43 ❤ Brenda
“Is it stupid to still care about this?” Jenn asks, twirling her hair with the curling iron.
Ana the dragon flicks her tail lazily as she curls up in the fading sunbeam, watching us all with interest.
“Not at all,” Erica says, dabbing eyeshadow on me carefully. “Hold still,” she says. “Where’s that monolid tutorial again?”
I pull up my phone with the YouTube video we’d found. Erica’s already an expert on doing her own makeup, but I have only one monolid and she has two, so she had to figure out a different way to get the smoky-eye look she wanted for me.
“It’s good,” I say. “It’s a celebration, you know. Next steps and all that.” I try not to blink as Erica lines my eyes carefully.
“You nervous?” she asks.
I almost nod, but she stops me just in time before I ruin the look.
“I am, too,” she says. “But that’s what saving the world is about.”
Jenn is giggling, holding up her phone to video chat with Aiden. “No, you can’t see me!” she squeals.
Erica rolls her eyes. “What, are you getting married?”
“I bet your dress is beautiful, baby!” Aiden says. “I just want to make sure the corsage I got matches.”
“Just show him, like, your knee or something,” I offer.
“There! Done. What do you think?” Erica turns me to face the mirror.
I look like me, but more somehow. My eyes are dusted in soft lavender shadow shifting to purple, dark liner winging out in a fierce line from my eyes. A dusting of warm bronze shimmers my cheeks, and the lip gloss Jenn chose for me is just a pop of bright pink.
I nod, not sure how to say I feel pretty and thank you and wow all at once.
I hug my best friends. “Thank you for doing this with me,” I say. “I think us being there together—bringing back love to the Ritual—is going to make all the difference.”
From her cat bed, Ana chitters expectantly at us.
“What, you want to come? I don’t know if there would be any treasure for you there,” I tease. Ana already has a respectable hoard in her little cat bed, filled with shining trophies and jewelry and other toys.
Erica opens her purse. “All right,” she says. “If there’s any mischief, you can fly home by yourself.”
Ana clambers in.
“Now, come on, prom is waiting for us,” Jenn says, eyes sparkling.
The limo ride is absolutely chaotic; we take selfies and drink sparkling apple cider and talk about our summer plans. Ryan and Adib hold hands, blushing insistently as they argue about spell mechanics, and Aiden listens for the third time as Jenn tries to explain the concept of magic.
“I have no idea what I’ll be doing, but yeah, I’m happy to help,” he says.
I smile, watching Jenn fix the strap on Erica’s dress as we get out of the car and Aiden takes couple photos for Ryan and Adib.
“Ready?” Jenn says, taking my arm.
Adib takes my other, and we all stroll into the hotel together, side by side.
I always felt walking into prom I’d have it all figured out, my college plans all set, and it would be the turning point to the rest of my life.
But instead, the only plan I have is for tonight, to help as many people as possible.
I don’t need anything else right now.
Soft lights and floral affects—all silk flowers, due to our budget, but they look spectacular—transform the Sheraton ballroom into an enchanting underwater coral reef.
I was sure the “Under the Sea” theme was cliché, but it looks great with kelp and corals and sea creatures, and after months and months of deliberating and arguing in student council, I’m happy and proud we pulled it off.
We eat and dance and take pictures and eat and dance more.
Erica starts a silly slow dance by herself during the first slow song and I follow her lead, pretending to be a stalk of grass in the wind, doubling over in giggles when we accidentally bump into and get glared at by couples attempting to be romantic.
Ryan gallantly offers his arm and bows to me at the next slow dance, and he leads me through a fancy waltz that doesn’t at all match the rhythmic overtones of the love ballad. “I used to compete as a kid,” he whispers to me. “Don’t tell Adib, he already has enough to tease me with.”
I snort. “I think he’d find it cute.”
I thought we would be anxiously anticipating when we’d have to leave, but before I know it, it’s 8:45.
“Finally, the official photographer is free!” Erica announces. “Come on!”
“We can’t take very long,” I remind her. “The portal is only going to be open for a few seconds.”
“That’s fine, we’ll make it!” Jenn insists, pulling all of us forward to the backdrop.
“Do you want to do a silly one?” the photographer asks after a few posed shots.
“For Prentomi!” Erica announces, striking a warrior’s stance.
Aiden, the only non-D you just have to focus—”
An impromptu, desperate lesson breaks out, as people frantically try to protect themselves and then teach others.
Ana crawls out of Erica’s purse and takes to the air, roaring flames furiously at the invading jelly-crocs.
The portal is still open, glimmering with light.
“I hate to say it,” Erica says. “But I think we have to split the party.”
“Babe, I just did magic! Did you see?” Aiden says to Jenn, beaming.
“You did great, babe,” Jenn says, and then glances at the portal. “Can we still do the spell with fewer people?”
A couple people from Kat’s world have come rushing through to help with the jelly-croc creatures, and I’m pretty sure I see Thomas and a few others who are curiously looking into the other ballroom as well. But I don’t want to leave anything to chance.
“I think we’ll have to,” I say. “The more influence we have, the better, but we can’t just leave people defenseless here.”
“Go!” Adib says. “We got this. Ryan found people who have been using his code, and Aiden is weirdly good at this, having found out about magic two hours ago.”
“I love you guys,” I say, the goodbye frozen in my throat.
“Tell us about it later,” Ryan says, cutting me off. “And don’t forget your Big Gesture!”
With Jenn and Erica right behind me, I run forward, right into the gap between our worlds.