Tobias had never been one for big social events or big gatherings. Even back as a kid, when keeping himself at a distance from others hadn't been on his mind, he had always preferred smaller crowds. Which is why he had never bothered with the Community Bonding ball that the government organized every year.

This year though? It seemed as if he wouldn't have a choice.

"Do we really have to go?" Tobias asked Marcus with an imploring groan, he had just finished putting on his tuxedo and already dreaded leaving the house.

Marcus had settled on a much more comfortable look. Tobias guessed that old age did have its perks sometimes, like not being forced into a pair of leather loafers that were sure to leave your feet blistered by the end of the night. Blisters were the least of Tobias's worries though, being forced to interact with other people was at the top of his list.

"I know you're not fond of these parties, but the mayor was very clear. Tonight's ball is mandatory. For all of us." Marcus said, placing an encouraging hand on Tobias's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Come on, my boy. We don't have to stay there all night, and I promise that when you see it as free food it becomes much more appealing."

Or at least as appealing as could be, for Tobias knew that this night's event wasn't a pleasure for Marcus either. No Uninfected would attend an Infected ball if they had a choice in the matter. Or any Uninfected with a well functioning sense of self preservation, that is.

Which Tobias had learnt not all of them had.

"Do you think (Y/n) will be there?" The question had left Tobias's lips before he had even processed it, catching both himself and Marcus by surprise.

Marcus scratched the back of his neck, eyes looking anywhere but at Tobias. It had been a while since the two of them had last talked about (Y/n), and although Marcus paid close attention to Tobias and how he was grieving her absence, he knew that part of Tobias probably still longed for her. And he was dead set on crushing this remaining part of Tobias's mind.

Too bad Marcus didn't know just how big this part of Tobias was.

"Well... If tonight's ball is mandatory, I guess she will be attending, yeah." Marcus said with caution, careful not to broach the subject any further. He finally looked up to meet Tobias's gaze. "Just make sure you don't go anywhere near her, alright?"

As if that would ever be possible.

Keeping himself away from her was already hard enough for Tobias, so if he knew she'd be in the same room? There was no way he could just pretend she wasn't there, that would just be pure torture.

Not that he'd tell Marcus, though. This would only warrant him a concerned look and an endless conversation on how the best cure for his Infection is to keep himself as far away from (Y/n) as possible. Tobias didn't feel like putting either of them through that.

Plus, was it so bad if he stumbled upon (Y/n) tonight? It's not like he could ever go and talk to her anyways, she probably hated his guts now, which was fair enough considering all the horrible things he had said to her. So what could happen, really? He'd probably just watch her from afar and make sure she stayed safe during the night. No harm done.

And after all, who knew what could happen during these gatherings? Although the Community Bonding ball was supposed to be violence and murder-free, nothing could guarantee that (Y/n) would be totally safe there. And who would look after her if Tobias didn't?

In retrospect, maybe Tobias attending was for the best, after all. Because like that he'd be able to look after (Y/n) and make sure she was alright.

Just like he was supposed to.

"You ready?" Marcus asked from the doorway, waiting for Tobias to follow him out.

And before, Tobias would have done anything to avoid going to this ball, but now that he knew (Y/n) would be there? That made all the difference.

So he silently followed Marcus, the both of them making their way to the mayor's mansion where people had already started gathering at the gates. From what Tobias could see (Y/n) probably hadn't arrived yet, he would have noticed otherwise. He would have felt it at his core.

It was alright though, he would make sure not to miss her entrance. And when she finally arrived, he wouldn't let her out of his sight.















































The Community Bonding ball was in full swing and Jasper had yet to catch sight of his Darling, and although he knew she'd be showing up at some point, he was turning restless with nerves. Something that hadn't gone unnoticed by Penelope who was quietly standing right beside him, wearing a light pink dress with floral patterns.

"What should I do when she arrives?" Jasper asked, leaning closer to Penelope. "Should I greet her? Ask her for a dance? Lead her to the refreshment table for a drink? Walk her to the gardens for some peace and quiet?"

His mind was spinning out of control and Jasper could barely keep his excitement under wraps at this point. He had never been this close to attaining his goal of wooing (Y/n) and he wanted everything to be perfect for the both of them. This would be an important moment after all, it's not every day that one asked their Darling on a first date, Jasper wanted this to be memorable.

How ironic it was for him to be taking advice from the very person who wanted to see him fail, from the very person who wanted to steal his Darling away from him.

Because Penelope had no intention of letting Jasper anywhere near (Y/n) tonight. Which is exactly why she was keeping a close eye on the entrance.

(Y/n) wasn't the only person Penelope was looking for though, Artty would be in attendance too unfortunately, and the sooner Penelope spotted him the easier it would be for her to avoid him. She wouldn't let this asshole ruin her night. As, apart from preventing Jasper to court (Y/n), Penelope's objective was also to spend time with her Darling so the two of them could get better acquainted. And she wouldn't let Artty get in the way of that.

"Oh! She's there!" Jasper excitedly said, a huge grin stretching over his lips. "Look! That's her! I'm sure of it!"

Penelope followed the direction in which Jasper was pointing, and indeed, in spite of the white mask covering most of her face, there was no mistaking it.

This was (Y/n).















































(Y/n) could barely breathe from all the anticipation and anxiety bubbling inside of her. Lupita and herself had taken all the necessary precautions to make sure they would be unrecognizable, but this still didn't work in putting her mind at ease.

What if this was a really bad idea? She had always been safe in the city, apart from that one time when she had to hit a man in order to save both herself and Lupita. But what if tonight was different?

(Y/n) didn't really know what made her so anxious exactly, she had read somewhere that during the Community Bonding ball any kind of violence or altercations were prohibited in order to promote conviviality and community, meaning that it would probably be safe.

So why did the thought of stepping through the gates of the mayor's property had bile rising up her throat and her stomach curdling in on itself? Gods, her hands were so clammy she had to wipe them on the fabric of her dress every five minutes. Which was a shame, because the dress Lupita had found for her was stunning.

Lupita had surprised (Y/n) that morning with the two dresses she had gone out to buy in secret when (Y/n) had been busy doing other things. She had even touched them up and altered them a bit to better fit each of their measurements. Both dresses were pretty simple but stunning in their tailored fit.

Lupita's was a pretty off the shoulders black dress, made of silk and with small white pearl belts at the hips and bust. Whilst (Y/n)'s was a pale pink dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a tight corset that plunged into a light tulle skirt.

"Okay," Lupita inhaled deeply as the two of them stood in front of the tall metallic gates. Behind them towered the mayor's mansion, adorned with various lights and floral decorations that had been selected specially for the occasion. The gardens too had been decorated for the ball, with silky ribbons and droplets of lights falling from tree branches, big illuminated archways leading the way through the various blooms and bushes, and water fountains filled with a mix of rose petals and a golden shimmer.

It was a beautiful sight, and there was no doubt plenty of money had been spent in the organization of what was supposed to be the event of the year.

(Y/n) had never felt so out of place, not only because she was Uninfected, but also because she had never attended such an event before.

The Uninfected Community was quite modest, and based on equal distribution of wealth and material goods. It was the first time in her life (Y/n) witnessed such wealth, and she honestly didn't know how to feel about this.

Her hands curled in the skirts of her dress.

"Should we go in?" (Y/n) asked hesitantly, swallowing back the anxiety prickling at the back of her throat.

Lupita gave (Y/n) a concerned look along with an understanding smile. "We don't have to do this, okay? We can always turn back and ditch the party."

And although (Y/n)'s gut was telling her to jump on the offer, she knew they couldn't do that. So she continued with a shaky breath, "We can't. You said so yourself, it's mandatory. And-"

"You want to try and see if your sister is there." Lupita finished with a smile, her hand finding (Y/n)'s and giving it a firm squeeze. "I know."

"Yeah." (Y/n) nodded.

"So we're gonna go in there, search for her and everything will be fine, alright?" Lupita continued, adjusting the mask on (Y/n)'s features before pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

"Alright."

I've got this.

Lupita was right, they were together and had taken all the necessary precautions. Everything would be fine, if (Y/n) had made it in the city this far, she could make it through this night. They'd just make sure to keep their mask on, keep their interactions to a minimum, avoid Jasper, and search for Grey.

She could do this, right? Not that she had much of a choice in the matter anyways.

So in spite of her gut screaming at her to run in the opposite direction, (Y/n) squeezed Lupita's hand harder, and the two of them stepped in the mayor's mansion.

If (Y/n) had thought the exterior to be impressive, the interior was even more so, which had less to do with the festive decorations and more with the architecture. With the ballroom's high ceiling and massive crystal chandeliers, (Y/n) had never felt so small in her entire life, crushed under the pressure of the wealth and luxury surrounding her. The walls too, seemed to stretch impossibly high, made of smooth white surfaces and white columns adorned with golden linings. One side of the room consisted of floor to ceiling windows though, which granted a spectacular view of the gardens and enabled the partygoers to step outside for some fresh air.

Amongst her awe of the place, (Y/n) had almost failed to notice all the other people crowding the ballroom, dressed in tuxedos and colourful ball gowns. It was clear that everyone had gone out of their way to dress for the occasion. And although they had been forced into attending, it looked like they were having fun to an extent, most of them chatting in groups and enjoying drinks, or dancing to the music played by the group that had been hired for the occasion.

The thought of joining in had cold shivers pricking at (Y/n)'s spine.

Everything's going to be alright. (Y/n) kept on reassuring herself, but even so, the image of Jasper suddenly appearing in front of her wouldn't leave her mind. As excited as (Y/n) was of finding Grey, she was also terrified of Jasper finding her first.

Lupita led (Y/n) in a far corner of the room in the shadows of a column, where the both of them could enjoy some privacy and space away from the crowd.

"Do you want something to drink?" Lupita asked, her voice barely able to reach (Y/n) due to the chatter and classical music around them. "From what I remember their champagne is pretty good. Not that I'm an expert though."

(Y/n) appreciated Lupita's attempts at calming her nerves and a drink would indeed help in soothing her nerves. So she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that would be great." She said , crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes surveyed the room for a sign of either Jasper or Grey, both for very different reasons.

"Okay, you stay there and I'll get us something to drink." Lupita said, placing her hand on (Y/n)'s forearm, "I'll be quick, just stay there and wait for me."

(Y/n) simply nodded, giving Lupita an affirmative smile even though she probably couldn't see it due to the mask hiding both of their features. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." Was all Lupita said before disappearing in the crowd of ball gowns and tuxedos. Leaving (Y/n) to stand alone in a shadowed corner, sticking out like a sore thumb. (Y/n) wasn't complaining though, as she'd much rather be in her quiet corner than amongst the others. The farther away she was from Infected guests, the better, right?

Gods, I'm so stupid.

Maybe staying all alone in her little corner wasn't the best idea after all. Because wouldn't it make her stand out from the rest that much more, making it easier to spot her? Plus, Infected people had enhanced senses, she was sure Jasper would have no troubles in finding her, even more so if she was standing all by herself.

(Y/n) was utterly fucked, and she had been from the very beginning.

Gods, she had been such a fool to think this party could have ever been a good idea. Not with Jasper anywhere near her, and certainly not if said party was hosted in his house. (Y/n)'s presence here was practically a call for him to abduct her, and although the Community Bonding ball was supposed to be a peaceful gathering, (Y/n) knew Jasper wouldn't have any problems if he kidnapped her right this instant.

Because he was the mayor's son. And she was no one.

Maybe she should have taken Lupita up on her offer to ditch the party, maybe it wasn't too late to leave. Maybe she could still find Lupita, take her hand and yeet the both of them out of this mansion. Yeah, this sounded like a plan. (Y/n) would find another way to speak with Grey.

But right now, she had to leave, for her safety. And she wouldn't leave without Lupita.

(Y/n) hastily tried to make her way through the jungle of people dancing, talking and eating, all the while praying she wouldn't run into Jasper and praying that his Infected senses wouldn't spot her right through the crowd. And she was so close to the refreshment table, she could already spot Lupita's back a few feet away from where she was. She was so close to making it out of here.

Until a hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her back, hastily leading her in the opposite direction.

And right towards the door that led to the gardens.