My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) (11 page)

Our hands clasped and our backs against the wall, we watched as the Reaper’s shadow grew darker. Again we chanted, our voices louder and stronger now. The guttural growl shook the room once more, knocking us off our feet. But still we chanted. And then all at once, with a shriek so loud and high-pitched we had to cover our ears, the dark silhouette of cloak and scythe raced across the wall and out the window.

We stood there frozen for a moment, our mouths open but silent. Everything was still. Had we done it? Had the spell worked? I wanted to believe that we had chased the Reaper away for good, but I knew deep down he’d be back.

Finally able to breathe, I swallowed, my throat like sandpaper. “Mara?”

“Yeah?” Mara squeezed my hand.

“I think we better keep practicing that spell.”

The last day of school was a half-day, which I was grateful for because I needed the extra time to get ready for prom. It had been a rough week, and I was ready for a night out. Even if it was just to celebrate surviving this long.

On a positive note, I hadn’t sleepwalked in a week. Though I was relieved, I couldn’t help but wonder: Had the wandering stopped because Mara and I had chased away the Reaper with Lilura’s spell? I couldn’t be sure, but I was hopeful.

As I put the final touches on my makeup, the doorbell rang. I scrutinized myself in the mirror, adjusted my necklace, and then grabbed my shoes before skipping down the stairs.

“I got it!” I wanted to be the first person Gavin laid his eyes on, not Mara or Dad.

Breathe, Zadie.
Slipping on my silky pumps, I steadied my breath and relaxed my face. I double-checked the smoothness of my dark blue dress before opening the door. As soon as I saw him, I completely forgot everything else. The dark gray tux fit Gavin perfectly, making him look dignified. Charming. His half-lidded blue eyes and the way his hair curved against the nape of his kissable neck only made the sexy factor skyrocket.

When I noticed his arched brow, a blush burned my cheeks. “Sorry, was I staring?”

He nodded, looking me up and down. “But so was I. You look… there are no words good enough to describe just how enchanting you look.”

I wanted to grab him and kiss him hard on the mouth right then and there, but I spotted someone over Gavin’s shoulder. Mara’s date, Felix, approached with a small wave. Beyond Felix, parked at the curb, was a shiny, black Audi Q5. I had to hand it to Felix: he had great taste in cars. And had money, apparently.

“Hi, Felix. Come on in. Mara will be down in a minute.”

He pushed his glasses up and nodded a hello at Gavin. I ushered both guys inside and shut the door, more than ready to begin the evening. It was my first prom, and I was anxious to find out if it lived up to the hype.

I gestured our guests toward the living room, where Dad sat watching a game, then called up the stairs for Mara. Not two seconds after they’d entered the living room, Gavin and Felix had already immersed themselves in the game. Men. I shook my head when I caught Dad smirking at me.

Mara came down the stairs and handed me her camera so she could adjust her dress. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was curled and bunched on top of her head, secured by a glittery comb. Her dress was lavender with spaghetti straps and showed off her perfect figure. This was one of those moments when I envied her beauty and grace.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“Do you really want to see me leave the room in tears?”

Her eyes widened. “That bad?”

“Um, no. That good.”

She let out the tiniest of laughs and bumped my shoulder with hers. “Shut up. You look fabulous. I’ll be surprised if Gavin can stop drooling. So they’re here?”

I jerked my head toward the living room. She rolled her eyes at the sight of Dad and our dates staring at the television.

“Dad.” Mara’s voice only hinted at annoyance.

He looked over at us and stood up. “Oh, girls. You both look beautiful.”

We smiled at him, and our dates—all stares and grins—came over to join us, awkwardly pulling at their tuxedo jackets.

I handed the camera to Dad. “Pictures?”

“You bet.” Dad, straightening his shoulders, motioned for us all to group together.

“Wait. First this.” Gavin held up the clear container that cradled my corsage. In all the excitement, I didn’t realize he’d been holding it the whole time. He took the beautiful white baby roses with blue-dyed tips and held them up to my dress. I couldn’t breathe as he pinned the corsage on, blushing as Dad looked on. In an attempt to look casual, I focused my eyes on Gavin’s tie, which was the exact color of my dress. Felix, copying Gavin, made an effort to pin Mara’s baby pink flower arrangement on her dress, but she snatched the corsage from him and did it herself, forcing a smile. When the corsages were in place, Dad once again gestured for us to pose, then proceeded to take a million pictures of us—between each of which Felix adjusted his glasses. In just two minutes, my vision was off from the multiple flashes.

Finally, Mara had had enough and announced it was time to go. Good old Mara. I followed her and our dates out the door, turning once to catch Dad looking after us. He gave me a wink, a soft expression on his face, as if he was daydreaming about something nice. I wondered if he was remembering his prom. Did he go with Mom? Did they even know each other in high school? I made a note to ask him sometime.

As we made our way down the front walk, Felix kept trying to put his arm around Mara, but every time, she’d subtly step away from him and flash him an unnatural smile. Felix would simply push his glasses up and smile back.

“Nice ride, dude,” Gavin said.

Felix stopped by his car and turned to Gavin. “Thanks. I worked my ass off to get her, too.”

“Why don’t we all ride together?” Mara looked pointedly at me and nodded her head, sending me a signal. “There’s plenty of room. And it would save on gas.”

“Sure.” Gavin smacked Felix on his back. “And, you know, after the dance, if you find yourself too exhausted, I’d be happy to drive.”

“Keep dreaming.” Felix held Mara’s door open for her.

Gavin and I settled into the back seat, holding hands. Looking into his blue eyes, all I could think about was how happy I was to finally be going to prom with him. Gavin was my light at the end of the tunnel. My saving grace. I squeezed his hand and made a wish that one day the biggest problem I’d ever have would be whether or not I’d trip in high heels. No more Reapers. No more whispering shadows. Just me and Gavin and a perfect, quiet life.

Before we even got out of the car, the music thumped in my ears. Students in their finest attire were everywhere, traveling in and out of the school gym and littering the parking lot. Gavin helped me out of the car, and we followed Mara and Felix to the festivities. Just as we got to the door, a girl raced by me, her face streaked with mascara as she whimpered. I hoped my night wouldn’t come anywhere close to ending like that. Once inside, I took in the brightly colored streamers and balloons draped across the ceiling and walls. Clearly, the prom committee went overboard with the
Candyland
theme. We had to walk through a glittery archway to get to the main area, where strobe lights flashed and bodies writhed to a heavy bass line. To our left stood Kelly and Nicole. They leaned on their dates and passed a silver flask back and forth between the four of them. It was obvious they were trying to keep the flask hidden by cupping it and turning toward the wall when they took a swig, but they failed miserably in the inconspicuous department.

But I wasn’t here to worry about them. I was here to enjoy myself with Gavin.

“Yay, you made it!” Naomi wrapped her arms around me and did a little hop. Taking me by the hand, she raised my arm and spun me around. “That dress looks
so
good on you.”

“Thanks to you and Gavin,” I said.

“No, no. It’s all you.”

“You don’t look half bad yourself.”

She winked, and her smile lit up her whole face. Her dress was a satiny maroon that contrasted beautifully with her tan skin.
Breathtaking
was the word that came to mind.

“What about me?” Danny tugged at his bowtie and raised a brow.

“My mom said he looked
debonair
.” Naomi giggled. “Debonair Danny.”

“Okay, shut up,” Danny said.

“Well, what about dashing?” I asked.

“Or delusional?” Gavin joked.

“Thanks, best friend.” Danny slapped Gavin on the back.

“Anytime.” Gavin laughed and shoved him away.

“Come on, Naomi.” Danny grabbed her hand. “Let’s show these people how to rock.”

“Challenge accepted.” Naomi let out a big
whoop
as Danny pulled her onto the dance floor.

Movement at the entrance of the gym caught my eye. Chase, wearing a striking black tuxedo, walked through the shimmering arch. I was surprised he didn’t have his trench coat on. I was about to wave at him when a brunette girl sidled up to him. She wore a beautiful, long green dress, and her hair was adorned with sparkly, flower-shaped pins. I recognized her from school, but didn’t really know her.

Chase brought a date?

Chase’s eyes found mine as I stared in their direction. Caught off guard, I summoned a quick polite smile and waved. He excused himself from the girl and headed my way. The closer Chase got, the tighter Gavin’s hand entwined with mine.

Chase nodded a hello to Gavin, which Gavin returned.

“You look great, Zadie.” He almost smiled.

“Thanks. So do you. Since when do you know… Veronica, is it?”

For a moment, I glanced at Chase’s date. She was tall, had curves in all the right places, and honey-brown waves down to the middle of her back. Had she always looked that amazing? And why would that bother me?

Chase shrugged. “She’s in my AP Physics class.”

“I didn’t know you were friendly with anyone in your AP Physics class.” Or any class, for that matter. I’d never seen Chase hang out with anyone at school, let alone talk to someone long enough to forge a friendship.

“She’s a nice girl,” Chase said. “Always fills me in on the assignments I miss when I skip class. Why?”

I cleared my throat and shook my head. “No reason. I think it’s great. Hope you have fun.”

Chase inched forward. “But really I’m just here… in case.”

His eyes pierced mine. I dropped my gaze to the floor and lifted one shoulder.

“Right. Yeah, I knew that.”

Chase lifted his chin. “I’ll be around if you need me.”

As he turned to leave, I reached out to stop him, catching his hand. Chase turned to me, but what I was about to say was stuck in my throat; Chase’s hand was like ice. I wondered briefly if the temperature outside had dropped dramatically since we’d arrived.

“What’s wrong?” Chase asked.

“Your hand is freezing cold.”

For a second, Chase looked down at our joined hands. Slipping free from me, he stuck his hands in his pants pockets. “I had the air on in my car. Is that why you stopped me?”

“No. I mean…I just wanted to say thank you.”

The side of his mouth inched up as his eyes searched my face. “You’re welcome.”

As he walked away, Gavin pulled me into his arms. His palms were splayed out against my back, keeping me close. “Should we dance?”

“I’d love to. Can’t promise anything spectacular though.”

“Me either.”

I smirked. “Perfect.”

Gavin guided me out among the dancing bodies. We stopped and planted ourselves in a spot where we were least likely to be elbowed or stepped on. That spot happened to be right beside Mara and Felix.

Flames attacked my cheeks and neck when I realized I would have to actually dance in front of Gavin. I obviously hadn’t thought the whole prom idea through. But, to my delight, Gavin started moving to the beat, taking my hand so I would join in. His smile made me forget my anxiety, and I let myself go.

Thirty seconds later, the DJ switched to a slow number. I gladly wrapped my arms around my boyfriend and closed the distance between us. Over Gavin’s shoulder, I spotted Mara and Felix. There was at least half a foot between them, and Mara looked uncomfortable. I wondered why Mara had gone through the trouble of asking Felix to the prom if she was going to hate every minute of the date.

A tall figure stepped up beside them and tapped Felix on the shoulder.

“Mind if I cut in?”

When he turned to the side, I realized it was Hunter. What was he doing here?

“Sure, man.” Felix said to him, pushing up his glasses. The way Felix’s hand jittered as he did made me think Hunter intimidated him. I could see why: though Felix was tall, Hunter trumped him by about half a head. He also had enough muscle to lift Felix with one arm, I’d bet.

“What makes you think I want to dance with you?” Mara’s brows were down, but she didn’t try to squirm away when Hunter put his hands on her waist. “No one even knows who you are. What will people think?”

Hunter shrugged. “Who cares?”

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but since Gavin and I were so close to Mara and Hunter, my ears were wide open. Plus, I was a little curious as to where this would lead.

“You were pretty rude to my date,” Mara said.

“I didn’t mean him any harm. It’s just that when I set my mind on something, I don’t let anything, or anyone, get in my way.”

Mara clicked her tongue. “That’s so barbaric.”

“For a worthy goal, nothing is too ruthless.”

Gavin spun me away just then, and I told myself to stop being nosey about Mara’s situation. After all, I was dancing with the handsomest guy in the room. I glanced up at Gavin and smiled. Colorful lamps and flashing lights caused his eyes to sparkle. Yes, this is what I needed to concentrate on.

Just as the song ended, Naomi put a hand on my shoulder. “Come to the bathroom with me.”

“Um, I’ll be right there.” I reluctantly let go of Gavin.

Naomi left as quickly as she came.

“What was that about?” he asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Chase dancing with Veronica. “I think I have an idea. I’ll be right back. I have to powder my nose or whatever girls say they’re going to do.”