Midnight Memories

Chapter 20

That night, I dreamed about Harry and woke up thinking about him. I couldn't escape the tingle that his lips left on mine. I thought about Jo and Dylan and immediately felt guilty. I knew Dylan had feelings for me. I had feelings for him too. Even though Jo is an awful person, I know that she must be hurting from the break-up. That's four years of her life only to end in heartbreak. I should've been happy that she was hurting, but I wasn't. Not at all. I didn't want to be the cause of anyone's pain.

I wanted to tell Anastasia about the kiss, but I just couldn't. What if she hated me for kissing him back? What if she thought I led Harry on? There was no way I could have. Not only did I have to worry about my friends finding out, but I also had to deal with Harry. I might see him tonight at the dance and what then? I couldn't avoid him. That's just childish. But I was scared to be around him. He could be so hypnotizing. My judgement could be clouded.

I ended up staying in my room until an hour before the dance. I couldn't face anyone, not even myself. I tried to distract myself but nothing worked. I didn't even know what I planned on wearing that night. A Siren-styled dress? A costume? I was sure Ana would have something planned for me. Did creatures even dress up for these types of things? Did they go as themselves? Why didn't I prepare more for this?

When I finally headed downstairs, Anastasia was in the living room and Rebecca seemed to be gone again. She seemed to be gone more and more these past few weeks. As I had predicted, Ana was preparing both of our outfits. Two dresses floated in the air as she made her way around them, fixing up any minor flaw. One was black with a feathered bottom and smooth top. The shoulders were feathers as well. It looked very elegant. The dress would rest just above the knees. The other dress was a royal blue with glitter that made the entire thing sparkle with radiance. It's sleeves were long and sheer with a slit that would rest on the outside of each arm. It was also a V-neck and ended at the ankles.

"What are we going as?" I asked.

Anastasia turned to me and smiled.

"This one-" She floated the black dress in my direction. "Is for you. I figured you could go as a raven. You know, in honor of Edgar Allan Poe? I know you love his work. Then this one-" She motioned to the blue one. "Is mine. I'm going as a Winter Goddess. What do you think?"

I touched my dress in awe. "It's beautiful. I love it. The Winter Goddess idea is such a creative idea. That dress will look amazing on you."

Her smile brightened. "Thanks! I love making dresses. Oh, and we have masks to match!"

She reached down to a wooden box resting on the couch. She pulled out a black mask and handed it to me, then she grabs her white one. It's breathtaking. Hers looks like sparkling snow. It would no doubt bring out the beauty of her eyes. My mask was perfectly decorated with sparkles and black feathers spreading outward. It truly completed the look of the raven.

"These masks paired with your black heels and my white ones, we'll be the Belles of the ball!" Anastasia gushed.

I laughed. "I've never been more excited to go to a dance."

"Yes! And you'll definitely impress Dylan."

I gulped.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Or Harry. Whichever you prefer."

"Ana!"

"Look," She sighed. "I'm not thrilled about it. But if you like Harry and he likes you, there's really no other answer."

"I don't know who I like." I admitted. "I don't even want to focus on that!"

"But?"

"But..." I trailed off. "Harry and I... might've kissed yesterday."