How Many Heroes

8- Celebration

     If only Christmas were in November, then it'd be my favorite month of the year. The leaves were orangey-brown and beautiful, like dirty pumpkins, and the air was fresh and cool. We had a week off school for Thanksgiving, and I felt unusually happy. Amy's gang hadn't attacked Greendale in two weeks, allowing me to settle into shaky relaxation.

     Thanksgiving Eve, Hathaway picked me up in his Bentley, along with Jesse, Maria, and Luke to go to the annual Harvest Celebration his father- Mr. Steven Wright, the mayor- held at his mansion. Hathaway hated going, of course, but said he would attend only if his friends received invitation. So here we were.

     "Do you really have to wear that?" Hathaway asked, laughing a little. I assumed he meant Jesse, who was wearing a turkey-patterned tie over his oversized navy suit.

     "Yes I do. It's tradition," Jesse said, tightening his tie, as if it made him professional. "And your mom loves it, so stop pretending you don't."

     "God, look at the houses," Maria whispered to me. I look out the car window in wonder. Enormous three-story homes overlooked sprawling manicured lawns. Everything was classy and elaborate, making me ashamed of my simple cookie-cutter house. Then I chided myself. My best friend, Maria, and Luke me lived in places half as grand as own, but I was complaining.

     Luke shifted beside me. Though he looked stunning his worn, gray suit, he was obviously uncomfortable. He hadn't said a word this entire ride. "Are you okay?" I asked.

     He gave me a distracted smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

     "About Amy?" I pressed. Protecting Greendale from Amy and her gang was just part of his strange, confusing world he had yet to tell me about. Yet I had never seen him so on edge then in the last few weeks. He feared that Amy was planning something drastic that he wouldn't be able to stop.

     "Yeah...she hasn't done anything in weeks. It's weirding me out. I can't shake the feeling that she's going to do something tonight. Every important person in Greendale will be at the party, plus some from out of town. It's a big opportunity..."

     "It would make more sense for her to do something on Thanksgiving," I said, desperate to lift some of the worry off his shoulders. "Just relax for tonight. You need a break,"

     Luke rolled his eyes. "That's hardly an excuse to relax," he said, but when he smiled at me, this time it was real. "Just promise me something."

     "What?"

     "Watch your back. And mine."

     Hathaway parked across from his house; his own driveway was already packed with fancy cars. I was already regretting agreeing to come. The guests would be mostly adults, all of them accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. My short scarlet dress seemed childish and my hair, which I'd spent forever combing and brushing until it fell just right between my shoulder blades, would look plain compared to whatever styles I would encounter inside. Still, there was no other choice but to follow Hathaway into his mansion.

     The interior was stunning. Bouquets of fire-tone flowers decorated the entryway, which led into a living space as large as a ballroom. Orange ribbons were hung between frosted windows. Several tables were set up with pearly tablecloth and silverware. Tables were burdened with platters of every Thanksgiving food imaginable, and then some. I saw Jesse smile in delight at all the free food he'd be getting, but what caught my eye were the people. Some I recognized from last year, most were total strangers to me, all were formidable. Politicians, their spouses and their children were dressed up like royalty in the colors of autumn. I felt insignificant and claustrophobic.