Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Five

Thanks, Sheeb. lynchpin at you.Jezebel winked at one time, and and then make a faced wider until the relentless of her teeth gossipmed to envelop her entire face. She evaporated into the night.Sheba linge sanguine in the dirty on the wholeey until the tantalizing scent of brimst bingle had faded a mood entirely, and then break fourth dimension was everyplace. Invigorated by the idea of joining the front lines, Sheba hurried spine to her misery.The perambulation was in rise swing, and e trulything was f on the whole tolding into place.Celeste was scoring high in her malicious game she awarded herself a point for every young lady who cried in a dark corner of the b entirely wedge on. Two points for every boy who threw a dawdler at a rival.All over the room, the opineds Sheba had planted were flowering. dis wish well was blooming on attitude lust and rage and despair. A garden truthful from hell.Sheba enjoyed it all from behind a potted do by. no she couldnt forc e the hu humanitys to do anything. They had their innate free will, and so she could only tempt, could only suggest. Little things-high heels and seams and belittled muscle groups-she could manipulate physically, nonwithstanding she could never force their minds. They had to choose to identifyen. And tonight, they were listening.Sheba was on a roll, and she didnt pauperism any loose ends, so forwards she turn back to her most am subr show upineious scheme-Cooper was pliant with intoxication straight off, ready for her direction-she start her thought processs searching by means of the crowd for those small, annoying blab outs of happiness.No wizard was base on balls come out-of-door from this perambulation unscathed. Not tour Sheba had a spark in her body.Over thither-what was this? Bryan Walker and Clara Hurst were staring dreamily into each(prenominal) others eyeball, to pompousy inattentive to the wrath and despair and bad music surrounding them, fitting enjo ying each others company.Sheba considered her options and go underd to adjudge Celeste interfere. Celeste should enjoy that- nonhing was more than fiendishly fun than flaunting your effect right in the face of a pure romance. Besides, Celeste listened to every tip Sheba fed her, entirely agree fit to any demonic scheme.Sheba continued with her rating before acting.Not in any case far away, Sheba engraft that shed dropped the ball in an inexcusable fashion. Was that her cause date, Logan, actually enjoying himself? Impossible. So, hed found his Libby later on all and they were some(prenominal) unacceptably happy. Well, that would be easy sufficient to rectify. Shed go reclaim her abetter _or_ abettor and send Libby running away in tears. Amateur and crude to interpose bodily Still, better that than let happiness win even one small battle.Shebas assessment was skilful somewhat done. in that location was just one more tiny pocket of peace-not a couple this time it w as a lone(prenominal) boy wandering into the far end of the room from the hall. That annoying Gabe Christensen.Sheba scowled in his direction. What did he contri plainlye to be happy rough? He was jilted and alone. His date was the scourge of the prom. A universal boy would be practiced of rage or pain right now. except he insisted on making more work for herSheba inspected Gabes mind more closingly. Hmm. Gabe wasnt really happy. In fact, he was worrying intensely at the split second, searching for mortal. Celeste was quite all the way in his view, writhing to a slow song with Rob Carlton (Pamela yard watched the display with shocked eyes, despair leaking juicyly into the air somewhat her), only if she wasnt the source of Gabes worry. There was someone else he wanted to find.So he wasnt happy-that wasnt the sensation that had trespassed on Shebas atmosphere of misery. It was wakelessness itself that was exuding from this boy. generate lot worse.Sheba ducked behin d the palm and pushed bring surface with her thoughts. Smoke oozed from her nose. Gabe.Gabe shook his head absently and continued with his search.Hed calculateed fractional an hour as throngs of young ladys left the trick, drove afterward drove. Here and thither Gabe had felt up a weak pull, plainly nothing at all kindred that one girls raging, suffocating charter.When three separate groups had all fall and gone, Gabe had stopped Jill Stein to ask after the girl.Black hair and a red dress? No, I didnt see anyone standardized that in there. I think the bathroom is give up.The girl must put one across slipped past him somehow.Gabe had just returned to the dance floor, brooding over the mystery girl. At least Bryan and Clara and Logan and Libby were having fun. That was high-priced. The tranquillity of the class seemed to be having an exceptionally nasty evening.And then, there it was again. Gabes head jerked up, tactile property the desperation hed been searching fo r. Where was she?Sheba hissed in frustration. The boys mind was entirely sober and singularly closed to her insidious voice. Well, that wasnt expiration to stop her. She had other comparablewisels.Celeste.It was time the bad girl tormented her own date.Sheba leaned lightly on Celeste, suggesting that avenue. After all, Gabe was charismatic by human standards. Certainly good enough for Celeste, whose standards were hardly rigorous. Gabe was tall and subtly muscular, with dark hair and symmetrical features. He had pale good-for-nothing eyes that Sheba personally found a bit repulsive-they were so definitely un-damned, almost heavenly, ugh but that appealed to mortal girls. It was livelinessing into those clear eyes that had assoil Celeste say yes to this squeaky clean do-gooders invitation.Do-gooder, indeed. Shebas eyes narrowed. Gabe had already been on her list before he insisted on disregarding her here at the prom. This was the very boy who had slandered her plans for the lecherous math teacher-just a little bit of pre-prom fun Sheba had arranged in among making sure that everyone asked scarcely the wrong person to the thumping dance. If Gabe hadnt confronted Mr. Reese at a critical moment of temptation Sheba gritted her teeth and sparks flickered away of her ears. She would have ruined the man and the impossibly innocent girl, too. Not that Mr. Reese had had far to fall, but it would have been a visionary s kittydal. And now the math teacher was being especially c beful, made on the lookout by those large-mindedred sky-blue eyes. Feeling guilty, even. Considering counseling for his problem. UghGabe Christensen owed Sheba some misery. She would captivate her receivable.Sheba glared at Celeste, wondering why the girl had made no move toward her date. Celeste was lighten wrapped around Rob, enjoying Pamelas pain. Enough fun There was carnage to be wreaked. Sheba whispered suggestions in Celestes mind, nudging her in Gabes direction. C eleste shrugged away from Rob and glanced toward Gabe, who was still combing through the crowd with his gaze. Her brown eyes sittled on his blue for just a second, and then she moved, cringed actually, back into Robs arms.Odd. Gabes light eyes seemed to be almost as repellent to the vicious blonde as they were to Sheba.Sheba leaned again, but Celeste-for once-shook her off, trying to distract herself from thoughts of Gabe with Robs eager lips.Baffled, Sheba cast around for some other avenue to destroy the irritating boy, but she was interrupted by something a lot more important than one good human.Cooper Silverdale was exactly thrill with rage on one side of the dance floor, glowering at Melissa and Tyson. Melissa had her head on Tysons shoulder and was oblivious to the self-complacent grin Tyson aimed in Coopers direction.It was time to act. Cooper was considering some other glass of punch to drown his pain, and he was a lot too close to passing out for Sheba to allow that. She focused on him, smoke at her ears, and Cooper completed dully that the green punch was revolting. He couldnt stand any more. He threw his half-empty cup to the floor and turned back to glare at Tyson.She thinks Im pathetic, state the voice in Coopers head. No, she doesnt even think of me at all. yet I stool make it so shell never be able to for thrum meHis head thick with alcohol, Cooper reached back and stroked his hand along the barrel of the gun under his jacket.Sheba held her breath. Sparks flew from her ears.And then, in that vital second, Sheba was distracted by the knowl bounds that someone was staring intensely at her own face.Here, in the ballroom, that same sucking need, move at him-someone drowning, shrieking for help. It had to be the same girl. Gabe had never felt anything so urgent in his life.His eyes raked desperately over the couples on the floor, but he couldnt see her. He paced the edge of the floor, searching the faces of the race on the sidelines. She wasnt there, either.He saw Celeste with yet another boy, but his eyes didnt pause. If Celeste didnt claim her ride home soon, there wasnt much he could do most it. Someone else needed Gabe more.The need tugged at him again, yanked hard, and for a moment, Gabe wondered if he was dismissal crazy. maybe hed only imagined the girl in the fiery dress. peradventure this sense of frenzied need was just the attempt of some delusion.At that moment, Gabes seeking eyes found what they were searching for.Stepping around Heath McKenzies big sulking form, Gabes eyes locked on a tiny, but brilliant, red flash. There she was-half-hidden behind a fake tree, her earrings glinting like sparklers again-the girl in the red dress. Her dark eyes, heavy as the pool hed imagined her drowning in, met his. The vivacious need was an aura surrounding her. He didnt have to think close moving toward her. There was likely no way he could have stopped himself if hed wanted to.He was sure hed never seen t his girl before tonight she was completely unfamiliar.Her dark, almond-shaped eyes were composed and careful, but at the same time they cried out to him. They were the focus of the need he felt. He could no more resist their plea than he could tell his mall to stop beating.She needed him.Sheba watched with disbelief as Gabe Christensen walked straight toward her. She saw her own face in his head and realized that the person Gabe had been looking for was Sheba.She allowed the apprize distraction-knowing that Cooper was hers for the taking, that a fewer minutes time wouldnt save him now-and rejoiced in the delicious irony. So Gabe wanted to be ruined by Sheba personally? Well, she would induce him. It would make his misery even sweeter knowing that hed chosen it himself. She straightened up in her hell-hound dress, letting it caress her figure suggestively. She knew what any human male would have to feel when he examined this dress. exclusively the exasperating boy was focused on her eyes.It was dangerous to look straight into the eyes of a demoness. Humans who didnt look away fast enough could get trapped there. And then they were stuck, long after the demoness forever, burning for herBiting back a smile, Sheba met his gaze, staring deep into his sky-colored eyes. Silly human.Gabe stopped a few short feet from the girl, close enough that he wouldnt have to shout over the loud music. He knew he was staring too intently-she would think he was rude, or some kind of freak. But she stared back, just as intent, her deep eyes probing his.He opened his mouth to introduce himself, when suddenly the girls careful expression swimming into one of shock. Shock? Or horror? Her pale lips fell apart, and he heard a little gasp escape them. Her stiff stroller crumpled, and she began to collapse.Gabe jumped toward her and caught her in his arms before she could fall.Shebas knees buckled when her fires went out. Her internal flame died, sucked dry, snuffed like a candle in a vacuum.The room was not so algid anymore, and she could smell nothing more than sweat, cologne, and stale, conditioned air. She could no longer strain the delicious misery shed created. She couldnt taste anything but her own dry mouth.But she could feel the strong arms of Gabe Christensen place her up.The girls dress was soft and warm. Maybe that was the problem, Gabe thought as he pulled her toward him. Maybe the heat of the crowded room was too much combined with her heavy dress. Anxiously, Gabe brushed the silky hair away from her face. Her forehead seemed cool enough and her soft skin wasnt clammy with sweat. All the while, her stunned eyes never wavered from his. atomic number 18 you okay? contribute you stand? Im sorry, I dont know your lay down.Im o.k., the girl said in a low, purring voice. Despite the purr, her voice was just as stunned as her eyes. I I can stand.She straightened up, but Gabe didnt let her go. He didnt want to. And she wasnt pulling away. Her small hands had crept up to rest on his shoulders, like they were move partners.Who are you? she asked in that throaty voice.Gabe-Gabriel Michael Christensen, he elaborated with a grin. And you are? promenade Nights from Hell Chapter FiveWhat do you think youre doing? she asked herself. Rhetorically, since she was already up the Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarves-Do-Baby-Jesus neighbors tree and staring into the yard of the syndicate where shed left Sibby.I cant wait to hear you say to the cops, Yes, officer, I know I was trespassing but that woman was very suspicious because she was wearing false eyelashes.With a full Creepy Cult costume. They just didnt go. Plus she had a hole for a nose piercing. And a French manicure.Maybe she just has really big pores And a mania of dated manicuresShe wasnt what she was posing as.Is this about helping someone or having an excuse not to show up at prom and see leave behind with his face nuzzled in Ariels huge, soft-Shut up, U-Suck.I was spillage to say hair.You are so not funny.You are so not brave.There were both guys sitting in the backyard, leaning across a picnic table toward each other with a book between them, both in T-shirts and khakis and Teva sandals, one of them wearing thick black-framed glasses, the other one with a scraggly beard. They looked like two geeky college guys playing Dungeons and Dragons and sounded like it too when the one wearing glasses said, Thats not how it works. It says in the Book of Rules she cant see for herself, only for other people. You know, like genies with wishes, how they cant grant their own. Except they each had a large involuntary rifle lying on the table undermentioned to them and Miranda could see shooting targets set up on the fence.So what? There are armed geeks. Maybe theyre Sibbys protection. Go home. Sibby doesnt need you. Shes fine.If shes fine, why isnt she out there trying to kiss the two boys?Miranda strained to hear something from intimate the stick out but it wa s definitely soundproofed. A couple came out of glide doors onto the patio away from the Geek Guys, a woman smoking a cigarette in short, tense puffs and a man. Miranda almost fell out of the tree when she recognized the woman as the cult lady, only now without the glasses, skirt, or sweater and with her hair down.Which doesnt mean anything.The woman whispered, We still need the girl to tell us the location, Byron.She will.She hasnt yet.I told you, even if I cant get her to talk, the Gardener can. Hes good at that.The woman again I dont like that he brought a partner. That wasnt part of the plan. Does she get a omission-The man called Byron cut her off. Put that out and be quiet, we have company. He pointed to the Geek Guys scrambling over to join them.The woman crushed her cigarette out under her pick and kicked it away.Is She all right? Bearded Geek asked breathlessly, pronouncing She like it should be capitalized.Yes, the man assured him. Shes resting after her ordeal.Oh, they could not be talking about Sibby. ordeal? No way.Has She said anything? Glasses Geek asked.The man said, Just verbalised how very grateful She is to be here.Miranda almost snorted.Bearded Geek said, Will we be able to see Her?When the Transition happens.The geeks wandered off in a blissful daze and Miranda decided this was the weirdest thing shed ever seen.But it turn up that Sibby was in no danger. These people clearly worshipped Her. Which meant it was time-Why is he called the Gardener, anyway? Fake Eyelash woman asked the man.I believe because hes good at pulling things out.Things?Teeth, nails. Joints. Thats how he gets people to talk. time to find Sibby.Miranda dropped out of the tree into the neighbors yard and found herself looking down the barrel of an automatic rifle.Prom Nights from Hell Chapter FiveI shudder. I cant help it. Even though shes not exactly my type, its not pleasant to think of Lila as some vampires midnight snack.Arent you worried, I ask, hoping to chan ge the subject a little, that Lilas just expiry to tell Drake not to show up at the prom since well be there waiting?I say we and not you because there is no way Im letting Mary go after this guy alone. Which I know Veronica would think is sexist, too.But Veronicas never seen Mary smile.Are you kidding me? Mary asks. She doesnt seem to notice the we. Im counting on her telling him. That way hell show up for sure.I stare at her. Why would he do that?Because killing the exterminators daughter will totally raise his crypt cred. at present Im blinking at her. Crypt cred?You know, she says, tossing her ponytail. Its like street cred. Only among the undead.Oh. Strangely, this does make sense. As much as anything else Ive heard this evening. They call your dad the, um, exterminator? Im having a hard time picturing Marys dad wielding a crossbow the way she did.No, she says, the smile vanishing. My mom. At least she used to be. Not just vampires, either, but evil entities of all kinds-demon s, werewolves, poltergeists, ghosts, warlocks, genies, satyrs, loki, shedus, vetelas, titans, leprechauns-Leprechauns? I echo in disbelief.But Mary simply shrugs. If it was evil, Mom killed it. She just had a gift for it A gift, Mary adds softly, I really hope Ive inherited.I just sit there for a minute. I have to admit Im a little stunned by everything thats gone down over the past couple of hours. Crossbows and vampires and exterminators? And what in the adult male is a vetela? Im not even sure I want to know. No. Wait. I know I dont want to know. Theres a humming psychological disorder inside my head that wont stop.The weird thing is, I kind of like it.So, Mary says, lifting her gaze to meet mine. Do you believe me now?I believe you, I say. What I cant believe, actually, is that I do. Believe her, I mean.Good, she says. It would probably be better if you didnt tell anybody. Now, if you dont mind, I need to start acquiring things ready-Great. Tell me what you need me to do.Her f ace clouds with trouble. Adam, she says. And theres something about the way her lips form my name that makes me feel a little crazy like I want to throw my arms around her and race around the room at the same time. I appreciate the offer. I really do. But its too dangerous. If I kill Drake-When you kill him, I correct her. chances are, his father is going to show up, she goes on, looking for revenge. Maybe not tonight. And maybe not tomorrow. But soon. And when he does it isnt going to be moderately. Its going to be awful. A nightmare. Its going to be-Apocalyptic, I finish for her, a slight shiver going down my spine as I speak the word.Yes. Yes, exactly.Dont worry, I say, ignoring the shiver. Im all set for that.Adam. She shakes her head. You dont understand. I cant-well, I cant guarantee Ill be able to protect you. And I certainly cant let you risk your life like that. Its different for me, because-well, because of my mom. But you-I stop her. Just tell me what time Im picking y ou up.She stares at me. What?Sorry, I say. But youre not going to the prom by yourself. block up of story.And I must have looked really scary or something as I said it, because even though she opens her mouth to argue, she closes it again when she gets a look at my face, and only says, Um. Okay.Still, she has to add, Its your funeral, just to have the last word. Which is fine with me. She can have the last word.Because I know now that Ive found her my future partner in the inevitable struggle to survive in post-apocalyptic America.MaryThe music is pounding in time to my heartbeat. I can feel the bass in my chest-badoom, badoom. Its hard to see across the room of writhing bodies, especially with the flickering light show coming down from the ballrooms ceiling.But I know hes here. I can feel him.And then I see him, moving across the dance floor toward me. Hes holding two glasses of bloodred liquid, one in either hand. When he gets close enough, he hands me one of the glasses, then sa ys, Dont worry, its not spiked. I checked.I dont reply. I just sip the punch, grateful for the liquid-even if it is a little too sweet-because my throat is so dry.The thing is, I know Im making a mistake. Letting Adam do this, I mean.But theres something about him. I dont know what it is. Something that sets him apart from all the rest of the dumb jocks in school. Maybe its the way he saved me back at the club when I lost my nerve, his shooting at Sebastian Drake-progeny of the devil himself-with a ketchup-filled squirt gun.Or maybe its the way he was so nice about my dad, not cracking any jokes about him being like Doc from the Back to the Future movies and even calling him sir. Or the way he picked up my moms p sizzlingo like that and seemed so stunned when I told him the truth about her.Or maybe its just the way he looked when he showed up at quarter to eight this evening, so impossibly handsome in his tux-and even holding a red rose corsage for me despite that less than twenty- four hours ago, he hadnt even known he was going to the prom (good thing tickets were available for sale at the door).Oh well. pascal was ecstatic, for once acting like a normal parent, snapping photos-For your mother to see, when shes better, he unploughed saying-and trying to slip twenty-dollar bills into Adams hand, telling him to treat Mary to an ice choice after the dance.Which frankly made me decide I like Dad better when he never comes out of the lab.Still. I knew I was making a mistake by not sending Adam backpacking right away. This is no job for amateurs.This is this is beautiful. I mean, thats how the ballroom looks. I almost gasped when I entered it on Adams arm. (He insisted. So wed look like a normal couple if Drake was there already and watching.) The Saint Eligius Prep prom deputation really outdid themselves this year.Securing the four-story grand ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria was a feat all on its own, but transforming it into such a sparkling romantic wonde rland? Miraculous.I just hope all those rosettes and streamers are fireproof. Id hate to see them go up in the flames that are bound to appear when Drakes corpse begins to self-conflagrate after I stab him in the chest.So, Adam says, as we stand on the edge of the dance floor, sipping our punch in a silence thats-to be frank-quickly gotten a little uncomfortable. Hows this going to go down, anyway? I dont see your crossbow anywhere.Im just going with a stake, I say, showing him my leg through the slit up the side of my gown. Id strapped a hand-carved piece of ash there, development Moms old thigh holster. Keeping it sweet and simple.Oh, Adam says, after throttling on his punch a little. Okay.I realize he hasnt looked away from my inner thigh. I hastily lower my skirt.And it occurs to me-for the prime(prenominal) time-that Adam expertness be in this for reasons other than wanting to liberate his best friends lady friend from the spell of a bloodsucking fiend.Except can such a thi ng even be possible? I mean, hes Adam Blum. And Im just the new girl. He likes me, sure, but he doesnt like me. He cant. Ive probably only got about ten minutes left to live. Unless something radically alters what Im pretty sure is about to go down.Blushing, I pass off my gaze on the gyrating couples in front of us. Mrs. Gregory from U.S. History is one of the chaperones. Shes going around, trying to maintenance girls from grinding on their dates. She might as well try to keep the moon from rising.Itd probably be best if you kept Lila busy, I say, hoping he doesnt notice that my cheeks are now as scarlet as my gown, while Im doing the staking. We dont want her throwing herself in my path just to try to save him.Thats what I dragged Ted here for, Adam says, nodding toward Teddy Hancock, whos sitting slumped at a nearby table, looking out at the dance floor in a bored manner. Like the rest of us, hes just waiting for Lila-and her date-to arrive.Still, I say. I dont want you anywhere near me when you know.I heard you the first nine million times you told me, Adam mutters. I know you can take care of yourself, Mary. Youve made that abundantly clear.I cant help wincing a little. Hes not having a good time. I can tell.Well, so what? I didnt ask him to come He invited himself This isnt a date, anyway Its a executing He knew that from the outset. Hes the one changing the rules, not me. I mean, who am I kidding? I cant date. I have a legacy to fulfill. Im the exterminators daughter. I have to-Want to dance? Adam startles me by asking.Oh, I say, with some surprise. Id love to. But I really should-Great, he says and takes me into his arms, steering me onto the dance floor.Prom Nights from Hell Chapter FiveWill died, Frankie, she said. The fall, the way he landed he didnt make it.Im sorry what?Chen is on his way to get you. Youll sojourn with us, yes? As long as you want.No, I said. I mean I dont The box of waffles fell from my hand. Will didnt die. Will couldnt have died?Frankie, she said, her voice incessantly sad.Please dont say that, I said. Please dont sound so I didnt understand how to make my mind work.I know you loved him. We all did.Just wait I said. Spray painting? Will doesnt atomizer paint. Thats something a pothead would do, not Will.Lets get you to the house. Well talk about it then.But what was he atomizer painting? I dont understandMrs. Yomiko didnt answer.Let me speak to Yun sunniness, I pleaded. Please Put on Yun SunThere was a muffle exchange. Yun Sun came back on.Ill tell you, she said. But you dont want to know.A ratty feeling spread over me, and suddenly, I didnt want to know.He was spray painting a message. Thats what he was up there doing. She hesitated. It said, Frankie, will you go to prom with me? I sank to the floor, next to a box of waffles. Why was there a box of waffles on the kitchen floor? Frankie? Yun Sun said. Tinny, faraway sound. Frankie, are you there?I didnt like that tinny sound. I pressed the remov e button to make it go away.Will was buried in the chapel Hill Cemetery. I sat, numb, through the funeral, which was closed-coffin because Wills body was too mangled to be viewed. I wanted to say good-bye, but how did you say good-bye to a box? At the grave site, I watched as Wills mother threw a handful of dirt into the hole where Will lay. It was horrible, but the horror felt distant and unreal. Yun Sun squeezed my hand. I didnt squeeze back.It rained that evening, a gentle jump off shower. I imagined the ground, damp and cool around Wills coffin. I thought of Fernando, whose skull Madame Zanzibar had change state after his coffin shifted in the wet earth. I reminded myself that the east side of the cemetery, where Will was buried, was newer, with tidy landscaping. And of course there were modern ways of remove graves now, more efficient than men with shovels.Wills coffin wouldnt come undug. It was impossible.I proceeded with Yun Sun for nearly two weeks. My parents were call ed, and they offered to return from Botswana. I told them no. What good would it do? Their presence wouldnt bring Will back.At school, for the first few days, kids talked in hushed tones and stared at me as I passed. Some thought it was romantic, what Will did. Others thought it was stupid. A tragedy was the phrase most very much used, spoken in mournful tones.As for me, I haunted the halls like the living dead. I would have ditched, but then Id have been corralled by the counselor and forced to talk about my feelings. Which wasnt going to happen. My grief was my own, a skeleton that would rattle forever within me.One week after Wills death, and exactly one week before prom, kids started talking less about Will and more about dresses and dinner reservations and limos. A sallow girl from Wills chemistry class got upset and said prom should be canceled, but others argued no, prom must go on. Its what Will would have wanted.Yun Sun and I were consulted, since we were his best friends. (And since I, though they didnt say it, was the girl he died for.) Yun Suns eyes welled with tears, but after a shaky moment, she said it would be wrong to ruin everyones plans, that sitting home and mourning wouldnt do anyone any good.Life goes on, she said. Her boyfriend, Jeremy, nodded. He put his arm around her and drew her close.Lucy, president of the prom committee, rigid her hand over her heart.So true, she said. She turned to me with an overly solicitous expression. What about you, Frankie? Do you think you could get behind it?I shrugged. Whatever.She embraced me, and I staggered.Okay, guys, were on she called, bounding across the commons. Trixie, back to work on the cherry blossoms. Jocelyn, tell the newsprint Affair lady we need a hundred blue streamers and dont take no for an answerOn the afternoon of the dance, two hours before Jeremy was due to pick up Yun Sun, I crammed my stuff in my duffel al-Qaida and told her I was going home.What? she said. No She put down a h ot roller. Her makeup lay in front of her on her vanity, her Babycakes body appear and Dewberry lip gloss, and her dress hung over the hook of her open bathroom door. It was lilac, with a sweetheart neckline. It was gorgeous.Its time, I said. Thank you for letting me stay so long but its time.Her mouth turned down. She wanted to argue, but she knew it was true. I wasnt happy here. That in itself wasnt the issue-I wasnt going to be happy anywhere-but moping around the Komikos house was making me feel trapped and making Yun Sun feel confounded and guilty.But its prom, Yun Sun said. Wont that be weird, being alone in your house on the night of prom? She came over to me. Stay till tomorrow. Ill be quiet when I come in, I swear. And I promise not to go on and on about you know. The after-parties and who hooked up and who passed out in the girls bathroom.You should get to go on about that stuff, though, I said. You should stay out as late as you want and come in as loudly as you want an d be giddy and spazzy and all that. Unexpectedly, my eyes filled with tears. You should, Yun Sun.She touched my arm. I pulled away, but in what I hoped was an unobvious manner.So should you, Frankie, she said.Yeah well. I heaved my bag over my shoulder. call off me any time, she said. Ill keep my prison cell on, even at the dance.Okay.And if you change your mind, if you decide you want to stay-Thanks.Or even if you decide to come to prom We all want you there-you know that, right? It doesnt matter that you dont have a date.I winced. She didnt mean it the way it sounded, but it most certainly did matter that I didnt have a date, because that date would have been Will. And I didnt have him not because he liked another girl or was suffering from a terrible case of the flu, but because he was dead. Because of me.Oh God, Yun Sun said. FrankieI waved her off. I didnt want any more touching. Its all right.We stood in a bubble of awkwardness.I miss him, too, you know, she said. I nodded. T hen I left.I returned to my empty house to find that the electricity was out. Perfect. This happened more often than it should have afternoon thunderstorms threw tree branches into the transformers, and entire neighborhoods lost supply for several hours. Or the power would go out for no reason. Maybe too many people had their air conditioners on and the circuits overloaded, that was my theory. Wills theory was ghosts, ha ha ha. Theyve come to get your milk, hed say in a spooky voice.Will.My throat tightened.I time-tested not to think about him, but it was impossible, so I let him exist there with me in my mind. I fixed myself a insignificant butter sandwich, which I didnt eat. I went upstairs and lay on my spot without turning down the covers. Shadows deepened. An owl hooted. I stared at my ceiling until I could no longer make out the spider-web cracks.In the dark, my thoughts went places they shouldnt. Fernando. Madame Zanzibar. Youre just like all the rest, arent you? Desper ate for a heart-stopping romance?It was that very desperation that gave own to my stupid Madame Zanzibar plan and even stupider wish. Thats what prodded Will into action. If only Id never taken the damn corsageI bolted upright. Oh my God-the damn corsageI grabbed my cell and held down the three, Yun Suns speed dial. ?One? was for Mom and Dad ?two? was for Will. I still hadnt deleted his name, and now I wouldnt have to.Yun Sun I cried when she answered.Frankie? she said. S.O.S. by Rihanna blared in the background. Are you okay?Im fine, I said. Better than fine I mean, the powers out, its pitch-black, and Im all alone, but whatever. I wont be for long. I giggled and fumbled my way into the hall.Huh? Yun Sun said. More noise. People laughing. Frankie, I can hardly hear you.The corsage. Ive got two wishes left I jogged downstairs, zinging with glee.Frankie, what are you-I can bring him back, dont you get it? Everything will be good again. We can even go to prom