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Something tickled the back of his mind, a light caress from ghostly fingers, familiar and sweet. He opened his eyes, brow furrowed. He looked around. No one was there. He looked up at the buildings that rose above them. Nothing.
“Nick.”
He lowered his head. Gibby and Jazz were walking toward a white SUV that had pulled up to the curb. Seth was looking at him, a question on his face. “What’s up?”
Nick forced a smile. “Nothing. I thought—” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Got lost in my own head.”
Seth nodded slowly. “You sure?”
“Yeah. Jazz, Gibby, move your butts over because we’re both getting in the back seat with you.”
As Seth climbed into the SUV, Nick looked around once more.
Nothing.
He followed his friends into the SUV.
Centennial High had been transformed. It was still obviously just the cafeteria where they ate lunch every day, but it looked as if it’d been given a makeover involving an entire cadre of dead magicians.
A banner above the entrance to the cafeteria announcedSTARRY NIGHTS!WISH UPON THE STARS AND ALL YOUR DREAMS WILL COME TRUE! Nick thought it was a little over the top, but then he’d never been on a prom committee. It absolutely did not help that underneath those words were smaller words that readALSO FIERY NIGHTS, JUST IN CASE PYRO STORM SHOWS UP!
Nick glared at the banner as they handed their tickets over to a particularly disgruntled woman who looked like teenage happiness was the bane of her existence. “No drinking,” she told them. “No drugs. No dirty dancing. No fornicating. Keep it clean, keep it safe.”
“Darn,” Nick said. “What am I going to do with all these tabs of acid that I’m obviously joking about, so please stop rising from your chair like you’re going to kick me out. Oh my god, I wasjoking. I don’t even know where to get acid.”
The woman sat back down, glaring at Nick. “No drugs!”
“He was kidding,” Seth said hastily. “He doesn’t do drugs.”
“Only the legal kind,” Nick promised her. “That were prescribed by a doctor not associated with Burke Pharmaceuticals. I need them because of my brain.”
“Stop.Talking,” Gibby growled. “If you get us kicked out before we even go in, I’m going to let Jazz stab you with one of her heels.”
“Go through security,” the woman barked, waving them away. “No funny business!”
“Some people can’t take a joke,” Nick mumbled as they got in the line that led toward the cafeteria. At the front of the line were three teachers going through purses and pockets. “Remember when we could go to school without worrying about people wanting to kill us?”
“No,” Jazz said. “Because I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have to walk through metal detectors in order to get to class.”
“Or people not liking the color of my skin,” Gibby said.
When it was finally their turn, Nick didn’t argue as he was patted down (though he did snap to be careful with his suit), watching as Jazz’s purse was riffled through.
The usual lunch tables had been removed, replaced by round tables covered in tablecloths that shimmered under the strings of lights that had been stretched all around the cafeteria. Atop the tables sat bunches of fake white flowers, each of their petals covered in sequins not unlike those on Nick’s suit. The tables lined one half of the room, the other half left open as a dance floor, though only a few were dancing so far, the DJ against the wall trying to hype everyone up to no avail. The ceiling had been covered with glow-in-the-dark stars, an entire galaxy complete with a wombat constellation, though it looked diseased and was missing a limb. Someone had apparently thought a fog machine was a good idea and white smoke billowed across the floor, swirling as people moved through it.
Waiters in snappy dress clothes and bow ties moved between the tables, carrying trays of sparkling water and little sandwiches that Nick thought were probably made in the cafeteria.
The heating system was apparently on full blast, and Nick wiped sweat from his brow as Seth led them toward an empty table near the back, pulling a chair out for Jazz and then one for Gibby, who snorted but didn’t say anything as she sat down next to Jazz.
Not to be outdone, Nick did the same for Seth, who grinned at him before taking a seat. As Nick sat down, he looked around the cafeteria, trying to see where their parents were so they could actively avoid them at all costs. It was crowded, the sounds of voices and terrible dance music bouncing off the walls around them. Nick thought he saw Bob and Martha against the far wall, but there were too many people to be sure. He was distracted by one of the waiters who moved between the tables, expertly carrying a tray. The man was slim and moved with the grace of a dancer. Nick couldn’t quite make out his face in the low light. He didn’t know why, but the man seemed familiar somehow.
“What is it?” Seth whispered to him, bringing his attention back to the table.
“Thought I saw someone I knew,” Nick said. “One of the waiters.”
Seth turned to look out at the crowd. “Who did you think he was?”
Nick shrugged. “Don’t know. Probably seeing things. No big deal.”
