Death...It's Only the Beginning

Chapter 1

THEN.

My eyes scanned my face again. They inspected every streak of eyeliner, every stroke of mascara, every brush of light pink blush that brought color to my pale skin. I leaned closer to the bathroom mirror and closed my left eye. Slightly I turned my head from left to right. Then again, to my right. I dabbed more sparkles around my eyes. There wasn’t such thing as too many, and I wanted to sparkle every time a turned on the dance floor.

            The bodice of my strapless dress sparkled when I turned to leave. The diamonds in my ears glinted. I was almost perfect.

            Just then the sound of bells chimed through the one-story house. My heart skipped a beat. After one last look-over I skipped down the fall in my flats. Standing at the door was my angel.

            “Jason!” I squealed, jumping into his open arms. My mother stood back as he spun me, his beautiful blue eyes shining with happiness. I wondered if mine did too. Or if he could feel the joy that threatened to explode in my heart when he hugged me close.

            “You look…amazing.” He looked me up and down, from the brown curls that cascaded like waterfalls down my back, to the hem of my sapphire blue dress that skimmed the top of my feet and seemed to flow around my legs and behind me like water when I walked.

            “So do you,” I smiled.

            Just looking at him made me feel faint. He was dressed handsomely in a silky black tuxedo, with a dark blue tie knotted at his throat. His blond hair curled around his ears, unruly but sophisticated at the same time.

            “Give me your hand,” he said suddenly, remembering something. Suspicious, I did what he said. Jason brought my hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on my wrist. Then he pulled out a corsage, a white rose with little blue flowers, and tied it over the place his lips had lingered a moment ago.

            “They’re so pretty,” I whispered, delicately stroking a rose petal.

            He scoffed at me. “They are absolutely nothing compared to you.”

            Jason leaned down to kiss me but stopped at the eruption of furious clicking beside us.

            “Oh, don’t mind me,” Mom said, waving her hand dismissively from behind her tri-pod when we both looked at her. “Pretend like I’m not here.”

            Jason laughed at my annoyed expression and kisses me.

            “Let’s go,” I said. Before we had to start posing for the camera.

            “Okay,” Jason said, placing his hand on my lower back. “Goodbye, Mrs. Malaya. I’ll bring her back at around 11:30.”

            “Okay! Have fun!” Mom yells as he leads my away from my little yellow house.

            I squinted back at her and waved. The stupid sun was at the point where no matter where you looked you were being blinded by it.

            “Where are we having dinner?” I asked when we both got in the car. In order to look skinny in the dress even after I ate dinner, I didn’t eat all day.

            “Lilac Gardens.”

            Where we had our first year anniversary.

            We met our best friends, Ally and Brendan there. Ally was wearing a cute pink dress. Three flowers gathered the fabric in the middle of the front, and the skirt puffed out a little like a ballerina. Her hair was done up in a bun and a few blond strands deliberately curled around her face. Ally’s outfit was cute and outgoing, just like herself. Brendan wore a pink tuxedo, the same shade as his date’s dress, and it was all I could do to not burst out in laughter.  He got some odd looks, but didn’t seem to care. Brendan was crazy about Ally and would do anything to make her laugh.