

She turned away to leave, and a sudden rush of panic moved through Melody. "Can we make it five?" 

Her mother stopped where she was and turned back. "What? Why?" 

Because two days isn't enough time.

"Because... I... really like the food here." She finished lamely.

She could hear Trevor bang his head against a hard surface. Her mother just raised an eyebrow. "You... like the food here."

"Totally! Way better than the food at home, y'know?" 

"Not enough reason to stay another three days. Two. That's all."

"Five!" 

"Two."

"Four?"

"Two."

"Three??"

"Fine, three. That's all I'm going to go for." Her mother reached up to tuck a stray hair behind Melody's ear before tugging on it lightly. "Better make the most of it, huh?" 

"I will, I will." Melody huffed, reaching out to shut the door as her mother walked off. Almost as soon as that task was completed, Trevor's voice came wafting into her ear. 

"You like the food here? There are a million excuses you could have used to stay, and you chose food?" 

"Oh, fuck off, you little eavesdropper." Melody picked up a nearby pencil and flung it at him. "I panicked, okay? You know two days isn't enough time to comb through an entire kingdom!"

"Is three days any better?" Trevor retorted, swatting the pencil away. "Literally all we know about this mystery girl is her face and this weird mask you stole from her. Which isn't anything. Maybe if you asked her for her name, we'd be getting somewhere!"

"I did ask her! She didn't say!"

"Well then you should have asked her again!" Trevor threw his hands up in the air. "I have things to do today, you know. Better things besides look for some random guest that came for three hours last night." 

"Well, I'd be doing all this regardless of your help or not, so congratulations, you're not necessary." Melody stuck her tongue out at Trevor before picking up the mask from off the desk. "You're sure she wasn't on the guest list?"

"Mel, you were there when we went through every person on it. Every one of them had a matching face. None of them were a teenage girl." Trevor huffed. "You're sure you weren't high off your ass last night?"

"I haven't touched a blunt in two weeks." Melody ran her fingers over the mask. "And I wasn't the- oh shit. Trevor, I wasn't the only one to speak to her!"

"And you wait until now to bring this up??" 

"Shut up. There was this kid- I don't know his name either, goddamnit- He- he had this vest on, short spiky hair, he's Asian, and was about nay tall. Same age as her. They were friends! You know anyone like that?" 

Trevor leaned against his desk, lost in thought. "Short, spiky hair?"

"Yes! Actually, maybe not spikey- more poofy. You get my meaning?" 

"Actually, yeah." Trevor straightened himself up. "There's this kid who assists Dr. Stantz in the library who I'm pretty sure matches your description. I've only seem him once or twice, but that sounds like him from what I remember." 

Melody felt her heart soar. "You sure?"

"I think so-"

"Well, come on then!"

Melody was out the door before the words were fully out of her mouth, leaving Trevor to scramble behind her. She eventually had to slow down to let Trevor overtake her, realizing too late that she had no idea where the library was. 

Soon, the big double doors were shoved open, and the two teens entered. Melody had never seen the library before and was caught off guard by just how... unique it was. 

Melody shook her head slightly, willing herself to not get distracted and focus on the mission. They had to find that kid. 

Wordlessly, the two split. Melody wandered aimlessly through the aisles, occasionally reading the titles written on the many book spines she passed by, letting herself to get lost in thought.

Three days couldn't be enough time to find someone. How was this even going to possible.

Is this all going to be worth it in the end?

Melody couldn't help the question. Yet she pursued in her mission. Even if Mystie remained far away, maybe by finding her she could get closure. 

She stumbled over a small pile of books.

She cursed as she grasped onto a bookshelf to steady herself, then looked up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that! I could have sword I put those away..." 

Melody stared at the kid a few feet away as he came closer to grab the pile she had nearly tripped over.

"You're that kid!"

Confusion littered his face for a moment before his eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, I remember you! You were at the ball! I don't think I caught your name though?" 

"Melody. And you're...?"

"Call me Podcast! It's a pleasure to meet you properly!"

"Weird little name." Melody muttered before clearing her throat. "You were with Mystie last night."

Podcast immediately seemed to know what she was talking about. "Yeah! She's so cool... we were supposed to meet today here, but she hasn't shown up yet. Maybe she'll be coming later, and you can see her again?"

Melody knew her expression was crumbling. "About that... Podcast, I don't think she's coming. And it's not her fault." 

Podcast looked down, clearly disappointed, but waved off when Melody tried to place a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "S'good, I had a feeling she wouldn't be coming. Do you know why?"

"No, but I'm trying to find her." Melody spoke firmly. "We were... together last night for a lot of time, but she suddenly ran off while apologizing to me. She left me this," she held out the mask, and Podcast's eyes widened as he recognized it. "I don't think she's in a good place purely based on her hurry to leave and this mask. Also, there were scars on her face. I'm trying to track her down, and you were the only other person who was with her." 

Podcast nodded, hanging onto every word. "Count me in on this! This is a mystery even bigger than the mysterious nature that Phoebe came to the ball with last night!" 

"Defin- Phoebe!?" 

Oops. Melody didn't mean to shout.

"Wait, she didn't tell you? My bad," Podcast held up his hands. "Her name is Phoebe. She told it to me before I had to leave the ball, so a few minutes before she met up with you again. I didn't get any other names, so I think that's her first name. Since I don't believe that the name Phoebe is a last name." 

Melody's mind was spinning. 

Phoebe. 

The name repeated itself over and over in her head, easily connecting the name to the face she had seen.

"Melody? Are you okay?"

"More than! Come on, let's go find Trevor, he's helping me- then we'll see what we can do with this new name!"

"Trev- the prince? You've got the prince helping you? Count me in for sure now!" 

Melody grinned as she and Podcast rushed out of the maze of bookshelves.

I'm one step closer to you, Phoebe. One step closer.