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really outdone
themselves in transforming the smelly gym into something that could
reasonably pass for an enchanted ballroom. The theme for this
year's dance, which Aline and her friends had vigorously campaigned
for, was the Faerie Court. They were sick of looking at kids in
sloppy or scary costumes, so they worked on their teachers and
schoolmates to convince them that it would be a good idea to have a
unified theme for the dance other than the usual instruction to
"Come in a Halloween costume." They settled on the Faerie Court
idea because all the girls could dress up in gowns and look pretty.
The girls had all been for it, but the boys had balked at dressing
up in fancy clothes instead of Freddie Krueger or Storm Trooper
outfits. But when more than one girl had a fight with her boyfriend
because he didn't want to dress up according to the theme and the
cheerleading squad declared their full support for the idea, it was
a done deal. The school's own royal court had put their seal of
approval on it, so everyone got in line.
    For a few hours, Aline let herself forget
about all the weird stuff that had happened to her and she just had
fun. She danced and laughed with her friends, and the only thing
that distracted her from time to time was the thought that she
wished Trevor were with her. But she was going to see him in the
Ballroom, so the night still had the potential to be something
truly special. Before eleven, kids started leaving the dance and
Aline made her exit too along with her friends. As they got out of
the gym, laughing and slightly drunk from the shots they had downed
behind their teachers' backs, she started to feel really excited.
She'd be sixteen in about an hour, she was going to have an amazing
party, and she'd make sure she would get to at least kiss Trevor
before she went home. So what if she was having creepy dreams?
Tonight, she wasn’t going to sleep!
    "Happy birthday to me!" she suddenly shouted
happily.
    "Yeah! Happy birthday, Ali!" The other kids
she had invited to her party were getting into their rides, and
they called out greetings to her as they all began to drive through
the streets like a weird little caravan. There was something in the
air that seemed to make all of them feel a little reckless, but
Aline was laughing too hard the whole time to be worried about it.
The night felt alive and electric, like something amazing was going
to happen, and it was an exhilarating feeling. There was a curious
sense of anticipation that Aline could feel burning throughout her
whole body.
    "We're going to the ball!" She heard someone
yell, and she laughed harder. Her head was practically spinning
from all the excitement firing up her senses. The limo rocked and
swayed as it drove towards the Ballroom with a speed that should
have concerned them, but no one minded in the least. In fact, Meran
even started urging the driver to hurry.
    "The ball's starting soon!" she exclaimed.
"We need to be there fast!" By Aline's side, Gracelyn and Sam
giggled over something they were whispering about and, across from
the two cousins, Cassie was looking outside the window with a
dreamy expression on her face while she hummed a tune under her
breath. Aline looked outside too and saw the bright full moon
shining down and making everything appear like it was covered by a
dusting of silver. It seemed to be racing right beside them as the
limousine wound through the empty streets of the quiet town.
    Soon, they arrived at the Ballroom, and she
stood still for a moment to admire how gorgeous the place looked
with all the Halloween lanterns illuminating its exteriors. The
building appeared bigger and grander somehow with all the lights
around it. Her guests had arrived too, and they climbed out of
their cars and they all made their way as one large group towards
the club's doors.
    "We're expected," Meran announced gaily to
the costumed men outside who bowed and swept the doors open before
them like the footmen in period films. A