Chapter 34 — Pageant dance

Amara:

The day of the pageant dance is here, and I’ve been so busy that I’ve barely seen Kell. Nevertheless, Kell doesn’t let it get in the way of sneaking a few kisses here and there and giving me smoldering hot looks. I have to fan myself at the thought of expelling a little energy with my sexy, angelic boyfriend soon. Regrettably, I have to settle with light petting. The upside of being busy is that I haven’t been able to fret about the visions.

Right now, Haley, Juliet, and a few other students are working on the finishing touches of the dance hall. Come to think about it, most of the school is here. Pageant day is like a holiday around Arcata. Everyone gets the day off to prepare, and a few of the school clubs contribute their skills.

Mr. Avila chose several of the best photography students to take pictures. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be one of the photographers for the obvious reason that I’m part of the pageant. The newspaper is writing an Expo, and the AV Club is recording it. Like I said, everyone gets to lend a hand on pageant week.

The Arcata hall is near the school’s greenhouse. It’s a huge beech colored brick building with a large clock mounted at the top, columns decorating the large wooden front doors, and two marble Angel statues in front of the columns. The angels are wearing Grecian style robes with their wings are extended behind their backs like sharp blades. The inside of the building is spacious, with large windows and cream-colored drapes. The floor is white marble, with a big hand-painted angel’s wing crest in the middle of the floor.

The decorating committee placed round tables covered with white tablecloths and simple flower arrangements with white porcelain plates on one side of the room. And the other side of the room was left bare for a dance floor.

There’s a lovely wooden stage sealed off by red velvet curtains on that side.

The ceiling is the most impressive part. It was arched with wood beam buttresses and decorated in twinkling lights.

As I move up the ballroom steps, I sweep my feet around the red velvet carpet and adjust a couple of the usher’s ropes. This area is roped off for the pageant contestants and their dates.

Just then, I hear my name being called. “Amara, hey!” Taylor walks up to me with an exuberant bounce in his step. This time he’s dressed up in a charcoal suit jacket, navy dress pants, and in place of a dress shirt, he’s wearing a white v neck t-shirt. I can’t help but smirk when I look down at his feet. He’s wearing his usual all-stars. “Hey, Taylor. Wow, you look great. What’s up?”

He places his hands in his pocket with a chagrined smile. “Thanks, Amara. I’m good. How about you? Are you ready to become Ms. Arcata High for the millionth time?”

I roll my eyes at his comment and snort. “Who says I’m going to win?” He snickers with a wave of his hand. “Why? Well, because you’re hot, and you’re the most talented. That’s why.”

I shrug off his comment. I guess I’m not excited about whether I win or lose the pageant since the only reason I’m in it is that my mother is blackmailing me into doing it. To be honest, the mere thought of being in the pageant makes me feel nauseous. Not because I’m nervous, but because I hate it. I just want it to be over with and get on with my life. Don’t get me wrong, though. Years ago, I was ecstatic to be in a pageant. But that was before I saw it for what it really was. The girls are usually selfish, backstabbing bitches. They will do anything they can to make their competition look bad. Simply remembering some of the things I’ve seen behind the scenes makes the hair on my neck stand on end.

Unaware of my distracted state, Taylor leans towards me and whispers. “You’re a Breija. Shouldn’t… shouldn’t you see it in a vision or something?”

I shake my head as I walk back down the ballroom steps. “That’s not how it works, Taylor.”

He follows behind me with an inquisitive quirk of his brow. “Then how does it work?”

I stop mid-step and blink a few times. I really don’t want to talk about my abilities considering I’ve been doing everything I can to forget. Thankfully no one is around to hear our conversation. However, I can’t risk someone listening to us.

Taking Taylor by an elbow, I lead him to a quiet spot near the bar. “Look, Tay, I understand that you’re curious, but this is something that I don’t feel comfortable talking about. All I know is that I’m trying to gain some control of my…my…” I swallow deeply for a moment. I want to say the word curse, but it would be rude to say it, considering that his aunt is a Seer. So I take a deep breath and whisper gently, “… visions. I’ve seen girls die for some sick ritual to get some monster in power, and it angers me. That’s why I’m going to do anything I can to stop it.”

His eyes focus on me intently, then shutter and ease. “Sorry, Amara. I didn’t realize that I was intruding. That was really rude of me.”

Sighing deeply, I close my eyes and rub my hand across my forehead exhaustedly. “It’s fine. I just…I’ve been very stressed over what to do about these visions. That’s why Kell and I are working together to find a way to save these girls.”

Taylor’s face tightens, and his eyes darken, which puzzles me. But then, he takes a step back and gives me a sympathetic frown. “Just be careful, Amara. Whoever is hurting those girls are playing for keeps. I don’t think they’d be okay with you ruining their plans. I would hate for you to get caught in the middle of this.” He mutters cryptically.

Taylor’s words ring true. But what he doesn’t understand is that I need to save the girls in my vision. At this time, it’s not a job; it’s a compulsion. I just can’t watch another person die.

Not wanting to argue any further, I pat Taylor's shoulder and give him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Tay. I’ll be okay.”

He rests his hand on mine with a resigned sigh. “Okay, I can see you’re determined, so I won’t comment any further.”

We both stand there awkwardly for a moment. Taylor’s eyes roam around the room then back to me with a strained smile. “The place looks great. You’re going to rock this thing.”

Before I can reply, Juliet spots us and calls out to me. “Hey, Am, are you ready to go? I still have to pick up my dress at the shop.”

I give Taylor an apologetic smile. “Sure. I’ll see you later, Tay?” His mouth narrows into a thin line before he waves and whispers. “Good luck at the pageant.”

Waving back, I walk toward an impatient Juliet, who hastens me over with a wave toward the door. “Come on, girl.” I snort when she taps her feet and marches to the exit. “I’m coming, Jules. Geez, hold your horses.”

Before I leave, I take one last look at the room and sigh. “Time to get this over with,” I whisper tiredly and close the door behind me. Unfortunately, I don’t notice the figure skulking in the shadows. Because If I had, I would have noticed a dark-robed figure standing there with manically glowing eyes.

Juliet and I are standing in front of each other, looking at each other’s dresses. “You look so good,” I say as Juliet twirls in her long red gown in front of the mirror. The gown has a sequined halter top and a flowing taffeta skirt, her hair is up in a tight bun, and her makeup is classic Marilyn Monroe style with long false lashes, dark red lipstick, and red blush dusting her cheekbones. She looks like a nineteen-forties pinup.

As for me, I’m wearing a gray beaded dress with a mermaid style skirt. The dress is sleeveless with a v neck bodice, bareback, and chic side slit. My long alabaster hair is down on one side in loose curls, and my makeup is a natural peach lipstick, rose blush, and nude eyeshadow, with a smoky gray liner that makes my eyes look large and luminous.

Juliet enfolds me in her arms and jumps around excitedly. “We both look, good girl. We’re going to knock everyone’s socks off.”

I chuckle at her exuberance and place my hands on her shoulders to slow her down. “Whoa, girl, relax. You’re going to mess up your hair.”

She stops jumping but keeps the smile on her face. “Okay, okay, I’m relaxed.” She says breathlessly as she adjusts a few stray strands of her hair. Rolling my eyes with a chortle, I walk back to my bed, sit on the edge, and slip on my black spaghetti strap heels. “To be honest, I can’t wait for this to be over with. I hate slipping into flashy gowns for other people’s entertainment. I think the only saving grace is that I have Kell, you, and Haley here.”

She huffs out a breath and slumps next to me with a sympathetic smile. “I get your point. Your mom is a freaking dictator.” She chuckles slightly. “Well, like you said, you have that hot boyfriend of yours and us. How is everything with Kell, by the way?”

I bite my lip and shrug my shoulders as I think about the times that Kell and I have made love. “It’s good. You know, after what happened with the video that Tiffany released, we were able to clear the air.”

Smiling gently, I lean my head on her shoulder and whisper. “He said that he loves me, and I believe him. Any doubts we had about each other faded away.”

I sigh in exasperation and sit up with a frown. “Unfortunately, because of this pageant business, we haven’t had time to hang out as much as we want.”

She bumps my shoulder with hers and waggles her eyebrows. “So, have you two…you know…done it?”

I think for a moment about answering. Don’t get me wrong, I do trust Juliet. She’s never broken my confidence. It’s just such an intimate thing to talk about. “Umm…Okay, well, we…”

Juliet’s smile widens, and her eyebrow rises slyly. “You did, didn’t you?” She claps her hands and bounces on the bed. “Oh my god! You and Kell…holy crap!”

My face burns with embarrassment at her reaction. Raising my index finger to my lips, I try to shush her. “Sh…Juliet…stop.”

She calms back down and takes my hand in hers, her eyes gleaming in delight. “Oh, girl, tell me everything!”

I shake my head and get up from the bed. “I’m just going to say it was the best experience of my life, and leave it at that.”

Juliet pouts at my answer. “Aw, that’s not fair.”

Not feeling fooled, I shake my head and ask her. “Promise me, Juliet. Not another word.”

She crosses her arms and puffs out her cheeks with a petulant glare. She looks like a little kid who has been refused candy. But I have to stay strong. There are just some things I don’t feel comfortable talking about with my best friend. She slaps her hand on her thigh, which makes the material wrinkle angrily, then lets out a long exaggerated sigh of defeat. “Fine, not another word. But what I will say is that you’re no fun.”

I giggle at her statement and pat her on the back. “You’ll live, Jules. Now, let’s go. Kell should be here at any moment.”

Juliet’s shoulders slump, but she doesn’t say a word. Instead, she rises to stand in front of the mirror and appraises her makeup. Moving to stand next to the mirror, I face her. “What’s wrong, Jules?”

She shrugs as she pretends to take a wrinkle out of her dress. There’s something really wrong with my best friend, and I need to know what it is. Moving to stand in front of the mirror, I block her image and settle my hands on her shoulders. “I just told you that Kell and I had sex. So, you better tell me what’s wrong. Now!” I mutter firmly.

She looks around the room as if stalling for time, then swallows deeply and exhales forlornly. “It’s just…you and Haley have found the boy of your dreams, and I’m alone. I don’t even have a date to the pageant!” She wipes at her teary eyes and tightens her mouth. But a small sob manages to escape.

Wiping at her tears, I pull her into my arms and give her a tight hug. “Come on, Jules. You’ll find someone soon. Things like this just happen. You’ll find someone, I promise.” I say as I pull her away and look into her eyes. “You’re beautiful and sweet. And it’s not like other boys aren’t asking. You said no to Sean, Ethan, and Destin, remember?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I just don’t feel that way about those boys. I want someone who will love me, not some random guy to waste time with.”

I have to resist rolling my eyes at her comment. I mean, I can see her point on some level. Before I met Kell, I felt the same way about boys who asked me out. But it’s almost as if she won’t even try. Or it’s as if she already has someone in mind and won’t settle for someone else. A niggling thought settles in the back of my mind as I rethink all of Juliet’s offhand comments about Rowan Cross. Her infatuation from last year tells me that Juliet might feel more than a crush on him.

I want to ask her about it, but I don’t know if it’s my place. So I hedge. “Well…maybe the guy of your dreams is out there. I think that in the meantime you should have some fun until you find him. You don’t have to fall in love with any of the guys. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find someone at the dance. You never know.” My words must lighten her mood because she stiffens her spine as if she wasn’t crying a moment ago, moves back towards the mirror, and fixes her makeup. The girl is amazingly good at putting up a calm front.

“You’re right,” she says with a slight sniffle as she adjusts her mascara. “I shouldn’t have to sit around and wait for Ro—the guy of my dreams to wake up and find me. I should be putting myself out there and enjoying all of the guys who will worship me. So, let’s go and have some fun!” She says with renewed vigor and determination.

Pretending to ignore her Freudian slip, I follow her out the door. But I’m almost positively sure that she was going to say Rowan’s name. I won’t tell her anything, but I’m going to talk to Kell about Rowan and his thoughts on Jules. It’s the least I can do for my BFF.