Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 303

The vast dance studio was filled with colorful lights, captivating music, and people with a variety of masks and matching

allire.

A young boy stood in the center, holding a microphone and explaining the rules. He pointed toward the display screen on the wall.

Initially, this screen played dance videos, but now it was being repurposed for a different use, making the most of its

utilization.

The boy said, “Today is our annual mask party. I’m thrilled that we can get together again. Let’s cut to the chase. I’ll explain the rules. The students who participated in the past years know the rules, but our new juniors don’t. For those participating for the first time, we welcome you to join our faculty’s big family!

He continued, “Currently, the lights are on The entire dance studio is very bright. Our principal has spared no expense. He bought the best lights for this studio. First of all, thanks to the principal’s generosity. Okay, I stop the flattery now. Let’s continue with the main topic. You all have to wear the mask you like now, and you can’t see each other’s faces. Then, there’s a blank name tag on your chests. Before the game starts, pick a name from the screen you think you’ll meet when the lights are off. After the lights come on, we’ll reveal the answers. Check if the person you’re holding hands with matches the name on your tag. When the time as up, take down masks and let everyone witness.”

He added, “Rules are laid out. Let’s talk about some key points. No cheating is allowed. You can’t secretly remove your mask and no sneaky actions.

“Now, onto the prizes. The first prize is a Tesla Model 3 You can choose the color you like. Of course, this game doesn’t have second or third prizes, nor participation prizes. So don’t hold onto any hopes for those. I’ve covered the rules, the prizes, and the key points. Any questions? I suppose not. Then, let’s start writing down the names.”

His voice was loud, filling the dance studio. As his words faded, they carried a lingering echo. “Are you all done writing? Then, I declare the mask party begins.”

With a resounding announcement, everyone in the room became excited, enthusiastic, curious, and hopeful about winning prizes. They were also curious about who they would see when the lights came on later. This kind of game was full of unknowns. It ignited a strong sense of curiosity and exploration in people.

Ava, Rose, and Sherri stood together. They even added Alex Natalie and Trevon did not take off their name tags or write down names because their names were not on the screen. They were here to experience the atmosphere of Ava’s school.

Sherri pursued a sense of ceremony and wrote “Hackett’ on her name tag, while Hackett wrote “Sherri” on his

Rose randomly picked a name from the screen. It was Alex.

Ava neatly wrote “Alex” on the blank name tag, and Alex also wrote “Ava” on the name tag.

After five minutes, the bright lights dimmed, casting a dim atmosphere in the dance hall. In the darkness, one could not see other people clearly. They were all in the same school uniforms but with different masks, making it impossible to distinguish one person from another.

Trevon felt uncomfortable in his school uniform. Everything felt strange to him. However, Natalie was quite happy as she held his waist and hugged him tightly. He asked, “Honey, are you having fun?”

Natalie smiled in the darkness and replied, “Yes, does this count as a campus romance?”

Trevon chuckled and mischievously pecked her ear. “Maybe.”

The damp sensation on her ear made her body tingle, and her ear turned slightly red. Fortunately, the lights were off. She warned, “Behave yourself. We are in a school”

Trevon replied, “Alright, I’ll behave now, but I won’t let you off when we are home.”

Natalie went speechless.

atmosphere and scattered the clustered crowd. Only then did the dance begin. Ava

firmly encircled Ava’s waist. Their warmth transmitted through her school uniform to her body. One hand rested on Ava’s shoulder, providing a protective touch. She knew this person was

arms, giving off an air of detachment. Behind the mask, the man’s eyes

Lately, due to the

these thoughts grew

up for quite a while, her neck getting sore. Her steps followed the rhythm, and the man’s steps

stepped on me. Hackell,

dark. I can’t see. I’ll be more

she said, “Mister, have we met

he didn’t respond, she assumed he wasn’t interested and stopped asking. She loosened her grip on his arm, but has

saying, “Excuse me, can you

hand indeed loosened a bit. Ava didn’t say anything more and continued dancing. She had to endure it until the end of the dance. After all, she

Ava voluntarily pulled away from the man’s chest, creating a bit more distance between them. The sudden brightness caused everyone present

become less adapted to brightness. It took time for them to adjust

wasn’t wearing a school uniform. He wore a jet-black suit with matching trousers. A pure black custom-made belt was fastened around his waist.

fox mask added a touch of wildness and rebellion, as well as a hint of innocence and allure. As Ava looked at the man in front of her, her

to the

panic, and astonishment in her eyes. She tightly clenched her school uniform,

commanding voice rang out, “Now, let’s remove our masks and see who’s beside us. But don’t be surprised. The matches might not be opposite genders. It could be male-male or female-female pairings. It’s normal to pick someone

to stare at the person before her. She really wanted to see

were

everyone started removing their masks. Natalie and her friends had also taken off their masks, finding themselves surrounded by familiar faces. Rose

strange. From the stage. someone announced, “There are two people who haven’t removed their masks yet. Let’s see if they match

herself. Then, she reached out to take off her mask slowly. She held her breath as she waited for the

it to be. She hoped

how to

uniform. Trevon pulled Natalie and urged the man with the

the man lifted his well-defined fingers and slowly removed his mask. For a brief moment, the air grew silent. Everyone was astonished, except for Rose, who

arrive here? Why didn’t you say

encouraging him all along, getting worried for him. It turned out

he had planned it all along. No wonder he went missing. He

annoying smile on the plane must be because

in her heart, and

were

know Frank would show up at the mask

Pursuing someone wasn’t

Frank would be here, but he hadn’t expected Frank planned to reveal

was prepared. Perhaps Ava was not mentally prepared too. It was all

was still a little bit romantic.