by SARA FREITES
“Do you guys know anything about the female haviden that goes to my school?” I asked.
“Raquel Wilson?” Eden specified. “Yes, we know about her—a rogue, lives among the humans, doesn’t seem to have any connections outside of that. We’re watching her. Best for you to avoid her if you see her.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Hey, have you seen Blake?”
“Yeah. He’s at the Sanctum right now. Why? What has he done?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering.”
So, Blake hadn’t disappeared after all.
Eden went on to tell me she’d call when she had more info, then asked what time I’d be leaving so she could ready some of the men. After we said goodbye, I heard Jericho’s music fade as she left the bathroom. I followed after her to her room. When I barged in, she was pulling her long and glittery rose-colored dress over her hips.
“Autumn!” she squealed and covered herself.
“Sorry!” I called and hid behind the door, leaving it cracked. “Can I borrow one of your dresses from last year?”
“What?” she questioned over the music. “Autumn, I don’t think anything of mine will fit you. You’re the size of a bird. Why didn’t you take Mom dress shopping with you this week?” She turned her radio down, and I heard her rummage through her closet. Then… “Here, try these.”
A blur of sable and turquoise attacked me from the crack in the door. As I fumbled with the fabric, I yelled “Thanks!” and headed back to my room as her music blared once again. I rushed to throw on the darker dress, but it hung off of me like a baggy T-shirt. Plus, I doubted I had any heels tall enough to keep the bottom from dragging. I cursed and slipped into the other dress. The same problem arose. I stared blankly at my seemingly curveless turquoise figure in the full-length mirror.
After I squirmed out of that dress, I was alarmed by a faint knocking on my windowpane. I put my pajamas on and moved to the window. I peeled back the curtains only to realize no one was there. Looking down, I noticed something glimmering in the moonlight just beyond the glass. I opened the window. A light breeze blew in, scented with fresh, midnight air. Timidly, I scooped up the silvery mass. When I realized what it was, tears rose in my eyes.
In the palm of my hand sat a metal casting of a fairy with lightly tattered wings. She sat with her legs crossed, her hands jammed into her lap. Her pointed ears peeked out from between strands of her long, wavy hair. With her eyes sealed shut, her tiny face lifted toward the ceiling, her lips slightly puckered as if awaiting a kiss. I placed the little fairy on the windowsill where the angel figurine once sat.
“Blake? Is that you?” I whispered, leaning out of the window.
Only the hum of the busy highway in the distance and the tree branches rustling in the wind answered my call. I waited and strained my ears to hear anything else. Eventually, I gave up. I went to close the window when someone landed on the roof right in front of me. I screamed and fell backward. For a brief second, I laid there on the carpet, gathering myself while Blake laughed quietly from the window.
“You jerk!” I hissed and got up.
“Sorry!” he laughed even harder. “You scare too easily.”
I ran my fingers through my hair to comb it out of my face. He motioned for me to come closer. Stubbornly, I held my ground.
“Come here,” he beckoned. “I don’t bite. Well, I do, but—”
“What is it? I can hear you from here,” I growled, still ruffled.
“Just come here,” he laughed, leaning into the windowsill.
Reluctant, I moved closer. I took the figurine and lifted it. “Where did you get this?” I asked him, accusing.
“Um—” he wavered.
“You didn’t steal it, did you?” I pressed.
“I…uh,” he hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck.
“You stole it? Blake, don’t steal things!”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have money. I just wanted to replace the little thing I broke the other night and to say that I was sorry.”
I froze, shocked. “Oh. Well, thank you,” I forced my reply. “That’s sweet of you. It’s cute.”
“This one is a little harder to break. Well, for you, anyway,” he explained as I set it in the corner of the windowsill.
“Where’ve you been? I thought maybe I scared you off,” I confessed.
His brows rose. “Scared me?”
“Yeah. I didn’t mean to yell at you the other night. I was just being sensitive. I’m sorry for coming off so harsh. That little figurine you broke meant something very important to me.”
“I figured as much. I didn’t want to come back until I found something like it,” he nodded at the fairy as he spoke.
“Well, thank you. I really appreciate this. It means a lot. But I have to go. I have to get ready for prom.”
“Get ready for what?” he asked.
“Prom. It’s a dance. You know…” I began.
His forehead wrinkled. “I’m confused,” he replied.
“Yes. You are. Don’t worry about it. Look. I have a huge problem. I don’t have a dress to wear tonight.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a witch? Make a dress,” he suggested casually.
“First of all, not a witch,” I corrected him.
A knock on my door made me jump and spin as Jericho called through it.
“Autumn? What’s going on? I thought I heard you scream a minute ago,” she said as she started to come in.
I wished I’d locked my door. Blake dropped out of sight.
“I’m not dressed!” I yelped, and she shut the door just as fast as she’d opened it. “You probably just heard my TV. I’ll turn it down. Sorry.”
“Did the dresses fit?”
“Um, no. But I think I might have another one in my closet,” I stalled as an idea came to mind, thanks to Blake.
“Let me know if you find one or if I need to pin you into one of mine,” she offered.
“Okay, thanks! Be out in a minute.” I went to the window and whispered, “Blake?”
“Is she gone?” he whispered back.
“Yep.”
He sat up and leaned against the windowsill again. “Who was that?” he asked.
“My sister. You do have a point. I could’ve made a dress with one of Latresma’s spells, but I don’t have the book.”
“What book?”
“It’s the spell book that—never mind, you wouldn’t know.”
“You mean, this book?”
He reached into his back pocket and drew out a familiar leather booklet. I lit up and nearly choked. Blake, of all people, had saved my prom night. I could’ve fallen in love with him at that very moment.
“How did you…how did you get that?” I stammered, astounded. A smile spread across my face. “Thade is going to kill you.”
He hushed me and continued in a whisper. “They’ll hear you,” he nodded over his back.
It was easy to forget we were being watched from afar.
“See if you can find anything useful in it,” he advised. “I’ll take it back later tonight before Thade realizes it’s missing.”
“Thank you so much!” I said in a hushed voice, snatching the book away.
I opened it, skimmed through incantations like a madwoman. It didn’t take me long to find exactly what I was looking for among the yellowed pages—a spell that would fabricate a dress practically out of thin air. Well, almost. As I read, I found I needed a sample of satin and a live peony to hold against myself while reciting the spell. Loosely translated, the instructions also mentioned that the dress would take on different characteristics every time it was created, depending on the time period in which the spell was used. I hoped so. Any dress dating back to before I was born wouldn’t work for tonight.
I went to my closet and pulled out a mint-colored satin top with a sweetheart neckline. I’d only worn it once before. But then, I panicked. It hadn’t warmed up enough for the flowers in the neighborhood to bloom. Even if it
had, we didn’t have peonies in the yard, and I didn’t know anyone that would. Except…
I approached the window where Blake awaited. Peering out into the neighborhood behind him, I smiled with the gears whirling in my head.
“You see that house?” I asked him.
He turned to look where I pointed. Every once in a while, my dad would go to the house across the street and ask for a few blooms to give my mom, even during the winter.
“Will you go in their backyard and see if they have any peony bushes still growing in their greenhouse?” I asked.
“What’s a peony?” he wondered aloud.
“It kind of looks like a big pink rose,” I described it as best as I could.
“You need an entire bush?”
“No, doofus,” I muttered.
He cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Just one stem with a bloom and be fast!” I advised. “I don’t want you to get caught.”
Before I could finish my sentence, he’d already left the roof and dashed across the street into my neighbor’s front yard. I watched as he effortlessly hopped the back fence. Less than a minute later he sat down before me, a fully blossomed peony in his scarred hand. He passed it to me. I thanked him, promising to return. I darted into the bathroom with it, the book and my satin shirt in hand. I peered into Jacoby’s bedroom as I always did when I passed by it. The familiar knot formed in my throat again as I closed the door, laid everything out on the sink, turned on the light and stared at myself in the mirror.
I was a mess. I only had thirty minutes to get ready, so I started with a shower. After washing the shampoo from my hair, I went for the conditioner in the corner. My hand nudged it aside, a failed attempt to grasp it, revealing a tremendous black spot on the wall. I didn’t think twice about what it was. I screamed as the spider crawled from its hiding spot and jumped to the shower curtain. I backed away, allowing the spraying water to send the helpless spider down the drain.
“Autumn!” Blake’s voice rebounded off the bathroom walls.
It was the second time that night I wished I’d locked a door. The shower curtain blew away. Cold air swept over me. Blake stood just beyond the tub, ready to take any necessary action. I feared his eyes would trace over every curve and crevice of my form, but as we stood there, his eyes remained intensely on mine, sincere concern lashed across his face.
“Blake!” I bellowed.
Without thinking, I snatched the shower curtain from him and reeled it across me. I grabbed my shampoo bottle and threw it at him. The bottle bounced off his head. He backed away and bumped into the door frame. Bandit appeared behind him, barking and kicking his hind legs like a little bull ready to charge. His tiny body jolted each time he barked. He stuck his little wet nose into Blake’s pant leg, sniffed him and then bolted, yelping back downstairs.
“Go away!” I yelled at Blake and pointed over his head.
“I thought something attacked you!” Blake protested.
“What could possibly attack me in my shower, Blake?” I fumed.
“Then, why did you scream like you were being murdered?” he argued.
“Go!” I hollered, making sure there were no more spiders around me.
With that, he huffed, stormed out and closed the door. I could only hope no one heard the commotion Blake, Bandit and I had made. But with the thudding bass of Jericho’s radio rattling the walls, I doubted anyone heard a thing.
I stepped out of the shower and tried to forget what had just happened. After digging under Jericho’s side of the sink, I found a golden hair clip adorned with pearls and rhinestones. Quickly, I tossed my waves into an up-do. Locks of hair hung down the sides of my face, framing it. I grinned, so proud of what I’d done. I gathered my satin top and peony and held them tightly against my chest.
“Ma belle robe,” I read aloud the French words straight from the spell book page while gazing into the mirror.
I waited. Nothing.
Unbelievable. It hadn’t worked. All of the other spells I’d tried had, so why not this one? Had I missed something?
I cupped my face in my free hand. I was screwed. I didn’t have anything else to wear. Maybe Jericho really would have to pin me into one of her dresses. My mind strayed before I felt my chest tighten. I peered from between my fingers and gasped at my reflection. I drew my hand from my eyes while golden stems sprouted from the peony just under my palm. I swished my hand away before the strapless top stretched around my body, slithered down my legs and tightened over my hips and waist. The peony bloom flattened against my chest. It expanded itself to one side as the petals curled under and changed to gold. Several more golden blooms grew from the elongating stem and pressed themselves against the satin at my hips and across my stomach. After that, everything fell still. I stood there with my chest rising and falling faster than normal.
At first, I wasn’t sure if the reflection before me was mine. The girl in the mirror stood wrapped in a mint green and satin, strapless dress that fit better than anything I’d ever worn. The sweetheart neckline perfectly framed my shape. Twirling, I noticed the dress dipped low in the back, reaching the lowest part of my back just above my hips where it formed a “V” shape and laced closed like a corset. As I spun toward the mirror, my eyes followed the creamy gold embroidered peonies that bloomed next to my left arm and breast. They flowed down across my stomach and right hip. The tiny rhinestones embedded in the golden flower petals glistened like droplets of morning dew. The blossoms led to a slit at my upper thigh that ran down to the floor.
I had to remind myself to blink. And without wasting another minute, I tiptoed into Jericho’s room. She turned down her music as I entered. I hardly recognized her with her hair and makeup so dramatically done. The rose-gold of her dress made her skin seem far more radiant. The style was fitted but flowed out from her thighs down to the floor like a mermaid tail. The dress shimmered when she moved, the light from her lamp striking every morsel of glitter.
“I swear, I keep hearing you scream,” Jericho said.
I walked farther into her room, and her jaw dropped. “Oh my God! Autumn, that’s a gorgeous dress!” she exclaimed. “Where did you get that thing?”
“Um, a friend gave it to me last year,” I thought fast but felt horrible for lying. “I forgot I had it.”
“Wow, it’s beautiful! Here, sit down,” she urged. “I’ll do your makeup!”
She came at me with an eyeliner pencil in one hand and a blush brush in the other. Before I could stop her, she had me sitting at her vanity immersed in makeup brushes, powder and eyeshadow cases. It wasn’t long before she finished.
“Okay, you’re done!” she announced. “I need to finish my makeup. The limo will be here any minute.”
“Thanks, I think,” I thought out loud.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about what just happened until I passed the small round mirror hanging in the hallway. I was impressed with what she’d done. The way she’d lightly dusted my face with a hint of bronze gave my skin a little glow. The eyeshadow matched the champagne gold in my dress, which made my eyelids pop behind the mascara and smoky liner. And I especially loved the nude lipstick she chose.
I made it to my room, anxious for Blake to see his idea come to life. I found him pacing aimlessly there with his eyes studying the sketch of Bandit I’d left on my bed. I shut us in the room.
“Did you draw this?” he asked, reaching for my sketch pad.
“Yes. What are you doing? Get back outside,” I scolded him in a hushed voice.
“You’re pretty talented.” He turned his attention to me, his eyes fixated on my dress. “Wow.”
“It worked,” I beamed.
“I see that,” he said, seemingly awestruck.
I went to my closet and pulled out a pair of creamy golden stilettos. I strapped them on, and they left the dress hovering less than an inch above the floor. Next, I went to my jewelry box for a pair of crystal and pearl drop earrings. I went back to Blake, and we stared at
one another like complete strangers before I spoke up.
“Well, I have to go. Thanks for the great idea! See you later!”
His eyes shot past me. “Who’s that guy in the picture with Eden?” he asked as if I hadn’t said a word.
My eyes switched to the picture on my vanity.
“That’s my brother, Jacoby. He passed away in February. Bad car accident,” I replied, holding back.
“Oh,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
I drew a deep breath and forced a smile. “Well, I’ll see you later!” I said again and threw Latresma’s spell book back at him. “Can you hold onto that until I get back? I’ll go through it tonight and write down a few spells.”
“I need to go ahead and take it back to Thade’s,” he said and slid it into his back pocket. “I don’t want him to notice it missing. You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, going to the dance. Remember?” I reminded him.
“Oh. Can I go?”
“Uh, no,” I answered flatly.
“But I’m supposed to—”
A knock on my door interrupted us.
“Autumn! The limo just pulled up! Are you ready?” Jericho piped up from the other side.
“I’m coming!” I called back.
I pushed Blake toward the window, and he crawled out, a confused expression on his face.
“Aw! You girls look so beautiful!” Mom squealed as Jericho and I came down the steps, careful not to walk on the other’s dresses. “Your first prom!” she gushed and hopped off the couch. “Let me get my camera.”
“Mom, we have to go. The limo is here,” Jericho rushed her.
“Jericho, I know you have a date,” Mom said as she fumbled through the lampstand. “But what about you, Autumn? Are you going with that nice boy that was over here a few weeks ago? Oh, what was his name?”
“Who, Devron?” I cringed. “Hell no. And he’s not nice. I don’t talk to him anymore.”
“What happened?” she asked, her voice stressed with concern. “Oh! Here it is!” She plucked out her old digital camera from the messy drawer. “Come here.”