La Traición
Tonight was the night we were getting La Traición.
I adjusted my cravat and smiled at Lia, who was in a tight-fitting red ball gown that showed off all her curves. Her eyes shone brightly beneath her black mask, and she squeezed my arm. She then turned from me and walked away, her curly locks dancing behind her.
Tonight was the unveiling of La Traición, a priceless gold-plated mask with a history as dirty as its namesake. Ah, betrayal. They say that it was once crafted by a jealous craftsman who suspected his wife of cheating on him. It was, of course, in a masquerade like this one that he saw his lady flirt with the men in the ball. Wearing the mask, he paced towards her angrily, removed his mask before her, and, amidst her gentle cries, started banging the metallic mask on her head, over and over. They were quickly separated, but the damage was done. She died to blood loss, and he, to heartbreak.
It was not known who got hold of La Traición after, only that it kept changing hands ever since. It was a curiosity, a novelty, a treasure. Rumor has it that whosoever wore the mask would be possessed with the vengeful spirit of its artist and commit terrible atrocities. However, its violent history only impressed the public and pushed collectors to outbid each other in order to obtain the infamous item for themselves. They fought amongst themselves for it, stole it from each other, and even killed just to touch the so-called cursed mask.
Which brings us to today, at this auction, where the unveiling of La Traición was to happen. It would be the first public sighting of the mysterious mask after 50 odd years, and the previous owner, an artifact collector who had a fancy for the macabre, was allegedly selling off his collection to pay for accumulated debts.
I looked around the ballroom, where people dressed up in long dresses and tunics were laughing and dancing around the floor. Such gaiety was more pronounced against the presence of the heavily armed black suited bodyguards that were positioned across the hall. Little did they know of our plans to whisk away the mask right under their very noses.
I grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter and moved to the entrance, where I could see the entirety of the hall: the stage, the dance floor, the private viewing booths. It promised to be a difficult heist, but nothing Lia and I couldn’t handle.
We met at a dinner party like this one, but we were both after the same jewel-encrusted staff then. After realizing this, we decided to work together and split the profits.
We had since pulled off many more missions together, and we worked together brilliantly. Through my careful planning and her devious charm, we would swipe artifact after artifact while enriching our coffers.
The truth was, we had more than enough to happily retire, but something about La Traición just lured Lia in. She always had a thing for stories of romance and betrayal, and she derived immense pleasure from stirring up couples whenever she could.
It would be our last grand heist, she would say, as she snuggled into my arms and kissed me softly. Then we could disappear from this world of deception and live together comfortably, somewhere safe and quiet.
It was a lovely dream, one we often talked about. It was something I looked forward to happening after tonight, after we took La Traición for ourselves. I was hoping the ring box in my pocket would seal that for us two forever.
Smiling, I looked to my watch. 7:52 PM. In just a few minutes, the staff would come out with a heavily sealed chest that contained the items for auction that evening. Everything but La Traición, of course, and maybe a few odd articles here and there. Chuckling to myself, I turned to the stage, where Lia would be positioned as we discussed.
She was not there. My brow creased and I shook my head. She could be stubborn sometimes, that Lia. She was proud of her adaptability and recklessness, which often clashed with my preference for strategizing. No matter, my backups were in place anyway.
I sipped my champagne and counted the minutes until the host would start the ceremonies. The aforementioned chest was slowly being brought to the stage. Most of the people stopped dancing and stared at the ongoing preparations. The buzz of excitement and curiosity filled the room, and I delighted in knowing that gasps of horror and disappointment were soon to follow. I snickered.
7:58 PM. Lia still wasn’t in position, but that was fine. My puppets were in place, my concerto was soon to start, my prize was ready for the taking. I patted the velvet box in my pocket and waited.
8 PM. It would begin now. What-
The lights in the ballroom were suddenly shut off, and the room was filled with panicked shrieks. I turned around, looking for the cause. This was not part of the plan, not part of the-
Just then, I turned to see a gold gleam peak from under a red sleeve. While everyone was screaming, a woman was slowly, confidently making her way to the door.
The lights got back on, and I saw Lia stride to the exit at the arm of a young man, a complete stranger to me. She turned to me as I stared at her open-mouthed.
She blew a kiss my way and walked away, her curly locks dancing behind her.
–
For TobyTrigger.
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Image source: deviantart.com/josephangelo/art/Golden-Mask-Redone-Title-The-Dreaming-348971206
First written February 21, 2018.
#142