He Left Me - KotLC fic (after Unlocked)

Chapter 16

eek i'm so excited. Its a bit choppy bc its three am and i haven't proofread it, so it'll probably be edited later. But I'm excited, so here ya go!

The atrium had been completely transformed. Glowing lights lit the edges, and music—human music, I realized—was blasting throughout the school. The square was packed with students, each dressed in formal wear like us. The wall nearest to us was lined with food tables, and I immediately reached for a butterblast. It was so much easier to act like I wasn't broken when the music was blasting and I wasn't alone.

Before I could grab the sweet, I was spun around and pulled forward. Marella and Linh shrieked at the sight of me and Biana all dressed up. Linh was breathtaking in her dark gown, and Marella's ice-blue dress suited her perfectly.

"You look amazing," I shouted over the pounding base. They shouted back similar compliments, and then the music switched to my favorite song in middle school, and old song called "Habits". I yelped with happiness, dancing with my friends in the semi-darkness. I sang along with Tove Lo as she sang about her addiction, and Biana stared at me like I was crazy knowing the rather scandalous lyrics. She took my hands and spun me around, tall enough in her heels to lead me in the dance.

The song ended, and it switched to a slow waltz. I threaded my way back to the food table, pulling the other girls with me. The boys were waiting and had obviously not moved yet.

Wylie approached us, tapping Linh on the shoulder. She jumped, and then smiled at the sight of his silver and dark blue outfit.

"Would you like to dance?" He held out his hand, and she took it happily. He led her into the crowd. Tam watched with his mouth gaping open in shock. He glared at Wylie but dropped the look after a moment. He was probably gladder to see Linh happy with a trustworthy guy that she wasn't interested in dating than he was mad.

Dex asked Biana, and Fitz had a reaction similar to Tam's. He tried to glare at Dex as the ginger led his sister onto the dance floor but didn't quite manage. I laughed, feeding off the positive energy of the crowd. I could almost ignore the hole in my chest.

I reached again for the awaiting butterblast, only to find my hand being caught be someone else instead. Fitz held it carefully, like he was prepared for me to pull away.

"Dance with me? As friends," he asked with a smile. He leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially. "I'm avoiding the crowd of girls who fill my locker at midterms."

I grinned and shrugged. "As long as you don't let me fall."

Fitz pulled me into a bubble of space in the crowd and led me through the dance. We revolved slowly, his hand on my waist, mine on his shoulder. My right hand clasped his left in the air between us. We were a good distance apart, but he still managed to keep me from tripping as much as I ordinarily would have. I was glad I had convinced Biana that I didn't have to wear heels.

I watched Marella ask Tam to dance, and the uncomfortable way he tripped over his own feet while trying to move with the music. Marella was patient, though, flirtatiously helping him.

Dancing with Fitz was more comfortable than I had expected. It was like dancing with an older brother, and he was very patient with me constantly tripping and stepping on his toes.

Halfway through the song, an old One Direction track I probably had on my IPod, the lights dimmed abruptly, and the music shut off. I raised my head from where I had been focused on my shoes, trying not to fall, and promptly tripped over myself. Fitz caught me, pulling me upright.

"Are you okay?" he asked over the suddenly loud crowd.

I nodded and then realized he couldn't see me. "I'm fine. What's going on?"

"I don't know." He pulled me against his side protectively, and I frantically tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness, searching for Sandor. He had been hovering on the edges of the crowd near us, but in this dark, it was impossible to tell. Even my Exillium tricks didn't help.

"Biana?" Fitz yelled into the dark, trying to overpower the other shouting students. "Dex?"

"Fitz?" Biana's voice was much closer than I expected, off to the left of where I stood. I stretched out my hand, trying to find her as we shuffled in the direction of her voice.

"Where are you?" Fitz asked. He relinquished his grip on my side in favor of grabbing my hand. I stretched out my mind, searching for Biana's thoughts. I pulled Fitz with me as I shoved through the crowd, pushing and squeezing between people until I latched onto my friend's arm. "Biana?"

"Sophie! Can you find Tam and Marella?" She and Dex grabbed onto Fitz until we began to form a train.

Tam's shadowy thoughts filled my head soon, and I tracked it back to where he and Marella stood. They joined us as I tracked down Linh and Wylie and then Sandor.

We huddled in a rough circle, trying to keep from being jostled by the panicking crowd. "Did anyone see anything before the lights went out?" I asked over the noise.

No one replied, and I cursed mentally. We didn't stand a chance of getting out of the school now. There wasn't enough space for us all to run, and light leaping would be impossible. In the crowd, it would take hours just to make it out a door. If we could find one.

"So let's get this straight. We're trapped in the school with hundreds of other students. We have no vision and no idea what's going on, but let's face it, it probably had something to do with the evil rebel group out to get us, because we know they have no problem attacking a school. And we can't escape."

Tam's outlook looked pretty dark, but.... "Yeah. That's pretty much it."

My friends were silent.

We were screwed, and despite myself, I felt a little excitement growing. I could finally see Gisela again, and see how badly I rattled her.