A large bustling crowd of people were in the spacious mansion of the Flores family, each and everyone of them carrying a gift wrapped in elaborately decorated wrapping paper, lace, and sparkly ribbons. The occasion? Simple: It was the twenty second birthday celebration of their eldest daughter, Catalina. It also marked her debut in high society, though many thought it odd since normally a young woman would make her debut around the age of nineteen. Everyone had whispered amongst themselves as to what the reason could be for delaying Catalina’s debut, such as perhaps her taking too long to ‘bloom as a flower’ and her parents waited until her beauty came, or even that her father Alejandro was overprotective, a it was believed that he tried to delay the day she became a woman. 

Whatever the reason, the young eligible men of the party dreaded the moment that Catalina and her family walked through those doors atop the grand marble stairs of theirs, since their nagging mothers would most certainly try to have them talk to the weird ‘Ghost Girl’ and get to have the first dance with her. It was common knowledge among the nobles that Catalina’s family had the most influence and had personal connections to the royal family, as Catalina’s mother’s younger sister married the crown prince, now the king, so it was natural for everyone of a lower status to try and win the eldest daughter’s heart. 

But again, there was an issue: Catalina’s reputation. Ever since she was a young girl, she had practically spooked everyone around her. At first, it was her eyes: one eye, the left, was a beautiful shade of blue, which reminded one of the gem lapis lazuli. But the right eye? It was a shade of a ghostly green that seemed to make said eye stare directly into the soul, it also didn’t help that the pupil for that eye was white instead of the normal black. The thought of that eye made an unpleasant shiver go down the mens’ spines. The head of the group, a blonde haired man named Leo, let out a sigh when he heard one of the Flores family butlers announce their arrival.

Let’s just get this over with,’ Leo thought as he politely clapped alongside the others. His amber eyes looked up to the staircase where Alejandro and Luna Flores walked out first, being joined by their two sons, and finally, their daughter. As soon as Catalina stepped through those doors, the blonde shuddered in discomfort. He and the rest of the group of potential suitors walked close to where the Flores family were, and as soon as his eyes landed on Catalina, Leo felt his voice get caught in his voice and his eyes widened in shock.

Catalina’s beauty was clear. Very clear. She had long, wavy purple-brown hair that cascaded down her back, a pretty face that reminded him of those porcelain dolls that were popular among some of the ladies of high society, and she wore a simple yet elegant dress made of the finest silks, which was dyed a shade of pink that complimented her sun kissed skin. No longer was she the awkward ugly duckling who talked to ‘spirits’, before him was someone who had bloomed into a beautiful and proper young lady. And it seemed that his friends thought so as well, as Leo heard them talking amongst each other and even arguing who would approach her first. Leo scoffed at this. He turned around and made a shushing sound, quieting the rest of them.

“May I remind you all that we’re in public? It’d be best to not draw unwanted attention to ourselves.” he told them. “Honestly, I can’t take you all anywhere.” The blonde walked away from his friends and made his way straight towards Catalina, though was momentarily stopped by one of his acquaintances, a dark haired man wearing an olive green suit, when he asked, “L-Lord Vanderbilt, pardon me for asking, but where are you going?” “Why, I’m going to introduce myself to the lovely Lady Catalina.” he answered. Before the others could even think of a response, Leo walked away from them all with the intention of getting a dance with Catalina and perhaps, if he was bold enough, maybe even getting a moment alone so they could get ‘acquainted’ with each other, far from wandering eyes.

.

.

.

.

Catalina heard her mother calling her name while she was keeping an eye on her two younger brothers, which was difficult since one was with his friends and the other was being anti-social and eating some of the food the servants were handing out to the guests. After asking two of the maids to look after her two brothers, Catalina walked over to her mother and said, “You called for me?” “Yes I was! You remember Lord Leonard of the Vanderbilt family, don’t you?” Her mother asked, gesturing to the blonde haired twenty-something year old next to her. “He wished to ask for a chance to dance with you.” Catalina looked at Leo Vanderbilt, successfully hiding her annoyance at the sight of him.

‘He surely has quite the nerve to ask such a thing.’ Catalina thought to herself as she gave him a polite curtsy. Catalina did remember him, though not fondly. The bastard was among one of the many children who talked about her behind her back, making fun of her for her claims to see and talk to ghosts. 

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Lord Leonard,” Catalina greeted, having no issues with lying to this man who was a bully to her. When he offered her his hand, Catalina begrudgingly took it in hers and followed him to the dance floor. As they began to dance with the other men and women around them, Catalina heard a mischievous giggle coming from behind her dance partner. The young woman took a quick peek to see the transparent glowing spirit of Victor who, just like any other ghost, was puppeteering one of Leonard’s friends, who happened to have a drink in hand and was making them get closer towards them. 

Catalina, instead of getting worried, did her best to suppress a smile and laugh: which Leonard noticed. He had no idea what her dear old friend was planning.