No Happily Ever After

Chapter 12

Theday of the dance arrived. The air at school was dreary. It had beena rough week at Faraway High. First, everyone had been stunned bythe arrest of Zoe Locke. As if that wasn't enough, the very nextday, another classmate had gone missing at the field trip earlier inthe week.

When nobody couldfind Cailyn Pure at time to leave the museum, the authorities werealerted. The shocking rumor was that upon her disappearance,Cailyn's father admitted that he had a mistress who'd threatened hisdaughter. But when authorities went to question the woman, it wasdiscovered that she'd been brutally attacked in her kitchen. Thewoman was in a coma and suspicion fell on Mr. Pure, who was taken tojail.

Amidst all theshock and sadness, Ella had worried the dance would be canceled. Sheached for her missing classmates, but she still longed for her onenight to forget all her worries. School officials decided it wasimportant to boost student morale during the difficult time, and thedance would go on as planned.

Ella raced homefrom school to get ready for the dance. She shut herself in her roomand spent two hours carefully sculpting her hair into a fetching updo, applying just the right amount of girlish makeup, and finallydonning her lovely gown. Her last order of business was to slip herdainty feet into the glass looking shoes Nicholas had given her. However, she wasn't quiet able to complete her ensemble because shecouldn't find the shoes Nicholas got her. She assumed he must havetaken them back to his room and it was time to go find him. Herheart fluttered. She stood nervously for a long time with her handfrozen on the door knob. When she finally mustered up the nerve, shetook a deep breath and opened the door.

Ella stepped outinto the empty kitchen. She could hear noise upstairs where thetwins were. She hoped to find Nicholas and slip out unnoticed. Shebegan to creep up the stairs. As she made her assent, she heard oddsounds grow louder. It sounded like Lexi making a series of gruntsand sighs, as though she were exerting herself and it was causing herpain. Ella told herself not to even wonder what her foster sisterwas up to, to not allow herself to check.

Against her betterjudgment, she glanced inside Lexi's wide open door. And unable tocontrol the shock of what she saw, Ella vomited on the floor.

Lexi began tocackle when she saw her foster sister hurling all over the hallway. When she finally composed herself, Ella rushed into Lexi's room.

For one thing, herbeautiful, precious shoes rested on the floor next to the chair whereLexi sat, and they were covered in blood. As were Lexi's hands andthe extremely sharp box cutter she clutched weakly.

Lexi looked paleand a little out of it. Probably because she was losing massiveamounts of blood. What Ella had accidentally caught a glimpse of,was Lexi Dark using the blade to slice off her own little toe.

"What are youdoing?" Ella exclaimed, her voice a shrill, barely controlledharbinger of panic.

Lexi gave an odd,loony smile. "I found your new shoes," she said with wide,crazy eyes. "They don't fit me, so, I'm making them fit."

Hysteria bubbled upinside Ella and she began to wail as a flood of tears overflowed. Brittany bolted into the room, beckoned by Ella's cries. She wore anevil expression.

"What did youDO in the hallway?" she demanded, apparently unaffected by herown sister's obvious distress. Then her face darkened further. "Andwhat are you wearing?" Brittany snarled.

She reached out andsnatched the sash of Ella's beautiful gown, ripping it. She gaveElla a violent shove. Ella stumbled back, slipped in the spreadingpuddle of Lexi's blood, and clattered to the floor. She scurriedaway, trying to avoid the bloody mess. But her beautiful gown wassoaked with it.