Crossed Worlds

Chapter 28: Sœur

  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday floated by in a blur of confusion, theorisation and even more strange activities. None of the gang, no matter how hard they tried, could think up a reason as to why the Queen would have planned this school in advance and handpicked Wild Ones to attend it, other than – she's crazy, twisted and evil, which they had already assumed and known all along.

"Like I said before," Jade had said after everyone had grown frustrated at their lack of explanation, "at least now we know for certain that something's not right here."

Though it admittedly frustrated her, too. She'd lie in bed, in her dorm room, flipping it over and over in her mind. Yet, she found no answers there for the Queen's actions.

Besides that, they were all growing drained of the daily activities, which had included team problem-solving and bizarre trust sessions, where Jade had to fall into the arms of a random Wild One, and vice versa. She didn't know what great data that would provide her leaders with, but she went along with it all anyway, as her Grandmother had told her to, until something more came up.

That Friday night, it was announced that there would be a dance in the large hall area, to celebrate the end of the first week and how well everyone had done. Strangely, they had all been given dresses and suits that were waiting for them in their dorms, due to their measurements having been taken during preliminary tests.

"They're lucky I can rock green," Anna laughed, holding out a slim-fitting dress in front of her.

"You can rock anything," Jade assured her, as she slipped into a purple gown that was pinched in at the waste.

She stood staring at herself in the mirror for a minute. It was very odd, to see herself clothed in something she'd never worn anything remotely like before. It didn't feel like she was looking at herself, yet that was a wonderful feeling. She felt new, somehow. Plus, the dress complimented her figure beautifully, and so she felt the rare feeling of confidence in her appearance.

Zoe knocked on the door before throwing it open, and her jaw dropped as she admired Jade and Anna's outfits.

"You girls look...divine," Zoe squealed with excitement.

"Not as divine as you think I look, I hope," Lily teased her girlfriend, leaving a light kiss on her cheek as she too entered the dorm.

They all complimented each other and gushed at the dresses, feeling the material – from silk to sequins – and they eventually went downstairs to meet everyone else.

When James saw Jade, he couldn't help but gulp. She walked towards him, feeling as though she actually was as beautiful as the look in his eyes made her out to be, and straightened out his suit jacket.

"You look...I'm breathless, J," his gaze drifted over her body and back up to her face. "You are truly beautiful."

"All right, love birds!" Jack teased. "Let's get to the hall."

Despite the circumstances and what they had been questioning the last few days, Jade felt happy. She was all dressed up and about to dance with her friends and the boy she adored and the magic of it all numbed any other feeling for the moment.

Music was already blasting from the speakers as they entered, and a few couples were swirling and slow-dancing.

"Oh, no," James sighed. "You know I'm a terrible dancer."

Hunter grabbed Alyssa's hand and pulled her out onto the floor, and it was clear that whatever they had going on was developing at quite a speed.

Jack then timidly and sweetly asked Anna for her hand, and the two of them followed. Then Lily and Zoe, then Isaac and Martha, then even Luke, who asked the girl with glasses from Jade's activity earlier that week, so then it was just her and James.