Bright Is Her Sight_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure

by Judith Berens

  Everyone was gathering in the entry and slowly making their way into the room. The girls were dressed to the hilt, wearing their best. Most of the freshmen stuck with their friends, too shy to go into the room alone.

  The guys looked dapper in their best suits, perfectly-pressed shirts, shiny shoes, and ties. It was a tradition for the boys to wear crazy Valentine’s ties and some of them were even enchanted, shooting magical arrows to softly ping the girls as they walked by.

  The whole place smelled like a florist’s shop, the roses giving off their fresh sweet scent and the corsages on the girls’ wrists emitting the fresh smells of spring. Some of the flowers had been bought from the school’s store, clippings of Botanicals’ best Oriceran blooms, while others were your normal Earth roses and lilies.

  Almost all the girls had chosen some shade of red for their attire, except Kathleen. She thought red was tacky, and showed up in a short silver sequined dress with matching heels. She did, however, bring a clutch with a heart on the front, just to get in on the Valentine spirit.

  Across the front of the room were tables and chairs with pink and white tablecloths, punch bowls with heart ice cubes floating in them, and vases overflowing with Horace’s beautiful roses in the center. The floor was glamoured to glint and shimmer as you walked across it, and the dance floor looked like a giant koi pond with red and white fish swimming below the surface. Every step you took across it the water seemed to ripple out around you. Behind the DJ booth was another glamor, a waterfall that emptied into a stream running under the booth and down to the pond.

  All the teachers were dressed in their various ideas of fancy clothes and were standing throughout the room as chaperones. Mrs. Fowler had pinned her wild hair on top of her head and was wearing a bright red dress with a wide skirt that hit her calves.

  On her feet, she had black heels with the front flap in the shape of a heart. Even Mr. Decker had gotten into the spirit, switching out his normal black bow tie for one with candy hearts on it, and instead of blowing raspberries, the flower on his hat blew bubbles in the shape of hearts.

  The whole place was completely decked out, and if you didn’t know it was the normally rowdy cafeteria, you would have never been able to tell. Tables along the wall held all kinds of sweets, from heart-shaped cakes and candies to cookies and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

  Every time someone took something from the table another appeared, offering plenty of food and snacks even for the hungry boys who made a beeline for the table as soon as they walked through the door.

  Horace arrived after cleaning up from the greenhouse, wearing an ill-fitting suit, high-water trousers, a red bow tie, and red socks. He had his bright red hair gelled back and stood at the door, welcoming the students to the party and keeping an eye out in case anything needed to be attended to. The lights were dim, with pink and red spotlights moving back and forth across the dance floor to the beat of the music. Horace couldn’t help but tap his foot to the sound, thinking back to his days in high school. He grimaced at the thought.

  Peter and Emma led the group into the room, Emma wearing her twenties-inspired flapper dress covered in red sequins. She had her hair down and straight and wore a matching headband around her forehead. Peter had gotten her a corsage, and this time he’d left the magic out of it. He didn’t want to explode his first-ever date’s arm in the middle of a dance, even if they were just going as friends.

  Behind them were Ethan, Aya, and Kathleen, the latter taking snobbish note of the surroundings and Ethan turning his head as he passed the older girls, who were looking at him and whispering.

  “Wow,” Aya gasped. “Look at the ceiling.”

  The entirety of the ceiling was an artificial night sky complete with the second Oriceran moon, shooting stars, and twinkling fireflies. The swirls of the solar systems sparkled and glimmered, and Aya almost ran into a table staring at it.

  All five of them turned as Izzie and Henry walked into the room. Kathleen had gone above and beyond to make Izzie absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a floor-length pink dress that shimmered. It had a thin black belt around the waist, and the shoulders of the dress rode low. Her eyeshadow matched the dress.

  Everyone in the group oohed and aahed, which made Izzie’s cheeks turn red. Alison made her way in behind them. She had on a short black dress with hearts along the hem and her hair down and curly, and she wore her favorite pink Chuck Taylors. Kathleen smiled when she looked at Alison’s attire, her smile fading to pursed lips when she saw the shoes.

  “She was doing so well, then BAM! Those shoes!”

  The new arrivals joined the group, and everyone piled their purses on one of the back tables. Ethan leaned against the table with his hands in his pockets. His button-up shirt was untucked, his tie halfway undone, and his sports coat open. To complete his outfit, he wore his favorite pair of Vans and had enchanted a bullseye on his back with the words Cupid, Aim Here.

  “Let’s not waste time. There is dancing to be done.”

  Everyone headed to the dance floor and Alison backed up until she could feel her hand against the cool stone of the wall. Izzie looked at her sadly, then at Henry, who was waiting for her on the dance floor.

  “You sure you’ll be okay here? I don’t want to leave you on your own. It’s a dance.”

  Alison smiled and patted Izzie’s hand. “I’m fine. I don’t do well dancing—stepping on people and all that horrible stuff. Go, have fun with Henry. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, but I’ll be back shortly, and we’ll raid the cookie tray.”

  Alison giggled. “Sounds like a plan.”

  She watched the energies moving in the room, some swaying together, others throbbing wildly in time to the music. She smiled to herself, glad to see all the happy energies in the crowd, especially her friends’. Even Ethan seemed to be in a good mood, and she had never pegged him as the kind of guy who would like coming to a school dance. Izzie’s energy was both excited and nervous, and Henry’s energy was the same. Apparently, they were both smitten.

  Alison tapped her hands on her thighs to the beat. She had always loved music. It was one of those things she didn’t miss out on just because she couldn’t see. The beat was in the air, not visible, and she had grown up with some sort of music always on. Her senses were going wild between the music, the smells of the refreshments, and the energies dancing to the beat of the music all around her.

  She had to admit she was glad she had come, even if she was going to make an imprint from leaning against the wall the whole night. She just wished she’d had the courage to ask Tanner to go with her. They could have made jokes and been silly together. She figured he probably had a date his own age, though. From what Izzie said about him, he wasn’t a bad-looking guy.

  “And then BOOM, the whole dang sink exploded.” One of the juniors laughed at the punchline to his own story.

  Tanner laughed with them, though he hadn’t found the tale all that funny. He had come to the dance alone, not because he hadn’t been asked by some of the girls, but because part of him didn’t want to be bound to someone when he hoped Alison would be there. Ever since they had talked in the library, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He didn’t know her that well, but there was something about her—her energy and her personality drew him in. He had felt so comfortable with her that he had spilled his whole life story in the first ten minutes, and he figured that had to mean something.

  He and his friends had gotten there early, the other guys wanting to have a good spot to scope out the single ladies as they arrived. A lot of people had come in since then, and Tanner hadn’t seen Alison. He stood with his hands in his pockets, half-listening to the guys as he scanned the crowd. As the pink lights swung across the dance floor and lit the side the groups of people moved, revealing Alison leaning against the wall tapping her hands on her thighs.

  Tanner grinned and handed his drink to his buddy, walking off before the guy could ask questions. He went slowly up to her as she s
tared at the dance floor and turned, leaning his back next to her on the wall. She still hadn’t noticed he was there and he took a moment to watch her, finding her absolutely adorable. His eyes dropped to the ground, and he smirked at her small pink Chuck Taylor-covered feet next to his very large pink Chuck Taylor-covered feet.

  “It seems that you and I were on the same wavelength.”

  Alison smiled at the sound of his voice and looked in his direction, seeing his calm energy—although the dark was still moving like an ink blot inside him. “Why is that?”

  “We both came out in our pink Chucks.”

  Alison tapped her toes and let out a deep breath. “I’m so glad you confirmed they were Chucks. I worried for a moment that I had accidentally pulled on my stable boots.”

  “Nope, you’re horse poop-free for this party, my dear.”

  “The relief is immeasurable,” she replied with a giggle. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “I guess so. As much as anyone can enjoy these things, I suppose.”

  “Uh oh, either you didn’t bring a date and you are pitying yourself, or you did bring a date and she is not what you thought.”

  “Neither.” He laughed. “I’ve just never been a fan of dancing.”

  “Really? Maybe I am, just because I don’t very often. A little clumsy. Not very many people know I can’t see, well, see normally.” She laughed nervously. “But I used to dance around my room when I was a kid, pretending to waltz and of course vogueing to the classics.”

  “Voguing is my go-to move,” he teased. “How did you know? We are like twin souls.”

  Alison laughed loudly, looking at the energies as the music began to slow. Some people’s colors shifted, becoming sad or nervous, but the rest apparently didn’t care either way. What Alison meant was that she had never danced with a guy during a slow song. No one had ever seemed to be interested in that, except her dad before he became an unimaginable bastard. He would scoop her up and dance around the room with her to whatever slow song he found first on the radio.

  “You look very pretty.”

  “Thank you.” She blushed. “I’m sure you look top-of-the-line handsome, especially if you copied my shoes. Then we know you look good.”

  “I think you copied me, but that’s neither here nor there.”

  Alison smiled, liking the joking between them. It was like flirting for smartasses, and she definitely had a smartass streak when she felt comfortable enough to let it shine. With Tanner she did, which was strange, but she didn’t want it to go away. His hand brushed against hers, and to her surprise, he grabbed it and turned around to face her.

  “Would you give me the honor of this dance?”

  “Okay, but I can’t promise that your feet will be scuff-free by the end.”

  He chuckled. “Let’s just hope yours are.”

  Alison took a step forward and Tanner guided her hand onto his shoulder, putting one hand on her waist and the other taking her hand in his and holding it out to the side. As the music changed he moved, gliding her across the dance floor and turning. At first she tensed, but quickly let go, letting him take control. She felt like her feet barely swept the floor as they moved, and she had a smile plastered across her face. She was in heaven—dancing with a guy she liked, being part of the party, and not having a care in the world, at least not for that moment.

  Ethan, standing next to one of the tables, took a big swig of punch as he watched the couples dancing. For the first slow dance he had grabbed Peter and twirled him around until he almost fell down, but this one he had decided to sit out. He set his cup down, about to go another round with the couples when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face Gwen, who was smiling warmly at him. He opened his mouth but closed it again, afraid he was going to scream at her again.

  She giggled and put out her hand. “Would you like to dance?”

  He nodded and led her out on the floor, stiff with nerves. The older students all danced together, showing off their dresses and fancy jewelry they had gotten at a steal in the kemana. None of them really paid attention to the younger students, giving them a night off from the torture and bullying.

  Claire and Scarlett were surrounded by a gaggle of girls, all talking about what they planned to do when they skipped out on the second half of the night.

  “Personally, I say we get some old bum to buy us beers in town and take them down to the stream. It’s cold, but hell—that didn’t stop the boys from jumping into the stream last year.” Scarlett laughed.

  Her hair was up in two buns—the left side bright red, the right light pink. She had long fake eyelashes on, sparkling makeup, and three stars drawn beside each eye. She wore a long red dress with red satin gloves she had bought at a vintage store in the kemana, and had opted for strappy sandals since she hated to have hurting feet by the end of the night.

  Claire was dressed more conservatively in a simple pink dress that came to her calves and had white buttons up the front, and her long hair was pulled up on top of her head. She wore sparkling red heels, but leaned against the table when her arches started burning.

  Neither one of them had come with a date, but then, neither one of them had wanted to. They weren’t the kind of girls to tie themselves down to any of the boys at the school. Besides, they had their own things to worry about, including another trip to the kemana’s dark alley in the coming days.

  Claire watched as Tanner moved Alison around the dance floor, the magic koi following them across the floor. She shook her head and sighed, then sat down next to Scarlett.

  “He seemed like he had potential, but look at him, whirling that girl around the dance floor.”

  “Don’t forget that girl was the one who kicked major ass in the city below last semester,” Claire snarled. “Poking her nose in where it didn’t belong, her and her little friend Izzie…who I’ve heard has become quite the powerful elf these days.”

  Claire shrugged. “Whatever. It’s not like we don’t have our own powers.”

  Scarlet narrowed her eyes as the group of friends gathered back in the middle, including Tanner and Alison. She didn’t like them in the least, and she had a sneaking suspicion that as time passed, they would become more of a problem. There was nothing she could do then, though, so she threw her hands up and nodded at Claire.

  “Let’s blow this party. It sucks. I got better things to do with my time then hang out with these amateurs.”

  12

  The dance lasted until nearly eleven that night, the DJ continuing to play music until the teachers released the spells from the ceiling and floor and lit the room, notifying the students that it was time to head back to their dorms. Tanner whirled Alison around one last time, catching her in his other arm and dipping her back. She laughed wildly as he pulled her back up, her feet slipping on some spilled punch. She grabbed him tightly around the neck and got her footing, pulling back when she saw the nervous color in his energy.

  “Looks like the party is over,” Ethan remarked, interrupting their moment.

  “You had a good night. Danced with Gwen and everything!” Kathleen chuckled. “Did you scream her goodnight?”

  “Very funny, but I am sure it was a pity dance. Besides, she came with that Light Elf David, the one who always has a baseball hat on backward.”

  “Ah, the snowboarder from Colorado. He’s pretty hot for a high schooler.” Kathleen shrugged. “You have some competition on your hands.”

  “No competition when you’re not playing the game.” Ethan smiled, eyes innocent.

  Henry looked down at Izzie and smiled, his eyes glimmering. Izzie’s heart skipped a beat, and she saw the others watching them walk into the foyer to get out of Horace’s way. She smiled sweetly and started to go upstairs, but he grabbed her hand.

  “It’s Saturday, so there’s no curfew. Do you want to maybe take a walk down to the stables? I can’t go inside since they get nervous around shifters, but I know there’s a pregnant mare in there and Kathleen
said you like the horses.”

  Izzie smiled, making a mental note to thank Kathleen later. She could be a pain in the ass, but she always had their backs in her own way. She nodded and held Henry’s hand as they headed outdoors. Kathleen was bickering with Ethan as Aya bid them goodnight and hurried up the steps. Peter had undone his bow tie and was whirling Emma playfully around the entry, excited because he had never had that much fun.

  When they stopped next to the others Emma laughed, pecked Peter on the cheek, and looked at Kathleen. “You ready for bed?”

  “Yes. Finally, an end to the torture!”

  “That’s what I thought when you said you were leaving,” Ethan joked.

  Kathleen narrowed her eyes at Ethan and turned her attention to Alison. “Alison, you want to walk with us?”

  “I can walk her back,” Tanner offered. “I mean, if she would like me to.”

  “Sure.” Alison smiled.

  “All righty. Good night, folks.” Kathleen waved and hurried up the stairs with Emma.

  “I think that’s our cue, bro.” Ethan nodded, clapping Peter on the shoulder. “You kids have fun walking up the stairs and down the hall. Try not to get into too much trouble.”

  They laughed as Ethan ran up the steps two at a time. Peter sighed and dragged himself upstairs, the exhaustion of the night starting to take him over. Tanner put his hands on Alison’s shoulders and rubbed them.

  “You ready?”

  She smiled. “Sure.”

  He took her hand, not to guide her but to be close to her. Alison’s excitement bubbled in her gut and butterflies fluttered in her chest. They walked slowly, moving to the side of the steps to let others go by. Alison still couldn’t believe her luck. The guy she liked had come alone and had spent the whole time with her. That had never happened to her before.

  “Did you have fun tonight?” he asked.

  “I did.” She smiled. “More fun than I thought I would have, that’s for sure.”