There was a boy in front of me. All his features were blurred, and I could only make out the uniform he wore. He sat alone on the bleachers of the soccer field, in a fading twilight. There was no one else around him, and even Aster Academy’s campus looked barren from where he sat.

He stared intently in front of him, knees curled up and pressed to his chest. His cracked nails dug into his knees, leaving angry red marks. When I looked I saw not a soccer field but a ballroom. The stadium lights shone down and illuminated the glitz and glamor of the people below. All of their faces were covered in masks, leaving not a single feature to be seen. A symphony played and washed over them, where each instrument used was out of tune.

The boy didn’t belong here. Yet, his eyes never left the sight in front of him. I wondered how long he’d sit here and watch. Until the show was over? Until the lights went off? He sat so still, it was like he was turning to stone.

One of the faceless attenders was looking at him. It took a moment to notice in the din of all the people. They were closest to where the edge of the field should have been. Their hand raised in greeting, and the boy only stared. When the masked one got no response, they pointed somewhere to the right.

The boy turned his head.

Two other masqueraders were walking up the bleacher steps. One in a long, silky dress and the other in a well-fitted suit. The one in a suit held a plain black mask, the same kind everyone else was wearing down below. The sun was quickly dipping down the horizon, turning the sky a deep red.

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They came to a stop in front of him. The man raised his hands, and the boy didn’t move. Even as the man moved to place the mask on his face. His nails still dug into his skin, his body remained curled. He lifted his head, ready to accept the gift he was being given.

My hand shot out. I immediately went from a watcher to a participant. I’d moved from audience to actor. All three of them looked towards me. The woman howled, a noise that barely sounded human as she swatted at me. I didn’t care. I grabbed the mask and I ripped it away from him. There was something wrong with it, and I couldn’t let anything happen to him.

I couldn’t explain why I felt this way, or what was wrong. All I could do was make sure they didn’t place the mask on his face. He couldn’t be like them. It would only end in disaster. As I spun on my heels, running away as the two gave chase, I caught the gaze of the one below. The masked one only watched, making no move to chase me like the others.

There was something so watchful about them when compared to those around them. As everyone kept dancing and chatting and eating, they remained at the edge, watching as my feet crashed noisily against the metal steps. I didn’t know how close the other two were. As my feet found purchase on cement, I pivoted towards them. I rushed towards them and they pulled away as my hand reached out. My fingers slid under the ridge of their mask, but before I could pull it off, my pursuers grabbed at me. I yelped as they dragged me to the ground, clawing for the mask in my hand.

Above me, the masked one pressed a hand to their face, and their fingers shook. As the mask was pried away from me, they pinned me down. They raised the mask. They placed it upon my brow.