I gathered my dress and walked up the few stairs toward the stage. It felt like an eternity, walking in slow motion, as I headed over to Trevor and Mr. Ferguson. Heather came over, gave me an evil look, put a silver faux-diamond-encrusted tiara on my head, and handed me a bouquet of red roses.
I awkwardly smiled as the crowd cheered. I felt like I was in a scene from Carrie. I now knew what my payback from Trevor would be. He'd imagined that I'd be excited that I, the school oddball, had been chosen by the student body to be Prom Queen. At any moment, just like in the horror film, a bucket of pig's blood would fall on me, embarrassing and belittling me in front of the whole school.
Only I had a different weapon than Carrie had.
A Victorian parasol.
I opened my elegant umbrella and glared back at Trevor, then the crowd.
I waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing came down. Not even heart-shaped confetti from the ceiling.
I stared out into the crowd of Dullsville High faces, all looking confused. Then it hit me and I realized my fate.
Trevor had a far worse plan for me than embarrassing me with pig's blood--he wanted to dance with me in front of the whole school and, most important, Alexander.
"This dance belongs to Prom King and Queen, Trevor Mitchell and Raven Madison," Mr. Ferguson announced.
All eyes were on me. I wanted to run, but I was surrounded by staring students.
Trevor gripped my hand harder than a goalie holding a soccer ball.
I saw Alexander, who stared back at me, his eyes lonely, clapping with the rest of the students. I felt awful holding another guy's hand in front of Alexander, especially the hand of my nemesis.
Trevor led me down the steps of the stage and pulled me onto the center of the dance floor.
The lights dimmed, and red hearts danced around the gymnasium walls and floor.
I could barely breathe. Trevor put his arm around my waist and pulled me close.
I was dizzy from the lights and the music. I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't invite Alexander to come with me to prom to watch me dance with Trevor Mitchell.
I didn't care what prom protocol dictated or who Trevor had paid off. I pulled away from my nemesis. "You fixed this," I yelled over the music. "I'm not really Prom Queen. This dance belongs to Jennifer Warren."
"Don't ditch me in front of the whole school," Trevor said through gritted teeth, trying to grasp my hand back.
"Forget it!"
"Once a freak, always a freak. I'll get you, Monster Girl."
Trevor's words churned through my veins like jagged glass. As far as Trevor and I'd come in the last few weeks, we were right back to being two kids in kindergarten.
I pulled my tiara off my head.
Jennifer, who was being consoled by the Prada shoe snob, smiled at me.
"This belongs to you." I handed her my tiara.
I turned around, triumphant, to celebrate with my vampire boyfriend.
Instead, all the smiling faces I saw were mortal.
I looked everywhere, making myself dizzy searching for Alexander in the sea of promgoers as they watched Trevor and Jennifer Warren dance. It took me a moment to catch my breath, my heart was beating so fast. I pushed through the crowd and found Becky and Matt. "Where is Alexander?"
"I don't know. He was here a minute ago. I can't believe you are Prom Queen! Why did you give your tiara to Jennifer?"
"We'll talk later. I have to find Alexander." "Hey--we have to retake the picture of us," Matt called to me.
I searched the tables where couples were sitting. Not a vampire among them.
"Have you seen Alexander?" I asked our class treasurer.
"Who's Alexander?"
I ran over to the punch table. A few couples were munching on chocolate kisses.
"Have any of you seen Alexander?"
"Alexander who?" one kid answered. "The zombie? I think he's already been buried."
My heart sank.
I raced to the side exit. A sign read EMERGENCY USE ONLY. IF DOOR IS OPENED, ALARM WILL SOUND.
Drats!
I passed the photographer, who was dismantling his equipment. I flew out the gymnasium entrance and hurried down the hallway.
Memories of the nightmarish end to the Snow Ball came storming back to me. Running outside in the pouring rain, finding a lone Alexander, begging him to talk to me as he walked home to the Mansion.
However, when I opened Dullsville High's main door, it wasn't pouring rain--or raining at all--but was cool and quiet.
"Alexander!" I called.
There, standing at the bottom of the stairs with his back toward me, was my vampire boyfriend.
I gathered the hem of my dress and hurried down the front steps. "Alexander, please. I didn't want to dance with that jerk."
Alexander didn't reply.
"Please, look at me," I said, my eyes welling with tears.
Alexander turned to me and stepped aside, revealing Henry, who was standing with him.
The pit of my stomach turned. What was Henry doing at prom?
"Where's Billy Boy?" I asked, worried.
"He just told me he was going to Valentine's house," Henry said.
"He's supposed to be grounded," I said.
"I thought you should know."
I gazed at Alexander, who seemed as surprised to find Henry here as I was.
"Valentine said he'd been staying with his aunt, Maria Maxwell," Billy's nerd-mate continued. "Since Billy's been grounded, I had some free time, so I searched the town records for Valentine's aunt. I couldn't find her listed anywhere. There is not a trace of anyone here by that name. Then, tonight, Billy dropped off our Project Vampire for me to work on. I found this."
Henry handed Alexander an eight-by-ten weathered piece of parchment paper.
It was a gravestone etching.
In jagged letters were the words:
Maria Maxwell Beloved Aunt
1824-1922
Chapter 16 Sibling Rivalry
"I have to find Billy before it's too late," said Alexander. "Valentine is at the end of his rope. If I don't return within an hour, have Matt drive you home." Alexander gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and started toward his car.
"I'm going with you," I said, following after him.
"Stay here," he said, proceeding on. "I'll come back for you when I'm finished."
"I'm coming too. Billy's my brother."
Alexander continued cutting through the grass instead of walking on the sidewalk.
"Where does Maria Maxwell live?" I asked. "Or, I mean, where's she buried? In Dullsville's cemetery?"
"Henry said Billy was going to Valentine's house. I have an idea where that might be."
When Alexander and I reached the Mercedes, my usually gentlemanly boyfriend didn't open the door for me. Alexander was preoccupied as he started the car. We continued to sit in silence as we drove through downtown. "This isn't how I imagined spending my prom," I said. "Trevor getting even with me and now Billy Boy in harm's way."