masq2_4

Chapter 2 - Getting Home

Serena lazily opened her eyes as she looked around the perfectly
clean living room. She was at first disoriented, but she then remembered
why she was in jeans and a sweatshirt, with a dust rag over her golden
curls, and sprawled out on the couch.
She got up slowly, and looked at the clock. It was noon!
*Oh shoot!*
Serena rushed into the bedroom, starting to place the clothes into
the suitcase she had already brought out last night, er, morning.
*I must have been more tired than I thought! I actually slept for
EIGHT hours!*
She stormed into her desk room, attacking her things with a
vengeance as they were all shoved recklessly into her work bag.
After she showered and washed her hair, she blow-dried it, and put
on a white turtle neck, a pink angora cardigan sweater, and some light
khakis. She drew some of her hair back and clipped it in a pearl barrette.
She quickly fastened pearl earrings in her ears. She then stuffed her
bathroom accessories into her suitcase and out the door she went, hectic at
2:00 in the afternoon, anxious to catch the subway to the train station.

Darien Dredsdale paced his guest room as he talked into a phone,
outlining a procedure to some doctors of the phone. “You’re sure I don’t
need to go and help?” *Please say I need to go…*
“No, I think we can handle it from here, Dr. Dredsdale. We just
couldn’t read your diagnosis at first…have a good vacation. Merry
Christmas.”
*Yeah right. Merry whatever…Bah humbug and hope your new
years sucks!*
He pressed the “off” button of the cordless, and carelessly tossed it
on the bed. He then threw himself on the soft mattress as well, and stared
at the ceiling.
He was trapped. In Larynce Manor…the “Castle”, as everyone
called it. It was a beautiful place, but he’d much rather be at home, in
Washington.
But no, this time his great aunt WANTED him to be here. Earlier
years, she had always sent him off to boarding schools and other things,
but this year, she wanted him here.
And from what he’d heard from Ilene Larynce’s wailing, SHE was
going to be here.
The girl that had haunted his very existence ever since childhood.
Sure, she skipped to two grades. Who cared? Sure, she was a nice
successful lawyer with a penthouse in New York. So what? He’d work
hard too.
Serena Larynce, the first brat, as he had dubbed her, had too much.
And was a snob, and an Ice Queen, and it was so obvious that she did not
know anything about her family, if she wasn’t here already. Her mom had
to DRAG her here!
Never mind the fact that HIS great aunt had done the same exact
thing to HIM two days before.
But he’d listened, and he was here, unlike her.
She was in his memory as far back as he could remember. This
perfect statue, who would always remain a memory of cool intelligence
and snobbery. And now, he was going to meet her, see that face, which
he’d always imagined before.
Sure, he’d seen pictures of her in her childhood, from the
magazines, since her family was in the spotlight then. But now, she’d
faded into the busy world of New York. *Meatball head.* The very
uniquely strange hairstyle she had maintained with her heavy river of hair
for goodness knows how long. He imagined her, though. A tall blonde
very much like her cousins, or maybe even shallow enough to dye her hair
to another shade. He imagined cold dark eyes. A frail thin body, for
starving and overworking. Her nose would be pointing to the ceiling, and
her neck would be arched back permanently, since she had turned up her
nose to everyone too long.
He smirked. He’d be HONORED to meet her.
But, he’d heard rumors from his own relatives, and even his
cousins. Serena Larynce was supposedly one of the most beautiful women
in the whole circle, and a whole lot smarter than her cousins.
He hoped so. There had to be ONE woman here that he could find
interesting enough to dance with, or else he’d be alone and fall prey to the
scheming cousins. Serena Larynce HAD to be smart. After all, she WAS
a lawyer. Sure, he’d hate her for her intelligence, but at least she’d be
interesting. And besides, he didn’t want to find out that this stupid little
competition all these years was an floozy.
He sighed, as he picked up another medical journal to read.

Serena hurried off the train onto the platform in Boston at 4:45.
Her family would begin dinner in an hour and fifteen minutes. From the
station, the taxi would take half and hour to an hour to get to the Castle, in
GOOD traffic.
As she had noticed, the traffic looked pretty okay, and she signaled
a taxi. She hurried in. “Larynce Manor. If you make it in less than an
hour, I’ll pay you double!”
The taxi driver, anxious to get that double pay, drove quickly.
Serena quietly looked out the window, watching the familiar sights pass
her by.
The Larynce week. Times two.
Serena remembered the Christmas week with her family in her
teenage years. Even with her crowded schedule, she always spent
Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the entire week until New Years Day, with
her family. Most of the time, there was a snow blizzard to bring the New
Year, and Serena had to stay a few days longer with her family.
This year would definitely be different. The Dresdales weren’t
total strangers or anything like that. She’d met quite a few Dredsdales as
the years had gone by. And her grandmother spoke constantly about them,
because Gertrude Dredsdale, was after all, her best friend. So it was
perfectly normal that the Larynce traditional everyone-get-together week
was extended to more “family” and the Castle was going to be shared.
But this time, Darien Dredsdale would be there.
He was never there before at the gatherings, and if he WAS there,
then she’d always have some business or test…or if not, her grandmother
had that knack of sending Serena to do something like skiing with her
cousins or on some stupid excursion like that.
No, this time, they’d meet, and she quivered at the thought.
Him, her only him, whom she had competed with all these years,
yearned to beat. He was a paragon, and now, he was…well…he was
going to meet her.
And she knew that he probably care less about meeting her.

She could see it now.
Larynce Manor was fondly nicknamed the Castle by all the
Larynces, for Serena’s grandmother Gail reigned it like a queen, and the
Larynces who lived in it were her subjects. The Castle was built like a
castle as well, by Serena’s great-great-grandfather, who loved castles in
youth, and decided to have one of his own when he had enough money.
The Castle was a gothic structure, and finely built. Not many
repairs had to be made on it. And, as Serena remembered, living in the
White House was NOTHING like living in the Castle.
All the Larynces lived in it, at one time or another. For visits, for
life, it didn’t really matter, the Castle was so big, one didn’t necessarily
see family every day in that house!
Serena’s own room in her childhood in the Castle would be hers
again this week. Closing her eyes, she imagined the multitude of sleep she
could catch this week. She could see her room, the perfect little place
where she’d lock herself in many times, especially when she did not desire
to spend time with her gossiping cousins.
There was white carpeting, and white walls, bordered on the top
edge to the ceiling and the bottom edge to the floor with a line complex
golden design on wallpaper. The space between was blank, save for the
paintings and other things she had hung up.
There was a shelf of awards, newspaper clippings, magazine
pictures of her and her family, and photo albums on one wall, adjacent to
her wonderful book collection. There was also a window the opposite side
of the shelves. It was very large, and very wide, and also had a window
seat. Her room was on the third floor and had a view of the rose garden.
She had spent many times sitting on the window seat, dreaming, reading,
and studying. Her desk was inside, by the windows. Her bed was located
next to the desk, a cozy thing with a white silk blanket with gold
embroidery. All her furniture was white.
She shook herself out of reverie as the house came into her view.
The trip, as she checked her brown leather-band watch on her wrist, had
taken fifty minutes. It was now 5:35. She paid the driver double and
grabbed her work bag, her laptop, and her small suitcase and went up to
the door, pulling the sash of the doorbell.
*Lots of pomp and circumstance.*
Serena looked sheepish as she saw that it was dark and she just cut
it to dinner by 25 minutes. Her mother would have something to say, for
sure.
The maid opened the door and Serena smiled and greeted her
nicely.
“Miss Serena! Your mother has been worried sick about you!” the
maid began.
“What else is new?” Serena rolled her eyes.
It was then when all the people of the house crowded into the foyer
and all smiled as they all focused on the very last guest. Serena the VERY
Late Larynce.

Chapter 3 - Homecoming

“Rena!” Amy came running forward. Serena greeted her with a
fierce hug. She was looking better, with her porcelain face tinted slightly
with healthy pink and her blue hair nice and fluffy. Amy looked very
happy and her blue eyes glowed with happiness.
*Not at all like what she was like when we were in school.*
Amy Anderson was not only one of her best friends, but she was
also her first cousin, by her father’s younger sister, and they had studied
together, though Serena knew her path would be in law, and Amy’s in
medicine. Amy was a sweet girl, soft blue-eyed, as soft as water, and her
hair blue-streaked light, and fluffy. She was very shy and had met Serena
because they shared a dorm room at the private school they went to
together.
“Your mom’s-“
“I know, worried about me.”
Another excited squeal was heard and a blond woman pushed
through the people on the stairs to run to Serena. “Rena!!!!!!!!!!!” Mina
Lockhart bounded over to Serena.
However shy Amy was, Mina Lockhart was much different. The
blond, blue-eyed angel was very outgoing and the silver-screen princess.
She was a superb actress, and that was how she had met her movie star
husband Andrew. She looked amazingly like Serena, for they were
distantly related because their grandmothers on Serena’s mother and
Mina’s father sides were sisters. However, Mina was also one of the
Virginia Dredsdales, for her mother had been a Dredsdale. The Dresdales
were almost as famous as the Larynces, and they owned most of Virginia’s
seats in the house and senate. There was even a Dredsdale as governor!
Serena’s grandmother on her father’s side, Gail Larynce, was best
friends with Gretchen Dredsdale, the matriarch of the Dredsdales.
Serena’s grandmother was the matriarch of the Larynces, so it was no
surprise that Serena had seen plenty of Mina, since they always met at the
constant social gatherings.
Now, as Serena looked at Mina, she was surprised to see Mina’s
stomach quite swollen. “Wait a minute, you didn’t say you were…”
“Expecting? It’s fabulous, isn’t it?”
“Boy or girl?”
“We don’t want to know yet. We want it to be a surprise. But I
think it’s a girl. Andrew thinks its a boy. I don’t care; either way, I’m
going to be a mommy!”
“Mina! Oh my gosh!” Serena smiled glowing, dizzy with all the
happiness she felt. “Congratulations!”
“I wanted to tell you in person! I wanted to see that face of yours.
I knew it’d be quite a show. It appears the family thinks so too!”
Serena was now speechless. She just stood, shaking her head,
trying to clear her thoughts.
“Also, Serena, your mother is going to lock you up for a year.”
“How many people has she actually TOLD?”
At that moment, she heard a woman shoving her way through the
crowd by the hall leading to kitchen.
“Serena Rebecca Larynce! You are now grounded!”
“Hello mother!” Serena smiled weakly, hugging the late fifty-
year-old woman. “I had a few problems getting here.”
“Don’t give me that! You are now grounded and you can’t leave
for another year.”
“How about another week? I do, after all, have some classes to
teach, and some more briefs to read. I still have some leftover papers to
grade from last semester. That is LAST time I decide on an essay final!
And where is Daddy and Sam?”
“Right here sis!” Sam, a tall young man at twenty-three, with light
brown hair and the same eyes as his sister, threaded through another crowd
to greet his sister with a kiss on the cheek. “I have a surprise for you too!
I’m engaged!”
“You are only twenty-three, young man! You’re already getting
married. I feel ancient now!”
“Meet my fiancee, Mika Stevens.” A redhead with beautiful blue-
green eyes approached Serena and she smiled at her warmly.
“Serena Larynce, Sam’s big sister. Watch out, he talks in sleep,”
Serena said.
“Sis!”
“And-“
“That’s enough, Bunny!”
“Daddy!” Serena ran and plowed herself into her father’s arms. “I
missed you Daddy. You never scold me or bug me, and I’m so happy to
see you again.”
“I don’t bother bugging you because your Aunt Hetty reports to me
every Monday morning.”
“DADDY!”
“She’s your law associate. She knows pretty much what happens
in your life.”
“Michael Larynce, you will stop frustrating your daughter right
now!” a regal elderly voice hung over everyone. Serena turned to the
entrance of the hall that led to the throne room, and her eyes widened.
“Gram!” If it was possible to glow even more, Serena did. She
gave the woman a hug. Gail Larynce looked as regal as she always was,
in a gown of blue velvet, with the tall stature she had passed on to her
children and grandchildren.
“Now, we don’t have to all stand here. Dinner is in twenty-five
minutes!” Gail now yelled to everyone, looking at her gold pocket watch.
“You’ve all got to wash up and get up in the Christmas clothes! So let’s
get!”
Serena smiled as the crowd retreated. She was starting to feel
claustrophobic. Gail then turned to her and said, “Now you get going
upstairs to your room and get on some classy clothes. We’ll catch up
later.”
Serena grinned, and took her things up the winding stairs, through
the crowds of Larynces and Dredsdales…some she knew, and some she
didn’t.
She walked down the slightly crowded hall, and into her room.
*Nothing like home.* She then plopped herself down on the bed and
leaned back, ready to fall asleep. Instantly, she remembered she had to
change for dinner. She immediately sat up, thinking about what to wear.
She didn’t have to wear anything truly fancy, like “gala” or
“wedding” for Christmas dinner. No, the Larynces wore the “formal
familiness” kind of clothing. She pushed herself off the bed and turned on
the small crystal chandelier.
Little rainbows refracted from the crystal danced about the ceiling
and Serena went to the suitcase to open it and hang up some clothes.
Five minutes later, she pulled out a skirt of layers of lavender silk,
looking misty and flowing, a lavender silk tunic that flowed to her hips in
wavy ends of the same layered misty quality that would go over her
shoulders with a wide but not low cut collar and tied together at the sides
by a pair of lavender satin ribbons on each side tipped with pearls, and a
lavender silk blouse.
She took her clothes off and started with the lavender silk knee-
highs. After, she out on the blouse, followed by the skirt and finally the
tunic. She tied a pretty bow on each side. She then put on lavender silk
flats.
She went to the mirror and brushed her hair, sitting down. She
combed her hair up into two buns, capping them with lavender lace covers,
as a family joke; Serena had worn that hair style from the time she had
hair long enough to age sixteen. She wore it occasionally now. However,
the length of her hair no longer allowed streamers of hair to fall down
from the buns anymore, so the lace bun covers had thin lavender ribbon
hanging down to her ears, with pearls tipping the end. She kept her pearl
earrings on, and decided to unbutton the top button of her blouse to put on
a thin gold chain with a single pearl around the base of her neck.
As she stood up, she smiled. The hair do made her look like a
child…a rather big child. But she was still beautiful, and sophistication
seeped her entire being. She got up from her white wooden chair, with a
gold cushion, and opened her walk -in closet door to check herself in the
full-length mirror.
At that moment, the dinner bell sounded, and Serena walked to the
door, opening it and stepping out, turning the light off behind her.
She walked into a man who was walking out of the room next to
hers. *The halls really should have been built larger.*
Actually, the halls were rather large, and Serena’s was at the end of
a hall, in a circular court of rooms. Serena had only backed up after she
closed her door because she noticed a name plate above her room and read
“Serena Rebecca Larynce.” It was a new improvement. So was the little
gold box by her door, which was apparently stuffed with mail.
“Oh, excuse me,” mumbled softly.
Her sapphire blue eyes turned to meet ocean blue eyes, and was
shocked to find the deepest pair she had ever seen in her life.

Chapter 4 - Who is HE?

He was tall, with dark black hair and broad shoulders. He was in
great shape, Serena noted, and he was very hot. *Who is this?* Serena
contemplated.
In the dim lighting of the hallway, she felt a general air of
romance, and she smiled him, feeling very romantic and beautiful. She
then turned and walked away, knowing, she’d meet him later.

His mouth was twisted in a slight smile, and his face though
strongly and handsomely carved, displaying slight confusion.
*Who is SHE?* Darien Dredsdale stood, looking after the blond
with the gorgeous blue eyes.
He’d been sleeping the better part of the afternoon after talking on
the phone with Washington this morning and finding out that his presence
was not needed. Between structuring curriculum for Johns Hopskins, and
correcting his final essays, he slept some more…being a surgeon, and
professor he normally didn’t get much sleep. He’d been sleeping when he
heard the dinner bell. He was slightly annoyed, for he was very tired, and
wanted to sleep a little more. He quickly checked his slightly sleep-ruffled
hair, and quickly went to the closet to grab his navy blue shirt. He
changed his sweatpants into khakis and put on a nice silk tie to finish it
off.
And he had stepped out to find a young woman backing into his
arms.
As she turned and apologized, Darien’s still slightly asleep mind
was trying to register where he’d seen her before.
She was beautiful, in the dim light, all her features were soft and
pleasing, especially in that nice outfit. Her hair was adorably put up, and
it reminded him a little of the pictures of Serena Larynce…but then again,
all the Larynces looked pretty much the same, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
It was then when he saw her eyes glow as she smiled, and saw her
turn and walk down the hall. He stood there a little while more, trying to
place the face, but still failing miserably. She was either a Larynce or a
distant Dredsdale. Who knew which. He didn’t know his family. He’d
been ten when he first came to America. He was twenty-nine now. He
didn’t have the time to get to know everyone in his family, with all his
studying.
Darien, however handsome he was, was not as charming as all the
Larynce girls thought. His looks had slightly clouded their minds, for
Darien Dredsdale was actually a distant, emotionless young man. And he
saw no reason to marry, though he’d heard rumors of his marrying one of
the Larynce princesses.
He prided himself on proving them absolutely wrong.
*Where did she come from?* he looked around the hall. There
were a few rooms everywhere, but he had no idea which on she had come
out of. As he looked around, his gaze fixed upon one name plaque which
slightly interested him.
*I didn’t know I was staying next door to the Ice Queen!*
As he puzzled over the fact that he had not yet seen Serena
Larynce, he heard some people coming out of the room two doors down.
Ken and Lita Larynce stepped out of the room, and smiled to Darien.
“Hey Darien! What are you looking at?” Lita asked nicely.
“Serena Larynce is next door to me,” Darien pointed to the plaque.
“You met her? She FINALLY got in about twenty minutes ago.
There was this huge show in the foyer.”
“I didn’t see her. I was asleep, I think.”
“Well then, that’s your fault. Serena’s a very sweet girl.”
“The ice queen?” he said, questioningly.
“I resent that,” Ken shook his head. “I though I chose an open-
minded surgeon general.”
“The press are all in fear of her. There is plenty of reason to call
her that.”
“That’s because they never tried to understand her…” Lita started,
in defense for her friend.
“But did she ever try to let herself be understood?” Darien asked
back.
Lita was silent. Darien had a point. Serena Larynce never triend
to let the press think otherwise about her.
“She’s actually very sweet, Darien, and I know you’ll like her,”
Ken looked at Lita and they decided not to tell him that she’d be his
colleague when Ken became president.
“Well, let’s get to dinner,” Lita said. “We don’t want to miss
anything!”

Serena sat at a round table with Amy on her left, Mina on her right.
She sat back and looked about her, scanning the room for her mother and
father and Sam.
Mother and father sat with Uncle William and Aunt Hilary, the
Clintons. The former president’s grandmother was a Larynce. It appeared
that they were discussing White House life. It was sweet.
And Sam was over in another corner, talking with Bill Gates, one
of the more popular Dredsdales…his mother was a Dredsdale. Sam was a
computer engineer, and was very enthusiastic about it. Mika, as Serena
had found out was in computer graphics.
The dinner was held in the grand dining room, which was only
used on very formal occasions. It was the second largest room in the
Castle, and just as beautiful as the Throne room. The floor was dark green
marble, with obsidian swirled into it, and the room was dimly lit by
chandeliers at the high ceiling. The walls were lined halfway up with
wooden paneling, and the rest was white, with portraits of
Larynces…lining all the way. Also, every once in a while, there was a
lamp on the wall, with a green lamp shade.
Serena smiled as she focused on the doorway. Ken and Lita
entered the room, and smiled and waved at her. She smiled, stood and
pointed to the last few seats left at the table. She then frowned as she
noticed that there was another person walking with them, and that man
was the one she had met in the hall.
Ken and Lita made their way to the table, and Serena went forward
to hug Lita. “I didn’t see YOU running to me when I got in!”
“I was trying to get Kevin to take a bath.”
“Did you?”
“After almost knocking him out, yes.”
Serena smiled. “Nice to see you, Lita.”
She then turned to Ken, “Ken! I’m so happy to see you, after just
talking with you on the phone yesterday.”
“Well, you know talking isn’t the same as seeing.”
“Yeah, I’ve missed you. I miss having mud in my face.”
“It was your fault if you decided to come out and play football with
all of us last year!”
“Yeah, can you imagine! Me, the ice queen, playing football on
the lawns of Larynce Manor, on the day after Christmas, and then being
tackled the president elect of the United States of America.”
She had noticed then that the young man previously with Lita and
Ken was now up at the table with Gertrude, and taking a seat with her.
*So he’s tight with the matriarch.*
They talked on, and as they listened to Gail and Gertrude toast the
Christmas dinner, they smiled and clinked champagne glasses.
Serena ate dinner to her heart’s content, and after dessert, sat back,
smiling at the others. Chad and Raye came and talked with them a while,
and the dinner was generally very fun and heartwarming.
Her eyes, however, always strayed to a faraway table, where a man
sat, facing her. She discovered that he was looking at her as much as she
was looking at him.
Catching his eyes made her whole being shake. She’d lower her
eyes, or look away, and be extremely distracted. The others at the table
noticed, but did not know the reason for her distraction. Raye Larynce,
however, noticed, but kept the knowledge to herself.
As dinner finished, Serena got up and walked out early, and into
the throne room by herself, looking at the brightly lit Christmas tree,
surrounded by darkness at the moment.
The throne room was the largest in the Castle. On ordinary days,
the room would be empty, its velvet curtains drawn back on the whole
west and east walls, letting sunlight pour in. The room’s chandeliers were
crystal, and hung from the ceiling. The floor was gold and white marble,
as Serena remembered, and there was a gold carpet running the length of
entrance to throne. The throne was a simple elegance. Sitting on a
platform of gold velvet carpeting, it was gold with slight carving, and
white velvet cushion. Nothing more.
On social evenings, the carpet strip was removed, but the platform
and the throne stayed. There were sometimes tables set up for fancy
banquets, or an orchestra was set up in front of the throne, for a night of
ballroom dancing. The chandeliers were lit, and the gold and white velvet
curtains were sometimes drawn and sometimes not.
It was Serena’s favorite room. She loved the whole royalty of it.
She like elegance and style. She had remembered, that for her sixteenth
birthday, Gram let her sit on the throne for the first time, and Serena was
absolutely thrilled.
Now, since it was Christmastime, there were golden ornaments,
and red ribbons, and red satin Christmas balls. The tree stood where the
throne normally was, so it was large and very intimidating to any child,
being a whole twenty-five feet tall.
The star at the top was made out of pure gold, and was glittering
beautifully in the light of the candles which were lit around the room.
Serena’s eyes shined as she looked around the ballroom, to see the
garlands everywhere, with holly and mistletoe at the doorways, even the
ones that led out to the east and west gardens, which were on the opposite
window sides. It was beautiful, and she spun around and around,
imagining the balls to be held by her grandmother for Christmas and New
Year’s. The Throne room would comfortably fit more than a thousand
people…dancing! At Christmas time, Serena’s grandmother held the most
exclusive, glamorous ball of the rich American social calendar, and she
invited people all over the country.
The Christmas Masquerade was the most famous of Larynce
traditions. Everyone in Larynce Port would be invited, the population
being a number of successful businessmen, and others. There were also
guests from elsewhere, from around the country. There were only 150 to
200 Larynces, after all, and there was room for a thousand guests! There
was fun and excitement everywhere, and at the end of the evening, the
unmasking occurred. Each person unmasked his/her partner, and if you
were under the golden mistletoe, come next year, you’d be engaged!
Serena never really stayed around to actually get caught. She had
always gotten away with no man ever desiring her company, and she
always wisked off early, without anyone noticing and came back at
midnight just to see who the destined couple was this year.
It was so much fun to see the surprised expressions on the faces of
the dancers as they found out the identity of their partners, and even more
fun to see their reaction when they were found under the mistletoe,
because it was all so romantic.
She finally turned and walked to the door, and walked out, wanting
to go up to her room and read.