Week 4 Story: Behind the Mask

(Photo from Pinterest)

When Lady Ann entered the castle by accident, she had no idea she would become the thief called Panther. Even less clear was that she would end up falling head over heals for the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Joker. Ann had never fit in at school in Japan. She was foreign and beautiful with long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Everyone made the assumption that she was stuck up and thought she was better than everyone. Other than Shiho who had made friends with her and was the only person who never seemed to care about Ann’s appearance, she was friendless.

She had followed two boys towards the school, and accidentally ended up somewhere else. A castle? She didn’t understand the half of what was going on, but the volleyball coach who had been harassing Ann and Shiho, Kamoshida, was there. He was decked out in a pair of pink boxers, a royal looking robe and a crown, and ordering a bunch of shadow monsters to kill her. Ann had been so confused, but eventually her anger got the best of her and the spirit of rebellion within her released her persona, Carmen. That was how Ann had become a member of the Phantom Thieves, along with the two boys she had followed there. She was certain the blonde one was Ryuji. He talked like a fool and had the same build and mannerisms. Ann didn’t really consider him a friend, but they had gone to middle school together, so she was well aware of how be sounded and behaved. For some reason, they were using code names. Ryuji was known in this world as Skull, the weird cat-looking thing was Mona, and the leader was called Joker.

They all had on masks and costumes, so it was difficult to tell who Joker really was. He wasn’t someone too familiar. But he was beautiful and charismatic. The way he held himself confidently, how he athletically leaped from the chandeliers, and how gracefully he flipped his body into action when fighting the shadows. It was all perfection in Ann’s eyes. She wanted badly to know who he was.

When they took a break in a safe room, she playfully tried to raise his mask. She just wanted a peek at what else was behind there, other than those piercing grey eyes. But his hand shot out, preventing her from removing the mask, accompanied by a quiet but firm “no”.

As they continued to explore the castle, watching Joker slink through the shadows was enticing. Each time she got a glance at him in the light, Ann couldn’t keep her eyes off of the way he moved, perplexed at who he could be. Ryuji had no friends, at least not since the track team had been disbanded. Mona kept engaging her in conversation, giving her lessons about the world, but Ann couldn’t stay focused on the cat.

When the group was finally too tired to continue for the day, they exited the Metaverse. She was shocked to find herself back in normal clothing, standing beside Ryuji, an actual kitty cat, and that new transfer student that sat behind her in homeroom. “Wait, seriously?! Kurusu, right? The transfer student?”

“Akira,” he replied with a soft smile. “Do you like coffee?” he asked. ‘I live above a cafe.” He took her arm and they began walking.

“Ugh!” Ryuji called after them. “Coffee is so bitter! Guess I’ll catch you at school tomorrow!”

The cat ran at their heels, trying desperately to keep up. “Slow down, Akira! I live at the cafe, too, Lady Ann! I can’t wait to show you our room!”

(Photo by Autumn-Sacura)

Author’s Note:

This story is based on Cupid and Psyche by Apuleius. In the original, Psyche is not allowed to see what her husband looks like. Her jealous sisters talk her into peeking at him while he sleeps. She is afraid he might be some sort of monster and plans to kill him, but she instead finds the handsome Cupid asleep in her bed. He wakes, and his mother Venus is angry when she finds out about his involvement with the beautiful mortal girl she hates. Venus makes Psyche complete impossible tasks and still won’t allow her to be with Cupid. In the end, Jupiter allows them to marry and forces Venus to accept it. For my retelling, I have again used characters from the game Persona 5. When Ann accidentally stumbles into the Metaverse, the others are wearing costumes and masks. She’s quick to figure out who Ryuji is, but Joker is more of a mystery until they return to the real world. I thought it would be fun to play with that, keeping her in the dark for awhile.


"Cupid and Psyche" from The Golden Ass by Apuleius. Web Source.