“Teenagers will be teenagers.”
“What did she get upset about?” Sean’s voice asked.
“Oh…she’s having some difficulty grasping the importance of the Commission,” my mother said, playing down the problem I was really having. “Clark introduced us to Mark, and she didn’t like the way we spoke to him.”
“Ah, Mark,” Dana said, his voice right outside my door as they reached the top of the stairs. “He came out very well. Really had to make some changes to get him to calm down, but he finally came around…with some heavy persuasion.”
“He’s fascinating,” my mother said as I heard her mess with the lock on Mykail’s door. “I’ve never seen an Asian before.”
The door opened and I pressed my ear close to my door.
“Mykail, Dana’s here to give you your shots,” my mother said, speaking to Mykail like a small child. I rolled my eyes, sickened by my mother’s behavior. “I hope he doesn’t give you too much trouble…”
“No, he should be fine,” Dana assured. “Keep the discipline remote handy, though, if he decides he wants to play. Sean, will you hold his shoulders?”
There was no sound for quite some time and then Dana started speaking again.
“How have you been, Karen?”
“Can’t complain,” my mother said. “How about you?”
“I’ve been very well, thank you,” he answered. “I am sorry to hear that Little Lily has hit her rebellious teenager phase.”
“I just don’t know what to do with her,” my mother groaned. “And Tom has been absolutely no help at all. He keeps telling me that I’m not being considerate of the changes she’s had to endure. He’s obviously thinking that I could adjust right away to everything and that I didn’t need to endure any changes.”
“He’s just trying to keep the peace in the house,” he said gently, his voice turning sweet. “Who can blame him?”
“But we’re supposed to raise her as a team. When we agreed that we wanted a child, he told me that we would never be at odds with one another as parents,” my mother said. “Lately, it’s like he doesn’t care about her at all…or me.”
Dana was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.
“Are you feeling neglected?” The voice made me shiver and I was in another room. “I apologize, I have been demanding a great deal of your husband lately.”
“No, it’s not anything like that,” my mother assured quickly. “I don’t know…you’re not married, so you don’t understand what it’s like. Sometimes…you just wonder…”
“If you made the right choice?”
“If…I could have been something more than what I am,” my mother admitted. “If I could have accomplished something else.”
“I am sorry to hear that you feel as though you have not accomplished anything,” Dana said. “But you’re wrong. You have raised a beautiful, intelligent daughter and that is more than I can say for most.”
“I wish Lily would see that. What about your mother? Did you realize how hard she worked to raise you when you were Lily’s age?”
Dana chuckled. “We never appreciate our mother’s when we’re younger. But I wish I had a mother like you when I was Little Lily’s age. My mother never thought of my well-being in the same way you think of hers. She was more interested in pleasing my father than raising me.”
“I am so sorry to hear that…”
“Lily is very fortunate,” Dana breathed. There was another extended silence as I tried to keep my heart from breaking apart in my chest from the pain of my mother’s words. “Sean, will you excuse Karen and me for a moment?”
There were footsteps, but they did not go far down the stairs, which told me that Sean was eavesdropping with me.
“Karen,” Dana whispered, “Little Lily is growing up. There is no need to blame yourself or feel as though you are a bad mother.”
“I just…I feel like I’m all alone. My daughter seems to hate me…and Tom won’t even look at me. We haven’t even…” She trailed off.
“That’s his loss,” Dana said tenderly. “Because any man should treasure you. You truly are a one of a kind woman.”
I felt my stomach turn over. He was lying. He had seduced everyone in the Commission before and I was listening to the way he did it.
“It seems like Tom’s forgotten.” My mother’s voice actually sounded pained. That did nothing more than anger me. I did not feel sorry for her. She was no longer my mother. She was just another person infatuated with Dana, wrapped up in his spell and bowing to his whim without thought.
“Do you want to come and talk to me about it?” Dana suggested gently.
There is was. That was the end for my mother.
“I’d like that.”
“I’m pretty busy this weekend, and I have meetings on Monday, but you are more than welcome to come to the Commission any time Tuesday,” he told her. “I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
“I am sorry that I have to leave now,” he whispered. “Are you going to be alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” my mother assured. It sounded like she was close to crying.
“I’ll see you Tuesday?” Dana pressed, his voice getting closer to my door as he left Mykail’s room.
“Tuesday,” my mother agreed.
“I’m sorry I’m missing seeing Little Lily,” he said close to my door. I resisted punching my door as hard as I could to answer him.
“Don’t take it personally,” my mother brushed it off. “Is there anything else I need to do for Mykail?”
“No, just make sure he drinks enough water. He might feel a little weird the next few days, but that should not last any longer than the weekend. If it does, just let me know on Tuesday,” he said as their voices descended the stairs. I listened to Dana leave the house, but I did not leave my room, even when my mother called me down for dinner. Even though my stupid, immature rebellion led to me not eating dinner, I was too nauseous after the conversation my mother had had with Dana to think of food.
I had lost her.
Part 2
Chapter Thirty- Three
I spent a lot of time getting ready for the Halloween party Friday afternoon. I was no longer nervous about the pace of the rebellion. I was angry, furious at my mother and at Dana and I was more than willing to start the campaign against the both of them. Clark brought a scarf to complete my costume as a masquerade countess. I had a corset that pushed my breasts up more than I was ever going to be comfortable with and hugged my waist so tight it was hard to breathe, along with a heavy skirt that I had to hold up to keep from tripping. The mask was peacock feathers and glitter and covered my eyes, cheeks, and forehead, but did not make me any more comfortable with my clothing.
It was a costume that, no surprise, was picked out for me by my friends.
The look required considerable preparation and I needed Clark’s help to tie the strings at the back of my corset and support me while I put on my shoes. Once, I caught Mark glancing in the window at us before he quickly ducked around the corner as if he hadn’t been watching. I laughed at the display.
When Dana came in, however, I was immediately apprehensive.
“Well, my goodness, Little Lily, you look royal,” Dana smiled, bowing as if he were a cliché suitor. I turned away, angry, rolling my eyes. “What? I can’t pay a compliment to a beautiful woman?”
“Find someone else,” I snarled, reaching for the scarf and tying it around my waist.
“Clark, what are you going as?”
“A wraith,” he answered, pulling up his hood to fall over his eyes.
“Who did your makeup?” Dana pressed, nodding to the pale paint that I had caked onto his face thirty minutes previous.
“Lily,” Clark said, removing his hood once again.
“Nicely done,” Dana nodded. “I just wanted to tell you two that I hope you have fun, but be sure that you’re careful. You never know what can happen on nights like this. This is the night for
people to be who they’re not, so be sure you stay aware.”
We said nothing in response.
“Okay, I have a meeting in five minutes, so I’ll leave you two to finish up,” Dana nodded, stepping out the door and waving to us as he walked away.
I growled, glaring at his back as he left.
“I hate him.”
An hour later, Mark pulled into the parking lot of Archangel. I busied myself studying the other costumes as people entered the club, feeling nervous butterflies in my stomach.
“Lily,” Clark whispered, handing me a stack of papers we had created that afternoon with the information of where Commish Kids could meet. I put the papers in the only pocket in my skirt before sliding out of the car. Mark pulled into a parking space where he would wait until the end of the party to drive us home, at Dana’s insistence. I slipped on my mask and Clark pulled up his hood before, offering his hand to me.
The Halloween party was supposed to be one of the yearly highlights for the club-goers of Archangel, but there was tension throughout my body that made the party feel more like walking into an enemy camp. Everyone was dressed up, makeup and masks disguised them while the bright costumes drew attention. Many of the girls were wearing the Halloween costumes that made them look older, all trying to be sexy by exposing far too much skin.
The entire club had been decorated, the lights mostly orange and red with some black lights casting off a milky purple color. There were skeletons and ghosts hanging from the ceiling and the music was also darker. The feeling was fun, yet ominous. I was surprised at how many people had their faces covered by masks or hoods. I could not recognize anyone.
As Clark and I were making our way through the crowd of people, I had to take a deep breath. I was about to commit an act of treason. And Dana’s words were still clear in my mind.
“This is the night for people to be who they’re not…”
That means you need to be brave, I scolded myself. I was sure that, as time progressed and we were more aware of our allies, I would become braver. However, tonight, my stomach was in knots and it was difficult to breathe. Of course, that could have been the corset…
“Hey!” Becca beamed as we approached the table. I stopped abruptly when I saw Todd and Taylor. When I had blinked stupidly at their costumes a few times, I started laughing.
“What the hell?!”
“What?” Todd said in a falsetto voice, waving his pompoms in my face as he bounced around in his cheerleader’s skirt and sweater, the curls of his pink wig flying wildly out of control. “Are you stunned by my beauty?” He batted his glittered fake eyelashes at me, striking a pose.
“I told him he could try out for the squad next year,” Taylor said through her football helmet, pushing one of her bulky shoulder pads back into place under her jersey.
“Does coming dressed as a jock and a cheerleader count for couple costumes?” Jill asked. “We’ve been trying to decide.”
“I would say.”
“Lily, you look gorgeous!” Devon grinned, dressed as an eighties punk rocker. I laughed when I saw his costume, pulling the lapels of his studded leather jacket and shaking my head.
“Why do you have that in your closet?” I teased.
“Oh, yeah, what about you?” he smiled, taking my hand and looking me over carefully. “Wow, you look gorgeous!”
I never was good at taking compliments, and I was acutely aware of Jill’s glaring eyes through her cat mask, so I just laughed.
“Hey, they bought this for me,” I pointed out.
“It’s a rental!” Becca laughed. “Don’t spill anything on it!”
“Can I have a dance with the beautiful lady before you get whisked away to the balcony?” Devon asked, his hand still around mine.
“Um…” I glanced at Clark. I really did not expect the conversation to go where it did.
“Wait, are you two here together?” Jill gasped, staring at us incredulously. Before I could respond, Clark spoke.
“Well, we weren’t really going to say anything…”
“What?!” everyone at the table yelped. I blinked at Clark in surprise, trying to act natural.
“Hey, congrats, Clark!” Todd grinned, giving him a thumbs up.
“Hey! Don’t be a pig!” Becca scolded.
“Seriously?” Taylor pressed. I forced a shaky smile and nodded. “Wow, that’s awesome! I think you two look good together.”
“So, I can’t dance with her?” Devon asked with a sly smile.
“Sorry, exclusively mine for tonight,” Clark chuckled, though his voice was shaking.
“I’ll dance with you, Devon,” Jill grinned.
“Alright, let’s go!” Devon took Jill’s hand and the four of us were engulfed in the crowd.
“Sorry,” Clark whispered as we followed Devon and Jill.
“It’s fine,” I assured, realizing it would be the safest way to avoid trouble between Jill and Devon. However, I wasn’t sure if I was willing to even pretend to be dating Clark because of my feelings for Mykail.
As we were dancing, I leaned close so Clark could hear me over the thrumming music.
“How do you want to do this?”
“We should separate,” he nodded. “You stand in one corner and I’ll stand in the other.”
“How are we going to know we’re giving the papers to the right people?”
“Only the Commish Kids know. They’ll be the only ones approaching.”
I wasn’t sure how I would be able to tell with the costumes, but I nodded anyway.
“We’re not going up on the balcony today,” he told me. “I said that I heard people were going to be here with red and blue scarves. If we go up with these,” he motioned to the scarves tied around our waists, “it’ll be too obvious.”
“But won’t they notice if we’re not up there?”
“Everyone has their faces covered, no one really knows who anyone else is,” Clark shrugged.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm my nerves as I continued to dance. I turned to see Devon and Jill dancing. They looked good together, and even though Devon had wanted a dance with me, he seemed very happy with Jill. As happy as I was to see that, I was also saddened for Becca, who had feelings for Jill that she could never express.
My heart stopped as a familiar face made itself known in the crowd behind them. As soon as I blinked, those bold, unnatural golden eyes had vanished and I was left looking around the mass of costumes trying to relocate the leader of the Commission.
“Lily?” Clark whispered, seeing my confusion.
“I thought…there was…” I leaned closer. “I thought I saw Dana…”
“He wouldn’t come into the club,” Clark shook his head.
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
I was not as confident. I remembered my fantasy the night I had been attacked. A part of me knew that he had not been in the club, but it had felt so real that a part of me still believed Dana had danced with me that night.
I tried to relax and go back to the flow of the music, but I continued to look around the pulsing crowd, seeing flickers and flashes of golden eyes. I closed my eyes, pretending to be immersed in the music as I tried to calm down. I wanted to believe that Clark was right and that Dana was not there, but knowing that we were rallying our revolution during the party made me worry further that we would be caught.
It would be just our luck to have Dana show up the first night of our treasonous activities.
After a few songs, Devon and Jill left the floor. When they were gone, Clark nodded, telling me it was time to split up. I started walking to one of the back corners near the drink bar, where there were fewer people and I had a broader field of vision. Even though I knew I should have been looking for people coming up to me for information on the rebellion, I was still on high alert for Dana.
I stopped searching for him when the first person came up to me.
At first, I was extremely
confused why the person dressed like a zombie approached me, standing silently, expectant. After two seconds of processing, my brain finally remembered why I was in the corner to begin with. I pulled out one of the papers from my pocket. He nodded and extended his hand. Feeling my entire body tense in apprehension of what I was about to do, I handed him the paper and he walked away.
Through the night, I handed out fourteen papers, leaving only two in my pocket by the time the club announced they were closing. I saw Clark quickly running toward me, untying his scarf.
“Here, give me that.”
I quickly untied my scarf and he took it, going to the back door through which we would be leaving. I took off my mask and placed it with the scarves. We went through what we had planned, me slipping off my skirt to leave me in the corset with tight black pants and my strappy high heels. Clark removed the cloak over his suit and flipped it around, exposing the red side and slipping it over my shoulders, allowing me to tie it as he fished in his pocket and pulled out fake vampire fangs, popping them in his mouth. I let down my hair, my heart racing with exhilaration. I found myself smiling.
Clark looked at me and, when he saw me smile, he smiled as well, his expression telling me that he was feeling the same excitement.
Once again, he offered his hand and we walked to the balcony with some other Commish Kids as the club began to empty.
The meeting after the party was simple, because it was Halloween and most of the Commish Kids were unable to determine who was gossiping. I wanted to believe that the Commish Kids were actually looking for the people with the scarves and that was why they did not listen for any gossip.
I felt accomplished. I was proud. I was giddy at the thought that Dana knew nothing of what was going on with the Commish Kids. I was sure he suspected, but I doubt he knew everything and that was empowering.
After Clark had wrapped up the meeting, he and I slipped down the far stairs and gathered our things at the back door, scurrying out to find Mark standing by the car. To my surprise, he did not seem at all startled by our costume change. He opened the car door for both of us and closed it after we were seated, sliding into the driver’s seat and driving out of the alleyway.
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