chapter 16
Theo and I sat in our dresses on my living room couch. I had just been through two hours of makeup application and hair styling. My scalp itched and I felt like I had pancake batter smeared on my face. And now I couldn't stop twiddling my thumbs. I shifted, the feathery white angel wings I was wearing cutting into my back.
Theo had done major reconstructive surgery to her dress in just two days, shortening the front and turning the excess into a long train in the back like a mermaid tail. The result was stunning. She'd found an unusual mix of chunky blue and green glitter from the craft store that now not only framed her eyes, but decorated her cheeks.
"I really don't want to wear my glasses," she complained, taking them off and squinting at the TV, "but I'm completely blind without them."
"They look fine," I assured her. "You look really pretty."
"I feel kind of exposed," she admitted, putting up the front of her dress.
Claire came out of her office, where she had been clearing old pictures off of her camera. She held the camera with both hands, her face excited. But it fell when she saw us, the corners of her mouth dipping down.
"Why are you two sitting?" she squealed. "You'll wrinkle your dresses!"
Theo and I glanced at each other, both releasing sighs at the same time. I stood up, careful to make sure my wings weren't snagging on the couch pillows. Theo followed. Claire started snapping photos, barely giving us a chance to pose. I imagine Theo and I were both grimacing in all of them.
My mother had offered about twenty times to drive us, but apparently Theo's date was older and had a car. This mystery man was really piquing my interest.
"You're going to run out of space before the guys even get here, Claire," I observed dryly. "Don't you want some couples shots?" She lowered the camera and frowned at it.
The doorbell rang, and I hustled over to beat my mother.
Henry stood on the porch, dressed in a knight's costume made of white and gold fabric. His head was uncovered, dark hair in its usual carefree style that fell however it wanted to. The costume was both a little goofy and attractive. Much like the person wearing it. When he saw me, his eyes lit up and his smile was soft and private.
"Wow," he breathed, eyes sweeping up my body.
"Hi," I said shyly, pulling at one side of the halter. I felt the wings wiggle behind me.
"You look amazing," he said quietly. The way he held himself now, hands pressed to his sides, looked like he was containing the urge to reach out and touch me.
"Move out the way bro, I gotta see my date," a familiar voice said behind him. Alex slapped Henry on the back and walked inside. Henry winced.
I turned to Theo, eyes wide, shaking my head. Are you kidding me? I mouthed.
She shrugged, her face contorted. Alex's tuxedo was the color of grape juice, but he otherwise had no costume elements. He was his own costume.
Claire positioned all four of us over by the closed doors to the den and made us pose for pictures until I finally whisked our little group out of the door and down the walk.
"We're going to be late," I reasoned as we escaped.
"Have fun!" she called, waving from the doorway. If she could she would have hopped in the car with us.
Inside Alex's Jeep, we were all like awkward kids. None of us looked at each other; we found endlessly fascinating sights out of the window. No one brought up our last misadventure; it was as if we silently agreed to stop talking about it. Alex managed to stay on the road most of the time, and had turned off the heavy metal that normally blasted from his cheap subwoofers. I still couldn't believe that Theo would want to go with him. I wondered who asked who, as my eyes darting back and forth between them.
I glanced out of the side window. A little girl stood by herself on the sidewalk. She wore a blue raincoat, even though the evening sky was clear. I had never seen someone look so utterly abandoned.
The Jeep whizzed by her. I craned my neck back.
"Did anyone see that little girl?" I asked.
"What little girl?" asked Henry from his seat beside me. But I couldn't see her anymore. Maybe her parents had been nearby, after all, and had only just picked her up.
Although the school didn't have any decorations on the outside, it looked different when we arrived. More mysterious, the tall exterior standing resolutely against the night. We got out of the car, and Henry held out his arm.
"My lady," he said, grinning his cheesy grin.
I smirked and took his arm. I finally noticed the stone fountain a few yards from the steps, since a spotlight was thrown on it for the night.
Inside, a purple fabric roll was duct taped to the floor to resemble a rug. It led, presumably, to the gym. In the entrance hall, hundreds of paper bats hung from the ceiling. Alex shrieked as they brushed the top of his head, batting them away.
"What have I gotten myself into?" I heard Theo mutter as we continued towards the gym. She was pulling at the fingerless blue lace gloves on her hands. I wondered the same thing myself. The two of them together was the strangest combination I'd ever seen, especially considering he was almost a foot taller than her.
"The dance committee went all out," Henry said, giving me a side grin. He was so handsome I couldn't help but smile, remembering how I couldn't when we first met. I couldn't believe that I was actually there with him. It seemed like some untouchable fantasy that had amazingly come true.
Volunteers were offering face and body painting out in the hall, and one girl had a full dozen roses across her back, starting to slowly melt in the warmth coming from the gymnasium.
Inside the gym, everyone was so dressed up they were almost unrecognizable. The regular lights were turned down, and tons of twinkle lights were strung up on the walls. Most people were wearing formal wear with masks or horns or tails, but a few people had full on costumes. The teachers especially had gotten into the festive mood. Mr. Vanderlip was dressed as a pilgrim complete with buckled hat, which for some reason made me giggle.
Madison and Lainey were parked by the refreshment table. Both wore low cut dresses — Lainey had devil horns, and was wearing a two piece red dress that looked like it could easily be from the dress shop Theo and I escaped from. A good four inches of her tan stomach were on display. Madison had at least used some creativity. The fabric of her modest dress looked fluffy, and she had lamb ears and white tights.
Lainey's date appeared to be Ambrose Slaughter, who swayed and looked a bit tipsy as he took a drink from a presumably tainted glass of punch. Lainey didn't seem too thrilled. She and Madison were arguing, Lainey moving animatedly and waving her hands.
"You look ridiculous," Lainey yelled angrily, her high-pitched voice carrying over the floor. I looked away from the car wreck they were quickly becoming.
Mr. Warwick sidled up to us, a grin plastered on his face. A bulky trenchcoat draped over his lanky frame, the collar flipped up around his neck.
"Hey, Wick," Alex said. "What's your costume supposed to be?"
"I'm a turncoat," he said, showing the yellow lining of the coat which looked totally different. Alex just looked confused.
"Is that one of those guys that sells counterfeit watches in the city?" he asked.
Warwick looked at him with his head cocked to one side. He waved at us as he went off to talk to someone else.
"Have fun, you guys," he said.
"Excuse me," a woman next to us said to a teacher I didn't recognize. The teacher was dressed up as a box of French fries, "Have you seen Mr. McPherson?"
The French fry lady shook her head. It gave me pause for a second, but I brushed it off, not wanting to think about our strange Principal.
"Alright, let's boogie," Alex said, grasping Theo's hand. They went off to dance.
"I hope she'll be alright with him," I said to Henry over the music.
"She'll be fine," Henry assured me. We were huddled close so we could hear each other. "He's not that bad of a guy when you get to know him. He's not that great either, but not the slimeball he may appear to be."
I opened my mouth to protest that declaration, but he silenced my argument by taking my hand and leading me to an empty space on the floor where we started dancing.
I felt a bit awkward at first, but I got caught up in the spirit of everyone having such a good time, and the strobe lights flickering to the bass beat.
Alex passes by with Theo, spinning her around, and they tangoed off, her cheek to his chest.
Henry and I danced close, not letting go of each other's hands. We laughed, pressing our foreheads together and looking into each other's eyes. It dissolves into a fit of giggles on both sides. Song after song passed, the night stretching out endlessly.
I was getting tired and I could feel sweat rolling down my back, my wings crooked, but I didn't care. I felt free. I couldn't get enough of Henry so close to me, and I didn't take my eyes off of his handsome face now that I had an excuse.
The night began to wind down, a few people taking off or sitting down. A slow song started up. I looked around at all the other couples dancing as they started to sway slowly. Henry took both of my arms by the wrists and pulled them up around his neck, never looking away from my eyes. He slipped his hands down and slid them around my waist below my wings.
I gulped. The friendly mood between us had taken on a different tone entirely.
We pulled closer, so that our bodies were pressed together. Henry smelled so good and felt so warm, and fit so well against me that my head swam. I couldn't get close enough to him. I wanted him everywhere.
His face nuzzled into my neck. I felt him begin to kiss my shoulder, sending little electrical shots through my body.
Pulling away from me, he held my gaze with his own. So many times I had thought about this moment in the last few weeks. Our faces moved towards each other, and then our lips touched.
One half of the gym lights flickered on, blinding me. For a moment, I just assumed another electrical issue, which had come at exactly the wrong time, as usual. I was prepared to shrug it off, nearly frenetic to kiss Henry again. Now that I'd had a little bit of him, it wasn't enough. I had to have more. Then I heard a woman arguing with others in a hysterical voice.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" she shrieked. "I am not calming down! My daughter is missing!"
As my eyes adjusted, I saw it was one of the chaperones. With a chill, I realized she was the one who had been asking about McPherson. I wondered if that meant he was involved.
"I'm not going to calm down!" The woman repeated. "There was blood on the floor of the ladies' room."
A few people gasped, frightened. The floor swiftly cleared off.
"I guess the dance is over," Alex said, sidling up to us with his arm around Theo. For once she didn't seem to mind.
Although some people began to file out of the gym, our group went over to where the woman was talking. I watched as a lone purple balloon deflated and fell gracefully to the table behind her.
"What's going on?" I asked. The woman turned to me, her face blotchy with conflicting emotions.
"I brought my ten year old, Susan, with me," she explained. "And she was right beside me the whole time. Then suddenly, she was gone, and I can't find her. And when I looked in the girl's bathroom, there was blood all over the floor. And they won't call the police!" she jabbed her thumb accusingly at the group of harried-looking teachers next to her. Their costumes made them look ridiculous now.
"There's a protocol we have to follow," one of the teachers started, but Henry cut her off.
"Let's look for her," Henry said decisively. "She's got to be somewhere." Everyone else began to split up into groups to search the school. The four of us, with a few adults, headed off down past the main hall, lead by the woman who told us her name was Lynn. She came to the girl's bathroom near the Science hall and pushed open the door.
Theo and I peered inside. Blood was smeared all over the tile floor, like someone had wiped it around with their hands.
"This is bad," I whispered to Theo. Her face was very pale, and she nodded silently.
"See what I mean?" Lynn said. "You see."
"I think you should definitely call the police," Henry told her. "Don't worry about what the teachers are saying."
The woman nodded decisively, and walked off, cell phone in her shaking hand. The rest of us, without a word, continued down the hall to keep looking.
"Susan!" we called, her name echoing off the walls, almost as if to answer us. In the night the school looked strange, and I felt like we shouldn't be there.
We stopped in the hallway after a few minutes. Alex leaned against the wall. He looked pale against the purple of his suit.
"What's taking the cops so long?" he asking no one in particular, taking off his shoe and rubbing his foot. Henry started popping quarters in the vending machine to get drinks. He handed each of us a Coke and I thanked him. It felt like we had been in the school for days.
Ariel...
Someone was calling my name again. Putting the pop down on a nearby drinking fountain, I left the others where they were standing and discussing what to do next, and turned the corner. A sharp pain stabbed my temple, as if something was forcing its way through. Electricity danced its familiar pattern on the surface of my skin.
The little girl in the blue raincoat was standing in front of me, about two yards away. I could feel reality trying to fall away, my body starting to float, and in my dissociation I clung to myself as hard as I could.
The little girl turned and walked silently away. I remembered where I'd seen her — she was the little girl that went missing a month ago. The knowledge that her name was Alyssa entered my mind, and I pictured Claire watching the news the night we had gone out to dinner. I could faintly see the hallway through Alyssa's raincoat. The lights dimmed, everything taking on a bluish hue, like we were underwater.
I knew she was dead. But for some reason, I wasn't frightened anymore. Tranquility settled over me. Calm in knowing that what was happening was real.
I walked towards her slowly, and called her name. She turned around. Her eyes were completely black, like those of an insect.
"Everyone's been looking for you," I said. She stared almost through me. I couldn't really tell if she knew I was there or not, as if we were in two different but very close parallel worlds, or I was looking at her through broken glass.
"What happened to you?" I asked.
As if in answer, Alyssa's small hands went to the hood of her coat, and pulled it down. I stifled the gag in my throat. Her neck was cleanly sliced from side to side. Even though there was no blood, it was grotesque.
And then she was gone, and the blue of the walls melted into the regular cream that I saw every day.
"Ariel, what are you doing?" Theo called.
I turned around, and saw my three friends waiting for me.
"Nothing," I called. "I'm coming back."
I jogged back to them. I didn't tell them about seeing the girl. I didn't have any urge to; it was my own personal gift.
We walked to the front of the building, where the police were questioning the now-sobbing Lynn. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks now, and she was having tremendous difficulty speaking.
When I was a little girl, burglars broke in to the house across the street. The police came to the neighborhood, and talked to Hugh about it, asking him if he had seen anything. Jenna and I stood behind him the whole time, so excited that a real life drama was taking place in front of our eyes.
It was less exciting when they grilled me after Jenna left. Why had I let her go? Did I know if she was involved in drugs? A hundred questions were aimed towards me, and I couldn't answer them fast enough.
As we departed Hawthorne, treading over the torn purple carpet and fallen paper bats on the floor, listening to the woman sobbing and being taken off by a family friend without her daughter, it was all I could think about.