Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(47)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“Some people have no class.” Kimber said, buying my story. “And who told her that outfit looked good? And where the heck did she go?”

“I have no idea.” I said, fear pumping through me. “But thanks for that.”

“Anytime.” Kimber smiled. “Cole and I are leaving.”

“Sam and I are too,” I said, trying to sound normal.

“You okay?” Kimber asked, turning to look at me. “You look pale.”

“I’m fine, just tired.”

She nodded. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”

“Sure.” I said brightly.

She went out the door, leaving me alone with Sam. I dropped my act and looked at him, about to ask what was going on. “We have to go.” He said, grabbing my arm and rushing from the room. We got a few stares when people saw him coming out of the girl’s bathroom, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Sam?” I began.

He was busy towing me toward our table to get our stuff. His eyes traveled the room and never stopped. I planted my feet on the floor, and he swung around to face me.

“That woman said you had secrets. She said that you lie. Do you know what this is about?” I asked a tremor in my voice. I was half afraid of the answer.

He aged about ten years right before my eyes. He nodded miserably. “Yeah.”

“What’s going on?”

“My time has run out.”

Sam

Heven was in her element. It was something to see. I had a feeling that the way she was acting tonight was a glimpse at the way she was before I came into her life. So vibrant and real. She had this sort of charm, this way of making people feel good about themselves, and people wanted to be around her.

In a way it made me sad. Not sad that she was coming back into herself, but sad that I had been involved in taking that away from her to begin with. My thoughts drifted to the body in the bottom of the lake: Andi. Tonight should have been her prom night as well. Instead, she was alone in a watery grave, and there were people out there mourning over her status as missing. The police had been searching to no avail. I had heard some talk that they were going to list her as a runaway.

Music flowed out of the ballroom, it was something upbeat and loud. I heard Heven laugh at something her friends were saying, and I thought how odd it was that I was standing in this place thinking about a dead body.

I pushed the dark thoughts aside as the evening went on, determined to have a good time. All the masks made it hard to relax. Every time someone drew near I would have to decide if they were friendly or not, if we knew them or not. Word of Heven’s mood, and I suspect the way she glowed, drew people to us like a magnet. I hadn’t realized how popular she had been Before. It was almost intimidating. How could I compete with all of these people? How long until she figures out that she can do better?

I squelched those thoughts as well, telling myself that Heven’s feelings for me weren’t the issue right now, keeping her alive was. Hopefully, someday when I removed the threat to her life she would be able to tell me that she loved me. Words I hadn’t heard in so long. My eyes scanned the crowd once more, searching for anyone suspicious. Damn these masks and formal attire. Thankfully, I had a profound sense of smell, and I didn’t catch any familiar scents from my roommates so, for now, we were safe.

Turns out Heven isn’t much of a dancer, which comes as a bit of a relief to me. I didn’t dance. It made me feel like an idiot out there trying to move to some impossible beat. But I did like the slow dancing…I smiled at the thought of allowing my hands to roam just a little bit lower on her back as we moved.

The slow dances were much less common than the fast dances so when the upbeat music was playing we mingled in the crowd (by Heven’s request) and made a stop at the giant punch fountain. It seemed like a silly thing to me. If I wanted a drink why not just pour it out of a pitcher into a glass? Instead we stood in a long line (who knew a punch fountain could be such a draw?) and waited with clear plastic cups in hand. When it was your turn you were supposed to let the punch flow down into your cup until it was full. The liquid splashed and splattered, and I thought it was annoying, but then Heven laughed at the silly thing, clearly pleased.

Maybe punch fountains weren’t that annoying after all.

The food was good. I was always hungry, and there was a lot to eat. Heven seemed amazed at the amount of food I could put down and watched as I shoveled in a couple of plates of mini sandwiches, cookies and fruit. She sampled a few things off my plate, but otherwise sipped her punch while socializing with the crowd that surrounded us.

When a slow song came on I pulled her out onto the darkened dance floor and slid my arms around her.

“Are you having a good time?” I whispered in her ear.

“The best.”

“I want this night to be perfect.”

“It is.” She said, gazing at me like she wanted to say something more. My stomach dipped a little with what I hoped it might be. She rose up on tip toe…

The sound of a muffled bang caught my attention, and I stiffened, looking around for the source of the noise.

A large, swinging door opened to the room the caterers were using and I saw a whole box of trays had fallen to the ground.

“Sam?”

I swept my eyes around the ballroom one last time, making certain I didn’t sense any threat before I looked down. “Sorry, I thought I heard something.”

She frowned, and I thought she might ask what was wrong so I spoke before she could.

“Did you want to say something?”

“Never mind.”

“You sure?” I was an idiot. I ruined the moment for nothing, and now it was gone.

“Later, okay?” she asked, her blue eyes wanting understanding.

I pulled her close and let the moment go. Hopefully, I would get another chance to hear the words that I thought she might be ready to say. I thought of the keycard in my pocket and wondered if I took the chance of getting her alone that maybe she would say them. Then everything would be different. If I knew she loved me, maybe I could tell her the truth, maybe she would be able to look past what I am.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. I couldn’t quite relax after that ridiculous scare I had earlier. I found it hard to believe that the monster would leave us alone for one night. Maybe there was another lead on what we had been looking for. Maybe it would keep Heven safe for one more night.

An hour before her curfew, we were sitting at our table feeding each other cake. I decided to take the chance and show her the keycard to the room I got. At worst she would rebuff my attempt to be alone, but at least I would have somewhere to shower without wondering who would come home and if there would be a fight. I pretty much had been living out of my truck for months. I despised the people I lived with but felt locked in to my life. How could I leave the only people who knew what it was like to be a freak? Until I had found them I lived alone – I hadn’t been frightened of myself, but I was scared that no one would ever accept me. My own parents wouldn’t accept me. Isn’t it better to be accepted by someone than no one at all?