Everyone had something they couldn't move on from. Everyone had secrets. Some were lame, some were dark, but all were important. So much that they held back the person far beyond the person knew. They were like loaming figures, shrouded in shadows of mystery and deception, walking behind you wherever you went and even a small tug on their cloak could reveal the nature of their reality.

Sitting in the darkest corner of the ballroom with one leg crossed over the other and a glass of red wine in hand, Robin was seeing the secrets burdening each of the fakers. Except these people weren't scared of anything. Their secrets were safe inside the room because they were all the same kind. Their demons were friends with their true nature and their true nature was similar to the demons themselves.

Her heels tapped on the floor repeatedly. She didn't wish to come here at all. What about this life was elegant to these people? Rose had decided to come here and she even dared to call Robin after gulping down too much amount of Alcohol. Did she never learn? Or was this her way to making Robin socialize more, but that would be a play with fire?

She just sat there, observing the people with an air of calm on the outside and a typhoon of curses on the inside. Look at them dancing like robotic mannequins. Robin thought to herself.

Her trance was broken as a larger hand grabbed hers. She almost pulled it back and slammed the wine glass into whoever it was.

"May I?" The man asked politely.

Robin forced a smile on her lips, "You may not."

He grinned almost devilishly, "How rude, I wonder how you even lure prey with this attitude."

Robin's eyebrow twitched, "Someone like you wouldn't know such a perfect craft, out of my way Alex."

"How sharp, like a knife." Alex circled his arm around her lithe waist, pulling her flush against himself, her red dress twirled aesthetically.

Wearing the stilettos, Robin's midnight eyes were on the same level as his, just one breath closer and they would touch. She could smell the scent of his deodorant, making her feel dizzy.

"Let. go," Robin spoke through clenched teeth, fisting her hands which rested between them.

"Calm down darling, I just want to talk."

"Oh, you have said plenty enough, I am starting to wonder if I should let you speak ever again."

Her eyes glinted, sharp as arrows, ready to pierce your eyeballs and rip off everything that was inside.

"You are like a dream come true," Alex muttered, bringing his lips closer to hers.

"My lipstick is laced with poison."

Alex laughed heartily. "Miss Veretta, you exactly like your character in the series. It's truly enchanting."

Robin smiled, mimicking the way Rose acted on screen and in front of people. It was her craft and Robin had observed her much closer than anyone else. The eyes were greater liars than the tongue.

"For a moment I thought I was getting arrested Detective, why would you be on duty mode!"

"Let's hope such a day never comes Miss Veretta. And to be honest, it can't."

Robin continued smiling as she was forced to dance with the blockhead of a man. How could Rose try and cheat on her with this guy? Robin was by far better.

"I have something important to tell you Miss Veretta."

"Is it about Sophie's case?" Robin asked innocently. An emotion that felt foreign on her tongue and heart.

"It kind of is and-"

Robin placed a finger on his lips, "Not here, it's not safe."

Alex nodded dumbly. A subtle blush spread on his sun-kissed skin. Robin wanted to throw up. It made her sick to be in this close proximity of a man. She was constantly aware of his hand on her waist. The fact that she was pressed so closely to his body made her injury hurt.

"I'll go first, follow me to the hallway at a safe distance." Robin freed herself from Alex with a graceful move, leaving him speechless.

Without turning back, she walked away in a hallway with absolutely no light. It was her chance to finally escape. As soon as she was out of sight from people's view, she shoved her hand through the neck of her dress and retrieved her mask, pasting it on her face in a hurry and making a run towards the nearest washroom.

Damn, you idiot. What the hell was he even doing here? This was all Rose's fault.

She untied her short hair from the fake bun and covered half of her face with the mask. When she had first entered the ballroom, she had brought in a spare dress. Thus, getting out of the Red silk, she wrapped herself in the off-white trumpet dress.

"Rose, are you in there?" Alex knocked on the door. Robin decided she would rather jump out of the window than talk to this man and so she did.

The cold air of the night hit her face, cooling down the sickening feeling. She jumped on the floor, staggering a bit on her stilettos. The stench of garbage finally hit her.

"Suck it you fucker." She muttered under her breath, finding the safest route out.

But to her absolute surprise, as soon as she exited the alley, she was met with the blaring noise of sirens. Of course, he came prepared.

She slipped away from the small opening on the pedestrian crossing but before she could get away, a voice called to her. "Ma'am, we'll need to check you please."

Turning around, it was a single officer in an off-blue uniform. He had a gun latched on his belt but no weapon in his hand. Seeing Robin though, he seemed to have realised something. Before he could reach for his walkie-talkie, Robin flew a kick on his hand, followed by a punch on his nose.

Her abdomen protested painfully against it but what could she do? The officer groaned and kneeled on the ground, covering his bloody nose with one hand and reaching for the gun with the other.

"Not so fast love." Robin reached for his hair and slammed his face into her knee. She could feel the dull pain in her leg but ignoring it completely, she made a run towards the street. It was a night longer than she had imagined. Rose would not be happy about such a happening at all.

#

"I can't believe you!" Rose screamed angrily, patching up the lip which had split open again.

Robin winced, "You are the one who got drunk!"

"Shut up! You'll be caught, we are so dead."

Rose's eyes were red and her hair was entirely messed up. Even the scent of her Rosemary perfume wasn't calming anymore. She could feel blood rushing up to her head and her heart racing at two hundred miles per hour.

"He doesn't know yet," Robin muttered, looking down.

Rose grabbed her face, hurting her already bruised cheek. Robin yelped in pain. "You better not come out again."

Robin relaxed her shoulders, letting indifference write itself over her face. "Yes, mistress."

Rose wasn't in the mood to joke but what more could she even do against a trained murderer?

"I hate you." Rose's shoulders fell and she kneeled on the floor beside Robin, her eyes filling with tears.

Robin didn't say another word and just slid beside her in place, wrapping her arms around Rose. When the latter had finally calmed down, she looked back up, bringing her hand closer to Robin's face and removing the mask from it, revealing a face similar to her own.

#

Dum dum dum

Any guesses so far?