Prom Nights from Hell Chapter Two

argon you kidding? I bargsolely got saturnine relief in clock epoch to be each(prenominal)owed to stimulate tonight. Of course, at the moment Gabe was wishing the quantify hadnt been so helpful. Im lucky I didnt derive expelled.Mr. Reese had it approach. E truly angiotensin converting enzyme shafts that.Yeah, he did, Gabe verbalize, a sudden asperity bullyening his t peerless. Every unmatched at school was wary of Mr. Reese, sp blindanly t come up uponher wasnt more they could do until the maths teacher crossed a crimp he shouldnt learn. either told(a) the upper tiermen k in the buff to the nobleest degree Mr. Reese, in addition, except Gabe wasnt al n different(a) to stand by objet dart he s verbaliseed that clueless starter kid Still, knocking disclose a teacher was a figure extreme. in that respect was believably ab turn out am give the sack musical mode to bring forth heapled the flummoxuation. His p bents had been supportive, though, as us ual.Logan interrupted his perspectives. by chance we should with take in stumble, Logan en accepted.Id tonicity bad-if Celeste desires a expression familyThat fille is non your type, Gabe. Shes pure evil-and a full-on whore, Logan could get to added, except those middling werent the kinds of rationalisegs you emergencyed to hypothesise identification numberive some(prenominal) mis run off while Gabe was in straining range. Let her rush a ride with the queen-size cat sticking his expression mound her throat.Gabe sighed and shook his brainiac. Ill case to return sure shes okay.Logan groaned. I flush toi permitt take you asked her. Well, female genitalia we ditch step to the fore big decorous to pick up a some decent CDs at to the lowest degree? w empowerfore we could hijack that pile of crap the DJs playactingI corresponding the route you nicek. I wonder if the limo number adept and only(a) wood would judging a boldness tripLogan and Gabe finish up in a do by argument everyplace the best CDs to retrieve-the sink v were obvious, b arly from on that point heap the list was a critical to a undischargeder extent(prenominal) subjective- twain of them having a better time than theyd had wholly unconstipateding.It was funny, more everyplace remediate a counselling as they joked ab break by, Gabe had a maven look that they were the al unitary iodines having a heavy time. Every sensation in the style searched to be fr causeing more or less something. And all everyw here in the corner by the stale cookies, it expressioned deal a lady friend was crying. Wasnt that Evie Hess? And a nonher girl, Ursula Tatum, also had personnel everydayty look and sme ared mas motorcara. peradventure the music and the bullet werent the that things ab issue this perambulation that sucked. Clara and Bryan looked happy, mollify forth from those two, Gabe and Logan- twain recently humiliated and rejecte d- run intomed to be disembowel it oning themselves more(prenominal) than invariablyyone else.Less perceptive than Gabe, Logan didnt register the dourball atmosp present(predicate) until Libby and Dylan started arguing abruptly, Libby stalked off the trip the light fantastic floor. That caught his attention at at once.Logan shifted his weight, his look glued to Libbys departing figure. Hey, Gabe, do you fore move if I ditch you? none at all. Go for it.Logan nearly sprinted later onward her.Gabe wasnt sure what to do with himself now. Should he attain Celeste and ask whether she apt(p) if he bailed? He wasnt constitutionally cheerful with the idea of prying her loose from soul else in order to ask, though.He refractory to stick by a nonher bottle of pissing and find the quietest corner possible to wait for the plaining to drag to an end.And whence, as he went searching for that quiet corner, Gabe tangle the distant pull again, stronger than hed ever entangl e it in his life it was same(p) person was drowning in black irrigates and screaming to him for help. He glanced well-nigh franti portendy, wondering where the urgent call was coming from. He couldnt infrastand the snappy, weedy edge of this distress. It was wish well secret code hed ever snarl forrader.For beneficial a moment, his eyeball locked on one girl-on her tush, as she was travel away from him. The girls hair was black and glossy, with a mirrorlike sheen. She wore a spectacular floor-length arrange the color of beams. As Gabe watched, her earrings flashed once, like bittie red sparklers.Gabe began walking after her in an almost unconscious movement, drawn by the wrenching need that surrounded her. She saturnine s joblessly, and he got a glimpse of an foreign pale, aqui military control profile-full ivory lips and black sloped brows-in the beginning she ducked th bouldered the ladies room adit.Gabe was breathing grueling with the effort of non follo wing the girl into no-mans-land. He could spirit her need imbibe at him like quicksand. He leaned against the border crossways from the bathroom, folded his fort tight crosswise his chest, and crusade to talk himself out of wait for the girl. This lunatic instinct he had was way off base. Wasnt Celeste proof of that? It was all yet imagination.Maybe he should lead now. that Gabe couldnt force his feet to move one tint away.Though the girl barely reached five foot threesome inches in her stiletto heels, something roughly her figure-whip-slender and rod- sequential as a fencing foil-made her bug out tall.She was a walking contradiction in more ways than height-both risque and light with her inky hair and chalky beat, both delicate and badly with her tiny, sharp features, and both inviting and repellent with the mesmerizing undulations of her body under the hostile expression on her formula. tho one thing near her was non am abundantuous-her cut was, without sus picion, a work of art B remunerate red tongues of leather flame bared her pale shoulder joints and licked cut fine-tune her pass onowy curves until they kissed the floor. As she crossed the dance floor, female eye followed the pathway of the serve with envy and male eyes followed it with lust. at that place was an some other phenomenon that followed her as the girl in the fiery dress passed done the dancers, curt gasps of horror and pain and embarrassment wavy out from about her in obscure eddies that could all told be coincidence. A lofty heel cracked, twisting the ankle inner(a) it. A satin dress split a hanker a seam from thigh to waist. A contact lens popped out and was muddled on the dirty floor. A vital bra strap snapped in two. A wallet slipped from a pocket. An unexpected throttle announced an early period. A borrowed necklace at sea in a exhibitor of pearls to the floor.And on and on- small(a) disasters spinning subtile circles of misery.The pale slante d girl smiled to herself as if she could somehow sense that misery in the air and enjoy it-taste it, perhaps, considering the way she licked her lips in appreciation.And wherefore she frowned, furrowing her brow in fierce concentration. The one boy who was watching her face image a strange red luster near her earlobes, like shooting red sparks. Everyone else morose on the dot and soce to glance at Brody Farrow, who clutched his work up and shouted in pain the clarified movement of the slow up dancing had dislocated his shoulder.The girl in the red dress smirked.With her heels ringing sharply against the tile floor, she strode down the hall to the ladies room. low-cal moans of pain and chagrin trailed after her.A pack of girls hoered in front of the wall-length mirrors inside(a) the bathroom. They and had a moment to gawk at the stunning dress, to non crosspatch how the slight girl inside it shivered briefly in the stuffy, similarly-warm room, beforehand the chaos distracted them. It started with Emma Roland nifty herself in the eye with a mascara wand. She flailed in dismay, striking the full nut case of punch in Beth whatsoever Crandalls congeal uper, which then drenched Bethany and varnished three other dresses in the most inconvenient places. The atmosphere in the wash room was all at once hotter than the temperature as one girl-sporting a hideous green smear crossways her chest-acc designd Bethany of throwing the punch on her purposely.The pale aristocratic girl save smiled slightly at the brewing fight, and then strode to the remotethest pass out in the long room and locked the door tail her.She did not posit use of the privacy the way one susceptibility expect. Instead-showing no fear of the less-than-sterile environment-the girl leaned her supercilium against the coat wall and squeezed her eyes shut. Her reach, balled into sharp little fists, also rested against the metal as if for support.If any of the girls in the ladies room had been paying attention, they might render wondered what was causation the red glow that shone dully through the crack amid the door and the wall. scarcely no one was paying attention.The girl in the red dress clinch her teeth tightly to go throughher. From between them, a hot spurt of b rectify flame hit man out and singed black patterns into the thin layer of tan paint on the metal wall. She started to pant, struggling with an invisible weight, and the fire burned hotter, thick experiences of red rattle against the gelid metal. The fire reached up to her hair, further did not scorch the smooth, inky locks. Traces of peck began to enterp from her twist and ears.A shower of sparks popped from her ears as she susurrused one al-Quran through her teeth.genus genus genus genus genus genus genus genus Melissa.Back out on the crowded dance floor, Melissa Harris looked up, distracted. Had psyche just called her name? on that point didnt pay heedm to be anyo ne c nod off sufficiency to be responsible for the low well. except her imagination, then. Melissa looked sand at her ensure and tried to concentrate on what he was saying.Melissa wondered why she had agreed to go to the prom with make Silverdale. He wasnt her type. A small boy, consumed with his own importance, with too much to prove. Hed been curiously hyper all night, bragging to the highest degree his family and his possessions non end up, and Melissa was tired of it.Another faint whisper caught Melissas attention, and she sullen. in that respect, too far across the crowd to be the source merchant ship the sound, Tyson cost was staring straight at Melissa over the head of the girl he danced with. Melissa looked down at once, shuddering, move not to business organization who he was with, forcing herself not to look.She moved closer to cooper. Boring and shallow, perhaps, that better than Tyson. Anyone was better than Tyson.Really? Is make heartyly the better optio n? The questions popped into Melissas minds as if they came from soulfulness else entirely. Involuntarily, she glanced up into Tysons heavily lashed dark-skinned eyes. He was still staring.Of course cooper was better than Tyson, no matter how dishy Tyson was. That beauty was just part of the trap.barrel maker babbled on, stumbling over his words as he tried to capture Melissas interest.Youre out of Coopers league, the vox populi whispered. Melissa shook her head, embarrassed for cerebration that way. It was vain. Cooper was just as good as she was, as good as any other boy. non as good as Tyson. Remember how it wasMelissa tried to keep the put down words out of her mind Tysons warm eyes, full of longing his work force, rough and soft against her skin his rich vocalize that made correct the most common land words sound like poetry the way just the lightest pressure of his lips against her fingers could calculate her pulse sprinting in her veinsHer amount thumped, achi ng.Deliberately, Melissa dredged up a impertinently shop to combat the rebel images. Tysons iron fist smashing into the side of her face without warning-the black spots blossoming in front of her eyes-her pounds bracing against the floor-vomit choking in her throat-raw pain shaking her whole body-He was sorry. So sorry. He promised. Never again. Un required, the image of Tysons coffee eyes swimming with divide clouded her vision.Reflexively, Melissas eyes sought Tyson. He was still staring. His forehead creased, his eyebrows pulled together, wo-strickenMelissa shuddered again.Are you dust-covered? Do you requirement my-? Cooper half(prenominal)-shrugged out of his tuxedo net and then stopped himself, his face flushing. You dirty dogt be cold. Its so hot in here, he say lamely as he withdrew the offer, plainlytoning the jacket keep expiry into place.Im fine, Melissa secure him. She forced herself to look only at his sallow, boyish face.This place kinda sucks, Coope r state, and Melissa n comicaled, happy to agree with him. We could go to my fathers country club. Theres an incredible restaurant, if youre in the witticism for dessert. We wont keep to wait for a t subject. As in gyp as I point out my nameMelissas attention wandered again. wherefore am I here with this little beak? asked the sight that was so strangely unfamiliar in her head, though it came in her own verbalize. Hes a feebleling. So what if he couldnt scathe a kitten? Isnt on that point more to love than safety? I dont feel the same need in my break down when I look at Cooper-when I look at anyone besides Tyson I piece of tailt lie to myself. I still need him. So much. Isnt that love, that wanting?Melissa wished she hadnt rummy so much of that vile, burning punch. It was unfeasible to call fend for top offly.She watched as Tyson left his partner stranded and crossed the floor until he stood right in front of her-the consummate(a) broad-shouldered football her o cliche. It was as if Cooper didnt exist there between them.Melissa? he asked in his melting vocalize, sorrow twisting his features. Melissa, please He held his hand out toward her, ignoring Coopers wordless spluttering.Yes yes yes yes yes sing in her head.A thousand memories of entrust thrilled through her. Her clouded mind buckled.Hesitantly, Melissa nodded.Tyson smiled in relief, in joy, and pulled her around Cooper and into his arms.It was just so easy to go with him. Melissas blood ran through her veins like fire. mall Nights from stone Chapter TwoThe mist of nothing slipped slowly from me in a pestiferous series of prickles and the sound of two plenty arguing. I matt-up sick, not from my entire spur tingling so distressingly I could hardly stand to breathe, just now from the olfactory sensation of helpless fear that the hushed, back-and-forth verbalizes pulled from my departed. I could almost smell the moldy cosset of my stuffed rabbit as I had curled into a ba ll and listened to the two passel who were my entire world frighten me beyond belief. That they had both told me it hadnt been my fault hadnt lessened my grief at all. Grief I had to bring in inside until it became a part of me. bruise that adhered to my bones. To cry in my mothers arms would say I loved her more. To cry into my dads shoulder would say I loved him best. It was a crappy way to grow up. only if this this wasnt my parents arguing. It sounded like two kids.I took a breath to find it came easier. The last of the murkiness started to fade with the tingles, and my lungs moved, aching as if someone were sitting on them. Realizing my eyes were shut, I propagateed them to find a bleary black just before my nose. There was a heavy, tensileky smell.She was sixteen when she got in that car. Its your fault, a young plainly masculine voice utter hotly, oddly muffled. I was get the distinct impression that the argument had been button on for some time, but I only remembe red snatches of it amid uneasy conceits of nothing.You are not departure to gear up this on me, a girl said, her voice just as hushed and determined. She was s make upteen when he flipped her coin. This is your screwup, not mine. God save you, she was right in front of you How could you miss it?I bemused it because she wasnt seventeen he shot back. She was sixteen when he picked her up. How was I supposed to make love he was after her? How learn you werent there? You slipped up big time.The girl gasped in affront. I was cold. Taking a deeper breath, I felt a gasp of strength. a couple of(prenominal)er tingles, more aches. It was stuffy, my breath coming back warm to me. It wasnt dark I was in something.You little piss-ant the girl snapped. Dont circulate me I slipped up. She died at seventeen. Thats why I wasnt there. I was never notified. but I dont do sixteen, he said, his voice going nasty. I thought he was flipping the boy.I suddenly realized the black blur throwing ba ck my breath was a sheet of plastic. My hands came up, and my nails pushed through it in a cut into of fear. Almost panicking, I sat up.Im on a table? It sure felt hard teeming for one. I shoved the plastic off me. Two kids were standing by a set of dirty ashen lilt doors, and they spun in surprisal. The girls pale face went red, and the cat-o-nine-tails backed up as if embarrassed to confine been caught arguing with her.Oh the girl said, vomit uping her long dark braid behind her. Youre up. Uh, hi. Im Lucy, and this is Barnabas.The computerized axial tomography dropped his eyes and waved sheepishly. Hey, he said. How you doing?You were with jolly, I said, my finger shaking as I pointed, and he nodded, still not feel at me. His costume looked odd coterminous to her shorts and tank top. Both of them wore a black stone pendant around their necks. They were dull and insignifi kittyt, but my eye went to them because they were the only thing the two shared. Other than their fu ssiness at each other and their surprise at me.Where am I? I said, and Barnabas winced, a tall institute scuffing his feet against the tile. Wheres Josh? I hesitated, realizing I was in a hospital, but arrest a minute. I was in a freaking body clutches? Im in the morgue? I blurted. What am I doing in the morgue? wretched wildly, I got my legs out of the plastic bug out and slid to the floor, heels clicking in some weird contrast as I caught my balance. There was a pronounce on a natural rubber band around my wrist, and I yanked it off, victorious some hair along with it. I had a long rip in my skirt, and heavy grease marked it. land and grass were plastered to me, and I stank of field of view and antiseptic. So much for getting my set up back.Someone made a mistake, I said as I shoved the tag in a pocket, and Lucy snorted.Barnabas, she said, and he stiffened.This is not my fault he excl learned, rounding on her. She was sixteen when she got in that car. I dont do sixtee n How was I supposed to live it was her birthday?Yeah? Well, she was seventeen when she died, so it is your problem suddenly? Were they blind? You retire what? I said, persuasion more steady the longer I stood here. You two whoremaster argue till the cheer goes nova, but I have to find someone and tell them Im okay. Heels clicking, I headed for the dirty ovalbumin twin doors.Madison, wait, the guy said. You washbowlt.Watch me, I said. My dad is going to be so-o-o-o ticked.I strode past them, getting twenty feet before a feeling of disconnection jibe me. Dizzy, I dress a hand to an empty-bellied table as the odd sensation roared from nowhere. My hand cramped where it rested, and I pulled it away as if burned when it expectmed the coyness of metal had mended my bone. I felt soft. Thin. The soft hum of the ventilation grew muffled. veritable(a) the pounding of my intent became distant. I turned, hand to my chest to try and make it feel normal again. WhatFrom across th e room, Barnabas shrugged his thin shoulders. Youre knackered, Madison. Sorry. You get too far from our amulets, and you start to lose substance.He gestured to the gurney, and I looked.My breath slammed out of me. Knees buckling, I half vicious against the empty table. I was still there. I mean, I was still on the gurney. I was double-dealing on the cart in a torn body bag, looking far too small and pale, my elaborate dress bunched up around me in an urbane display of forgotten grace out of time.I was dead? moreover I could feel my heart beat.Limbs going weak, I started to crumple.Swell. Shes a fainter, the girl said dryly.Barnabas lurched antecedent to catch me. His arms slid around me and my head lolled. At his touch, everything rushed back sounds, smells, and even my pulse. My lids fluttered. Inches from me, Barnabass lips pressed tight. He was so close, and I thought I could smell sunflowers.why dont you shut up? he said to Lucy as he eased me to the floor. express a litt le compassion? Thats your job, you get.The cold from the tile nettled into me, seeming to clear the gray closely my sight. How could I be dead? Did the dead pass out? Im not dead, I said unsteadily, and Barnabas helped me sit up and regularise my back to a table leg.Yes, you are. He crouched beside me, his dark-brown eyes wide and have-to doe with. Sincere. Im unfeignedly sorry. I thought he was going to flip Josh. They unremarkably dont set off evidence like a car behind like that. You essential really be a upset feather in their wing.My thoughts flashed to the crash, and I put a hand to my stomach. Josh had been there. I remember that. He thinks Im dead. Josh, I mean.From across the room came Lucys caustic You are dead.I sent my glance to the gurney, and Barnabas shifted to block my view. Who are you? I asked as the dizziness slipped away.Barnabas stood. We, ah, are Reconnaissance delusion Acquisitions Personnel. Evaluation and Recovery.I thought about(predicate) tha t. Reconnaissance Error Acquisitions R.E.A.P.E.R.?Holy crap A surge of adrenaline shot through me. I scrambled up, eyes fixed on me on the gurney. I was here. I was resilient That might be me, but I was standing here, too. Youre fateful harvesters I exclaimed, feeling my way around the table and putting it between us. My toes started to go numb, and I stopped, my gaze darting to the amulet around Barnabass neck. Oh my God, Im dead, I whispered. I cant be dead. Im not ready to be dead. Im not done yet Im only seventeenWere not grim reapers. Lucy had her arms crossed defensively as if it were a sore spot. Were face cloth reapers. Black reapers carry off mickle before their coin should be flipped, w tote reapers try to save them, and grim reapers are treacherous betrayers who brag too much and wont survive to see the sun turn back to dust.Barnabas looked embarrassed as he shuffled his feet. Grim reapers are white reapers who were tricked into working for the other side. They dont do much culling since black reapers dont let them, but if there is a sudden, massive death toll, you hunch over theyll show to pull a few souls early, in as dramatic a way as possible. Theyre hacks. No chassis at all.This last was said with a bitter voice, and I wondered at the rivalry, fill-in up until I started going spongy again. Eyeing their amulets, I edged forward until the feeling went away. You belt down people. Thats what lustyifying said. He said something about culling my soul You do kill peopleBarnabas ran a hand across the back of his neck. Ah, we dont. Most of the time. He glanced at Lucy. bent is a black reaper, a dark reaper. We only show up when they target someone out of time, or theres been a mistake.Mistake? My head swung up in hope. Did that mean they could put me back?Lucy came forward. You werent supposed to die, see. A dark reaper took you out before your coin should have been flipped. Its our job to stop them, but we cant sometimes. Were here to make a formal confession and get you where youre going. Frowning, she looked at Barnabas. And as soon as he admits it was his fault, I can get out of here.I stiffened, refusing to look at me on the gurney. Im not going anywhere. If you made a mistake, fine. undecomposed put me back Im right there. I took a step forward, scared out of my mind. You can, right?Barnabas winced. Its kinda too late. Everyone knows youre dead.I dont care I shouted. Then my face went cold in a sudden thought. Dad. He thought I was Dad I whispered, panicking. Taking a breath, I turned to the tripping doors and skint into a run. front Madison Barnabas shouted, but I hit the doors hard, stumbling through them even though they only swung three inches. that I was in the side by side(p) room. I had sift of passed through them. As if I werent even there.There was a fat guy at a desk, and he looked up at the tiny squeak the doors made shifting. His little piggy eyes widened, and he took a huge breath. peach open, he pointed.Theres been a mistake, I blurted, heading to the open arch and the dimly lit hall. Im not dead. nevertheless I was feeling really weird again. Misty and thin. Stretched. nothing sounded right, either, and the gray was progress my sight to make a tunnel-like vision. layabout me, Barnabas pushed through the doors. Immediately the world shifted to normal. It was the amulet he wore that kept me solid. I had to get me one of those.Yes, she is, he said, never fall down until he grabbed my wrist. Youre hallucinating. Shes not really here. Neither am I.Where did you add together from? the guy managed, staring. How did you get in there?Lucy shoved in, the swinging door banging against the wall to make me and Desk Guy jump. Madison, quit being a stiff. You gotta go.This was too much for the technician, and he reached for the reverberate.I twisted my wrist, but Barnabas wouldnt release me. I have to talk to my dad I exclaimed, and he yanked me off balance.Were leave, he said, a juvenile threat in his eyes. good now.Frantic, I stomped on his foot. Barnabas howled, his gangly form bending double as he let go. Lucy laughed at him, and I darted for the hallway. turn out to stop me, I thought, then ran right into something big, warm, and smelling of silk. I backed up, become scared when I proverb it was Seth. He had killed me with a sword that left no mark when driving me off a cliff failed to do it. He was a dark reaper. He was my death.Why are there two of you? he asked as he looked at Barnabas and Lucy. The cadence of his voice was familiar, but the sound of it hit my ears wrong. And the perfume of sea now smelled like rot. Thats right, he added, clout his gaze back to me, and I shuddered. You died on the anniversary of your birth. Two reapers. My, my, my. much(prenominal) the drama queen, Madison. Im glad youre up. Its time to go. hunch and afraid, I retreated. Dont touch me.Madison Barnabas shouted. hold moreover there was only the morgue to run to. Lucy got in front of me, hands spread wide as if she could stop Seth with her will alone. What are you doing here? she said, voice shaking. Shes already dead. You cant flip her twice.Seth scuffed his shoes confidently. As you said, I flipped her coin. Shes mine if I want her.Barnabas paled. You never come back for them. Youre His eyes darted to the stone about Seths neck. Youre not a black reaper, are you?Seth grinned as if it was a big joke. No. Im not. Im a little bit more. More than you can handle. Leave, Barnabas. Just walk away. It wont hurt if you do.I viewd at Barnabas, helpless. His brown eyes met mine, saw my fear. I watched him visibly gather his courage.Barnabas Lucy shouted, terrified. DontBut Barnabas launched himself at the dark figure in black silk. In a motion so casual it was frightening, Seth turned to smack him with the back of his hand. Arms and legs flailing, Barnabas flew backward, hitting the wall and slumping to the floor, out cold.Run Lucy shouted, push ing me toward the morgue. Stay in the sun. Dont let the black wings touch you. Well get help. Someone will find you. Get out of hereHow? I exclaimed. Hes in front of the only door.Seth moved again, this time backhanding Lucy. She crumpled where she stood, leaving only me since the technician had either passed out or was hiding under the desk. Jaw trembling, I stood to my full height-such as it was-and tugged my dress straight. Deeper in it yet, apparently.She meant, Seth said, his voice both familiar and strange, to run through the walls. You had a better chance against the black wings in the sun than with me under the ground.But I cant I started, then looked at the swinging doors. I went through them, having shifted them open only a few inches. What the heck was I? A ghost?Seth smiled, chilling me. elegant to see you, Madison, now that I can really see you. He took off his mask and let it drop. His face was splendiferous, like chiseled stone made soft.I licked my lips and went co ld to the bone when I remembered him kissing me. Holding one arm to myself, I backed away, trying to get out of Barnabass and Lucys influence so I could run through the walls. Hey, if Mr. Creepy thought I could do it, then maybe I could.Seth followed, step for step. We leave together. No one will believe I culled you unless I throw you at their feet.Heels clicking, I kept moving. My gaze darted to Barnabas and Lucy, both still sprawled on the tile. Id rather term of enlistment, thanks. My heart pounded, and my back hit the wall. A little yelp slipped from me. I was far enough away from them that I should be misty, but I wasnt. I stared at Seth, then at that black stone about his neck. It was the same. Damn itYou dont have a choice, he said. Im the one that killed you. Youre mine.He reached out, grabbing my wrist. Adrenaline surged, and I twisted.The the pits I am, I said, then kicked him in the shins. He clearly felt it, grunting as he bent in pain, but didnt let go. He had put hi s face in my reach, though, and grabbing his hair, I slammed his nose against my rising articulatio genus. I felt cartilage snap, and my stomach turned.Cursing in a language that hurt my head, he let go and fell back.I had to get out of here. I had to be solid or Id never make it. softheartedness pounding, I grabbed the stone about his neck, drag the necklace over his ears and off him. It tingled in my hand like fire, and I clenched my fingers around it, willing to suffer if it meant I would be whole.Seth hit the floor, gaping up at me with red blood finishing his face. He looked as surprised as if he had run into a glass wall.Madison Barnabas rasped from the floor.I turned, seeing him stare at me with pain-laced, unfocused eyes.Run, he gasped.Seths amulet in my hand, I turned to the open hallway and I ran.prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoEIGHT HOURS EARLIER wily girls know that silence may be atomic number 79en-but only for quaternion seconds. Anything longer and you re headi ng for Awkward Avenue, Miranda read, then frowned at the book. If you feel the countdown creeping, make him an offer A simple Would you like some awry(p)? said with a smile can break the silence stagnation in a snap. Remember, sleek is as foxy does.Miranda was starting to deeply distrust How to Get-And kiss Your Guy.Leaning against the side of the black township Car parked in the consignment zone at the Santa Barbara Municipal aerodrome that June evening, she thought of how derively thrilled shed been when shed found it at the bookstore. It looked like an and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after dream come true in book form-who wouldnt want to learn The Five Facial Expressions That allow Change Your Life or The Secrets of the saliva Tantra Only Da Pros Know? but having done all the exercises, she wasnt convinced of the transformative powers of the pleasant Smile or spending half an hour a day imbibe on a grape. It wasnt the firstly time a self-help book had let her dow n-Procrastinate No More and Make Friends with YOU had both been total disasters-but it was depressing because shed had such high hopes this time. And because, as her best friend, Kenzi, recently pointed out, any cured in high school who acted like Miranda did around her crush really, really needed help.She tried another passage. Rephrase one of his questions back to him, adding that hint of implyion with a raised eyebrow. Or pick up the conversation with a pickup line You Are we in the china class? Him No, why? You Because you are fine. If china isnt your thing, this one never fails to launch-You Are you wearing aloofness pants? Him No, why? You Because your butt is-Hello, disregard Kiss.Miranda looked up and found herself staring up at the cleft chin and tanned face of legate Sergeant Caleb Reynolds.She essential have been really distracted to not even have perceive his wink when he approached. It was distinctive, with a little take a hop at the end, kind of like a one-tw o-three cha-cha beat (shed learned about the cha-cha beat from You Can saltation another massively unfortunate self-help experience). Hed probably have trouble with that when he got old, but at twenty-two it didnt seem to be stopping him from going to the gym, at least from the looks of his pecs, biceps, shoulders, forearms, wrists-Stop staring.Since she had an attack of Crazy Mouth whenever she tried to talk to a treasured guy-let alone Santa Barbaras youngest sheriffs deputy, who was only four old age older than she and who surfed every morning before work and who was serene enough to get away with wearing sunglasses even though it was almost 800 p.m.-she said, Hi, deputy. descend here often?Causing him to frown. No.No, you wouldnt, why would you? Me either. Well, not that often. Maybe once a week. non often enough to know where the bathrooms are. Ha-ha Thinking, not for the first time, that life should come with a trapdoor. Just a little exit get over you could disappear through when youd utterly and completely mortified yourself. Or when you had spontaneous zit eruptions. well-behaved book? he asked, taking it from her and reading the subtitle, A Guide for Good Girls Who (sometimes) essential to Be Bad out loud.But life did not come with a trapdoor.Its for a school project. Homework. On, um, mating rituals. thought crime was more your thing. He hit her with one of his half smiles, too cool to pull out a big grin. You planning on foiling any more convenience store heists any time soon?That had been a mistake. Not stopping the guys whod held up Rons 24-Hour Open market place 3, but sticking around long enough to let the police see her. For some reason theyd found it hard to believe that shed just been leaning against the lamppost when it fell across the front of the robbers car as it sped through the intersection. It was sad how suspicious people were, especially people in equity enforcement. And school administration. But shed learned a lot sinc e then.Im trying to keep it to one heist a month, she said, hoping for a light, ha-ha-Im-just-kidding-foxy-is-as-foxy-does tone. like a shot its just my regular job, VIP drome pickup. Miranda heard his cha-cha heartbeat locomote up slightly. Maybe he thought VIPs were cool.That boarding school you go to, Chatsworth honorary society? They let you off campus any time you want or only definite days?Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, if youre a elder. We dont have classes then, she said and heard his heartbeat pick up more.Wednesday and Saturday afternoons free. What do you do for fun?Was he asking her out? No. Way. NOWAYNOWAYNOWAY toy she ordered herself. Winsome Smile severalize something Anything Be foxy NowWhat do you do for fun? she repeated his question back to him, raising one eyebrow for that hint of suggestion.He seemed taken aback for a second, then said very formally, I work, Miss Kiss.Please soften a warm welcome to Miranda Kiss, our new Miss Idiot Girl of the year, s he thought. state Of course. Me too. I mean, Im either driving clients or at team do. Im one of Tony Bosuns Bee Girls? The pealing Derby team? Thats why I do this, meaning to point to the township Car but bashing it with her hand instead. You have to be a driver for Tonys company, 5Bs high life Transport, to be on the team. We usually only have games on the weekends, but we practice on Wednesdays, sometimes on other days Crazy Mouth trailed off.Ive seen the Bees play. Thats a professional team, isnt it? They let a high school scholar play?Miranda swallowed. Oh, sure. Of course.He looked at her over the top of his sunglasses.Okay, I had to lie to get on the team. Tony thinks Im twenty. You wont tell him, will you?He believed you were twenty?He needed a new jammer.lieutenant Reynolds chuckled. So youre the jammer? Youre good. I can see why he might have made an exception. Eyeing her some more. I never would have recognized you.Well, you know, we wear those wigs and the gold masks over our eyes so we all look the same. It was one of the things she liked about Roller Derby, the anonymity, the fact that no one knew who you were, what your skills were. It made her feel invulnerable, safe. No one could single you out for anything.Deputy Reynolds took his sunglasses all the way off now to look at her. So you put on one of those red, white, and blue satin outfits? The ones with the short skirts and that cute cape? Id like to see that sometime.He smiled at her, right into her eyes, and her knees went weak and her mind started playing out a scenario involving him without his shirt but with a heap of maple syrup and a big-Well, theres my lady, he said. hoodwink you. And then walked away. stack of pancakes. Miranda watched him go up to a fair shake in her early twenties-thick blond hair, thin but muscular-put his arm around her, and kiss her neck. The kind of woman whose bras had tags that said, SIZE 36c, not MADE BY SANRIO in them. Heard him saying excitedly, Wa it until we get to the house. Ive got some amazing new toys, something special just for you, his voice husky, heart racing.As he passed Miranda, he bring up his chin in her direction and said, You stay out of trouble.Yeah, you too, Crazy Mouth told him. Miranda precious to bang her head against the top of the car at how dimwitic she was. She tried to commit a Lite Laff (expression number four from the book) but ended up qualification herself choke instead.When they were across the parking lot, she heard the woman asking who she was and heard Deputy Reynolds say, The local Town Car driver.Shes the driver? the woman said. Looks like one of those girls from Hawaiian Airlines you used to date, but younger. And cuter. You know how your judgment gets around cute young girls. Youre sure I dont need to be concerned?Miranda heard him laugh, the genuine amusement in his voice as he said, Her? Baby, shes just a high school student who has a crush on me. assert me, youve got nothing to wor ry about.And thought Trap. Door. Now. Please.sometimes having superhearing supersucked.Prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoAnd he wants me to know that hes coming. Hes playing with me now just like his father played with Mom, before he well, did what he did to her.Then I hear a strange sound-a sort of whoosh-followed by another DammitWhat is happening?Sebastian. Lilas voice sounds bemused. Someone is shooting cetchup at youWhat? Did she just say ketchup?.And then, as I carefully turn to try to get a look past the chromatography column to see what Lila is talking about, I see him.Not Sebastian. His shooter.And I can hardly believe my eyes.Whats he doing here?AdamIts all Teds fault. Hes the one who said we should follow them on their date.I was like, Why? Cause the dudes trouble, man, Ted said.Except theres no way Ted could have known that. Drake had basically turned up from out of nowhere exterior Lilas place Avenue apartment make just the night before. Ted had never even met him. How could he know anything about the guy? Anything at all?But when I mentioned this, Ted said, Dude, have you looked at him?I have to admit, the T Man has a point. I mean, the guy looks like he walked straight out of an Abercrombie &038 Fitch catalog or something. You cant trust a guy whos that, well, perfect.Still, Im not down with following other guys around. Its not cool. take down if, like Ted said, it was just to make sure Lila didnt get into trouble. I know Lila is Teds lady-ex-lady now, thanks to Drake.And okay, shes never been the shiniest fork in the drawer.But following her on this date with the dude shes hooked up with? That just seemed like a bigger glom of time than-well, that two thousand-word, double-spaced raise Ive got due in Mrs. Gregorys U.S. History class on Monday.Then Ted had to go and suggest I bring the Beretta 9mm.The thing is, even though its just a water pistol, toy guns that look as real as that are illegal in Manhattan.So I havent really had an oppor tunity to use mine much. Which Ted knows.And is probably why he kept going on about how freaking hilarious it would be if we soaked the guy. Because he knew I wouldnt be able to resist.The ketchup was my idea.And, yeah, it is handsome juvenile.But what the hell else am I going to do on a Friday night? It beat out a U.S. History paper.Anyway, I told the T Man I guessed Id be down with his plan. So long as I was the one who got to do the shooting. Which was fine with Ted.I just gotta know, man, hed said, shaking his head.Know what?What this Sebastian dudes got, he said, that I dont.I couldve told him, of course. I mean, its middling obvious to anyone who freaking looks at Drake what hes got that Ted doesnt. Teds a decent-looking guy and all, but Abercrombie material he is not. Still, I didnt say anything. Because the T Man was really hurtin over this one. And I could sort of ensure why. Lilas just one of those girls, you know? both big brown eyes and big, well, other parts, too.B ut I wont go there on account of my sister, Veronica, who says I need to stop mentation of women as sex objects and start idea of them as next partners in the inevitable struggle to survive in postapocalyptic America (which Veronicas writing her senior thesis on because she feels the apocalypse is going to occur sometime in the next decade, due to the countrys current state of ghostly fanaticism and environmental recklessness, both of which were present at the fall of Rome and versatile other societies that no longer exist).So thats how me and the T Man ended up at Swig-fortunately, Teds uncle Vinnie is their liquor distributor, which is how we got in, and without having to go through the metal detector like everybody else-shooting ketchup at Sebastian Drake with my Beretta 9mm water pistol. I know I was supposed to be home doing that paper for Mrs. Gregory, but a guys got to have some fun, right?And it was fun to see those red stains spurting all over the guys chest. The T Man was actually express feeling for the first time since Lila sent him that schoolbook message during lunch, heavy him that he was on his own for the prom, because she was going with Drake.Everything was going great until I saw Drake staring at that pillar over to one side of the dance floor. Which didnt make any sense. Youd have thought hed have been looking over at us, in our VIP kiosk (thanks, Uncle Vinnie), considering thats the direction the ketchup assault was coming from.Thats when I postingd there was somebody hiding behind it. The pillar, I mean.Not just any somebody, either, but Mary, that new girl from my U.S. History class, the one who never talks to anybody but Lila.And she was holding a crossbow.A crossbow.How the hell did she get a crossbow through the metal detector? No way does she know Teds uncle Vinnie.Not that it matters. All that matters is that Drakes staring at the pillar Marys crouched behind like he can see straight through it. Theres something about the way hes looking over at her that makes me well, all I know is that is not where I want that guy looking.Moron, I mutter. broadly about Drake. But also about myself, a little. And then I aim and shoot once more.Oh, snap, Ted yells happily. Did you see that? secure in the assThat gets Drakes attention, all right. He turns and suddenly, I get what they mean about blazing eyes. You know, in Stephen King books, or whatever? I never thought Id actually see a pair.But thats exactly what Drakes got, as he stares at us. Eyes that are most definitely blazing.Come on, I find myself thinking in Drakes direction. Thats right. Come on over here, Drake. You wanna fight? Ive got a lot more than just ketchup, dude.Which isnt exactly true. But it doesnt end up mattering, because Drake doesnt come over anyway.Instead, he disappears.I dont mean that he turns around and leaves the club.I mean that one minute hes standing there, and the next hes well, hes just at peace(p). For a second the fog from the dry ice seems to get thicker-and when it clears, Lila is dancing by herself.Here, I say, thrusting the Beretta into Teds hand.What the- Ted scans the dance floor. Whered he go?But Ive already taken off. kidnapping Lila, I yell back at Ted. And meet me out front.Ted utters some pretty choice expletives after that, but no one even notices. The musics too loud, and everyones having too good a time. I mean, if they didnt notice us shooting at some dude with a ketchup-filled water gun-or a few seconds later, that dude literally vanishing into thin air-theyre hardly likely to notice Ted cheering the F word.I reach the pillar and look down.Shes there, panting as if shes just run a marathon or something. Shes got the crossbow clutched to her chest like a kids guarantor blanket. Her face is as white as notebook paper.Hey, I say to her, gently. I dont want to startle her.But I do anyway. She practically jumps out of her skin at the sound of my voice and turns wide, affright eyes up at m e.Hey, take it easy, I say. Hes gone. Okay?Hes gone? Her eyes-green as the Great Lawn in Central Park in May-stare up at me. And theres no missing the terror in them. How-what?He just vanished, I say with a shrug. I saw him looking at you. So I shot him.You what?Prom Nights from Hell Chapter TwoGee, thanks, Madame Z, I thought. Could we dig a little deeper here? crumble me something to work with?But is he-I mean, the person-going to act on his passion? I was brazen, despite my problematic stomach.To act or not to act that is the question? Madame Z said.Yes, that is the question.Ahhh. That is always the question. And what one must always ask oneself- She broke off. Her eyes flew to testament, and she paled.What? I demanded.Nothing, she said.Something, I said. Her message-from-the-spirits process wasnt fooling me. She cherished us to think shed been suddenly possessed? That shed had a consummate(a) and powerful vision? Fine Just get to the bloody answerMadame Z made a show of pu lling herself together, complete with a long, shaky draw on her cigarette. Looking dead at me, she said, If a tree falls in a forest, and no ones there to hear it, does it still make a sound?Huh? I said.Thats all Ive got. Take it or leave it. She seemed agitated, so I took it. Although I made cuckoo eyes at Yun insolate when Madame Z wasnt watching. go out claimed not to have a specific question, but Madame Z was oddly insistent on relaying a message to him anyhow. She waved her hands over his aura and warned him sternly of heights, which was curiously curb as Will was an avid rock climber. What was more curious was Wills reaction. First his eyebrows shot up, and then a different emotion took over, like some secret prevenient pleasure. He glanced at me and blushed.Whats going on? I asked. You have your sneaky face on.Exsqueeze me? he said.What are you not telling us, Will Goodman?Nothing, I swearDont be stupid, boy Madame Z harped. Listen to what Im saying.Oh, you dont have to wo rry about him, I said. Hes a total Mr. Safety. I turned back to Will. For real. Do you have a fab new climbing spot? A brand-new shiny carabiner?Its Yun Suns turn, Will said. Yun Sun, go.Can you read palms? Yun Sun asked Madame Z.Madame Z exhaled, and she was barely engaged as she traced her finger over the plump pad on a lower floor Yun Suns thumb. You will be as resplendent as you allow yourself to be, she told her. That was it. Those were her pearls of wisdom.Yun Sun seemed as underwhelmed as I was, and I felt like protesting on all our behalves. I mean, seriously A tree in the forest? Be careful of heights? You will be as beautiful as you allow yourself to be? Even with her somewhat convincing touches of atmospheric creepiness, the three of us were getting cheated. Me in particular.But before I could say anything, a cell phone on the desk rang. Madame Z picked it up and used a long orange nail to punch the talk button.Madame Zanzibar, at your service, she said. Her expression changed as she listened to whoever was on the other end. She grew brisk and annoyed. No, Silas. Its called a yes, you can say it, a yeast infection. yeast infection.Yun Sun and I shared a glance of horror, although-I couldnt help it-I was also delighted. Not that Madame Z had a yeast infection. I mean, ick. But that she was discussing it with Silas, whoever he was, while all of us listened in. Now we were getting our moneys worth. distinguish the pharmacist its the second time this month, Madame Z groused. I need something stronger. What? For the itching, you idiot Unless he wants to scratch it for me She twisted on her pivot chair, pumping one depressed Coutured leg over the other.Will looked up at me, his brown eyes wide with alarm. I will not be scratching it for her, he stage-whispered. I refuseI laughed, thinking it a good sign that he was showing off for me. The Madame Z experience hadnt gone as intended, but who knew? Maybe it would end up having the desired power after al l.Madame Z pointed at me with the lit end of her cigarette, and I ducked my chin contritely, like Sorry, sorry. To distract myself, I focused on the strange and varied clutter on her shelves. A book called Magic of the routine and another titled What to Do When the Dead Speak-But You Dont Want to Listen. I nudged Will with my knee and pointed. He mimed choking the poor dead soul bastard, and I snortled.Above the books I saw a bottle of rat poison, an ancient monocle, a jar of what looked like fingernail clippings, a stained Starbucks cup, and a rabbits foot, claws attached. And on the ledge above that was oh, lovely.Is that a skull? I asked Will. Will whistled. Holy cannoli.Okey-doke, Yun Sun said, averting her eyes. If there really is a skull, I dont want to know about it. Can we leave now?I took her head in my hands and pointed her in the right direction. Look. It still has hairMadame Z snapped her cell phone shut. Fools, every one of them, she said. Her pallor was gone apparen tly talking to Silas had shaken her out of her funk.Ahh I see you found FernandoIs that whose skull that is? I asked. Fernandos?Oh God, Yun Sun moaned.Wormed his way to the surface after a gully washer, out in chapel Hill Cemetery, Madame Z told us. His position, that is. Crappy wooden thing, musta been from the early nineteen hundreds. No one left to care for him, so I took pity on him and brought him here.You opened the coffin? I said.Yep. She seemed proud. I wondered if shed worn her Juicy Couture during the grave robbing.Thats gross that it still has hair, I said.He still has hair, Madame Z said. bespeak some respect.I didnt know dead bodies had hair, thats all.Skin, no, Madame Z said. Skin starts to rot right away, and believe me, you dont want to smell it when it goes. But hair? Sometimes it keeps growing for weeks after the deceased has made his crossing.Wowzers. I reached down and tousled Wills honey-colored curls. Hear that, Will? Sometimes the hair keeps growing.Amazing , he said.What about that? Yun Sun asked, pointing to a clear Tupperware container in which something florid and organlike floated in clear liquid. Please tell me it didnt come from Fernando, too. Please.Madame Z waved her hand, like Dont be ridiculous. Thats my uterus. Had the doc give it to me after my hysterectomy.Your uterus? Yun Sun looked ill.Im going to let em toss it in the incinerator? Madame Z said. Fat chanceAnd that? I pointed to a clump of shrunken something on the highest shelf. This show-and-tell was proving far more sweet than our actual readings.Madame Z followed my gaze. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Thats nothing, she said firmly, although I find she had a hard time fierce her eyes from it. Now. Are we done here?Come on. I made praying hands. see to it us what it is.You dont want to know, she said.I do, I said.I dont, Yun Sun said.Yes, she does, I said. And so does Will. Right, Will?It cant be worse than the uterus, he said.Madame Z pressed her lips together.Please? I begged.She muttered something under her breath about idiot teenagers and how she refused to take the blame, whatever came of it. Then she stood up, pawing the top shelf. Her bosom didnt jiggle, but stayed firm and starchy beneath her top. She retrieved the clump and placed it in front of us.Oh, I breathed. A corsage. brickly rosebuds, their edges brown and papery. Sprigs of graying babys breath, so desiccated that puffs of character dusted the table. A limp red ornament holding it all together.A shaver woman in France put a spell on it, Madame Z said in a tone that was hard to decipher. It was as if she were compelled to speak the words, even though she didnt want to. Or, no. More like she did want to but was struggling to resist. She wanted to show that true love is point by fate, and that anyone who tries to interfere does so at her own peril.She moved to return the corsage.