Page 75 of The Last Vampire
“You look too good for a school dance,” they go on. “You should be at anactualroyal ball.”
“We’ve been trying to tell her that,” says Salma.
“And you two are… naughty teachers?”
Salma snorts. “These are stakes.”
“Oh my God—you’re Buffy and Faith! That’s awesome!”
“And you’re Caesar Flickerman?” I ask Fran, who sports a shiny blue blazer that matches their hair.
“Welcome to the Hunger Games!” they say with a grand bow. “Seriously, William is going to die when he sees you.”
My stomach hurts when I hear his name. I know he’s not going to come, but what’s really bothering me is why I care so much.
“Let’s check ourselves out,” says Salma, gripping my arm to lead me into the bathroom.
When the three of us look at our reflections in the mirror, I hardly recognize myself.
My gown really does look like it belongs to another historical era, and I still don’t understand how I found it or why it was the only one of its kind. The top layer is a shade of gold that brings out the amber of my eyes, but what undoubtedly pops the most is my chest.
It looks disproportionate with the rest of my body, and I wonder how I’m not falling forward. Am I really going to a school event showing this amount of cleavage? What if people take pictures and post them next weekend on our field trip to Hanover? What will people say about me, and what will the fallout be for Ma?
“This is too low-cut,” I say, suddenly embarrassed.
“I really hope you’re joking,” says Tiffany.
“She’s not,” says Salma.
“Why are you hiding them?” asks Tiffany. “Those girls need to breathe!”
“And with these wise words from our resident poet,” says Salma, “let’s go!”
AS WEapproach the dining hall, red spills out from its open doors, like a tongue or a stream of blood. I blink and realize it’s a fancy carpet.
I feel my classmates’ eyes on me, and I bring up the mask to cover my face. It’s metallic and glued to a stick, decorated with rhinestones and feathers, just like the one I made for William. Only mine is gold, while his is silver.
Director Minaro stands at the entrance with Ms. Floreville, greeting everyone as they arrive. They’re next to a screen that projects a photo of Huntington Manor and the textFirst Annual Huntington Halloween Ball.Using a professional camera, Ms. Floreville takes photos of each duo in front of the special background.
“Guess I have to wait here,” I say from behind my mask. “You two go ahead without me—”
“No, we can wait,” says Salma.
“Buffy and Faith!” Zach calls out, and I’m guessing Tiffany already told him about their costumes. He walks over in an orange shirt and a bright green hat with flaps on the side. He must have contacts because he’s not wearing his glasses.
Trevor comes up behind him in a brown shirt and a blue beanie with red accents, and Tiffany says, “Okay, I give up. Who are you supposed to be?”
“Come on, guess,” says Zach.
“I told you no one would get it, man,” says Trevor, not looking at Salma.
“South Park!” says Salma suddenly. “You’re Stan and Kyle!”
Trevor’s gaze jumps to her in surprise, and now that their eyes meet, neither one breaks away.
Zach raises his camera and asks, “Picture?”
Tiffany strikes a pose, then she pulls Salma closer for a joint photo. My best friend looks at me and says, “Get in!”
