Inner Demons

22. Some Strange Addiction

I had a hard time concentrating at school the rest of the week. Even magic training couldn't hold my attention. There were so many crazy things going through my brain, I couldn't straighten it all out. Brooke still hadn't come back to school, and I was worried about her. Drake was acting like things were back to normal and he'd never done anything wrong. Plus, I had just found out that being the Prima also meant I had zero control over my own future. Even with all that going on inside my head, I was still required to smile and act interested in everyone's plans for Homecoming weekend.

Some committee had put decorations up throughout the entire school, and everywhere I turned, there was a reminder of the weekend's activities. There was talk of famous alumni flying in for the event. I, for one, wondered just how famous the alumni of a small school like Peachville High could really be, but when someone mentioned the actress, Clara Summers, I was floored. She was one of the hottest women in Hollywood. Every movie she was in grossed millions. And she was from Peachville? I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. She was probably a member of the Order of Shadows.

Rumor was that Clara was flying in on Thursday morning and would be at both the mixer and the game this weekend.

"Have you ever met her?" I asked the gang at lunch on Thursday.

"I have," Lark said. "She came into town, like, four years ago to present some award at one of my mom's campaign lunches. But that was before she was as much of a superstar as she is now."

"Let me guess," I said. "She was also a Demons cheerleader?"

Allison laughed. "Of course."

I wondered about the glamour Lark had taught me the other day in her room. How far could magic like that take a girl? Could she take herself from an ugly duckling to a real beauty like Clara? Could she make people like her enough to elect her mayor? An uneasy feeling ran though my body. Power like that made it impossible to tell where reality left off and magic began.

Besides, I had originally thought the magic was sort of special to Peachville, but after what I'd learned from Morgyn, I knew I was being naïve.

"I heard the governor of Georgia is coming too. She graduated from PHS, like, forty years ago and hasn't been back in ages."

"Governor Davis?"

"Yeah," Drake said. "She's a good friend of my mom's. I think she's planning to have dinner at our house Saturday night, but obviously I'll miss it because of the dance."

"Speaking of the dance," Foster chimed in. "Who is riding with us in the limo? Everyone?"

Brooke was going to the dance with Foster. When I asked him about it, he said she'd called him earlier in the week to confirm she would be there. Her excuse for missing school was that she'd come down with some kind of virus after the party and needed a few days to recover. I knew better, but I was glad she was coming to the dance.

I was going with Drake, obviously. Allison had a date with another guy from the football team. His name was Lance, and I'd only hung out with him a couple of times. Lark had been asked by some artsy guy named Andrew who was a member of the school's photography club and was also president of the debate team. I had yet to meet the guy officially, but I'd seen him around. Lark seemed excited, so I was happy for her.

While the others discussed plans for Saturday night, I casually looked around the cafeteria. I told myself I wasn't searching for anyone in particular, but when my gaze landed on Jackson and Morgyn, I knew I was only lying to myself. Some part of me had known he was there. I could feel when he was near, and it annoyed the hell out of me. He was like some strange addiction I was trying to kick, but couldn't quite lose the longing for.

As usual, he was dressed in faded jeans and black t-shirt. My heart skipped a beat as he turned to me and our eyes met across the room. I held his gaze for a moment, then my eyes shifted to the girl next to him. Morgyn leaned in close to him and whispered something in his ear. He turned to her and took her hand. I wondered if they were planning to go to the dance together. I'd never gotten the chance to ask her why she'd told me to stay away from Jackson. Was it just a jealousy thing? Or was there more to it?

"What do you think, Harper? Do you like Italian?"

Drake nudged me with his elbow and I brought my attention back to the table. "Huh? I'm sorry, I was zoning out."

"We noticed," Allison teased. "I was asking if you wanted Italian food Saturday? Or if we should go to the steakhouse. We need to get our reservations in."

"I don't honestly care," I said, looking back toward Jackson. He and Morgyn were deep in conversation, their heads pressed close together at the table.

"Italian it is, then," Lark said. "I'll have my mom make the reservations for us for five-thirty. Then we'll head to the photographer, and then up here to the gym for the dance."

Drake leaned into me. "Then back to my pool house," he said. "I have something really special planned for us."

I shifted in my seat. If he was talking about sex, he could forget it. This whole thing was just too much pressure. What I originally thought was just a simple dance seemed to be turning into a big serious ordeal. Pictures? Dinner at a fancy restaurant? A limousine? Drake ran his index finger along my forearm and I forced myself not to pull away.

"Sounds like fun," I said. The lie tasted sour in my mouth.