“And wait till you see Jared,” she told Mina. “Is he hot, or what?”
Just then Jared stepped out of the limo, and Mina clutched Brody’s arm. Jared hadn’t dressed as a specific character, but the costume seemed so fitting it was hard to remember what he looked like in anything else. His thin frame was the perfect complement to the white Victorian shirt with the tie-up collar and silver doublet with dark black pants. His skin glowed in the darkness, accented by his dark hair, though that may have been a trick of the light from the neon store fronts across the street. His stormy eyes shone like molten silver.
“You clean up nice,” Mina said, trying to ease the tension in the air. “This is a good look for you.”
“Thanks,” he muttered. “You look…fantastic.”
Mina smirked. “Why, Jared, that may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I cannot tell a lie,” he replied, shrugging before helping Nan into the car. It came off as a joke, but only Mina knew the truth behind those words.
Brody led her slowly to the back of the limo, Mina walking on the balls of her feet so as not to damage her heels in the grass. He opened the door to let her slide in. Mina was so short, she had a bit of trouble maneuvering up into the limo, especially with the dress.
Once she was in, Nan slid behind her and moved down toward the drink bar. “Look, sparkling cider.” She opened the bottle and poured a few glasses.
Mina took the glass and sipped it cautiously, fully aware of Jared’s direct gaze. Nan handed a drink to Brody, who put it in a cup holder. As they took off, Nan fiddled with the radio stations and finally found a rock station worth jamming to.
The music seemed a surreal backdrop to the scene in the limo: Nan bobbing her head to the music; Jared sitting against the black leather, brooding silently across from her; and Brody decked out in knives, his bow and arrow parked beside him, studying everyone with an intense expression.
“Happy birthday, Mina!” Nan yelled out and giggled. Jared’s head flipped to Mina with a look of horror on his face. She supposed she hadn’t told him that the day she would face one of the scariest tales would also be her birthday. Not that he’d asked. Mina broke eye contact first and nervously played with a pleat on her skirt.
Her head started to pound from the loud music, and she desperately wished the limo would fly to the school so they could already be there. The limo ride, though beautiful, was unbearably tense. She sighed in relief when the driver turned into the school parking lot and pulled up to drop them off at the entrance. Then she saw the crowd. More than two dozen students were milling around outside, and several started whistling when they saw the stretch limo, knowing only Brody Carmichael could be inside. Among them were Savannah White and all her friends.
When Mina and Nan stepped out of the limo behind the two hottest boys in school, Savannah’s smile turned downright ugly. She’d come dressed in light blue, her blonde hair piled high in a bun with a tiara. She was obviously Cinderella, and Priscilla, with her green dress and stuffed frog purse, the princess from “The Princess and the Frog.”
Mina tried not to look Savannah’s way, but she could see her whispering furiously to Pri out of the corner of her eye. She felt sorry for her, for a moment, knowing she had once meant something to Brody, too. But then she heard her snicker “Little Grimy Hood” as she passed by, and all sympathy drained from her mind.
When they arrived at the doors, the security guards did indeed do a pat-down and checked all of Brody’s fake knives and arrows. Mina considered asking Jared to make her a weapon later in the night.
Nan and Mina entered the gym and gasped in surprise at the visual wonderland the student council had created, complete with sparkling lights and full-sized set pieces. Rapunzel’s tower had been set up next to the giant gingerbread house and wishing well. Even the bench where Mina and Brody had shared their first kiss now looked as romantic as a fairy tale. Giant gates and an archway sectioned off the areas for pictures, food, and dancing.
Fog machines were hidden around the gym, forming misty paths, the colored lights creating ambiance. Even the deejay who was spinning had gotten into the enchanted theme, donning ogre ears and large patchwork clothes.
Dancing on the floor was a visual montage of fairy tale, storybook, and mythical animals. A Minotaur was trying to pour punch for a unicorn. A fawn danced with a goose girl maiden. Mina saw various wolves, sheep, and dragons, milling about in clusters off the dance floor. Those who weren’t animals had chosen to be a prince, princess, or knight. Frank and Steve could be seen pretending to joust, using stick horses and the school’s flags.
D.J. Ogre, his requested moniker for the night, pulled out some slower music, and the dance floor that was hopping began to mellow as couples filed on, and others paired off.