Devil in the Details

FOURTEEN: A Touch of Magic - Pt. 2

We were some of the first people who arrived, but the dance was still impressive upon walking in. There was some generic music playing on the speaker system, but that was only because the band was still setting up. They wore skeleton body suits, like a ghost crew connecting aux cords to amps and tuning guitars. The gymnasium was dim, but lit with blue and purple spotlights. The dance floor was empty so early in the night, but there were scattered orange and black balloons rolling around, interspersed with occasional bursts of smoke from a fog machine. The paper chains we had made on Monday hung from the walls, and the snack and punch table was decorated with cute knickknacks: potion bottles labeled with spindly script, tiny orange and yellow gourds, and a cat figurine with glowing red eyes.

"Sam actually did a good job," Lana said, with a surprised—but approving—nod.

I didn't answer because my eyes were locked on the snack table. I was absolutely starving; I had skipped dinner because I had been too nervous to eat. Or perhaps it had been Lana's magic swirling around my stomach. Thankfully, my appetite had finally returned; perhaps this meant that Lana's magic was finally under control.

The four of us grabbed some food and then took a seat at one of the small tables at the edge of the dance floor. We all chatted as the band finished their warm ups and as more and more of the school body trickled in.

Finally, the band was ready. "Helloooo Arlington High!" the leader singer crooned. "Let's party!" And with a loud strum on his electric guitar, they started their first song. Taylor stood up, announced "Let's dance!" and pulled me out to the dance floor. Alex and Lana followed.

The next thirty minutes were magic—and not the Lana variety. The band started with the hits right off the bat, leaving no time for people to avoid the dance floor. Everything was upbeat, and soon all four of us were dancing closer and closer together as the dance floor became more crowded.

Even though Alex was my date, Taylor kept stealing me away, spinning me towards her at times with a laugh. Her eyes were bright, flashing with the strobe lights. For a few minutes, I didn't feel that bad that Lana's magic had gotten out of control. Taylor looked like she was having the time of her life.

Lana, meanwhile, grew anxious right around the 30-minute mark. I could see her eyes scanning the ever-growing dance floor, looking for that mop of blond hair that made her little demon heart swoon. Finally, during a transition from one song to the next, she leaned into me and asked, "Can you see where he is?"

I knew she didn't mean with my eyes. I nodded, focused my mind, and almost immediately the room lit up with threads. I ignored the colorful streaks weaving amongst my classmates and instead found Billy's, which was growing nearer by the second. And his thread was accompanied by another—the one I had fiddled with earlier.

"He's on his way with her," I reassured Lana, and I watched as relief flooded her face.

"You're still okay with the plan?" she asked.

I shrugged. To be honest, I had never been entirely comfortable with the plot we had hatched, but it was already underway. I had already encouraged mystery girl to invite Billy to the dance. Once they arrived, my plan was for her to leave abruptly. This would leave Billy stranded without a date...providing Lana with the perfect opportunity to swoop in and mend his broken heart.

It wasn't the most ideal plan. However, since I was the one pulling the strings, we didn't have to worry about Lana going too far. Also, Lana had reassured me that once she vanished at midnight, everyone's memory of her would be erased. Which meant that if Billy and this girl were actually a couple, they'd have no recollection of this night and would be back together by tomorrow morning. If everything went to plan, there would be no consequences to our meddling.

I just hoped everything went to plan.

A few minutes later, the band decided to play the first slow song of the evening. I started to walk off the dance floor to sit it out, but Alex caught my hand.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, a slight smile on his face.

I was so surprised that he asked that I found too hard to answer him. In the end, I just nodded.

Movies always make first dances look so romantic. In reality, they're pretty awkward. I'm by no means an amazing dancer, but when the beat is fast enough, my moves all blur together and somehow I look alright. But slow dancing is just so slow. My muscles stiffen up, and I struggle to stay on beat. And then, of course, there's the issue of having a partner: where to put your hands, how close do you stand, how can you tilt your head so you can still talk to them without breathing into their face...

"I haven't slow danced with anyone since middle school, so don't make fun of me," I warned Alex as we swayed.

"Trust me, I'm not a pro at this either," Alex said. "I just wanted to steal you away from your friends for a minute."

I blushed. "Sorry if I'm being a bad date. Lana's just been... pre-occupied with stuff. And Clarissa isn't here, so I didn't want to abandon Taylor."

"You're not being a bad date. I actually think it's nice that you care about your friends so much."

I felt my cheeks flush, and yet, the compliment had also dug up a certain amount of boldness within me. "Alex," I said, the words coming out before I could stop them, "why did you ask me to the dance?"

The question seemed to catch him off-guard; he missed a step and stumbled awkwardly before recovering with a new sway.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess it was just really nice talking to you at my party last weekend. I'd never seen you outside of class and it made me realize I didn't know you that well and... I figured I'd ask."

"Well, thanks for asking me," I said.

He grinned. "You are very welcome."

We swayed in silence for a few seconds, and slowly but surely I felt a small tug on my gut. I thought it was nerves at first, or maybe a bit of butterflies, but then I was finally able to name the sensation: magic. I closed my eyes for a moment, checked the threads draped around the room like party streamers...

"They're here," I murmured.

Alex frowned. "Who's here?"

I peered over his shoulder, scanning the room for a familiar face. "Billy," I said, spotting him by the gymnasium doors. He wasn't wearing a costume—just a white button down and a pair of pants—but he still looked nice.

Alex turned to follow my gaze. "He's here? I thought he wasn't going to come tonight?"

I didn't respond, because I was too busy trying to catch a glimpse of the mystery girl at his side. She wore a velvet maroon dress, a pair of fishnets, and a pointed witch's hat which sat on top of her thick, curly red hair...

Red hair.

"Oh shit," I muttered, letting go of Alex as realization dawned upon me.

Mystery girl was Clarissa.