Masquerade

Post date: Nov 10, 2014 10:44:14 PM

A short story by Debra Fabian

“Don’t forget this,” Jerry whispered and slipped a shimmering, silky mask over Julianna’s face.

“Thank you,” she breathed. She glanced at Jerry and noticed how grey his hair had become now.

“Stay focused. Recover the diamond and get out. We will rendezvous at midnight. Remember,” he added, “no one in there is who they say. Trust-,”

“I know. Trust no one,” Julianna affirmed.

“Your father would be proud of you,” he said softly. Julianna nodded and turned toward the reception hall. When she looked back, Jerry was gone.

She pushed the heavy door open and walked in. Men and women in tuxedoes and elegant dinner gowns sat around tables mingling. They all kept their masks on as the invitation had recommended. She didn’t recognize many of them, and would have to compile her own profiles as she went. The simplest course of action would be to sit near the stage. She would have a view of all the action, and could keep an eye on anyone suspicious.

“Um, hello, is this on?” Mr. Walton questioned, fumbling with the microphone. He jumped at the sound of his own voice coming through the speakers.

“It’s on,” Gale Staley confirmed to the old man.

“Okay, um, I’d like to welcome everyone here to tonight, and I would like to personally thank you for coming to celebrate the opening of the new jewel exhibit with us. We are grateful for your support of the museum, and look forward to serving you for many years to come. And now I believe it is time to eat,” Mr. Walton said with a smile. He glanced at his assistant-director Gale, who hopped onto the stage and grabbed the microphone.

“Remember this is a masquerade dinner; so don’t remove your masks,” he flashed his perfect smile, and the two walked off the stage.

Julianna recalled the numerous evenings she had spent at the museum with her father. A night guard had been an excellent cover for him all those years. Mr. Walton’s endearing personality was almost as warm as the candles glowing on the table. She was angry with herself the moment the thought escaped her mind. How dare she allow herself to feel even slightly safe while on a mission? That was the same rookie mistake that had cost her last time.

She refocused her attention on the task at hand. During her briefing, Jerry had explained that Mr. Walton would be displaying one of the diamonds for his guests at approximately eleven thirty. The catch: someone in attendance planned to acquire the gem, render the exhibit a hoax, and make off with the money.

“Julianna, is that you?” a familiar voice called. She immediately recognized the electrifying bleach blonde hair underneath Luke Walton’s mask. He was only a year older than her, and they had attended training at the Academy together.

“Yes, it’s me,” she replied cautiously. He slid into the seat beside her.

“You look great,” he commented, gazing at her burgundy evening dress. Julianna sat stiffly, suddenly aware of every sparkle on the dress that made her stand out rather than blend in.

“Oh, thank you,” she replied expressionlessly, and studied the stage. A case covered with a velvet cloth had been brought in by Gale and some of the museum personnel. Julianna glanced at her silver wrist watch. It was already eleven o’clock.

“So how have you been?” Luke asked casually. Julianna wasn’t really in the mood to talk to him, but she knew he may have inside information about the diamond. She excluded the small talk and went straight to the serious questions.

“Opening a new exhibit must be exciting,” she began, “Have you seen any of the jewels?”

“Yeah, right, I wish,” Luke said rolling his eyes, “Everything has been all secret around here, especially since Gale got hired. My dad treats him like the son he never had.” Julianna noted the contempt in Luke’s voice. “You have no idea what it’s like to constantly feel like you let your dad down.” Luke caught himself and stopped suddenly. Julianna looked away. “Listen, I’m sorry,” he tried.

“It’s fine,” Julianna said quickly. Her chest felt tight, but she was not going to cry.

“I heard about it when it happened,” Luke continued, “I liked your dad. He was a good security guard.” He emphasized security guard to let her know he meant spy. Mr. Walton and Luke were the only ones who knew Julianna and her father’s true identities. “Do you want to talk about it?” Julianna inhaled. She did not want to talk about it with anyone. Had she been compromised? Shadows quivered on the wall as the candle flickered, then fizzled to nothing.

The room went dark and a lady shrieked. Julianna sprang to her feet, and darted for the stage. She heard glass shatter and a man shuffling around on the wood floor. Julianna dropped to her knees and felt around on the ground. Suddenly, her hand wrapped around something hard, cold, and extremely heavy; it had to be the diamond. She clutched it against her body and made a beeline for the door.

The hallway outside was empty except for a single janitor. Julianna kicked off her high heels and ran for an exit. When she saw elevator doors open ahead of her, she stopped cold. Who was inside?

“Julianna, get in!” Luke screamed. There was no way that was happening. Then, the door burst open behind her, and, from the corner of her eye, she saw Gale.

“Trust me,” Luke demanded and Julianna stepped into the elevator.

“Code red, I need backup,” she called urgently into her communicator watch. There was no response.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Gale screamed, trying to be heard from the other side of the door. “Too bad your father is on my side.” Gale’s footsteps could be heard as he walked away.

“No, that’s not true!” Luke argued. He turned toward Julianna. “What’s going on?” She shook her head and frantically pressed buttons inside the elevator. The machine groaned, but didn’t move.

“My dad would not do anything illegal,” Luke reasoned.

“It’s jammed. We’re trapped,” Julianna explained, “That’s what he meant. We’re stuck inside and Gale is out there with your father.”

“What will he do? Will he hurt him?” Luke asked.

“This is all my fault,” Julianna muttered.

“What are you talking about? No, it’s not. You had no idea Gale was plotting against him,” Luke replied.

“I’m going to tell you something I haven’t told anyone before,” Julianna said. She knew she wasn’t supposed to trust anyone, but she didn’t care about the rule anymore.

“You can tell me anything,” Luke assured her.

“My father’s death was my fault. I could have saved him, but I didn’t get to him in time.” Julianna ignored any warnings she learned in training and broke down crying. Luke put an arm around her.

Julianna knew Jerry wouldn’t approve of her behavior. She would probably get fired for this. She pulled away from Luke and collected herself.

“Do you read me?” Jerry’s voice broke the silence. Julianna wiped her eyes and prepared to answer Jerry.

“This is Julianna. I read you,” she said.

“What are your coordinates?”

“I am in the elevator. The diamond is in my possession. Gale Staley may have taken Mr. Walton hostage. I need backup,” Julianna told Jerry.

“Affirmative.” She removed a mini screw driver from a pin in her hair and went to work on the electrical wiring.

“We’re going to save your father,” she promised Luke. A few moments later they stepped back out into the hallway. She looked at the time on her watch. It was midnight. Gale had Mr. Walton at gun point when they reached the reception hall.

“Gale, I trusted you,” Mr. Walton was saying. Julianna approached them, trying to remember everything she learned in negotiations class.

“Just hand over the diamond,” Gale commanded, pointing the gun at Julianna. She rolled the rock to him and he set the gun on the floor. She glanced at Mr. Walton, who was relatively unhurt.

“Julianna, look out!” Luke screamed. Gale had reached for his gun, and at that moment, Luke jumped on top of him. Jerry and a team of special agents burst through the door and detained Gale.

“Julianna, Luke, good work,” Jerry commented.

“I’m so proud of you two,” Mr. Walton exclaimed. He embraced his son. Julianna turned to Gale and tore off his mask. She removed hers gracefully.

“You told me never to take this off. You were wrong,” she retorted. Then she turned to Luke. “Glad I could count on you,” she said.

Student Written features work written by LHS students. The views portrayed in these written works are not the views of The Leopard's Roar, as it is an unbiased news publication source.

Student Written is edited by Debra Fabian, Student Activities Editor. Fabian can be reached at dramagirl319@hotmail.com.