Alyce herself was one of the few who knew she was a monster. Her maid also knew it, but she was bullied into silence and submission. The only other person who knew it was Madeline. Madeline knew it better than anyone else, because Madeline was also a monster, if just a different kind.
Upstairs in her locked, hidden room, Madeline was crouching in a corner, listening to the faint music coming from the Ballroom. She liked the melody of this one- and the beat, what was it? A waltz? Yes, yes a waltz.
Madeline stood upright, and held her arms out to an imaginary partner. She was a frightful sight, in her long white nightgown and her wild, curly black hair, her big, black eyes.
“Why Jeremiah, I’d love to,” she giggled with a curtsy to the thin air, “I knew you’d come back for me.”
And as her nurse watched her through the keyhole, Madeline waltzed with the air, and laughed flirtatiously with it, while from downstairs the sweetly sad music echoed just strong enough to be heard in the hidden wing where Madeline was kept.
Downstairs the evening had just begun- the Rassmussen Patriarch and his daughter had not yet descended the Grand Staircase, but the guests had arrived, and ballroom was bursting with music and laughter. Billowing, lacy skirts whirled and shiny boots followed after them, ladies batted their lashes at gentlemen and gossip swirled around the room. The atmosphere in the room was hot- hot from a thousand emotions contained in it. The men competed jealously for their ladies, who all watched each other enviously. Gentlemen old enough and rich enough to be part of the Mr. Rassmussen’s infamous and underhanded Monster Club chomped their cigars and swirled their brandy in anticipation, while Alyce’s favorite group of ladies, who had been organized into their own secret society, waited anxiously for her. Tonight was not just a night of revelry; it was also business. It was well known that many a Monster’s Ball had ended with a disappearance, even a murder, but no one ever dared to refuse an invitation from the Rassmussens. The room was as colorful as Mardi Gras, as elegant as Paris, as thick as thieves, and as hot as Hell.
Suddenly the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to the Grand Staircase. Slowly descending the stairs was old Rassmussen himself, his breathtaking daughter on his arm. They descended into the room like gods in their own rite, until they reached the ballroom floor. The crowd parted to let them pass, and the music did not start again until they had seated themselves at their table and old Rassmussen motioned for the orchestra to play on. In an instant there were a dozen men around Alyce, asking her for a waltz. Every woman hated and envied, and worshipped, Alyce. There was a certain irresistible charm about her, for both men and women, which no one could account for.
Upstairs Madeline caught wind of Alyce’s voice.
“Alyce!” she hissed, stopping her waltz midstep, “Alyce, Alyce, Alyce.”
Her face shriveled into a snarl.
“Bad.”
She sank to her knees and walked her fingers across the dusty floor.
“Pretty Alyce, pretty Alyce,” she said in a sing-song voice, “Naughty Alyce, plays with the boys, plays with the toys, dances all night, boys start a fight, Alyce the spider sits in her web, and soon the boys will all be…”
She rolled onto her back, and put a hand on her belly.
“Eaten,” she smiled.
“Mr. Tarleton,” Alyce smiled, extending her hand to the handsome dark, curly haired gentleman, “Did you know I missed you terribly while I was away?”
“Did you?” Mr. Tarleton asked, his blue eyes smiling as he kissed her proffered hand.
“Did you miss me at all?” she smiled, and fanned herself.
“Very much,” he replied, caressing the top of her soft hand with his thumb as he held it.
“Fibber!” she giggled, and withdrew her hand, “You didn’t even notice I was gone.”
“Now Miss Alyce, that’s not true at all! How could I not notice? I’d just as soon overlook the stars missing from the sky,” he objected.
Alyce leaned in, very close to his lips and whispered, “Then why haven’t you asked… to dance with me yet?”
Madeline went to her window, and tested the latch. She had secretly broken it some time ago, and had carefully hidden it from her nurse, waiting and waiting for tonight to come, as it did every year. Satisfied that it would open, she reached out onto the windowsill and pulled up a loose brick, and hid it in the folds of her nightdress. She then crept back to center of her room, sat on the floor, and began to howl like an animal. Her nurse quickly came in to quiet her before the guests heard her, locking the door behind her as she always did. She rushed over to Madeline, but as soon as she was within arm’s reach Madeline quickly struck out and hit her nurse with the brick hidden in her fist. Her nurse was knocked unconscious, but Madeline caught her before she hit the floor.
“Poor nurse, poor nurse,” she crooned, rocking her nurse’s head for a moment before setting it softly on the floor with a kiss.
Her wild, beautiful eyes then flashed to the window. She stood up quickly and walked to the window, then threw open the shutters. She lifted herself up onto the windowsill, and sat there a moment, her feet dangling over the edge. She cackled, and kicked her feet, then reached out and grabbed onto the rain gutter, and climbed out the window.
Old Mr. Rassmussen sat in the corner, smoking his large cigar and talking to his Monster Club associates in a domineering voice, so he did not see Alyce disappear out the door with Mr. Tarleton. It was a strange talent Alyce had, with every eye on her, to disappear into thin air.
Mr. Tarleton should have been thrilled. Any man at the Monster’s Ball would have given his right arm to be alone with Miss Alyce. But Mr. Tarleton was rather unlike the other men in that respect. Oh, Miss Alyce was stunning, to be sure, and wealthy as King Midas, but there had always been something in her eyes, something that reminded him of a snake.
“Come on, come on Mr. Tarleton! We’ll be caught if we don’t hurry away quickly.” Alyce pulled at his hand and led him away down a dark hallway.
He went with her, unable to resist, but his reluctance, his propriety, and his intuition tugged him in the other direction.
“Where are we going, Miss Alyce?”
She tossed him a look over her shoulder, “Just here,” she said, and pushed open a door off the hallway.
The room was empty, and dark but for the moonlight that streamed through the window and softly reflected off the furniture.
“What are you up to?” he teased her gently.
She reached into her hair and pulled out the pin that held it up, then shook her head, letting her curly black hair tumble over her shoulders.
“Kiss me, Tarleton,” she said, tilting her perfect little face up towards his, and stepping into his arms.
He hesitated for just a moment, then gently but firmly pushed her away.
“No. No, Miss Alyce. I’m sorry.”
Alyce looked for a moment like she had not heard him right.
“No? Did I just hear you say no to me?” she looked amused, and slightly baffled.
“I won’t kiss you, Alyce. I don’t love you,” he said.
“Don’t you?” she tilted her head, “That is odd. You see, I thought for certain you did.”
She stepped closer to him again, reaching up and running her finger under his chin and against his jawline, then went up on her tiptoes and kissed the tender spot just between his jaw and neck.
“Stop it, Alyce,” he said, again pushing her away, “I…”
A sudden noise made them turn.
“What was that?” Alyce whispered, gripping Tarleton’s forearm tightly, “It sounded like an animal.”
“An animal? In the hall?” Tarleton asked.
“Let’s get out of here.” Alyce said, starting for the door.
“No,” Tarleton stopped her, “If it is an animal, it’s safer that you stay here a moment. I’ll go take a look.”
He opened the door, and stepped into the hall, shutting the door behind him. The room was quiet. The moonlight cast an eerie glow over the room, and Alyce turned and looked out the window for just a moment when she heard the ‘click’ of the door shutting. She whipped back around.
“Hello, big sister. Miss me?” Madeline’s voice greeted Alyce before she saw her.
“Madeline!” Alyce gasped, “How did you get out of your room?”
Alyce saw with horror that Madeline had a pistol in one hand. Madeline didn’t answer, but took a bottle of Scotch off a side table and dumped it onto the floor.
“Bad, bad, bad,” she chastised as she watched the liquor run over the ground and onto a rug.
“Madeline, you go back to your nurse this instant!” Alyce ordered, trying to sound brave.
Madeline looked up at her, amused.
“Scared of me?” she asked, “I can make animal noises.”
Madeline produced a match, which she dropped into the spilled alcohol, a fire jumping up. Her face then crumpled into a snarl, and she began to growl, and snapped at her sister like an angry dog. Alyce screamed and bolted for the door, throwing it open just as her sister reached her.
“Pretty Alyce, pretty Alyce!” shrieked Madeline, pulling Alyce backwards by her hair.
They struggled for a moment, then Alyce broke free and ran down the hall screaming for help. Tarleton was there in an instant, and they ran towards the Ballroom. Alyce’s father met them at the doors.
“What is God’s name is going on?” he demanded as they slammed the doors behind them.
“Demon!” cried Alyce, “It’s that demon!”
Suddenly smoke began sneaking under the door, and the smell of smoke filled the room. Panic broke out, and people ran every which way to get out of the burning mansion. Somewhere in the pandemonium Madeline reappeared, calmly raised her pistol and shot Alyce through the heart, right in front of the terrified mob.
“What happened then?” Cinnamon was fascinated.
Mr. Andrews sighed, “The fire was put out before too much of the mansion burned. Miss Alyce was buried in the family crypt. Madeline ran into the swamps and was never seen again. The Monster Club was disbanded by the start of the Civil War, when all the men went to fight. Old Mr. Rassmussen became a recluse after the loss of his daughters, and was rarely seen again. Eventually the plantation was abandoned when the slaves all ran away, and Mr. Rassmussen disappeared as well.”
“Spooky,” commented Cinnamon.
“Yes. Spooky,” agreed Mr. Andrews.
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