by Sarra Cannon
I pictured myself with the perfect makeup. Every flaw on my skin was covered. My eyelashes were long and thick. I thought about the way actresses looked on the red carpet and tried to picture myself in their makeup. Smokey eyes, perfect pink lip-gloss, a light blush that looked natural.
The changes became so clear in my mind, as if I were looking at a photograph in my head. My breath grew rapid and my skin began to tingle. When I opened my eyes and stood in front of the mirror, I smiled triumphantly. Come what may, at least I'd look good tonight.
Twenty minutes later, the limousine pulled down the long driveway. I watched from the edge of the front balcony as Drake climbed out and looked up at the house. He looked amazing, dressed in a black suit with a blue tie, but good looks just weren't enough.
I stepped back from the window and waited. I'd never been to a dance before, but I imagined it like a scene from the movies. The guy stands in the doorway and looks up as the beautiful girl makes her way down the staircase. The only problem was that I had the feeling I was more in a kind of horror movie these days rather than a romantic comedy.
The knock on the door echoed throughout the front hallway and I heard the click of Ella Mae's heels on the wood floor.
“Well, Mr. Ashworth,” she said. “Don't you just look so nice this evening?”
“Is Harper here?” He sounded like such a gentleman. I just hoped he would actually manage to be a gentleman all night. I prayed no one spiked the punch.
I walked slowly to the top of the stairs and placed my hand lightly on the wooden rail. As I made my way down the stairs, I kept my eyes on Drake's face. The look there was priceless. His mouth opened slightly and his eyes were wide with appreciation.
“Wow, you look beautiful,” he said, taking my hand when I reached the bottom.
“Thanks,” I said.
He planted a light kiss on my cheek, then handed me a small bouquet of blue and white flowers. I sank my nose into them and inhaled the aroma. I found myself wishing Drake had never been such a jerk at that party. Sometimes he could be so thoughtful and sweet, but every time I thought about that night, my stomach felt all twisty inside.
“Just have her home by two,” Ella Mae said. Mrs. Shadowford had agreed to extend my curfew for the special event, and I was grateful.
Drake didn't take his eyes off of me for a second, even after we were in the limo. So far, it was just the two of us and he instructed the driver to take us by Foster's place next. “Harper, you look... I mean, you're always pretty, but you are like a goddess tonight.”
My face felt warm. I smiled, but inside I was feeling a little bit guilty. Using glamours was fun, but it also seemed a little like cheating. My blonde hair fell in perfect spiral curls all the way down my back with diamond clips at the side. The blue dress clung to my body in all the right places. My makeup looked professionally done. Not too much. Not too little. Just perfect. I could never have looked this good without magic. I reminded myself that I shouldn't get too attached to the idea of using spells for my own benefit, especially since being a witch came at such a high cost.
Drake pulled me into his arms and held me close the whole ride into town. I could smell the slightest scent of alcohol on his breath. I definitely needed to be on my guard tonight. There was no telling what might happen.
We stopped at Foster's, then picked up Lark and Allison's dates, and we headed to Brooke's house where Lark and Allison were already waiting. Brooke's mom took pictures of the group in the backyard out by their garden.
“Nice dress,” Lark said with a knowing wink.
“Oh, isn't that the dress you tried on at the mall?” Allison asked. “I thought you said it wasn't the one.”
I shrugged. “I just thought it was too good to pass up. Plus, I couldn't find anything better.”
“Well, you look beautiful,” Brooke said.
I looked around as each couple posed for the camera. Everyone looked happy and perfect, but deep inside my heart, I felt this terrible sense of wrongness. I glanced around the backyard, straining to see into the night, past where the outside lights from Brooke's house could shine. Like the mixer the other night, I had the strangest feeling we were being watched.
“Come on, Harper, get in the picture,” Lark called out. Everyone had gathered together for one last shot.
I took a deep breath and tried to shake the eeriness I'd felt, but no matter how hard I tried, the fear followed me like a predator waiting in the inky darkness.
Crimson
The PHS gym was decorated in blue and black steamers, balloons, and sparkling white lights. If they went this crazy for Homecoming, I wondered what Prom must look like here. I also wondered if it was possibly just another glamour. My new-found magical knowledge had me questioning everything and everyone I saw in this town.
Of course, I couldn't exactly judge anyone for using a glamour to improve their looks. Not after what I'd done. I still felt slightly tingly from my use of power. The demon tattoo on my back constantly moved from side to side. My skin felt soft, and deep inside I felt hyper and energetic. Like I'd had an entire of pot of coffee for dinner. It was a fun feeling, and I could see how someone might become addicted to it. I understood how some people would be willing to sell their soul to increase their power. Or share it with a demon.
“Will you be all right here for just a second while I try to figure out where I need to line up for the Senior court?” Drake asked.
“Sure,” I said.
Foster and Drake took off, leaving Brooke and me standing together near the entryway. We'd gotten to the gym early because both the guys and Brooke were all on what PHS called the “Senior Court.” It was a group of six girls and six guys from the senior class who had been voted as having contributed the most to the school. Basically, it ended up as a collection of the most popular people in the senior class.
Brooke was pulled away by a few girls I didn't really recognize, and I was left standing alone near the punch bowl. My confidence wavered slightly. I walked to the snack table and looked at the goodies, but after eating so much Italian food at dinner, none of it looked appetizing. Across the room, someone laughed loudly and I turned to see who it was. A group of younger boys, maybe freshman, were running up and down the bleachers, acting crazy. I shook my head.
I wished they'd start some music or something. The place was too quiet without it. The boys on the bleachers shouted again and on instinct I turned back to see what they were up to. That's when I saw the strange figure.
The person was standing in the shadows by the back door to the gym. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but I knew they were staring at me. Studying me. A wave of dizziness washed over me. What were the Others doing here at the dance?
“We found it,” Drake said. I jumped at the sound of his voice. “You okay?”
I looked back toward the door, but the figure was gone. “Yeah,” I said. “I'm fine.”
Drake grabbed my hand and led me to the side of the gym where the Senior Court had gathered behind a wall of blue gauzy fabric. “Wow, your hands are freezing,” he said.
And no matter how much I tried to warm them, they stayed cold for the rest of the night.
It didn't take long for the gym to fill up with students, parents and alumni. For the opening presentation, Clara Summers made a speech about the importance of coming home and celebrating your roots after you find success in the outside world. Governor Davis talked about how she married her high school sweetheart and that forty years ago, their first date was the Homecoming dance her sophomore year. Alice Kensington, a tall brunette who graduated six years ago and now lived in Iraq working for the US Embassy, gave a short presentation about a program she was running over there.
It amazed me just how much Peachville's influence spread across the world. Women in power all over the state and even the world? It sent a strange tingle across my skin. It would be one thing if these women had accomplished these things on their own merit, but I knew better. Their bea
uty and charisma came from a supernatural source. A demon, torn from its world against its will, was the only reason for their power. And now, they wanted to use me to make them even more powerful. I was certain these women would do whatever they had to in order to make me accept their Order.
There was a part of me that wanted to just accept my fate. At least I would be a leader as the Prima. Wouldn't that afford me some freedom? Plus, I would have all kinds of knowledge and power at my fingertips. I could make a difference in the world.
But there was a much stronger voice inside that knew I had to fight against what they were trying to do to me.
“It's our turn,” Drake whispered. His breath was warm against the side of my face, but I couldn't shake the chill of fear that had been following me all night.
Mayor Chen introduced the seniors on the court one at a time. When they called Drake's name, I looped my arm in his and we stepped into the spotlight. Mayor Chen listed Drake's accomplishments as we walked. I noticed his parents sitting on the front row of bleachers, their faces beaming with pride.
“As quarterback of the Demons football team, Drake has taken our home team to a record 10 consecutive wins. He is also an honor student. Drake often spends his weekends volunteering at the local nursing home. He plans to attend the University of Georgia in the fall on a full football scholarship. Let's hear a round of applause for our Demons quarterback, Drake Ashworth.”
The crowd cheered as we made our way to the end of the row of seniors. I studied their faces; looking for the hooded figure I had seen earlier. Instead, my gaze landed on Jackson Hunt. He was leaning against the doorway near the ticket table, and when our eyes met, he lowered his head in a slight nod.
My mind went back to the conversation I'd overheard between him and Morgyn Baker in the garden the night before. He had told her he didn't want her to come tonight, but why? Did he have the same sense of icy fear that I'd had all night?
After the court walked in and the speeches were finished, the lights dimmed and the DJ started with some hip hop and a light show. Most of the parents and alumni left, and the students slowly made their way onto the dance floor. My silver shoes lasted about two dances before I kicked them off near the bleachers and decided to go barefoot.
I tried to let loose and just have fun, but my eyes kept moving toward the back door. With the main lights turned off, there were so many dark corners it made me nervous. Every time I turned my back on the shadows, I felt eyes on me. About an hour and a half into the dance, a rush of nausea hit me like a punch in the stomach. I doubled over in pain and had to put my hand on Drake's arm to steady myself.
“Are you all right?”
“I don't know,” I said. I couldn't tell him the truth. He would think I was insane for worrying about dark figures and a group of witches who might be out to get me. “I think maybe I ate too much. I'm sure it's nothing. I'm just going to go to the restroom for a minute, but I'll be right back.”
The fluorescent lights in the bathroom buzzed and flickered. Even after all the dancing, my hair and makeup looked flawless and fresh, but inside I felt like a mess. Maybe I could tell Drake I had food poisoning and convince him to take me home early. I wasn't sure how much more of this night I could handle.
Out in the gym there was a break in the music. The silence was brief, but pronounced. Then, someone screamed. A terrifying, hit-you-in-your-gut kind of scream that echoed through the entire gym. My stomach tightened and my breath caught in my throat.
I ran out into the gym, knowing this was the moment I'd been dreading all evening. What I saw would haunt me for the rest of my life. Jackson Hunt knelt on the cold gym floor. His hands and face were covered in blood and he clutched a girl's limp body in his arms. I gasped and stepped forward. Students ran in all directions, fleeing from the red pool that snaked and slithered across the slick surface of the floor.
The black lace of Morgyn Baker's dress was drenched in crimson. As I rushed toward them, I saw she had been pierced through the heart with a silver dagger. Her eyes were closed, and her body was lifeless and still. Jackson slowly rocked her back and forth as if he were trying to rock her to sleep.
Movement in the shadows caught my eye and as I looked toward the dark back corner of the gym, the hooded figure stared coldly back at me, then turned and fled into the night.
I Just Know
The paramedics had to practically pry Jackson's arms from Morgyn's cold, dead body. They placed her into a black plastic body bag and zipped it up, then the police came in for Jackson. I watched in horror as they stood him up and put him in handcuffs.
Drake pushed through the sea of students to stand by my side. “What the hell happened?”
I could only shake my head. The police were arresting Jackson like they thought he was a murderer. Didn't they see the way he was cradling her body? A killer wouldn't do that. They should be searching for whoever did this horrible thing. What if they hurt someone else?
“I knew that guy was a freak,” he mumbled. He tried to take my hand in his, but I yanked it away, then crossed my arms in front of my chest, suddenly feeling cold and empty. “Hey, what's your problem?”
I stopped listening to him. It felt as though I was under water. Everything moved so slowly. The sounds around me were distorted.
Before Jackson was pulled away, he turned and looked straight into my eyes. His sorrow and fear pierced through me like the silver knife that had been stuck through Morgyn's body. His eyes pleaded with me, as if I were the only one who would understand.
But I didn't understand any of it. How had he known something bad was going to happen tonight? I wanted to ask him about the dark figure who had killed Morgyn, but there was no way I could talk to him here. Not with all those people watching. Sheriff Hollingsworth, the petite black woman who had questioned me about Tori's murder over a month before, stormed through the gym's front door. She took one look at the massive pool of blood on the floor and wobbled slightly on her feet. A strange look passed over her features, but then she seemed to pull herself together.
“Why are all these students still standing around?” she shouted to her officers. “Someone get a perimeter set up here or we're going to lose valuable evidence.”
She turned and looked at Jackson, anger flashing in her eyes. When she saw he was staring at me, she looked from him to me, then back again, her anger turning to concern. I stepped back and tried to blend into the crowd. She yanked Jackson's arms and pulled him from the building.
“Get this kid out of here. Take him down to the holding cell and lock him up tight. No one gets in for questioning. And someone call Ella Mae Hunt,” she said. She motioned to a woman standing near the doorway, then whispered something in her ear. The woman looked toward me and nodded.
The crowd in the entryway seemed to breathe all at once as the officers set into motion.
“You heard the Sheriff,” Officer Grey said. “I want all students to go back into the gymnasium and have a seat on the bleachers. Officer Ellis, you go lock up the back doors and make sure no one gets in or out back there. Lancaster, you and Forbes keep an eye on the students and get them organized so we can start questioning them just as soon as possible. I'll start gathering evidence up here.”
There was a flurry of movement as students were herded back into the gym. The mood of the evening had changed from fun to fearful. A third death in just two short months of school? Even for a large school in a big city, that would be nearly unheard of and disturbing. But here in such a small community? It was pure devastation. Kids killing kids. Technically, Agnes' death was ruled an accident, but most of the students knew what really happened. The cops had stopped looking for Tori's murderer after that.
Thankfully, no one had ever really questioned my involvement in the fire. I felt I had Mrs. King to thank for that. But who would Jackson turn to? He had his mother, but she didn't seem to have much power in this town. She wasn't rich and in charge like the sheriff or the mayor. And from the look in the she
riff's eyes tonight, she thought he was guilty.
He'd been kneeling in her blood. His prints might even be all over that silver dagger. Jackson was going to need a super lawyer to get out of this one, and something told me Ella Mae wasn't going to be able to afford a lawyer at all.
Drake put his arm around me and guided me up the bleachers to the very top where Brooke and the others were already gathered. They all looked shaken and scared.
“What happened out there? Harper, are you all right?” Brooke said.
I nodded and swallowed, my mouth was hot and dry.
“Who was it?” Allison asked. “Someone said it was that weird girl, Morgyn.”
“She's dead,” I said. My voice came out like a croak. I cleared my throat and stared down at my hands, not even really seeing them at all. “And she wasn't weird, she was...”
My voice trailed off. She was like me, I thought.
“Jackson Hunt killed her,” Drake said. “Stabbed her in the heart with some crazy silver knife. It had these blue stones in the handle, like it was some kind of ritual dagger from a movie or something.”
Brooke shifted in her seat. She seemed uncomfortable.
“Jesus,” Foster said. “That guy is seriously disturbed.”
“Why would he do something like that tonight?” Lark asked. She had taken her date's black coat and put it around her shoulders. She was shivering even though it had to be about eighty degrees in the gym from all the dancing. “In front of everyone?”
“Maybe he was trying to make some kind of statement about the school,” Allison said.
“Or maybe he's just a psycho lunatic,” Drake said.
I was in a daze. Hypnotized by the searing image of such red flowing blood. But Drake's words brought me out of it. “Jackson didn't do this,” I said.