The Girl and The Raven (33 page)

“But you had to skip the game last night.” I know he means I missed seeing Dylan.

“Tonight, and spending it with you…more than makes up for it.” I gesture to our surroundings. “A year ago, I never would’ve imagined this. I didn’t go to dances. Earlier today at Katie’s house…at one point I looked over at her while we were doing our make-up, and it hit me that I have the best friend I’ve always wanted.”

Marcus cups my face, his lips trailing kisses along my forehead, then each of my cheeks.

I close my eyes, a feeling of warmth spreading through me as Marcus continues to kiss me, his lips traveling along my jaw and lower to my neck. “I have this beautiful dress.”
And a father
, a voice whispers in my head. “Best of all I have you. I feel like I’m in a fairytale.”

“Then I want the night to last forever,” he murmurs, his lips near my ear causing me to shiver. “I can’t stop thinking that I almost lost you.”

I wrap my arms around his neck as his lips meet mine. My fingers sink into his hair, my nails gently drag down the nape of his neck. My heart beats wildly and I feel the strange stirring inside that only Marcus can bring to life.

He pulls away, his hand caressing my cheek as his eyes burn into mine. “We should go,” he says, although I can see by his smoldering expression he doesn’t want to.

I nod reluctantly. We make our way down the steps and around the building where we run into Katie and the gang coming up the sidewalk.

My jaw drops when Katie turns to face me. We used a straight iron on her hair and she’d done her make-up more dramatically than usual. Her dress ties it all together. She looks dazzling, better than anyone I’ve seen featured in Teen Vogue. Trevor can’t take his eyes off of her.

“Hey, perfect timing!” Katie bounces with excitement. “Where were you two?”

“On the roof.” I blink several times. “I can’t get over how gorgeous you look.”

She dashes over to me and wraps her arms around me, careful not to cause any damage to our make-up. “Thanks! You look fantastic,” she whispers in my ear. “I’m so excited! Promise me tonight’s going to be awesome.”

“Unforgettable,” I promise and hug her back.

* * * *

The restaurant is packed and it takes several tours around the parking lot before we find a spot. I cringe as I look out the windshield, once again struck by the memory of the suicidal crow, its beady-red eyes and the smear of blood when Marcus turned on the windshield wipers.

Marcus offers to drop me at the door, but I decline, not wanting to be apart from him for a minute. Not tonight. Once inside, we easily spot the only table for ten.

“Lucy!” Ella jumps up from the table and hugs me. “I’m so glad you’re better. We were worried about you. You look beautiful, by the way!”

“Thanks,” I reply, surprised by her kindness. “You look amazing!”

Her form fitting satin pink dress compliments her hair and eyes, and shows off generous cleavage. She hugs Marcus a little too long, but I pretend not to notice. Caroline insists on taking a bunch of pictures around the table and then hands the camera to Katie and Trevor, with instructions to take more. I’m seeing stars by the time they’re done.

“Did you remember your masks?” Cloe asks as she holds hers in front of her eyes. It’s two-tone gold with green around the eyes. Her date, Darick, has a green mask with gold outlining the edges. “We wanted to match, without being identical.”

I turn to Marcus, my heart in my throat. I forgot the masks.

“They’re in the car. Back seat.” Marcus pats my leg reassuringly.

Ella and Caroline hold up their masks. They managed to get the same style, but while Ella’s is green, pink and gold, Caroline’s is blue and gold. I’m relieved Katie’s has feathers like mine. 

“So did you guys hear about the after-party at Rachel’s?” Caroline asks.

“What?” My head shoots up. From the corner of my eye, I notice Marcus watching me, his posture stiff.

“Yeah, Dylan and Rachel are going to the dance. Apparently, they’re back together,” Caroline reports sadly. “Do you guys want to go?”

Dylan is back with Rachel?

“You look upset,” Marcus says tightly.

I glance around the table, not wanting to get into it with him. “Rachel was pretty awful to him. He should be with someone nicer. That’s all.”

“Yeah, but she sure fills out her cheerleading uniform nicely.” Trevor grins and Katie smacks his arm.

“You’re not kidding!” Darick agrees, trying unsuccessfully to get a high five from Shawn, who stares dutifully at Suzy.

“You guys are pigs,” Suzy snaps at Darick and Trevor.

“Sorry, Suzy-Q, but she dresses to get attention.” Darick shrugs. “Don’t knock us for noticing.”

“We’re heading home after the dance,” Marcus announces after nearly everyone else at the table expresses an interest in going to the party.

I feel totally lame, not that I want to go to Rachel’s stupid party. Then again, it would be a chance to see Dylan. Rachel, too, after my fun little stunt at the hospital. Problem is, she’d probably slam the door in my face or have football players kick me out. One look at Marcus tells me the decision isn’t mine to make. His jaw is set and strained. He says that since I’ve been sick, he promised my uncles he’d have me home right after the dance.

“Just to give everyone a heads up, Caroline and I are going to take photos throughout the night and submit the best ones to the yearbook for consideration,” Ella announces.

Katie leans close and whispers in my ear. “What she means is they’re going to submit a bunch of pictures of themselves.”

“No doubt,” I reply.

Half an hour later dinner is served and conversation falls away. I push the cheese tortellini around my plate, no longer hungry. A dark feeling has settled over me that I can’t shake. Maybe it’s just a side effect of the poison. I slouch against my chair, suddenly dizzy. It’s too hot in the restaurant. I reach for my glass of water, my hand trembling.

“What’s wrong?” Marcus asks softly, his voice full of concern. “You’re flushed.”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “I don’t feel well.”

“Let’s get some fresh air.” He pulls money from his wallet and tosses it in the middle of the table.

Eight pairs of eyes suddenly fix on me.

“Sorry,” I say weakly.

“Are you all right?” Katie and Cloe ask in unison, scraping their chairs back as they rise to their feet.

“Yeah…I’ll be fine. Please stay. Finish your dinner. We’ll meet you there.”

Marcus takes my hand and pulls me toward the door. As we exit the restaurant, the cool night air washes over me and I feel a little better. “Now tell me what’s wrong,” he says as we approach the car.

“It’s probably nothing.” I avoid eye contact, not wanting him to read me, as he’s prone to. “I have this horrible feeling…but it’s probably just a case of jitters. My first dance and all.”

“Look at me.” He nudges my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Nothing bad is going to happen tonight. You have the necklace,” he says, fingering the amulet. “You’ll be safe, but I’m worried about you. You never leave a meal untouched. Ever. You’re probably going to faint tonight from lack of nourishment.”

I laugh in spite of the nagging feeling and snuggle against him. I realize the fear that’s been plaguing me all day has nothing to do with me. I’m afraid for
him
. “I haven’t gotten my appetite back. That’s all. Maybe we should skip the dance tonight.”

“Not a chance.” He wraps his arms around me and I close my eyes, giving in to the absolute calm that washes over me. “Nothing’s going to happen tonight. Remember, I’m nearly indestructible.”

“But…” I protest half-heartedly and my eyes close as I rest my head against his chest.

Indestructible?
Not according to Persephone. But Marcus doesn’t know she shared with me how bad off he was after saving me.

“No butts. We’re going to the dance. You’ve been looking forward to this. Besides…” he laughs devilishly. “I have a good idea how we can kill some time in the school parking lot while we wait for the others.”

I discover that Marcus and I aren’t always in sync after all. By killing time, I thought that meant kissing—lots and lots of kissing—the perfect distraction from my worries. What did I get instead? The unveiling of the new cd by one of Marcus’ favorite bands. He’s so excited, I don’t have the heart to tell him I had other activities in mind.

The dance is in full swing by the time we enter the packed gymnasium. It’s the perfect setting for the dance with its floor to ceiling windows. Tonight it’s transformed into an ornate Mardi Gras. It’s what I imagine New Orleans must look like, with a large black and white checkerboard arch at the entrance adorned with huge masks of green, gold and purple, cardboard jazz trio silhouettes set just so around the room, and colorful gossamer draped on every surface. Balloons and streamers are everywhere.

There are strings of twinkling lights strung across the ceiling, simulating a starry sky. The effect is dazzling. I’m mesmerized by all the girls in their beautiful dresses and the guys decked out in their suits. Everyone is wearing colorful masks. Swept up in the energy, I immediately need to dance. Before I can overthink it and chicken out, I grab Marcus with one hand and Katie with the other and pull them onto the dance floor.

I have never experienced an adrenaline rush before…check that, I’d never had a rush from doing something
fun
. My body has a mind of its own as it moves to the Black Eyed Peas song. Minutes later the DJ plays Fall Out Boy. I turn around when I feel an elbow nudge me from behind. Katie gives me a huge smile and a thumbs-up as she dances with Trevor. I smile and give her a thumbs-up back.

When the music switches to a slow song, Marcus pulls me against his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck. No matter how close, it’s not enough. I bury my face in his throat and inhale his incredible smell. I vow the next time I’m in his apartment, I’m going to snoop around his bathroom so I can find out what he wears. Or maybe I did and that memory was erased by Persephone.

“Glad we came?” He asks loud over the music.

I look up at him and nod. “This will go down as one of my all time favorite nights,” I tell him happily. “I guess I love to dance!”

He leans down and if it wasn’t for this being a school event, I would sink my fingers in his luxurious hair and get lost in his kiss.

When the song ends, I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn to see Katie, Caroline, Ella, Suzy and Cloe.

“Bathroom break,” Ella announces. “We need to freshen up.”

I give Marcus an apologetic smile as I pull out of his embrace.

“The music is killer, isn’t it? Have you ever seen such an awesome Homecoming theme? The decorations are stellar!” Caroline squeals as we weave our way through the crowd and out of the gymnasium. Her eyes are bright and her enthusiasm is over the top. I glance at Ella as she bursts out laughing and throws her arm around Caroline. I casually tap Katie on the elbow and she falls back.

“Have they been drinking?” I whisper.

She nods. “They passed around a bottle of Coke in the parking lot. When Suzy took a sip, she choked and spit it out. It had rum in it.”

Cloe turns and waits for us. “This is so much better than I expected.” She smiles. “Are you having a good time?”

“It’s awesome,” Katie replies and I can tell by her star-struck expression that she’s falling for Trevor.

“Nice lip lock, Lucy,” Ella says as we enter the girl’s bathroom. “And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.”

“What do you mean?” We were told a lot of teachers would be here tonight. The last thing I wanted was to get reprimanded for PDA.

She pauses to apply lipstick in the mirror and tuck a few loose strands of hair into her barrette. Her expression turns hard, her eyes cold. “Dylan was watching you dance and he didn’t seem all that happy when you and Marcus kissed.”

I look away from her, touching up my lip-gloss as a way to escape her murderous expression, confused by the goose bumps racing along my skin. “I’m sure you’re wrong.”

“Yeah right,” she sneers. “I’m curious how long you think you can pull off the good girl act, before everyone catches on to you.” She stares at me a moment longer in the mirror before heading to an empty stall. She pauses and turns, her gaze sweeping over me. “By the way, that necklace is super tacky and doesn’t go with your dress at all.”

Katie approaches the sink to wash her hands and looks at me. “What’s wrong?” She peers over her shoulder to the stall Ella just entered. “Is she stirring up drama again?”

I shrug. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” I turn back to the mirror and grimace as I look hard at the necklace. Ella’s right. I look tacky and don’t belong at St. Aquinas. I blink back tears as I take the necklace off and shove it in my purse.

Back in the gym, Marcus hands me a bottle of water, his hand caressing mine in the process. I shiver, wishing we could leave.

“Hey Mikayla!” Caroline calls out.

I turn around as a girl with long blonde hair approaches us, one arm heavily draped with beads. I met Mikayla once before at the mall and seeing her now in an emerald green halter-style dress, I do a double take. Her shoulders and arms are super toned and in her heels, she’s nearly six feet tall. According to Caroline, Mikayla is captain of the sophomore swim team and spends twelve hours a week in the pool.