Trapped between a Demon and a Dragon

Chapter 2

"If we put any more sparkle in this room, we are going to trigger a seizure in someone," Harper mutters as another girl waltzes into the Winter formal decked head-to-toe in rhinestones. If they aren't wearing the fake gemstones, then their dresses are dusted in glitter or swimming in sequence. 

The couples must have spent a while designing their outfits because the boys are just as shiny as their dates: glitter drenched vests, sequinence-covered ties. One boy even creates a glare on the other side of the room as the spotlight reflects off of his rhinestones plastered shoes. 

Not that the teachers didn't take part in turning the room into one giant disco ball. Since the Winter Formal is such an important event for the school, in other words: one of their main money makers, the decoration committee got a substitute sent in to watch their classes today while they focused on turning the gym into a "Winter on the Red Carpet".

Bolts of silk with glittery tull flow down from the ceiling while curtains of twinkle lights cover the walls. Shimmery snowflakes dangle from the rafters, and large piles of polyfill and cotton doused with sparkles litter the floor. On the tables stand white ceramic planters filled with poinsettias. The room glows with the warmth of the lights and the decorations; it is easy to imagine it as a true winter paradise.

For something that took weeks to plan and prepare, the night passes in a whirl. The DJ seamlessly transitions from one song to the next as small pods of students bounce around on the dance floor. Other children barrell across the room from one station to the next, eager to take pictures with literally anything. One child takes a picture holding a paper plate because he wanted to reenact a meme or something. And every once and awhile a loud shriek followed by giggles echoes through the gym as teenagers awkwardly flirt with one another. 

Overall the formal appears to be a giant success and will be all that the students talk about during the final week before Winter Break. The committee wander the perimeter of the dance floor, pretending to monitor the PDA but actually taking in the work they were able to accomplish in a three week period.

But, as she watches a group of girls slip off their heels so they could take part in a game of tag, Harper feels a sense of unease wash over her. All day there's been a gnawing sense of "something's not right" that was setting her on edge. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was triggering it, but every glance out the door caused the hair on the back of neck and arms to stand up straight. Her body knows something is waiting outside even though the dark winter night looks innocent enough everytime she glances out the doors as they fly open to admit a new party-goer. The question is whether it is waiting for her or someone else.

Lily would be thrilled to know that some of her advice has finally sunk in. Finding an empty corner in the back of the room, Harper slips her phone out of her pocket and sends a text to Aeron telling him of her suspicions of something lurking around the grounds of the school. She leans back against the wall and stares at her phone waiting for his response. But the screen remains black. Of course his majesty couldn't even be bothered to pull out his phone and put me on "read", she thinks sourly.

Actually, reading the message and then not responding would probably piss her off more because then she'd have no choice but to take it as him thinking that her safety is not priority for him anymore. But not opening the text could mean a lot of things: he's too busy, he's hurt, he's ignoring her; he knows she'll hang around regardless of his actions... okay, actually none of these scenarios are great. Why doesn't he just pick up?!

"Ms. Bishop?"

Her heart jumps a little at the sudden interruption. Standing in front of her is one of her students. Draped in forest green satin with a matching lace overlay that had beads stitched to the part covering the skirt, the girl looked like she belonged at a ball instead of a high school dance. But while she has the appearance of a princess, the look on the girl's face could only be described as troubled.