The Fake Heart (Time Alchemist Series)

by Revelle, Allice

  I blinked. “Sorry?”

  “I said I wanted to say I was sorry!” she blurted, cheeks flushed a bright pink, almost identical to her bag, “I knew Mallory was just taunting you and…and everything but even she had no right to push you like that. You could have gotten really hurt.”

  I blinked again, still unable to comprehend her story.

  Karin saved the day by looping her arms around me and Samantha, squeezing us together in an awkward three way hug. “She’s here to apologize and try to make amends, and what better way for Samantha to make amends by letting her do your make up?”

  The girl in question raised the bag to her chin, peering at me like a small, baby bunny begging me to take her home from the pet store. “It’s one of my special talents.”

  “And I will be doing your hair!” Karin squealed, tightening her hold. I saw Samantha’s face turn from a flushed pink to a fire truck red at the contact. And my heart sort of fluttered a bit.

  She was trying at least. I had to give her a chance, right?

  I forced myself out of Karin’s choke hold and gave a small laugh, “All right, let’s do this. We’ll all help each other, okay?”

  Samantha’s face brightened a little, although I could still see a flash of hesitation in her eyes. Karin beamed, kissing us both on the cheek before bouncing over to the closet. “Now let’s take a look at the little gem that your handsome Jackson Alexander bought for you for the Winter Formal—”

  “It’s all anyone can talk about,” Samantha blurted when she saw my startled look. “Someone totally saw him try to deliver the box himself, but the HM wouldn’t let him.”

  “Oh honey, you really landed yourself a fine man, didn’t ya?” Karin laughed, reaching for the closet door. And in half a second my body reacted before my mind could even catch up.

  I slammed my body in front of the closet, right as her hand touched the door knob. “It’s okay, I’ll get it! There are some pretty…nasty bugs in here lately!”

  “Ew!” Samantha squealed, back peddling towards the opposite side of the room. Karin stared a bit, but shrugged her shoulders before digging out an iPod from her bag and placing it on my night stand. Christmas music played as Samantha unloaded her tools of the trade on top of my desk—there were all sorts of brushes, lipstick in different pink and red shades, mascara and powders that it took up the entire space. Karin laid the two dresses (that looked as if they cost a lot and were designed by some of the top fashion designers in the country!!) on my bedspread, carefully extracting them from their plastic cover.

  I sighed with relief, glad to see that their attention was on the work ahead.

  I didn’t need Karin, and especially not Samantha, discovering the very large, gaping hole in my closet done by Dove.

  ◊◊◊◊◊

  “You look….wow.”

  “‘Wow’ wasn’t what I was going for, but I’ll take it,” I taunt, giggling at Jack’s open eyed expression. His coal black eyes were as wide as saucer plates and his jaw had dropped open, like a cartoon character. He snapped out of his daze and gave me a dazzling smile that showed his pearly whites. He reached over and took my gloved hand, kissing the back of it. Despite the black fabric, I swear I could feel his lips on my skin, and my entire body burned in delight.

  “‘Wow’ wasn’t what I meant,” he grinned like a wolf. A very sexy, dangerous wolf. I felt like little Red Riding Hood (except in green), teasing the wolf by his tail. “I meant…dazzling, stupendous, beautiful, radiant—”

  I playfully smacked his arm, reached up to give him a kiss on his perfect lips, “Don’t overdo it, Jack. You look quite handsome yourself.” And he did, sporting a simple black tux with gold buttons and cufflinks that gleamed like jewels; his tie was the same deep green hue as my dress, and there was a small bundle of green flowers in his right breast pocket, matching the flowers that adorned my own.

  Jack’s laugh was as sweet as maple and sugar as he twirled me around in the foyer. Even I had to admit that this dress really did make me look…stunning.

  It was a midnight black silk that shone like silver in the moonlight, with intricate dark green swirls and waves along the bottom of the hem and my chest. The bottom cascaded around my calves and twirled with every movement, brushing my bare legs with the silk fabric. I was so grateful that Jack had picked out a dress that covered my chest—how could I explain the tattoo over my heart?—the dress was strapless on my right shoulder, sending goose bumps over my skin, but the left side had a flowing, short sleeve. It was also covered with the green flowers, that I found out where called cymbidium orchids. Even the black satin gloves that reached to my elbows had the same sort of green swirls and flowers, and they did a good job at protecting my arms from the cold.

  Samantha really had outdone herself with my makeup, choosing pale colors of foundation and a light pink lip gloss. And when I saw myself in the mirror, just moments before Jack arrived, I really did look…and feel…pretty.

  “I hope you didn’t mind,” Jack said “But I saw this dress and knew you had to wear it.”

  A few tendrils of my auburn hair fell around me, brushing the back of my neck. If Samantha was a professional at makeup, then Karin could make a career of becoming a hair stylist. It was in a high bun, just loose enough to where my bangs were brushed back and flowing over my cheeks, revealing my green eyes to the world.

  But the only world I wanted to see was Jack.

  “I love it,” I whispered, leaning in for another kiss, “It’s beautiful, Jack. It really is.”

  I placed a finger to his lips before he could caress me with any more sweet words. “You’re so perfect, Jack,” I sighed, wanting to lean into him and forget the world and let it just be us. “You really are so perfect, it hurts.” And it hurt when I said this because I would probably be missing the greatest night of my life. But I had to do this, even though my heart panged with guilt.

  Besides, it was just one night, and even though Dove’s letter had sent me a small wave of confidence, I still could not shake that feeling that something will go wrong. That’s how it happened in movies—when you think you’re safe from the bad guys they pop up at the last moment and ruin everything. This wasn’t a movie, and I probably was overreacting—but I had to see it for my own eyes.

  “I love you, Jack.” I murmured, leaning into his chest and breathing in his heavy cologne to hide the tears bristling in my eyes. Jack sighed, wrapping his arms around me like a warm blanket before placing a kiss on my hair.

  “I love you too, Em.”

  ◊◊◊◊◊

  The next hour flew by. We laughed and danced and talked and held on to each other like tomorrow wasn’t coming. I saw the glint of lust in Jack’s soft eyes, mixed with tenderness and awe. I knew what he wanted, and I knew he would wait.

  It broke my heart to see him like this. I felt like I was about to crush what we had.

  But I had to do this. I knew he would understand. I just knew it.

  After my feet ached from dancing in my pinching heels and the Winter Formal began crowning St. Mary’s King and Queen Snowflake, I ran.

  Okay, I didn’t literally run because one, it would have looked very suspicious, and two, you can’t run in these heels. Don’t even try it. Samantha had been so kind (and by that I mean, she took one look at the black flats I was going to wear—the only really nice pair of shoes I had since the ones I had ordered never arrived—and the poor girl nearly had a heart attack on my bedroom floor. But not before shoving a pair of dainty, silver straps in my arms. They were beautiful, like the glass slippers that Cinderella wore, but they were killing my feet!) to let me borrow them, sort of as her white flag to me. I really appreciated it, and I could totally see her in a new light: she was a brand new girl when she wasn’t in Mallory’s shadow.

  I gave Jack one last long, lingering kiss and feigned a headache, saying I was going to the ladies room to rest and take some aspirin I kept in the small clutch purse that came with the dress. He nodded, kissi
ng my hand again before turning towards the stage littered with white and blue glittering decorations as the nominees were called up one by one.

  I kept my eyes on him until I rounded the corner. Then, taking a deep, deep breath and mustering the last of my courage, I darted through the double doors, hearing the applause and laughter fade as I disappeared into the inky night.

  CHAPTER 24

  I walked the long way to the clock tower, keeping in the shadows in case a stray couple making out or a teacher on a smoke break happened to spot me. The air was brisk and bone chilling. I rubbed my upper arms, wishing I had some sort of wrap or sweater, but told myself that warm clothes were waiting in the clock tower.

  My steps were a little wobbly in the heels as they click clacked on the stone path. I couldn’t stop the guilt gnawing my heart—I had just dumped Jack; sweet, perfect Jack, on our (pretty much) first date ever! I could still imagine him waiting by our table, eyes locked on the hallway just waiting for me to pop back in and tell him some lame excuse: “Silly me, my dress got caught in the doorway!” or some BS like that. He would totally buy it because…he loved me…he loved me and all of my weirdness.

  I stopped, the last tap of my heels echoing in the dark emptiness. I could just turn around and run back, excuse or not, and rush back into his safe and warm arms and dance away. Then after the dance we would probably party some more, or go to a fancy restaurant, or at some hotel and finally, finally—

  A twig snapped nearby, and I bristled. I waited for drunken laughter, a teacher’s scolding, or even a girl’s sobbing from her luckless date. But there was nothing except the rapid beating of my heart and my breath.

  Something snapped again—this time it was a slow series of snaps and cracks, like the pane of a window creaking in half from force. The air became colder, a kind of stab-right-through-the-bone kind of cold that came in the dead of winter. Georgia’s kind of winter was much different than up North, believe me. Even though it didn’t snow (what kind of winter was it where there wasn’t a white Christmas?) it did get freezing cold.

  But not this kind of cold.

  My throat felt dry like sawdust as the sounds echoed about me, like the ice was cackling at my pathetic, shivering state.

  The Ice Alchemist was back.

  I didn’t scream or cry for help, even though every fiber in my being wanted to. Instead, I did what any normal girl who just skipped her Winter Formal would do: I kicked off my silver heels, grabbed them and ran like hell.

  The world around me was starting to turn into some sort of horrific Winter Wonderland as the student’s holiday decorations that adorned the lawns and windows and lampposts were covered in seconds. The ice was spreading ten times faster now than it did before, covering every inch of the area. The grass became silvery blades and the tree branches looked like ice swords in the pale moonlight. Benches and lampposts were enveloped, cutting off what little light I had.

  My lungs ached and my feet pounded on the pavement, already numb from the cold. I gripped my shoes, the small borrowed clutch that would probably make a useless weapon anyway (but it was borrowed—I couldn’t exactly just leave it to be frozen over, right?) and the edge of my dress as I willed myself to go faster, hastily planning my options.

  There was no way I could go to the clock tower now—that was in the same direction as the Ice Alchemist. All the other buildings were locked up for the night save for the auditorium, and I almost veered left in its direction. But stopped short, almost tumbling over a stone bench.

  If I headed that way, whoever this was would hurt everyone inside. Karin and Josh from Humanities Club, Mr. Hogan and Nurse Alexandra, Samantha and, heck, even Mallory might become victims of the alchemist.

  And Jack. I couldn’t let anything happen to him. I wouldn’t allow it.

  Well, time for plan B! I ran again, the ice and frost snapping behind me. Heavy tree limbs feel to the ground from the weight, shattering into thousands of pieces. I let out a gasp as one landed not two feet away, jabbing my skin with rough cold edges.

  Finally, I saw a large building up ahead—the library! I almost screamed for joy as I raced towards the door and shoved with all my might. But they didn’t budge.

  It was locked.

  “Shit, shit, shit.” I was beyond scared and furious. Why now of all times? Why?! But I didn’t have time to stomp my feet like a baby. I ran through the grass, slipping and sliding on the wet and icy surface, until I reached the rear of the building. There were large bushes that were nestled in a few bunches on the corners of the back wall, but there was a hint of something silver peeking from behind them.

  Windows. Of course—windows to the basement! That was how Leon managed to sneak in and out without attracting too much attention.

  I bunched up my beautiful dress, my silver heels dangling with one finger as I half crawled behind one of the bushes. Better to hide from a deadly alchemist than try to sneak through the windows in plain sight. The scraggy branches scratched at my skin and dress as I fumbled around in the darkness for some sort of way to open in. But all I felt was a smooth, flat cold surface; there was no latch of sorts or anything where I could pull it open. My fingers were so cold I could barely feel them. I scraped against the panes and pulled hard, until it felt like my knuckles would pop. But it wouldn’t budge.

  Of course, Emery, quit being stupid! If it wasn’t going to pull open, then it had to push! I shoved the window with all my might and it creaked open. I could hear ice crackling louder around me, felt it on the tips of my toes before I shoved my shoes and clutch inside and shimmied in backwards; the branches smacked against my cheeks and caught strands of my hair, loosening the bun that Karin had so painstakingly put up. My make up was probably beyond repair, too.

  The window sill scraped against my legs and I muffled a cry. Already I could feel a trickle of blood sliding down my leg. Just as the ice nearly covered the large bush, like a giant frozen muffin, I grabbed the window and fell, slamming it behind me. My fingers caught and I hissed but not before landing on some of the piled up boxes below.

  I lay there, throbbing in pain and rubbing my fingers. Tears stung at my eyes but I held them, and my breath. Ice cased the window above me and the rest of the windows as well. I stayed there probably five full minutes until I was sure that the creeping frost wasn’t coming inside.

  I finally breathed a sigh of relief, letting a few tears spill. I was cold, hurt all over and I couldn’t even feel my toes. My dress, hair, and make up were all ruined. Karin and Samantha’s efforts had been for nothing. Well, almost nothing, but it still sucked. And I bet Jack was beyond furious at me, and probably dancing the rest of the night away with that awful Mallory, Miss Snowflake of 2011.

  This was the worst Winter Formal ever.

  ◊◊◊◊◊

  I sat atop one of the cardboard boxes, shivering despite the old dusty brown blanket I found that was draped over an old broken shelf. It smelled like oil and dust, and I muffled any sneezes that came up. Even though I was sure I was alone, I still couldn’t take any chances. The deep gash on the side of my leg still hurt like hell, even when I wrapped it up with both of my black gloves to cover the long cut. That would definitely need stitching, but it was better than getting frozen to death.

  My heels were perched next to me, shining like pretty gems in the strange, pale moonlight that came from the frost covered windows. At least I had a little light. That was the good thing, right? Always look at the positives.

  I thought my options out.

  Option 1: I could find a way out and make my way back over to the clock tower, in hopes that the enemy had given up. Something told me that wasn’t really the case. And—just my freaking luck—the door leading out of the records room was locked. Of course, I could pile some boxes up and try to climb out the windows again…

  Option 2: I could simply stay in the basement, hope I didn’t freeze to death, and wait until morning when somebody found me. But I quickly scratched that out. Tomorrow was winter
vacation—all the students and faculty would be leaving campus. Unless there was an off chance of one of the librarians staying an extra day or so, I would be stuck down here for the next three weeks!

  Option 3: I could sneak out back through the windows and go back to the Winter Formal, and lie about falling outside when I needed a breather. Either way, sneaking out was not a good idea. And I don’t think I could even bear the thought of Mallory—probably voted Queen Snowflake—making snide remarks at my ruined dress that Jack had spent so much money on for me.

  I suddenly missed Dove so much. And Leon. At least they could fight back, and probably already find a solution to this stupid situation. Me? I could slow down…eight, probably ten seconds of time. Tops. And that was only if I stayed still long enough to concentrate. I could just imagine the little scenario: “Hey mister alchemist! Is it alright if I just take a moment to get my powers all worked up and everything?” “Sure I don’t see why not!” “Cool! Thanks!”

  Yeah. Not gonna happen.

  Either way I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing except freeze my ass off. Maybe there was a way I could sneak through the library instead of trying to climb up the walls and open the probably frozen over window.

  I shivered again, teeth clattering as a cold breeze swept through the room. My eyes suddenly felt tired, and even though my body was riddled with scratches and bruises it wanted to sleep too. Another cold wind caressed my auburn hair out of my eyes.

  And suddenly it hit me.

  Why was there a breeze inside a library basement when the air wasn’t running? My eyes widened and I jumped up, my feet smacking on the cold cement floor. There was a breeze—as small as it was—coming from somewhere in this room, just like all the times before!

  But where? It wasn’t coming from the direction of the stairs, or the windows…