Black and White

When they pulled up to the red carpet, they waited in line for a bit. Not long, but you could tell there were a few people ahead of them. A man dressed in an all black suit made of fine silks opened the door for them. Ben seemed completely different. He had somehow found time to slick and comb his hair back, making him look very regal. He stuck on a calm and proper smile. His mother had gotten out before them, and she glanced back as she made her way through the doors. It wasn't very warm. It held more of a judge, than a mother's touch. She motioned to move back a strand of hair then didn't look back. Ben immediately put it back into place. His smile seemed to waver too. A man stood at the door, up two steps and opened the door for Ben and Lucus. Lucus thanked him, and Ben followed suit. The gala was a special kind of loud. The loud that tickles your ears, yet sounds like a whisper. You can feel the vibrations of speech rumbling around, but it was more like a ripple than a wave. Lucus had braced himself for a huge impact, but it was much calmer than he thought. He tossed out a small pair of earplugs in his pocket on his way in. The gala was huge. It was open and grand, with ice sculptures scattered around white chocolate dyed black fountains with marshmallows and the special white kind of strawberry-like fruits. There were professional musicians, and even a stage that was soon to host a rapidly rising new idol group. They brushed against it as Ben pointed out a few things to Lucus. This was where he was soon to present. Lucus touched the speech filled with notes in his pocket. It was worn from use. It was printed in the special braille printer from the orphanage. Grand pianos and dazzling chandeliers that seemed to have been painted to be all black and white. Even the flowers in the vases were painted delicately with thin layers of black and white. It looked like an old film, save for the pale faces of people. Allicia hadn't come yet. She had texted earlier that she would be a bit late. A few people came up to them to make small talk. A few pompous business owners with fancy last names. It usually came back to his speech and asking him to represent the company or something. Like a thorn hidden behind a clear curtain, Lucus knew they just wanted to seem inclusive. He might not have been able to see the fake smiles surrounding him, but he could hear it in every note of their voices. They walked around together, and got some snacks. Lucus helped himself to plenty, but surprisingly enough, Ben only sampled a few delicate dishes. Lucus noticed Ben often swishing around to look in a new direction. He always seemed to look in the direction of his mother's voice. Ben's mother refrained from looking at him at most times, but every time she talked with a young girl around his age, she would look at him in a mix of expectancy and disappointment. Ben always avoided her gaze.

Eventually, Allicia showed up. It was a sight to behold. She had texted Ben and Lucus beforehand so they had come out to meet her. She pulled up in an suv. It was one of the older models, and had a bit of mud splattered on the side. The person in the driver's seat was in their pajamas, and only looked half awake. Allicia, was dressed elegantly. She was wearing an all black dress that really flattered her. It made her look much older than she really was, and she had her makeup on for the first time. She would have looked like a delicate flower, if not for her attitude. When the fancy old man came to open the door, Allica opened it first from the inside, knocking him over. He sat on the floor like a sad potato for a bit, before Allicia exclaimed her utmost apologies and pulled him up. This was much to the distaste of some pompous looking women. Their dates craned their necks to look, even though they must have been ten years older. She awkwardly attempted to brush off the dirt on his suit before giving up and noticing Lucus and Ben.

"Lucus! Ben!" she ran forward, tripping over her high heels and then the steps. Ben turned to the side, and didn't make eye contact. Instead, he gave a half hearted hello. He kept looking back as if looking for someone. Lucus waved warmly.

"Allicia! You're laaaaate." he waved his finger tauntingly in her face. She laughed and gave him a soft push. She might have been smaller than Lucus and Ben, but she was surprisingly strong.

"I know. I was looking for a new dress. They only tell us it's black and white tonight? I don't really care, but my friends did. They went crazy when they learned. They planned my whole wardrobe." Allicia motioned down to her dress. This was directed at Lucus, but only Ben could really see. She popped a lollipop into her mouth. Strawberry flavored. She offered one to Lucus, pink lemonade, and one to Ben, grape. Ben declined, but Lucus took his.

"You know, bright pink and red lollipops aren't really going with the black and white theme." Ben pointed out, monotone. He seemed like he was slightly embarrassed about something. Allicia thought for a moment, as Lucus nodded in slight agreement, but continued sucking on his lollipop. Allicia looked over at Lucus and pointed to the stick.

"It's still gonna be white if we keep the candy part in our mouths!" Allicia kind of bounced up once as she said this. She then popped her candy back into her mouth and sucked it. "thee?" she pointed at it once again. "It'f wight" Ben scowled and gestured to the door. The door-opening person noticed and opened it up. Lucus led them through, and went around showing her the places Ben had shown him. Lucus had already memorized the layout. They didn't notice Ben. He was stalking behind, and eventually split off into the crowd.