This time he stopped briefly enough to answer her. “It’s the glass coffin. We use it for the finale.”
Mina turned in horror to look at the glass coffin that in fairy tales housed the body of a dead princess, the most famous one being Snow White. She took a deep breath and leaned closer. She could see her reflection staring back at her. Her own skin was pale with fear, her dark eyes wide with worry and her lips looked red because she was biting them. She looked beautiful, that is until she realized that her overlaid reflection gave the illusion that Mina was inside the glass coffin.
“NO!” She screamed and jumped away from the cursed coffin. No one even heard her over the Dead Prince Society playing onstage.
Anger and fear filled her as the tingling sensation began to turn into waves. She could feel the power rolling off of her, around her, into her.
“NO, I refuse! I refuse to play a part in this. Do you hear me, cursed Story. You don’t own me. You don’t get to choose what happens. It’s not fair!” The music began to beat loudly in time with the waves of power and Mina grimaced in pain, clutching her ears.
She had to leave and leave now, with or without Nan and Brody. She rushed upstairs, ignoring the confused looks of the stagehands. She found Brody and Nan where she had left them.
“Nan, look, we need to go!” She tried to grab Nan, but her best friend violently pulled away from her.
“What do you mean, we have to go?” She asked in disbelief. “Didn’t you see Valdemar? He wants me to stay here. There is going to be an after party. Brody, tell her!” Nan looked visibly upset at the prospect of leaving.
Brody looked back and forth between them, unsure of what to say. “Are you feeling alright? It’s okay if we stay. My cousin cleared it. Nan’s right, there is always a really cool after party. It’s better than waiting in the green room.”
Her lip was hurting from gnawing at it in panic. “No, I’m sorry. I just need…we just have to go.”
“No, Mina, I’m not going. For the love of chocolate, I have been waiting all my life for this moment. He kissed me, Mina! He kissed me.”
“You heard him. He said so himself. He did it to make the girl with the pink hair leave.” Mina’s voice filled with desperation.
“I don’t care if it was because he was trying to make someone else jealous. I don’t even care if it was a cruel and unusual jest on his part. I’m not walking away from that without pursuing it farther. What if it wasn’t a fluke? What if he actually kind of likes me? You want me to leave a very cool concert right now and go with you home because….”
“Because something bad is going to happen if we stay,” Mina whispered. She peeked over her shoulder at Brody, who looked out of place, stuck between two girls fighting.
Nan’s eyes widened.
Maybe, Mina thought, maybe she will believe me.
“How do you know?” Nan accused angrily. “How can you possibly know?”
“I just do,” Mina grumbled back.
“Well, that’s not good enough.” Nan stood there silently challenging her. “Give me one good reason. Any good reason at all. Heck, it could be an even okay reason as long as you give me a real reason. Why?”
Mina could see the fight coming and she was incapable of stopping it. She had never ever fought with her best friend, but then they’d never ever had serious boyfriends until lately. It was then that Mina remembered that the kiss from Valdemar had been Nan’s first kiss. Her boy-crazy, flirty, quirky friend had never been kissed. She knew Nan was waiting for the right one. And here she had found him, and Mina was trying to drag her away from him. Heat burned angrily in Nan’s cheeks as Mina shook her head without giving her an answer.
Nan looked devastated. Her eyes began to water and she looked like she was in pain. “That’s fine, Mina. YOU can leave, but I’m staying for the after party.”
“But I…” Mina’s words and shoulders dropped dejectedly. She looked at Brody, embarrassed that he witnessed their argument. She wasn’t sure what he would do. Would he leave and come with her or stay with Nan at the concert?
He looked deeply into Mina’s eyes and she felt her breath catch at the emotion she saw there. Surely he would come with her. He had to believe her. Maybe. Brody looked like he was about to say something when Nan interrupted him.
“Are you going to drag Brody out of the concert, too? Come on, Mina! It’s his cousin and they are on tour. How selfish are you going to be?”
Mina’s resolve crumbled. She dropped her head toward the ground hiding her shame and embarrassment. Nan’s words had a biting truth to them. It was truth that she didn’t want to hear acknowledged, but her friend was right. It would be rude to drag Brody out of here. Who was she? She was a nobody. She had no claim on Brody, no reason to make him come with her.