Rise of Midnight

by SARA FREITES

  “Just take the picture with your phone, mom,” Jericho giggled.

  “Oh, I hardly know how to work that silly thing,” Mom replied before moving us toward the light.

  “Wait! Let me see if your dad’s out of the shower yet.”

  “No, no!” Jericho cut Mom off. “We’re going to be late. Just tell him we said ‘bye’ and that we love him.”

  “Okay. Get closer together,” Mom directed us.

  My sister and I moved side by side and put our arms around each other’s waists. Jericho’s kitten-heels were no match for my five-inch stilettos, but even still, she towered over me. The camera flashed just as the doorbell rang. I rushed for the front door. Swinging it open, I came face to face with Blake. He waited noticeably irritated on the other side of the glass with his arms crossed.

  “Oh my God,” I seethed.

  I glared at him through the glass as my mom peered over my shoulder. I swung the door shut and stubbornly put my back against it.

  “Oh, Autumn! For goodness sake. Let him in,” Mom begged.

  I groaned and opened the door again.

  “Aw! He’s so handsome! Is this your date?” Mom asked.

  “Mom!” I barked.

  Blake’s face softened, a small smile forming at one corner of his mouth as he stared at the ground. I bitterly pushed the storm door open, all the while shooting daggers into him with my eyes. Not only had I told him never to come to the front of the house this way, but he’d forgotten to wear his sunglasses. He obliviously stood there with his eyes blasting through the darkness at us like the headlights of an oncoming car.

  I slowly shook my head at him while he walked in.

  “Hey there!” Mom greeted him. “Eh, I like your...your contacts!”

  “Yeah, what’s up with the eyes?” Jericho mumbled, sounding disgusted.

  “Put your sunglasses on, you freak,” I murmured to Blake.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said to himself. He pulled them from his pocket and slapped them on.

  “What’s your name?” Mom smiled at him.

  “This is Bl…Brian” I stuttered.

  “Brian?” Blake asked, his eyebrows raised high over the rim of his sunglasses.

  “Who?” Jericho asked.

  “Shut up,” I said under my breath, nudging Jericho. “Bye, Mom!” I pushed Jericho to leave.

  “No, wait! One more picture, the three of you!” Mom pleaded.

  She held up the camera. Jericho and I sighed in unison. I waited with a fake smile while posing between Blake and Jericho. As if stalling us on purpose, Mom lowered the camera.

  “Honey, where’s your tux?” she asked Blake.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  “What tux?” Blake asked, visibly baffled.

  “Mom—” I began.

  “And take those glasses off for the picture,” Mom insisted.

  “Mom, he’s sensitive to bright lights. The flash will bother him. Picture. Please,” I insisted through another fake smile.

  “Jericho. Kill the bunny ears, please,” Mom scolded her.

  I should have been prepared for that. Without looking, I swatted my sister’s hand away from the back of my head.

  “Ow!” Jericho blurted.

  Mom took the picture. I could only imagine how it would come out—Blake looking around through his ridiculous sunglasses while he observed his surroundings, me over-cheesing with Jericho gawking in amazement at our stupidity.

  “Okay, bye!” I announced.

  I gripped Blake’s arm and dragged him outside into the driveway. Jericho pursued with a purpose. My mom closed the door, all the while waving goodbye to us. It wasn’t hard to miss the glossy midnight black limo parked in front of our mailbox.

  “What’s going on?” my sister burst out and stood in our way. “Who is this guy?”

  “He’s nobody, Jericho. Get in the limo,” I ordered.

  “Where does he go to school? I’ve never seen him before,” she scrutinized, studying him from head to toe.

  “He, I...” I stuttered.

  “He doesn’t go to school?” she asked me, then looked to him. “You’re out of school? Oh, you’re older!”

  I took her by the arm and hauled her toward the limo.

  “Are you dating him?” she kept going.

  I didn’t reply.

  “Oh my God, you are!” she reared.

  “Jericho, shut up and go! It’s not like that at all,” I insisted and stopped in the middle of the driveway again. “Get in the limo. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Sure. Well, maybe he hasn’t asked you out yet because you won’t stop wearing that stupid blue contact,” she jeered.

  “Jericho! Get in! I’ll be there in a second,” I demanded and pointed at the limo.

  “Fine” she groaned while the limo driver stepped out.

  I turned back to Blake who had moved up right beside me. Stunned by his sudden closeness, I jumped and snatched the sunglasses from his face.

  “What are you doing?” I asked through my teeth.

  “Who the hell is Brian?” he sneered.

  “You’re going to ruin my prom,” I persisted and slung my arm out, pointing into the distance. “Go away.”

  “Come on, Autumn!” Jericho called after she hopped in the limo.

  “Bye!” I waved to Blake.

  I practically threw his sunglasses back at him and darted to the sidewalk with my heels clicking against the concrete. The limo driver waited patiently for me to slide in. I squeezed in beside Jericho.

  “Hey, ladies!” Gemma greeted us.

  “Hi!” I exploded with excitement.

  Next to Jericho sat her extremely tall date, our clumsy friend Marcus from lunch—then Gemma and her boyfriend Matt, and Andrea, the new girl from cheer, with her boyfriend Jeff. I smiled and waved to the girls who waved back while complimenting each other’s dresses. They were all amazing in their colorful gowns and elaborate up-dos, the boys dashing, even though they appeared a little uncomfortable in their stiff tuxedos.

  Gemma turned the music up from the console by her seat and snapped a few pictures with her phone. Everyone erupted into conversation as Jericho started in on me again.

  “Autumn. That guy was fine as hell,” my sister babbled. “You should’ve asked him to take out those creepy contacts of his and go to prom with you. See? You’re perfect for each other. You both like wearing weird contacts and everything.”

  Jericho went on and on. I hadn’t thought about Blake that way. He was handsome, I guess, but I’d been far more focused on what a huge pain in the ass he’d become. I peered out of the back window as the limo drove off. I could just make out my mailbox, but Blake had disappeared. A feeling of guilt rolled over me. A flash blinded me just after Andrea and Gemma asked everyone to pose for more pictures.

  We arrived at Riverside Hills, an old building downtown with an elegant ballroom and dining area. It was filled to capacity. All the way down the long entryway, I could feel people staring. I felt overwhelmed by it at one point. Most were the eyes of innocently curious students, I was sure, but as for the others, I would never know who among them wasn’t human. And then, I could hear the whispers.

  “Isn’t that the girl who disappeared last month?”

  “Yeah, that’s her, I think. I saw a picture of her on the news last week.”

  “I wonder why she doesn’t remember what happened.”

  “They said she has amnesia. Something really bad must have happened to her.”

  “I can’t believe she came to prom after what happened.”

  I forced myself to keep walking, pretending not to hear the gossip devouring the hallway.

  We entered the dancehall. The music blared, and a large group of dancing students crowded the floor. The place was drowning in school colors, intricately embellished with light blue and white decorations along with matching floral arrangements in the middle of every table.

  Jericho led everyone to get our pictures taken, but we all
stopped when we saw the line snaking around the corner. Instead of waiting, Gemma directed us around the wall just out of sight and took pictures with her phone instead. As we descended the stairs to the dimly lit ballroom, Gemma took my arm.

  “Let’s go dance!” she emphasized over the roaring music.

  The seven of us squeezed through the crowd, a chain of people weaving our way to the middle of the dance floor. The rest of the night blazed by, filled with dancing, posing for pictures and running in and out of the dining area for finger food.

  After two months, I finally felt like a normal person again. I’d almost forgotten how it felt not to have that daunting, heavy feeling in my chest. Eventually, with only an hour left of the evening, my feet started hurting. I searched for the drink table and an empty chair to rest in.

  “Are you thirsty?” I asked Andrea as we danced.

  “No, I’m good,” she answered, then leaned into my ear. “Look! That’s the dress I almost bought for prom.”

  She pointed, and I froze. Raquel lingered by the drink table with her arm around Devron. The short silver dress she wore fit tighter than her grip around his arm.

  ”I’m glad I bought this dress instead,” Andrea continued. “Nothing like showing up to prom in the same get-up as someone else.”

  I didn’t want to walk over for a drink while they were there, so I waited for the couple to leave. When Raquel and Devron walked away, I watched the people they passed, their eyes glued to Raquel. When I made it to the table, I took a can and popped it open, taking a long sip. I hiccupped afterward. When I set my drink down, a familiar voice spoke over my shoulder.

  “So, this is a dance.”

  Choking on my drink, I spun around and shuttered.

  Like a stray cat, Blake had followed me to my prom.

  Chapter 13

  A Late Night

  “Blake! What are you doing here?” I exploded.

  “I came to make sure nothing happens to you,” he defended himself.

  “Blake, I’m fine,” I assured him. “Nothing is going to happen to me here. How the hell did you get in, anyway? And where are your sunglasses? Did you forget your eyes glow or something? You know what? Never mind. Go home!”

  “But I’m supposed to look after you,” he contested.

  “I know, but not here! I’m safe here.”

  “Did you know there’s a haviden here tonight?”

  “Yes, I did. Eden and I talked about her earlier. She’s not a threat.”

  “The ones you don’t think pose a threat are the ones you have to watch out for.”

  “Blake, just go home! You’re going to ruin this night for me.”

  His wide shoulders slumped under his T-shirt. I felt guilty all over again.

  “Look,” I started. “It’s not that I don’t want you here. You just don’t belong here. This is a high school dance and—”

  Before I could say another word, someone unseen bumped into me. I lost my balance. My hip knocked into the corner of the drink table. The soft drink I’d set down tipped over. Time seemed to slow as the entire drink poured down the front of my dress. The aluminum can hit the floor. A number of people close by glanced in my direction and then away, probably embarrassed for me. In absolute horror, I watched as the liquid darkened the pastel green of my dress in streaks. My skin grew hot all over. I could feel sweat beading down my back. I stepped back from Blake who gazed after me.

  “Uh oh,” a sarcastic, sultry voice murmured from behind. “Latresma, huh?”

  Surprised to hear that name, I turned to face Raquel who showed no sign of remorse while she backed away into Devron. A remnant image of the way her face changed at the pep rally two months earlier flashed through my mind.

  “That must be humiliating,” the haviden mocked me before reaching over to tug on Devron’s arm.

  The young man kept his eyes low as if afraid to look in my direction. Like nothing happened, the two walked away. I didn’t think. I swiped someone’s half-empty drink from the table, pulled out one of my crystal earnings and dropped it into the mouth of the can. I had no idea if the rainstorm spell would work with a soft drink, but uncertainty didn’t stop me from casting it.

  “Pluie torrentielle,” I uttered.

  I tossed the can’s contents into the air in the couple’s direction while concentrating hard on them in hopes that the spell wouldn’t catch anyone else in its wrath. The ballroom was far too dim to see the cloud as it formed, but I knew it was there as soon as dark liquid began raining down over Raquel and Devron. While the tiny storm doused them, the white shirt under Devron’s tuxedo darkened, the silver of Raquel’s dress instantly turning muddy and dull. It didn’t take much before their hair fell flat, completely soaked. And then, the soda storm let up and disappeared within seconds. No one around seemed to notice what had happened except for two or three others who danced closest. They searched around a bit, one of them saying “leaky roof” before moving away. It was possible they’d felt a few stray droplets, but they were oblivious to the downpour they’d avoided.

  “Must be humiliating,” I said under my breath.

  The shock on Raquel’s drenched face as she spun to me grew more and more intense. And then, her eyes narrowed into slits, her lips pressed together while her mascara ran black down her cheeks. Devron shook the liquid from his sleeves just behind her. The loud dance music faded. The lights in the dance hall dimmed even farther. Couples embraced and moved in gradual small circles around us while a slow song rippled across the dancefloor.

  “Don’t you dare cast spells on me, you little vampire witch,” Raquel snarled through her growing fangs. “You may bear part of her soul, but you are not Latresma. That frail human body of yours can do nothing to protect you from me. I have no qualms about taking human lives.”

  From just behind her, Devron looked me dead in the eyes. But something caused him to break his hateful gaze on me. I felt a warmth on my right. Raquel’s eyes followed Devron’s over my head.

  “Who are you?” Raquel sneered suspiciously over me.

  “You better take your little bitch out of here before something happens to her,” Devron talked over me, too.

  I felt a body brush past me like a heavy breeze. With both hands, I reached out to stop Blake in place. My heels lost traction on the floor as he effortlessly took another step forward with me attached to his bicep. Raquel and Devron backed up, anticipating Blake’s movement.

  “Blake, wait,” I ordered.

  Blake stopped in place at my insistent tone.

  “What’s wrong, half-breed?” Devron taunted him.

  My eyes lit up. How would Devron know anything about Blake?

  Raquel took Devron by the arm.

  “No, don’t provoke him,” she warned him. “Something’s not right about him.”

  Devron stared down at Raquel with confusion in his eyes, then looked back to Blake who held his ground a full step ahead of me. I tugged at Blake’s arm again, but it was like trying to pull a full-grown bull by its tail.

  “Have a good evening,” Raquel broke her silence.

  With that, she led Devron away. They disappeared into the crowd, leaving Blake and me there alone. I let my hand slip from Blake’s tensed arm, and he faced me. His eyes illuminated now more than ever. We were frozen on the dance floor, the only two standing motionless amidst a sea of swaying couples.

  “You would have killed him, anyway,” I reminded Blake of his inhuman strength.

  “I told you I’d have to look after you,” he spoke up over the music, sounding irritated. “That haviden may not be working for Arlos, but I can sense her jealousy of you. She means you harm, so don’t go near her. I feel sorry for the guy she’s with.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, overly curious.

  “Female vampires, half or full-blooded, can put a human in a trance for the rest of his life. She can make him say or do whatever she wants. All he had to do was look her in the eyes once, and it was over for him. We call it
a ‘love-trance’. It causes the victim to appear as if he’s fallen madly in love. That’s how some like to draw their prey in. Looks to me like she’s after more than just his blood. She’s toying with him, leaving him just enough free will to seem like nothing is wrong with him. But to those who know him most, something would seem off.”

  “Well, that explains a lot,” I said to myself, thinking back on the night at the theater.

  The song faded into another slow song. Blake’s eyes bounced around at everyone as I watched him. I smiled on the inside. I wanted to laugh. Poor Blake had no idea, oblivious that he stuck out in his blue jeans and T-shirt around all the other guys in their nice tuxedos. We came in closer to one another to make way for the dancing couples who brushed against us.

  “Where are your friends?” he asked. “Why aren’t they here with you? How are you going to get home? When will you—”

  “Blake, shut up,” I moaned.

  I’d be interrogated for the rest of the night if I didn’t do something. Besides, I hadn’t gotten to slow dance all night, and Blake was just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “This is important. These are things I need to know to—” he tried to finish.

  I moved in closer and glided my arms around his neck. I knew this would make his comfort level drop to an unbearable low, that he’d lose his train of thought. Now I wouldn’t have to hear him for as long as the song lasted, and if I was lucky, maybe even for the rest of the night. Just as I’d hoped, Blake didn’t say another word. He tensed as tight as a rope pulled taut. I took his arm and wrapped it around my waist. Quickly, he pulled away. I grew determined.

  “Relax,” I muttered quietly. “We’re just going to dance. Sheesh.”

  This time with both hands, I took his stiff arms. I placed his ridged hands on my hips. My arms stretched around his neck again, and slowly, I swayed us from side to side. I could tell the thought of touching me made him uneasy, and by the look on his face now, I could only imagine how he felt. This must have been absolute torture for him. I found amusement in watching the discomfort rise in his eyes.

  At first, I kept him at arm’s length, and that was fine for me, but as the song played on, the crowd seemed to move in around us. We were forced to inch in closer and closer until we bumped against one another. At this point, there was no telling how absolutely traumatized Blake might have been. Even I started feeling a little uncomfortable.