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Now that he had a plan and allies, I had to believe he’d escape death again. That the entire vision would be stopped. If I kept my mouth shut from my own mother, especially about anything Gray-related, then everything would be alright.
Once my mom had gone to work, I abandoned the dishes in the sink and headed straight to my room to sulk in my bed and listen to the wooden music box Gray gave me.
No matter how many times I flopped back against my pillows or threw my covers over my head, I couldn’t stop thinking about prom.
I wanted so badly to be there with Gray.
With a groan of defeat, I walked into Mom’s room.
There it was—the yellow V-neck dress on her bed, nicely ironed and folded in half. As I ran my hands over the buttons, I couldn’t help but reminisce about our good times. Mom and I used to go shopping together.
Once, I had a hard time picking between a green or a yellow summer dress. She favored the yellow one more, had me change into it in the dressing room, and clapped her hands ever so proudly as soon as I stepped out wearing the dress.
“Yellow is perfect for you, honey. You know why? Because you are as bright as the sun and this makes you look even brighter,” she’d said as she spun me around to face the oval mounted mirror. “Look at that! You are the most beautiful girl in the world. You look just like me when I was younger!”
“There is no way I would believe that, Eomma. I’m obviously prettier than you. Past or present,” I had remarked jokingly before sticking out my tongue at her and running around the aisle with her chasing after me.
People used to think we were like sisters instead of a mother and a daughter. I used to think so too, but as I snapped myself back to reality, I realized I’d been wrong all along. She was the real monster, how could I have called her a mother?
Still, I found myself wearing the dress she prepared for prom night.
But the moment I saw myself in the mirror, wearing that beautiful dress, one tear rolled down my cheek. “Fuck it,” I mumbled to myself before scurrying into the living room to grab my phone and dial Gray.
His phone rang once, and then he picked up, but I didn’t wait for him to say a word.It was now or never, I thought.
“Gray, I have something important to tell you, but please don’t say anything else until I’m done. If I hear your voice, I might not be able to finish, okay? I’m sorry.” I gulped as I clutched my heavy chest. “It’s about your parents. I’m really sorry, Gray. It was my mom. She did something terrible. She did it to break my dad’s curse. She said she—” I closed my eyes as the tears came full force, turning my voice into a weak whisper. “She said she killed your parents.” I waited for him to say something, but the line remained silent, so I continued, “I know you hate me now, but please don’t go to prom. You need to stay alive. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I’ll explain it more in person, okay? I think we need to watch out for my mom too. If she finds out I had a vision about you … what if she hurts you too? What if she kills you to break my curse? I’m scared, Gray. Please stay home, hm?”
“Aera …” A different voice from Gray’s came on the line. “What the hell are you talking about?”
It was Cole.
The First and Last Prom
The lightsof the gym flashed in an endless array of disco colors as the teachers and students danced. The music boomed through the room, shaking the ground, but all I could hear was the pounding in my ears. Blood rushed to my face, throbbing in my head, and all I could do to steady myself was to breathe.
I inhaled, knowing that it could be my last breath, the last few moments of my life. And Aera was not there to see it.
I wouldn’t want her to see me either, killed on the dance floor of what was supposed to be the best night of our high school life, which was why I wrote her a letter. My last resort, if I died after all.
Cole was running late too. I wanted to call him and be that annoying voice telling him to hurry up and dress up nicely, but I had accidentally left my phone at home.
Very convenient.
Letting go of the breath I was holding, I tried to relax.
Some of the Nightstalkers were already on the rooftop. Others hid behind the bleachers, their arrows and knives dipped in wolfsbane.
Anxious, I cleared my head, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, and stared at my watch.
We were running out of time.
I pulled the power switch that would cut the electricity in the gym. It turned off with a static crackle, replacing the loud, booming music with piercing shrieks.
They wouldn’t see me in the dark, they could only assume I was a teacher, so I crept back through the shadows and found my place on the stage.
The plan was simple: take everyone to the rooftop. Try to hold off dying and fight along with the Nightstalkers without getting our hearts and livers gouged out by rabid werewolves.
“Attention, students!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, my voice faltering slightly. I swallowed the regret as I tried to push down the nervous tension within me.
