Just Another Drama at a Dance

I watched in disbelief as Marcus laid a dress on my bed in disbelief. The dress was beautiful, a dark blue one sleeve slinky dress that had violet, red and orange hues at the very tip of the bottom that was cut in a sharp V at my knee. More of a faerie dress than a witches dress but I still couldn’t believe the school dance was still going on when one of our classmates had just run off.

“Don’t give me that look.” Marcus said looking at me, with a smirk on his lips.

“Don’t you think people are going to be upset with the dance going on, when one of our group just fled?” I asked crossing my arms as I watched Marcus debate on two pairs of similar looking silver heels.

“There would be even more upset people if I dared to cancel the dance, one of them being your best friend.” Marcus pointed out.

I sighed, sitting on the bed looking at the dress. “It’s beautiful.” I said touching the silky fabric reverently.

“Are you sure, you wouldn’t rather I stay here?” I asked.

“I would rather you have fun with your friends, instead of worrying about the one that isn’t here.” Marcus said.

“But you are worried.” I said looking at my father, who despite what he may show other people, truly cared about many more people that he would care to admit.

“There was no sign of foul play. Katherine clearly left of her own volition. She will eventually be found. She will leave some trail to follow. Until then we just have to wait.” Marcus said. “Get ready for your party.” He said leaving the room as he did.

I scowled but did as he asked. The school dance had been something that the Academy had long awaited for. The Academy did do the high school dances; Halloween, Valentines Day, we even had a bit of celebration for the day of the dead. But this school dance was in celebration for the winter/summer solstice.

Most of our faerie students had already gone home to celebrate in their homelands much to the great sadness of my friend Hulio who was dating the handmaiden to the Queen, his soulmate Raena. She had gone home to the Amazon, and wasn’t expected back until the spring semester.

The school council was made up from the main supernatural groups, the witches, Vampires, werewolves, and the Genie Jaz who spoke up on behalf of the fae and the other supernatural creatures that were uniquely gifted. The council had the idea to have a formal dance in honor to celebrate when the forces of dark and the light were made equal by the gravity of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon.

I pushed a hand against my mirror wiping the fog from the heat of my shower. My blonde hair looked almost white after it’s been washed. I closed my eyes and did a spell that wove my hair into three coils that then braided itself together. I then did the spell for drying and loosened the coils. When I looked back at my reflection my hair was now swept in a side pony that ended in a riot of curls. Two strands of hair was left out curled in front of my face.

I put on some blue mascara and swept gold eyeshadow on my eyelids and finished with a mauve lipstick. I went back to my room and slid on my dress, the slinky dress slid over my curves. I leaned against my bedframe as I slid on my heels.

I stepped out into the corridor to the kitchen. “Well don’t you look nice.” I looked up surprised that Hunter was still in the apartment.

“Dad!” I exclaimed. “I didn’t think you’d still be up here.” I said as I hugged him.

He squeezed back tightly. “And miss the chance to see my little girl so grown up? I don’t think so.” He said smiling as he looked me up and down. He tapped me on the nose once smiling at me. “Try to have fun for one night. Leave the worrying to the Headmaster.” Hunter said nodding to the door that led to Marcus’s study.

“Take care of him.” I said resting a hand on his arm as he nodded to me before I left the small apartment and walked down the steps into the alleyway that was in the middle of the Tattoo parlour and Hunter’s bar.

The alleyway was damp as it always was but it was a dampness I never really minded. As I headed out of the alleyway I immediately saw the hunter green jeep with the school’s logo on the side of the jeep; a red spider on a white spider web.

Leaning out of the Jeep was Hulio’s grinning face. “Did you steal the school’s car?” I asked as I walked towards the Jeep.

“The word we prefer to use is borrow.” Julio said from where he sat in the driver’s seat.

“We borrowed the School Jeep, to give a ride to the headmaster’s daughter.” Julio said.

“If you think about it that way, it’s a perfectly reasonable reason.” Hulio added smirking.

“Get in sweetheart and let’s get to this shindig.” Julio said. I opened the door and slid into the familiar plush leather interior.

“Let’s go, before dad catches you in his car.” I said as Julio sniggered but drove off nonetheless.

Zipping through the streets of New Orleans until we got to the tunnel that led to the Academy. Not many non-magical folk ever came across this tunnel and if they ever did, they would find themselves rerouted to somewhere else in New Orleans. “Well that’s not something you see every day.” Julio said. I leaned forward in my seat and saw what Julio was looking at. The Academy had been lit up in an array of colors all symbolizing the winter, fall, summer and spring months; it was extremely beautiful. “I can’t wait to see what they did inside.”

Damien

The disco lights of the ballroom were giving me a migraine. The ballroom was actually the front entrance of the school, it was the biggest room, basically perfect for a soiree. The students were using the usual entrance that was actually a back entrance, so everyone had to walk down a flight of steps to get to where the dance was being held.

The music was a steady stream of waltz’s tangos, and other old timey dances instead of the usual top 40 songs that most dances played. It reminded me of the ballrooms of old. The only thing missing was the dresses and suits of the time. These girls with their silky dresses and too short skirts didn’t match with the songs that played.

“Reminiscing of the old days?” I turned smiling slightly at Scotty with his bright red hair and dark green suit. His deep Irish brogue breaking the silence of the ballroom. He was another thing that didn’t match the music. But what else do you expect from a leprechaun?

“What good old days?” I asked dryly, crossing my arms and looking at my friend. Scotty and I had met a full decade after I’d been turned. We’d been through a bunch of tough spots, and we seem to have a knack for getting into jams. He was the closest thing I had to a brother.

“Yes, yes. The olden days were horrible, dark and damp.” Scotty said. “Depends which olden days you speak of. I’ve always been partial to the olden days of the Victorian era. The many balls of London.” I said. “The Smoke, the pollution, the stank of the London streets.” Scotty said.

I rolled my eyes. Scotty never cared for cities, anyways. “If anyone asked you, you’d probably say the golden days are those when everyone lived in forests and had to fight every day to survive.” I said. “Of course, but you wouldn’t know anything about that? Would you?” Scotty pointed out. He wasn’t wrong, seeing as I had been born in the 1400’s so I had never even seen the time Scotty spoke of.

As a Leprechaun he had lived many different lives in many different centuries. “Oh look the twin Dragons have arrived.” Scotty said. And so they had, the twins were both matching with midnight blue three piece suits.

“And don’t they look sharp.” I said glancing at Scotty as I did. He scowled in response and I looked back at the staircase and that’s when I saw her, her blonde curls swept off to the side. Her dress a blue that both matched the suits that the dragons were wearing and the tips of her dress had violet pieces that matched her eyes. She looked ethereal and more like a fairy than a witch in that moment.

I watched as she walked carefully down the stairs, and joined the other girls of her class. Other witches of various powers and of course Jaz the genie. “Staring at the headmaster’s daughter again?” Scotty mused. I glanced away from Davenna to look at Scotty. “And what if I was?” I asked quietly. Scotty rolled his eyes at me. “You Vampires are all the same. Always falling for a mortal girl too complicated to be with.” Scotty said crossing his arms.

“Nonsense. Davenna deserves so much more than me.” I said looking back at Davenna and her friends. I felt Scotty stiffen beside me. “Do you smell that?” Scotty said sharply. I frowned taking a deep inhale, I could smell cologne, perfume, the clear smell of spiked punch, but also the stench of sulfur and acid. My eyes sharpened. “You mean the scent of dark magic?” I said looking at Scotty, but before either of us could move, the center of the dance floor lit up in a long dark flame, darkly purple the sparks flashing silver in the light.

The dancers all spun away from the flame, as the flame seemed to vibrate like a heartbeat, pulsing as it moved. Until it stopped in front of Davenna. “No.” I whispered moving so fast that I was behind Davenna without realizing it. The fire burned in front of us before it reached out and grabbed Zira who screamed with shock. I felt Davenna move in front of me and I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away, the force of my movement pushing us both down on the floor. The flames sparked higher before they disappeared completely taking Zira with them.

“Zira!” Davenna shrieked, pushing away from me and standing up walking towards the scorch marks on the floor. All that was left of the flames. I got up and walked towards the mark and felt my body freeze. The scorch marks had left a mark etched into the floor. A mark I had seen once before.

“What did you do?” Davenna said looking at the scorch marks before looking at me. “What did you do?” she screamed pushing at my chest, before she left the room the twin Dragons following her. I watched her go, my heart aching. Scotty came up to me looking at the scorch marks. “Is that what I think it is?” he asked looking at me. “Yes it is.” I said glancing at Scotty before we both looked at the marks once again. The flames that had swept Zira away wasn’t flames after all, but a portal to the Fairy Lands.