Pulse of Heroes (9 page)

When they got back to Samantha's house,
Michelle told her that she would have to eat-and-run style during
breakfast, and for her not to take that as an insult. Samantha felt
a little guilty because she had almost completely forgotten about
Michelle's wardrobe dilemma. That's how excited she was about the
formal that it took up most of her thought processes. Michelle
devoured breakfast, and wondered what it was about food tasting
different in somebody else's house when it's the exact same food
she had at home. Samantha's mom was very impressed by the fact that
both Michelle and her mother had the courage to face the crowds and
parking nightmare at the shopping mall. Michelle was lamenting over
that reality when Samantha became extremely excited and started
jumping up and down yelling, “I know, I know! I have the best idea,
Michelle you've got to say yes!” Both Michelle and Samantha's
mother looked at her peculiarly, waiting to hear this extraordinary
idea. “Why don't you borrow my blue dress from the formal! I know
you love it just as much as I do, and it's not a traditional prom
dress. It would be perfect!” Samantha was smiling proudly, waiting
for Michelle's response. Michelle was in shock. She didn’t even
think about that dress, let alone that Samantha would let her
borrow it. The dress was so beautiful and so elegant and delicate
that she doubted that she would let Samantha borrow it if it was
hers. But that's why she loved Samantha; Samantha was a better
person than she was, by far.

“Michelle, hurry up. It’s already 4:45,”
Michelle’s mom warned through the bathroom door.

Michelle was still in the shower, and in all
honesty she wished she could remain in there and just skip the
evening completely. “Ouch!” she winced as she cut herself shaving
her leg. Luckily it was above her knee so the dress would cover it
up. That’s the last thing she needed, to walk in there looking like
some scratched-up alley cat. Why oh why did she have to shave her
legs? She hated it. She was finally able to stop the bleeding when
another knock on the door alerted her that she was running
late.

“Fine, I’m coming out,” she yelled, annoyed,
as she marched into her bedroom wrapped up in her large striped
towel. Just at that moment, Samantha arrived to help her do her
hair and makeup.

“It fits you perfectly. I wish I filled out
the dress like that,” Samantha said, admiring Michelle’s ample
décolletage.

“Yeah, right,” Michelle answered, “You have
no idea what a pain it is to find a good fitting bra.”

Samantha looked at Michelle sideways, “Oh,
the pain. Spare me.”

At sixteen, Michelle already wore a size C
bra cup, and sometimes that felt tight depending on the time of the
month. Her mom told her that she might be complaining about her
‘assets’ now, but later she would grow to appreciate her body. She
was almost ready; the final touch was a delicate white gold chain
with the tiniest teardrop diamond ever seen by man. Unless one
looked real close it was hardly noticeable. But that was all the
dress needed, since the top bodice was fitted and had tiny blue
beads lining the chiffon fabric attached to the sweetheart
neckline. Although the bodice fit tightly around the waist, it
continued down, widening to just below the hips where layers of
blue fabric attached to create the skirt, giving it an irregular
hemline. Some parts were longer then others, that’s what gave the
dress a sense of weightlessness. Just the tiniest amount of natural
lip liner with a layer of darker gloss on top, and a hint of mauve
rose blush, and Michelle was ready.

When Michelle’s father saw her descend down
the stairs he broke out in a huge smile and helped her down the
last two steps because she looked like she was struggling with
Samantha’s high heels. “You look amazing, Michelle. What a
beautiful woman you have become. I hardly noticed it until now.”
Michelle blushed and thanked her father for the compliment, even
though she hated it when he talked like that; it was so cheesy. In
the car, sitting in the back seat and listening to more holiday
music, Michelle caught a view of her mom’s profile in the rear view
mirror. She looked so beautiful, Michelle thought to herself, and
so young. Michelle hoped that she would look like that when she
grew up.

Mayor Janice Riesely owned one of the most
beautiful and largest homes in all Willow’s Creek, a creamy white
Victorian surrounded by beautiful gardens. It was a stunning
property with its own private driveway leading up the hill to the
house. That evening, the entire place was magnificently decorated
for the holidays. The trees that lined the private drive were
twinkling with white and yellow Christmas lights, and then the huge
reveal. The house was glowing with white, yellow and red Christmas
lights, emphasizing the classical outline of its gables, doorways
and window frames. From the tall rooftop and rafters hung hundreds
of twinkling icicles that went all the way around the house. Huge
red bows were tied on the banisters to greet the guests as they
walked up the steps. Michelle couldn't help but smile, seeing the
house in all its glory. All it needed was some snow she thought,
but of course, that would definitely be a Christmas miracle around
here.

Once inside, Michelle marveled at the
transformation that the home had undergone for the holidays. She
walked around the rooms, noticing that many of the familiar pieces
of furniture had been removed in order to make space for narrow
serving tables that hugged the walls. Although she wasn't too
hungry, she immediately scanned the food and couldn't believe the
tremendous assortment of dishes and desserts so beautifully
displayed. Her father introduced her to many people there, although
it was hard for her to tell them apart as most of the men were
wearing the same type of suits in the same shades of black.
Michelle had never seen such a vast array of red and green ties in
her life, she thought as she scrutinized the guests. Most of them
were in their 50s and 60s, her parents being an exception as they
were only in their 40s. Michelle also quickly concluded that she
was the youngest person there by far. Now what, she thought to
herself? She needed to relax because it was going to be a long
night, and fretting about the time was just going to make it pass
that much slower. When her parents got into a conversation with a
nice elderly couple, she took that cue to slip away and wander
around by herself. She was tired of the old folks asking her
jokingly if she were single, and she had also had enough of the
different scents of perfumes that followed some of the women. It’s
not that they all smelled bad; some were nice, but the combination
of all of them together amounted to a smell similar to that of
rotting flowers left in a vase for too long. Yuck!

“Hi Michelle,” an unfriendly voice said
behind her. She turned around; it was Bethany. Michelle had
completely forgotten that Bethany's mom was the president or
second-in-command of some Rotary Club. Of course she was going to
be there, how could she space that.

“Hi Bethany,” Michelle said in the same tone
of voice, returning the unfriendly gesture.

“Nice dress,” Bethany said, “I saw one just
like it at the formal.”

What a bitch, Michelle thought to herself.
She had to come up with a reply, and quickly.

“I let Samantha borrow it because I was too
sick to go.” Michelle wasn't sure if Bethany was buying it.

“Well, that's very nice of you,” Bethany
answered, helping herself to a hors d'oeuvre that a server had just
offered them.

“Yeah, it is,” Michelle answered. Her father
swooped in at just the right moment and whisked Michelle away to
introduce her to some more important people. Thank God for fathers,
Michelle thought. She looked back at Bethany, who lifted her hand
and gave her a fake wave goodbye.

As soon as she could get away, Michelle
rushed up the stairs to the powder room, locked herself in, and
dialed her cell phone immediately. She needed to clue Samantha in
on her story about the dress and she needed emotional support. When
she was ready to rejoin the party, she freshened up her lip-gloss
and exited the bathroom only to bump into the next person trying to
enter.

It was a man, and he was tall because the
first thing Michelle saw was two buttons of his waistcoat neatly
fastened. She blushed out of sheer surprise, said she was sorry,
and tried to get out of the situation without looking up to see who
it was. But before she could squeeze herself out of the
uncomfortable position, he said something back to her in a voice
that she had heard before. She slowly looked up to be shocked one
more time; it was Xander. Michelle was trapped, and her heart
accordingly began to beat rapidly. Xander took a step backwards to
let her step out of the bathroom, but not far enough that she could
get away completely.

“I seem to be running into you everywhere I
go, Queen Nefertiti. Quite a strange coincidence, wouldn't you
say,” he said with a smile. Was he talking about seeing her at the
mall, she wondered, or just on Halloween night. She could instantly
feel her body temperature rising, and the palms of her hands were
already sweating. She looked at him but couldn't say anything,
which only embarrassed her even more. At that point another door
opened just up the hallway from where they were standing, and Mayor
Riesely walked out of it carrying some papers with Michelle’s
father right behind her. When she saw Xander and Michelle standing
there she smiled and walked up to them.

“I see you two have already met,” said the
mayor with a wide, warm smile.

“Actually, we were just about to introduce
ourselves,” Xander replied.

“Do let me do the honors,” the Mayor said.
“Michelle this is Mr. De Costa, Xander De Costa, and this is
Michelle Andrews, Councilman Andrews’ daughter.

Michelle had to keep up the charade; there
was no escaping now. The only thing she prayed for was that Xander
wouldn’t mention the accident. Michelle shook Xander’s hand knowing
full well that he would feel how clammy it was. Xander looked deep
into Michelle’s eyes and played right along, “Nice to meet you,
Michelle Andrews. May I compliment you on that beautiful dress you
are wearing. Most lovely and unusual shades of blue. I have had the
pleasure of spending much time in your father’s company these last
few months, and I assure you that I have heard nothing but praise
for you.”

“Xander is the Regent of the new school,”
said Michelle’s father. Michelle could think of nothing other than
how much longer would she have to stand there.

“Wow, that’s really great,” she answered,
immediately biting her lower lip, angry that that’s all she could
come up with.

Michelle eventually pried herself out of the
uncomfortable situation, but not before Mayor Riesely had taken a
photo of her standing in between Xander and her father. Downstairs,
she found herself pacing back and forth, considering every possible
outcome of that chance meeting. Xander knew her dad... even worse,
he had known him for months. Was there a possibility that he had
already told her father about the near-accident? And if he didn’t,
would he now? Why did Xander give her that look? Like he knew what
she was thinking? Why did he pretend he had never met her? She was
going to go crazy if she continued going over these questions. And
some of the party guests were beginning to stare at her. Maybe it
was time for her to find somewhere else to pace.

Michelle found herself in a room where there
was a full service bar with a bartender. She was definitely too
young to order a drink, so she gave the bartender a quick glance
and headed towards another table that featured all the other
beverages. There was an older lady standing there, and when she saw
Michelle approach she gave her a wide smile and gestured to her to
come in closer as if she had a secret to tell her. Michelle played
along. The lady told her that her name was Francesca and that she
was 93 years old, but she could still remember being a little girl
playing in that exact house with the children that used to live
there. Michelle acted more fascinated than she really was, but for
some reason she liked this lady. Francesca was petite, her hair,
although gray, was shiny and beautifully curled up on top of her
head. Her face was covered with wrinkly transparent skin, and her
lips were beautifully lined and rouged with a pinkish hue. But what
Michelle found fascinating were her eyes. Although they were small
and slightly hidden behind tired lids, they had a spark in them,
and they fit beautifully with Francesca’s smile, who suggested that
Michelle try some of the eggnog with a little whipped cream on top.
The eggnog didn’t look particularly appetizing to her right then
and there, but she took one anyway so as to not hurt the old lady’s
feelings. Just as she was about to take a sip, Francesca grabbed
her arm. “Not like that,” she said, reaching into her purse and
pulling out a beautiful glass crystal bottle with a silver top
attached to it by a small chain. She opened up the bottle and
smelled its contents, smiling. “Mmm…
Cuvee 1888
,” she said,
then whispered, “Too good for mixing, but at my age I have to enjoy
things. Can’t take them to the grave. Just very old sour grapes, my
dear.” She poured some into her drink and gestured to Michelle to
bring her glass so she could pour some in it also. Before Michelle
could protest, Francesca replied, “Don’t worry young lady, this
won’t make you an alcoholic, although sneaking around and drinking
it by yourself definitely will. Besides, it’s just for the
flavor.”

Christmas that year was small and quiet at
the Andrews family home. The main highlight was Michelle getting a
kitten from her parents. She named him ‘Crumb’, and he spent his
time terrorizing her room and sleeping soundly next to her during
the nights. During the few days between Christmas and New Years,
Michelle spent her time trying to fill Samantha in on the strange
events that had taken place at the shopping mall and at the party.
Samantha wasn’t quite sure what Michelle was getting at. She agreed
that Xander was a bit strange, but that was most likely due to the
fact that he was a foreigner. “He obviously had an accent,”
Samantha replied, “and he was shaken up the night of the ‘near’ car
accident, wouldn’t you be?” In terms of the boys at the mall and
the one with the strange eyes, she couldn’t really comment since
she wasn’t there and she reminded Michelle that she was running a
fever when she saw them, after all. When James came over to hang
out with Samantha, Michelle told him all about it too. He was even
more of a skeptic than Sam. Michelle wasn’t satisfied. If things
really were completely normal then she must be going crazy, she
thought. If no one was going to believe her then she needed more
proof. She overheard Xander tell someone at the party that the
students were going to move into the school on January 1st.
Perfect, she’ll go spy on the situation. And just to humor her,
James and Samantha agreed to go also.