Mina and Jared past

Chapter Seven

"Mina, would you hold still?" Nan stabbed Mina in the eye with the eyeliner pen. Mina cursed. Loudly. Nan gave her a look and handed her a piece of toilet paper to dab her eye with.
"I told you. If you would hold still, the makeup would be on your eyes, not in them."
Mina laughed and dabbed at her right eye a few more times before Nan swooped back in for round three of trying to apply eyeliner to Mina's face. When this was finally completed, Mina brushed some blush on her cheeks and puckered her lips in the mirror to apply lipstick. Nan nodded in approval at the shade and even plucked the tube out of Mina's hand to use on herself. While Nan added a few last touches to her face, Mina glanced cautiously at her reflection in the giant bathroom mirror. Besides a few scars on her arm and forehead, her injuries had healed remarkably well. Months had passed since she had left the hospital.
"Alright, girl. Let's do this thing," Nan exclaimed, grinning at their two reflections in the mirror. Nan's pink eye shadow made her blue eyes simmer in the soft light. Mina let a bit of her glamour go, displaying the tiniest bit of siren gold glitter along her skin, hair, and around her eyes. Nan whistled, obviously impressed. They scuttled into their shoes, threw extra Chapsticks and emergency breath mints into their bags, and were out the door nearly twenty minutes later.
A limousine was casually parked in the driveway to Mina's family mansion, with a very dashing Brody Carmichael leaning against it. Nan squealed and ran to him, struggling in her incredibly form-fitting dress. Mina also struggled to get to the limo, with her feet wobbling about in the heels she had borrowed from Nan. She stopped to look up at a window where she knew Charlie would be watching. She waved and blew him a kiss and he gave her a thumbs up in return. As soon as she left, Mina knew that the house's magic would keep him safe from any harm. Also, Mrs. Colbert would be coming to babysit.
Mina could hear Ever complaining about the discomfort of her dress and Nix showering her with compliments, as well as Brody and Nan discussing the latest Dead Prince Society album. Mina slipped inside the limo with all of her friends, careful not to hit her head on the door. Her seemingly beautiful dress dulled in comparison to her friends' dresses, just as she knew it would. With a brush of her hand, the fabric instantly became more vibrant and magical, looking much like something she would have worn in the Fae Plane.
The limo ride was only a little awkward for Mina. While she was the only one in their party to be dateless, she didn't mind. She had been asked by a lot of guys, surprisingly, but she didn't know how to explain to them that she was desperately waiting for her fairy tale prince to meet her at the dance. Her friends knew what she had been hoping for and they hadn't spoken to her about it. They all knew that Jared wasn't coming back. They had known in the days following Ever and Nix's recoveries from the mystery disease. Mina hadn't had any quests in the months since he left. The grimoire felt dull and unfamiliar.
Once the group reached the school and shuffled out of the limo, Brody handed the driver a wad of cash and waved as the man drove away. Nan quickly grabbed Mina's elbow and led her inside the building, supporting Mina and her wobbly feet. The school halls were clean of all posters and papers, signaling the close end of another school year. Mina, Nan, and Brody would all graduate in only weeks. They all could hear the heavy bass thumping through the walls as they made their way to the gym, and all the excitement that Mina had felt before was quickly melting into panic.
"Hey, if this is too much for you, Mina, you just say the word," Brody mumbled into her ear. Mina gave him a weak smile as thanks. Nan held onto Mina a little tighter as they approached the party. The gym was dark, but streamers and lanterns were strewn about the ceiling and doors just enough so that teachers could determine what was appropriate dancing and what was ... not dancing at all. Ever pushed past Mina, pulling Nix along with her, and made her way to the candy bowls placed all over. Nan gave Brody a look and he went off too, finding his way through the crowd to some fellow athlete boys.
"You don't have to stay with me, Nan." Mina gave her friend a squeeze. "Go with Brody, I'll be hiding by the punch."
"You can't really be serious. Wilhelmina Grimm, we are gonna get our booties on that dance floor!" Nan pulled her along until they found Brody again, and Nan began dancing to the beat. Soon Nix and Ever came over, with Nix slightly bobbing his head and Ever jumping and throwing her head around, undoing her pinned up bangs and curls. Mina couldn't fully let herself go though. Every few minutes she would scan the dance floor and the punch line for a boy with grey eyes and a heart stopping smirk. Hours passed and there was no sign of Jared. She didn't stop looking around though. Ever must have noticed Mina's pathetic searching.
"He's not coming, Mina," Ever muttered under her breath. Mina looked at her, surprised to realize she hadn't noticed Ever standing next to her.
"He said he would."
"Yeah, well, when have either of them ever kept their promises?" Ever grumbled. Mina could feel the breeze from her agitated pixie friend's wings fluttering.
"I just really hoped ... " Mina's voice trailed off. "I should have known better than to believe he'd show up. The dance is basically over." Mina cringed as a football player escorted a very drunk Savannah White out of the gym. Ever snorted and punched Mina lightly on the shoulder.
"Chin up, Gimp. If there's anyone on this plane, in this universe, that Jared would come back for, it's you."
Mina waited for those words to give her some hope, but the feeling didn't come. Instead, the dull ache in her chest only grew in intensity, making it hard for Mina to breathe comfortably. She glanced at a clock on the wall.