Icarus (Book 1 of the Reincarnate Series)

Chapter 1

Danielle's heart beat erratically against her chest, her foot tapping discrepantly against an oiled wood floor. Light rippled like disturbed water as she paced, her inner cheek sore from insistently gnawing at the flesh to assure herself of her decision.

"Danny," came her perturbed friend's voice, who sat disgruntled upon the worn quilt of her twin-sized bed. "Any outfit will look fine. Just pick one!"

She glared vehemently at the array of clothing spread upon her mattress, the dissonant pile of fabric mocking her where it rested. It seemed the clothing itself were insulting her inability to make a decision, even after an hour of staring hopelessly at her outfits of choice.

If the event she was going to weren't so important, Danielle would never have invested so much thought into a single article of clothing; but the fact that she was sneaking into the most dangerous and alluring party of the year was cause enough for her to stress about what to wear.

"We can't wear just anything, Rae." said Danielle in frustration. "It's the biggest party of the year."

Rae rolled her brown eyes, giving her friend a vexed expression. "I can't believe you're dragging me into this...I can't believe I'm letting you drag me into this! Do you know who's going to be at that party? Weres. You know what Weres do to humans that purposely go into their territory? They kill them. Also, it's against the law."

Danielle pursed her lips, looking at her friend. She was well aware of the nature of venturing near Were activities; strictly against the law. Governments claimed it kept humans safe, but it only inspired her rebellious whims. "They don't kill people, Rae. This is the last blowout before graduation, and I move away from this place. This is our only chance to see Weres. In real life. Justin said we just have to blend in with the crowd."

"Danny, you don't even like parties. Yet you're going to the most dangerous one of the year? Tell me that doesn't make sense."

Danielle offered her an impish shrug, mumbling. "I just want to look. It's not like I want to really talk to anyone anyways. We'll be in and out fast, no big deal. I bet Justin won't even be there yet."

Justin Meacham, a classmate of Danielle and Rae's, had given them the tip off of where the party was happening. Other humans wouldn't even dream of venturing near Weres; the creatures were dangerous and finicky. Most couldn't distinguish a Were from a human; they disguised themselves as normal people. Danielle had always been fascinated by the prospect, despite how dangerous running into a Were could actually be. This party was a chance for her to get a good look of Weres up close.

Rae kicked the mattress. "Do you ever question how Justin even got directions in the first place? Like, isn't that just suspicious?" Her face paled slightly. "We're done for; I can feel it."

Danielle snorted, her mouth stitching up in the corner. "If you were really that afraid, you wouldn't have gotten dressed." she said, gesturing to Rae's shimmering dark skin and beautiful rippling silk dress. Her red accented heels added a pleasant touch to the ensemble.

Tonight, a masked ball was the theme, according to Justin, and she was getting nervous. This was no ordinary place; it was the Were Den, the Blood Moon Celebration, and the biggest gathering of Weres on the planet.

"I'll go with this one," Danielle said, seizing an emerald chiffon dress that flowed to her knees and shadowed her shoulders. The hue would complement her midnight hair and mint green eyes. It also hid the slight bulge of fat around her hips that always made her self-conscious. She never liked wearing tight fitting things.

"I suppose the green and red will go well together. You know, red, like blood, because we'll both be dead by the end of the night." groaned Rae, shoving her friend towards the bathroom in the hallway. Despite Rae's objections to attending the Blood Moon Celebration, she shared a similar curiosity of Weres that Danielle did. In fact, their friendship began when Danielle had discovered Rae Googling the creatures on the school computer two years ago.