Nine Lives

Thirty-One: Jack

In nine minutes I will get into the Fiero. Nine minutes until my heart is racing with excitement. And just a couple more until I dance with Alice.

I straighten my tie and flatten out my suit, paranoia overtaking me. I walk down the stairs, tripping over my feet. I can't keep my thoughts straight. They're jumbling up and twisting around each other. Most of it is blank or revolving around Alice. I just want her. I want to love her. I want to comfort her. So, I say goodbye to my mom and speed down the street, heading to the dance.

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I expected to see her green eyes lit up with excitement. I expected to see a grin plastered to her face. But when I step into the gym holding the dance, Alice is crying. Tears silently leaking down her face and onto her dress. The dress is absolutely beautiful.

Her reddish hair cascades in a waterfall of curls and waves down her shoulders. Her dress is a light mint color with a sweet-heart neckline. The sleeves are black and lacy, as well as the tulle that wraps around her waist. She wears black, silver studded high heeled ankle boots.

And as I stare into her eyes, I notice Skylar and her cronies glaring and whispering from the other side of the room. I don't really care though. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in, trying to comfort her. She looks up with those eyes.

"Why're you crying? It's a dance. See?" I twirl her around and she giggles. The smile falls.

"I--," Alice stops to take a deep breath. "Jack I'm--" she shouts in frustration and leans against the wall, sliding down. I slide down right next her, and somehow, my hand finds hers. I watch boys dance with their dates, stealing kisses every couple minutes. Some guys that I used to talk to and be friends with. Then this happened. Now I see them for how they really are, shallow.

The music slows. The couples continued to shower each other with kisses, despite the fact that after this dance, they'll probably leave each other. Quickly too. They won't even look back.

Alice's muffled sniffs come from the folds of her dress. Her mop of hair is splayed out as she hugs her knees. "Can I get you something to drink?" I offer.

She looks up for a quarter of a second, a broken expression crossing her face. "Water?" I nod and walk off. Fake plastic snowflakes dangle from the ceiling by the snack bar. Dusty powder covers the blue tablecloth as well, and it's landing in the food. I pour some water and turn to go to back, but my chest hits something solid and I fall backwards, water spraying across my tuxedo. Oh crap.

"Jack! Darlin' I am a so sorry! I didn't even see ya!" exclaims Dahlia. Her brown eyes stare at me coldly, but a warm smile is drawn across her face. She does a double-take before grabbing hands and wrapping herself in my arms. I shove her away.

"I'm not dancing with you," I say flatly.

Her nose twitches with the slightest bit of annoyance. "Please Jackie? One itty bitty teensy dance? Not like ya came with anybody, she pouts.

"I came with Alice."

Her face drains of color. "Oh. Alice. The one sobbing like a baby in the corner? That's her own fault, just so you know." Dahlia steps closer, leaning in. She gets so close, I can smell her minty breath. It's sickly sweet, as if the scent itself is radiating out of her. The perfume-like smell burns my nose. And as her lips are about to touch mine, to which I would've punched her in the face afterwards, the entire dance freezes. Everyone around us dances in mid-air, like an unfinished promise. One girl is leaning into her date's arms, doing a dip. The boy grins. Then, the color fades. It starts right under my feet but pulses out, creeping up the walls and over couples. The only ones not frozen are Dahlia, Alice and me. Dahlia whips around, blonde hair hitting me in the face.

"Why do you always have to ruin my fun?" she whimpers. But there's no one in particular she's talking too, or so it seems.

"Duabus Sororibus," Alice's voice comes from behind me. She places a gentle hand around mine and looks up to the gym stage. Two girls stand their, holding hands. One wears a pale coral dress, one that seems to move and twirl on its own. Her eyes are bright and electric blue, they're warming, matching perfectly with her bright, straights blonde hair. She smiles at me.

The other has dark hair laced with what seems like feathers. She wears simple Converse and jeans, but her top is an intricate lace pattern of black and white. Her eyes are chocolate colored. I find myself staring and she winks.

A strange memory is triggered, like I've seen them before. I know I have. Both of them look so familiar, but I can't place it. I feel like tearing my hair out. The memory is close close I can almost grasp it. But I fall short.

In unison, they walk off the stage, and it appears like they would fall, but each sprouts enormous pairs of wings. The blue-eyed girl has white, owl-like wings while the other has darker wings, which shimmer blue in the light. Each flutters down gracefully, another u reachable memory sparks in my mind.

"Dahlia. Are you trying to curse yourself?" the raven-winged girl, asks.

"Artemis, I'm not that stupid." Dahlia flicks her wrist and a dagger appears in her hand. It's silver edge glints maliciously. She was going to kill me. She was going to kill me. Alice squeezes my hand even harder, it's more like she's holding me back rather than comforting me though.

"She was going to kill me!" I scream, my voice hoarse.

"Yes. We've established that I'm a horrible person, now may we get on with this?" Dahlia sounds irritated.

The raven-girl, Artemis, whose name sounds beautifully familiar, steps forward and grabs Dahlia by the shoulders. "You tried to kill an innocent Mortal. You took Alice's ring. You made her Mortal. You know the penalty for thieving bands in the Shifter world?" Dahlia doesn't even flinch. "Death."