Miyu's Wish (24 page)

I walked downstairs and found Mom reading a book in the kitchen. She smiled warmly as I stepped in.

“Oh Miyu, you look magnificent!” she exclaimed, hopping up and circling around me as I waited uneasily.

“You really think so?”

“No question. But I do think it needs one final touch.”

She stepped away and opened a cabinet drawer, pulling out a tiny sprig of holly.

“Here,” she said, walking back over and pinning it just above my chest. “A little dash of green to offset the rest.”

I beamed at her and then checked my reflection in the microwave window. “You’re right! It’s the perfect complement.”

The bell rang. We stared at each other, taking deep breaths, and hurried to the door. Mom answered while I waited just behind her.

“Good evening, Ms. Moon. I’m here to accompany your daughter to the ball,” I heard Clarence say.

“Of course. My, you’re even more handsome than Miyu described!”

“Mom,” I groaned to myself.

“Thank you, Ms. Moon. It’s an honor to be the one escorting your daughter. I’ll take good care of her.”

I scrunched my hands up behind my back and fidgeted back and forth. I was certain my face looked like the tomato now.

Mom chuckled lightly. “I’m pleased to hear that. And I’m relieved Miyu made such a fine choice.” She then glided to the side, allowing us to behold each other for the first time. His face
was glowing as red as mine surely was, but he looked great with a dapper hairstyle brushed back in soft, lazy layers, and a sleek, charcoal-gray tuxedo. And his glasses were gone, his eyes watching me with a charming inquisitiveness.

I shuffled up to him.

“Miyu, you look fantastic. Heavenly,” he murmured, smiling somewhat goofily.

I batted my eyelashes at him. “And you look very handsome.”

He seemed relieved, and put out his arm to escort me to the car.

“Just one moment!” Mom exclaimed. She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a camera. We laughed and allowed her to snap us by the fireplace and the stairs, and then again at the front door. When she was finally satisfied, I hugged her tightly and then allowed Clarence to lead me outside.

“Have a wonderful time, Miyu! I love you!” she called, watching bravely from the doorway.

“I love you, too!”

I felt incredibly lonely as we turned a corner and Mother fell out of view, but I had to believe there was still hope; I forced back my tears before Clarence could notice something was wrong.

A man I presumed to be Clarence’s father met us at the car. “Miss Miyu. How nice to finally meet you! I’m Mr. Arnold, Clarence’s dad.”

I smiled and shook his hand delicately. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. You must be the one your son gets all his smarts from.”

He shrugged good-naturedly as Clarence himself often did. “I’m not sure where he gets it, to be honest! But here, allow me.”

He opened the back passenger door, and I carefully sat myself inside while Clarence joined me from the other end.

“And we’re off !” Mr. Arnold announced, starting the car and backing down the driveway.

Clarence and I smiled at each other, but then I turned to watch my house disappear down the road.

Chapter Thirty

M
r. Arnold dropped us off at the school’s back entrance—now a winter wonderland of bustling activity. The walkway leading down to the gym—our converted ballroom—was trimmed in elegant white lights, and the surrounding trees were ablaze in their own twinkling wonders, casting everyone in an ethereal glow.

“You two have a prodigious time,” he said jovially. “I’ll be parked somewhere out here at ten to pick you up.”

He waved and then slowly drove off, leaving us alone to take in the sights.

“Shall we?” Clarence grinned, holding out his arm.

I took it gladly, and we proceeded down the walk, finding ourselves sprinkled with twinkling bubbles set adrift on the night’s soft breeze.

“Not quite snow, but it’ll do,” he remarked contentedly as I allowed one to alight on my hand. It lingered for a moment before popping into nothingness, and another wave of melancholy brushed my soul. I frowned and stared distantly ahead.

He looked at me, his face contorted with concern. “Hey Miyu, is everything OK?”

I forced myself to smile. “Of course! But it’s cold. Let’s get inside.”

I pulled on his arm, and we continued down to the ball, joining dozens of other couples also anxious to begin the night. A couple of teachers dressed like nutcracker soldiers smiled and gestured us through the entrance, and we suddenly found ourselves in a gym like no other. Giant snowflakes grew and shrank and soared across the walls, foamy bubbles stirred in the air, and a short, gingerbread-like fence enclosed the sparkling dance floor.

“Wow,” Clarence said, gazing around. “Hard to believe this is the same place I normally dread coming to during the week.”

I giggled at him. “No volleyball tonight, thank goodness.”

As we stared and wondered what to do first, I heard someone call my name. I turned to see Marlene and Kimberly motioning us down to the far end of the gym. Clarence looked a little uneasy, but I gently took his hand and led him over.

“Miyu, you look amazing as always!” Kimberly exclaimed, her smile brighter than the white lights embroidering the room. She wore an enchanting, high–low dress that fell in a lacy, gem-studded
poof behind her. Marlene’s dress was similar, but was cast in silver and bore an elegant, one-shoulder design.

“You both look gorgeous,” I said deeply. I glanced at my date, whom I hoped was not as nervous as his sweaty hand suggested. “And you know Clarence, of course—school’s resident genius and bodybuilder extraordinaire.”

He cleared his throat and did a sort of bow to each of them. “And of course, I know you as Kimberly and Marlene, two of the loveliest girls in the eighth grade.”

They gazed at him, their mouths falling open.

“And you look very nice, Clarence,” Kimberly said after a pause. “You make a cute pair.”

Marlene grinned. “Very.” She then looked at me. “We’re going to freshen up in the bathroom for a bit. Want to join us?”

I looked at my partner, and he nodded amiably. “Go ahead and take your time. I’ll go find us some punch.” He said goodbye to my friends and then wandered off, leaving us to chat and giggle among ourselves.

“Wow, Miyu,” Marlene said as we walked away. “I’m finally beginning to see why you’re so into him. He does look pretty good in that tux.”

“And especially without those huge glasses he normally wears,” Kimberly added thoughtfully. “Hmm, maybe I should be more open-minded about the guys I go out with.”

I laughed. “I’m glad you both approve. But where are your dates?”

Marlene opened the locker room door and let us pass through. “Probably where your man’s headed, waiting for us around the refreshment bar. But don’t worry, we won’t take long.”

Excited girls in brightly colored dresses were scattered all about us, but we finally found our own crowd congregating by the bathroom stalls. The Twins immediately sprang toward me as we approached, their dresses following after them in blurs of light and dark blue.

“Miyu, you’re so pretty!” they squealed, hugging me from both sides.

I patted their heads as I gasped for air. “Thanks, but not as pretty as you two.”

“Awww,” they sang shyly, pushing me over to the others. Candace and Janet smiled at me happily as I approached, looking lovely in their respective white and lavender gowns. And then to my surprise, Mary and Lizzie stepped out from behind them, looking red and flustered. They both wore charming, simple dresses, but Mary had apparently added blonde highlights to her hair, and Liz wore a necklace of white pearls.

“Don’t they look great?” Janet asked.

I nodded agreeably. “Your dates must feel like they’re the luckiest guys alive.”

Mary and Liz stared at each other and giggled.

“Speaking of dates,” Marlene exclaimed. “Wait until you see Miyu’s. Talk about a hunk!”

Candace looked amazed. “Clarence? Him? No way!” But her carefree smile told me she was just teasing.

“But where’s Tamara?” I suddenly asked, noticing she wasn’t there.

Marlene sighed. “I don’t think she’s coming. She was having second thoughts the last time we spoke.”

My heart sank. “Oh no! Why?”

Her expression was inscrutable. “Tamara is Tamara,” she said.

This dampened the overall mood, and we quickly moved the conversation to other topics—discussing everything from the ballroom’s decor to our dates to our after-party plans.
After-party plans…
Feeling jittery, I quietly excused myself and slipped away. I found an empty bench by the lockers and sat down, my pulse firing like a machine gun.

Please, don’t let tonight be my last.

The lights suddenly flickered, and I heard a familiar voice electrify the air.

“It doesn’t have to be, dearie. But you should have called a long time ago.”

I shuddered as an old woman materialized before me. Mabel had returned.

The locker room was eerily silent, and I spun around to see everyone frozen in place like a paused movie—stuck laughing with friends or powdering their faces within an instance of time.

“That’s exactly what I’ve done to them,” the old woman agreed. “If you haven’t already figured it out, I can manipulate time and travel through the temporal realm, helping or hindering those I deem fit.”

I stared warily at her. She was dressed in dark robes and looked akin to a storybook witch, sans the pointed hat and crooked nose.

“Why are you here?” I asked defensively. “I never called.”

She grinned derisively and settled herself down at the opposite end of the bench. “Perhaps not directly. But unconsciously, you were screaming for me at the top of your lungs.” She regarded me slyly. “We both know you don’t want to go back to being that…thing. And like it or not, I’m your only salvation.”

I scrunched my face up at her. “What makes you think I’d forsake my maker’s plan?”

Mabel laughed. “So the kitten’s claws have sharpened since we last spoke. You’ll make a fine assistant.”

I blinked at her. “What?”

“I mean that I’m prepared to make you an offer,” she replied casually. She raised her arm into the air, her hand slowly vanishing as if rubbed out by an eraser. An instant later, her hand reappeared with a tiny, steaming teacup on a white saucer. “We’ve been through this before, but it bears repeating—who is
this creator you keep referring to? Where is he? Or she? How do you know there’s any divine being at all?”

“And why should I trust anything you say?”

Mabel handed me the cup and saucer. “You don’t have to. All you need to know is that you’re a special girl brimming with possibilities, and I desire you to be my assistant. Pledge your allegiance to me, and not only will I seal you away from that boy forever, I will show you a reality far beyond human comprehension. A reality in which, one day, you might live as an immortal yourself.”

The teacup rattled in my hand as I lifted it off the dish.

The woman watched me carefully. “Think of your lonely mother, losing her precious daughter forever. And think of your wonderful friends; what will they say when you suddenly vanish, never to return? What will become of your beloved Kimberly, or devoted Tamara, both of whom are enamored with you beyond description? And Clarence? Does he deserve to be left heartbroken and alone?”

I lifted the cup slowly to my lips; the scent of apple cinnamon tickled my nose. She was right, of course. I could never bear to be apart from my mother or my friends.

“And then there’s Thad,” she continued, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips. “Can you really live with the thought of him disrespecting other ladies? Join with me, and we’ll both make sure he never mistreats another soul.”

The cup was just beneath my trembling mouth, and I could see the silhouette of my face staring up from the tea like a murky shadow. Everything the woman said seemed true enough, and the brown liquid smelled really good.

My mother…my friends…God, surely this must be the right thing to do?

But as I prepared to sip, Keil’s withered reflection flashed within the tea, his desperate face—my desperate face—crying for help. I shrieked, and with sudden fury, dashed the cup and saucer across the floor, shattering them into hundreds of pieces. The tea sizzled like acid as it splashed across the bench and lockers, and the smell of sulfur and ash saturated the air.

Mabel’s eyes darkened like storm clouds, and snarling, she lunged toward me, her arms stretched outward like vicious cobras. I screamed and fell off the bench, expecting to feel her pointed nails sinking into my neck at any second. But it never happened.

The lights flickered, and the happy chorus of my schoolmates returned to my ears. I quickly stood up and stared in awe at my peers, who were prancing and carrying on among themselves as if nothing had happened. I emitted a sob of relief.
She was gone.
Even the tea and broken glass had faded away.

I walked over to a mirror and began fixing my makeup, barely conscious of what I was doing. I then sighed and stared guiltily into the sink.