Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Jealousy

 

“Well Anna, will you dance with me?” Will asked after we had sat down for a while.

“No, she won’t,” Alex said smugly looking at Will through narrowed eyes.

“Of course I will.” I said grabbing Will’s hand and glared up at Alex and shook my head, walking to the dance floor.  Will looked at me admiringly and burst out laughing.

“Apparently she has a mind of her own Alex,” he laughed delighted that I had said yes.

“I’m going to love razing him later,” he whispered conspiratory tone.

“Don’t you dare! Just because he reacted like that doesn’t mean that you get to torture him,” I replied narrowing my eyes at him as we began to dance.

“He’s just being selfish keeping you all to himself,” Will countered.

“Is that not in your nature? He might cut in, you know and then what are you going to do?” I asked smiling.

“You do have a point,” he mused.  “Lizzy seems to be dancing with George.”

I giggled. “You guys are impossible.  How am I ever going to keep up with you two?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll slow down every now and then,” he laughed heartily.

 

Alex was dancing close to us with Cassy, and she had a wicked grin on her face.  The two of them were obviously up to something I just wasn’t sure what.

“Can I cut in?” Alex said as winked at me.

“Sure,” Will said as he released one of my hands and spun me towards Alex.  Instead of taking my hand, Alex grabbed Will’s and started whirling Will away.  I burst out laughing with Cassy at Will’s shocked expression.  He hadn’t seen that coming, but he played it up as much as possible and the two of them put on quite a show.  Everyone was laughing as they changed their pace went into a rendition of the Tango.  Everyone applauded when they were finished.

“You two are incorrigible,” Lizzy said giggling.

“You can dress them up but you can’t take them out,” I said smiling.

“Oh really?  Is that a fact?” Alex smirked as I took a slow step back.

“We’ll just have to see about that,” he said coming towards me with his eyes narrowed.  I tried to move back but he caught me around the waist and pulled me tightly into his chest.  I couldn’t help but giggle.  He leaned down bringing his face close to mine and gently brushed his lips across my cheek to my ear.

“Do you still think that you can dress me up and not take me out?” he whispered gently nibbling at my ear.  Shivers coursed up and down my spine even though I firmly nodded an affirmative. 

He pulled me back onto the dance floor and started to whirl me around again. When the song was coming to a close he dipped me back and held me there. 

“And what about now?” he asked grinning with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Okay ,okay, you win!  We can dress you up AND take you out, but whether or not you’ll behave is a totally different story.” I teased winking at him as I laughed.

He laughed as he stood me back up.  We started to walk over to Lizzy and the others when Jeff joined us.  He looked at me and smiled as he said my name.

“Hi Jeff, are you having fun?” I asked happily.

“Ya, it’s fun. I was wondering if you’d dance with me?” he asked blushing.

I looked at Alex and then back at Jeff. 

“Um, sure.” I said somewhat hesitantly.  Jeff beamed with joy as he took my hand and led me onto the dance floor joining Christine and Joel. 

“Are you having fun Jeff?” I asked again as I looked at him curiously.  He wasn’t wearing his usual glasses tonight and seeing his eyes for the first time was nice; he cleaned up pretty good I thought to myself.

“Sure,” he replied quietly.

Jeff didn’t ballroom dance like Alex and I so we slowly danced in a circle.

“Anna, you and Alex are together now right?” he asked nervously.

“Yes, why?” I was puzzled by his question because I thought everyone knew that we were dating.

“No reason,” he said looking away.

“Jeff, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting strange for the past couple of weeks.  Does this have anything to do with the fight you and Alex had while I was sick?” I looked at him suspiciously.

“Ya, well, some guys have all the luck!” he snapped bitterly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.  Jeff looked at me sadly.

“He’s had his eye on you since you first came here.  He made sure that you noticed him and he didn’t let anyone else have a chance.  He used his looks and his money to get to you,” he snapped glaring at Alex.  I stopped moving and stared at him in shock.

“Jeff, Lizzy and I are best friends and Alex and Will treated me like their little sister. He may have been interested in me, but he never made any advance and he never tried anything.  How dare you presume that he would be that shallow.  If you liked me, all you had to do was tell me.  You’ve hardly spoken to me all year and now you make unwarranted accusations towards Alex! You’re just being a jerk!” I pulled away from him and started to walk away.

“Anna, wait. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Jeff said as he grabbed my arm.

“Jeff, I really should go.  This is not a good idea.  I like you as a friend, but you are acting like a jealous boyfriend.  No one owns me, and I mean NO ONE.” I snapped at him with anger starting to stir within me.

“I know, Anna!” Jeff pleaded, “It’s just he and his family act as though you’re off limits to everyone but them.  They act like they own you and you don’t even see it.  It’s disturbing, Anna.  I mean think about it, when was the last time you went out with someone other than a member of that family?” he countered angrily.  I glared at Jeff with a mixture of shock and rage.

“That’s a lie.  Sure we hang out a lot, that’s my choice and I do go out with my other friends.   In fact Christine and I went out a week ago.  I didn’t realize that you were the social life police, Jeff.   You are way out of line.  Alex and Will would never treat me this way!” I snapped, my voice was getting louder the angrier I got and had started to take on a melodic tone.

“Anna, I’m not trying to be a jerk.  It’s just that I care,” Jeff said his voice dropping.  People were starting to notice our argument over the music.

“You don’t own me Jeff, and who I choose as my friends is MY business not yours.  I want to be your friend, but I really don’t think that is a possibility now.  How could you embarrass Tisha like this? God Jeff, this is no way to treat her, she deserves better!” I started to turn away again and he tightened his grip on my arm.  My head snapped back around and my eyes narrowed at him.

“Let go of me.” I snapped angrily.  I could feel a strange sensation forming in the pit of my stomach, like a building of power, a tingling that was becoming more and more intense.

“Anna, you should really give someone else a chance,” Jeff pleaded.

“Take your hands off me now!  How dare you presume that I would even consider dating you after this!” I demand wrenching my arm out of his grip.

“Anna, please,” Jeff pleaded as he grabbed my arm again.  The students that were near us were watching open mouthed as Jeff and I verbally sparred.

“Jeff, I won’t tell you again,” I said quietly seething with anger.  “Take your hands off me before I drop you where you stand.” I was shaking, I was so angry.  Will and Alex were at my side instantly. I looked at Alex.

“I need to be outside, NOW!” I demanded angrily through clenched teeth.  Alex pulled me to his chest protectively looking at Jeff in bewilderment.

“What the HELL did you do to her?” Will and Alex said in unison as they glared at Jeff.

“None of your business,” Jeff snapped back. 

I started moving towards the front door, Alex coming with me, when Lizzy grabbed my hand and steered me to the back exit.  Jeff tried to followed us.

“I think you’ve done enough damage for one night,” Alex snapped angrily blocking his way.

“You don’t own her, Alex! Now get out of my way!” he yelled, shoving Alex aside.  Alex’s eyes narrowed to slits as he quietly replied.

“Neither do you.” He placed his hand on Jeff’s shoulder and effectively held him in place as Jeff tried to pass. 

“You WILL leave her ALONE Jeff!” Alex repeated forcefully his voice sounding hypnotic with a hint of ringing ringing bells.  Jeff’s eyes glazed over at Alex’s hypnotic tone.  Alex was trying very hard to keep his voice to almost a whisper.

“Jeff, you should go back to your date.  You’ve embarrassed both her and yourself enough for one night,”

“Don’t you tell me what to do!  I won’t be told what to do the way you tell Anna what to do!!  You all act as if you own her!” Jeff spit glaring wildly at Alex and Will.

“Good lord man, I’ve never told Anna what to do.  She does what she wants to,” Alex said looking at Jeff incredulously. 

“Jeff, if you hadn’t noticed no-one tells Anna what to do.  Not even the teachers can tell her what to do.  She’s way ahead of most of the people here,” Will snapped as he clapped Alex on the shoulder and they started walking towards us at the back of the room.  For some reason I could hear every word they said as though the three of them were standing next to me.  It was the strangest thing that had happened to me thus far.  Lizzy guided me outside into the parking lot and we headed for the seclusion of the rocks and trees at the edge of the lot.  Alex was beside me by the time we got into the forest.  I focussed my energy on trying to calm down, but the anger just wouldn’t go away.  I was seething over what Jeff had said and I didn’t want my anger to get the best of me.  I simply had to find a way to calm down.  So, I tilted my head back, took a deep breath, and screamed my frustration and anger into the night.  Two small trees exploded in front of me while Alex, Lizzy and Will stood there astonished.  It seemed that my abilities were back in full force and that scared me to death; what if I had hurt someone inside?  I broke into a cold sweet and started shaking as I surveyed the remains of the obliterated trees.

“Anna, are you okay?” Alex asked quietly coming up beside me and pulling me into the safety of his strong embrace.  I just shook my head as I looked at Alex, then at Lizzy and Will, the tears starting to spill over cascading down my cheeks. 

“Alex, I-I could have hurt someone.  I-I can’t be here, I-I have to go, I-I have to leave,” I stammered as I started hyperventilating. 

“Anna, slow your breathing down or you’ll pass out,” Lizzy said in a panic stricken voice.

Everything was starting to go dark.

“Anna, it’s ok. You are safe, don’t panic - Ah crap!” I heard Alex say in a far away voice.  I came to minutes later in Alex’s arms as he carried me to the car.

“I passed out?” I asked in a shaky whisper.

“You scared us half to death, Anna.  I’ve never seen you so shaken or scared of your abilities,” Alex replied, concerned.

“I could have hurt someone, Alex,” I looked into his eyes and then put my head on his shoulder gathering comfort from his touch.

“I was so angry I had almost no control.  I’ve never felt that out of control before,” I explained.

“Anna,” Alex said seriously making me look back at his worried face “You need to realize that you did stay in control and you removed yourself from the situation, with a little bit of help from us.  What did he say that provoked you so much?” he asked.

“He accused you, Lizzy, Cassy and Will of not allowing me to have any friends other than you guys and of being controlled by you, which is not at all true.” I replied as angry tears filled my eyes.

Alex gently wiped the tears from my face with his finger.  

“It’s ok, just stay calm,” he said, then suddenly stopped and stared at me.  “Wait -You lost your temper because of that?  I wasn’t sure why you were so distressed.  I felt your anger but I couldn’t get to you fast enough.  Now I understand.” Alex started laughing and tightened his arms around me.

“Why are you laughing at me?” I demanded.

“You were defending us from Jeff’s petty jealously,” Alex laughed heartily.  I still failed to see the humour.

“What’s so funny about that?” I demanded.

“Anna, we’re so worried about protecting you that I never thought that you would choose us,” he explained.

“What do you mean?” I asked confused as I searched his eyes for answers.

“Anna, we chose you before you were born.  We chose to be your protectors.  I never thought that you would choose us, that you would want to protect us,” he shook his head incredulously.

“You know how I feel about you and the others. Why wouldn’t I protect you?” I was still confused.

“Because you don’t want to be controlled.  I wonder if...” Alex trailed off clearly deep in thought.  I was about to ask him what he was thinking about when I spotted George coming towards us.

“Hey, Alex, how’s she doing?” George called.

“She’s calmed down now!” he answered.  He turned his attention back to me.  “Do you think you can stand?”

“Yes, although I like where I am just fine, to be honest.” I admitted winking at him.  Alex eyes started twinkling with mirth as he grinned at me.

He slowly lowered me to my feet.  I held onto him for a moment to make sure I had my balance, and he put an arm around my waist.

“Are you going home or do you plan on returning to the dance?” George asked us.

“Let’s go back inside.  I would like to dance with you at least one more time,” I said quietly looking at my hands.

“Are you sure?” he asked and I nodded.  I had to prove to myself that I could be in control and I wasn’t going to allow Jeff to ruin tonight for me.

“I won’t let that jerk ruin my first date!” I said sternly as I grabbed his hand and started heading for the entrance.  George and Alex laughed, but they watched me carefully.

Alex and I walked straight to the dance floor where Lizzy and Will were dancing.  Lizzy looked at Alex and he nodded to her an unasked question.  He then drew me into his embrace and spun me around the room; I loved every minute I was in his arms.  It was so easy to move to the music guided by his sure movements.  I was completely lost in the moment; the altercation with Jeff forgotten.  We finally stopped four songs later.

“Would you like a drink?” Alex asked.

“Yes please,” I replied smiling happily.

“Ok, I’ll be right back.  Will you be okay by yourself?” he asked, the concern evident in his voice.  I nodded and smiled.

“Don’t be long.”

He hesitated and I gave him a reassuring nod as he turned to find us drinks.

“Anna, are you okay?” Christine was walking towards me.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why?” I asked.

“Well you left with the others very quickly after Jeff tried to confess his feeling for you,” she replied.  I looked at Christine seriously.

“Actually, all he did was accuse my best friend and her family of running my life and not allowing me to have any other friends,” I said disgustedly. “He really upset me, so I went outside to get some air.”

She looked at me sympathetically, “He so jealous of Alex.  But who can really blame him?  I mean, Alex is one of the hottest looking guys in school.  He’s smart, wealthy and charming - what isn’t there to like?  Then he turns his attention on one girl Jeff’s got a crush on. Honestly Anna, how did you think Jeff was going to act?” Christine said knowingly.

“Are you upset that I’m dating Alex?” I asked curiously.

“No, not at all.  He’s not my type.  Now, don’t get me wrong, he’s a good looking guy but to be honest I actually had a crush on Will for years.  But knew he was taken so I moved on.  Now, I have Joel and he’s a great guy.  We should double date sometime,” she suggested smiling.

“Sure that sounds like fun,” I said enthusiastically.

“I just want you to know that Jeff feels awful, please try to forgive him.  He can’t help it if he’s jealous of Alex,” Christine said trying to redeem her friend.

“He should have thought of that before he embarrassed himself and his date with his stupid antics.” I replied seriously.  “Is Tisha mad at me because of this?”

“No, she’s more mad at Jeff for making a fool of himself.  I guess I should have warned you but I never thought that he would try something at the Prom of all places,” she shook her head in disbelief.

“Tell Tisha I’m sorry, I didn’t know Jeff was even interested in me.  Alex is the only guy I want to be with.  He’s my boyfriend and I have no intention of changing my mind anytime soon,” I told her.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure things will be back to normal next week,” she said.

 

Alex returned with three drinks.  He offered one to Christine and she took it thanking him with a smile, then he handed one to me.  I smiled in appreciation too.

“Well folks, were going to slow it down again for the last two songs of the night, I hope you enjoyed yourselves, I’m D. J. Kane,” said the D. J.

“Christine, wanna dance?” Joel asked from behind her.

“Sure.  Thanks for the drink Alex, I’ll talk to you later Anna,” Christine took Joel’s hand and headed for the dance floor.

Alex held out his hand to me, “Shall we?”  I nodded as I put my glass on the nearest table.

Alex and I danced slowly.  I gazed into his vivid green eyes and lost myself completely in them.  As the music came to an end Alex drew me in closer.  My heart began to race as he leaned closer and I raised onto my tip toes to meet him.  His lips pressed gently against mine, and I breathed in his distinct scent.  His breath was warm and sweet on my skin and as my tongue traced his lower lip, his breathing increased.  His hand slid down to my waist pulling me even closer and my hands wrapped around his neck, my fingers curling into his thick hair.  My lips searched his for a few moments longer.  I sighed in contentment and happiness, but he gently pushed me away which made me huff in disappointment.  He grinned at me, a twinkle in his gorgeous eyes.

“I wasn’t finished yet,” I pouted.

“Well, the dance is over and it’s time to head home,” Alex replied as he tried to stifle his laugh.

“No fair.  Just when I was starting to have fun again,” I complained.

“Well, we could always pick up where we left off when we get home,” He suggested with a glint in his eyes.  I smiled and nodded.

He took my hand and we walked out to the car.  Lizzy and Will were waiting for us.

“Well, what did you think of your first date, other than the one moderate set back?” Lizzy asked.

“It was fantastic,” I beamed at her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jeff watching Lizzy and I.  He looked furious and Tisha was glaring at him. 

“Lizzy, I think we’re going to have a problem.  We should leave now,” I said warily.

“What do you mean?” she asked looking at me curiously.

“Jeff is watching us.  Please, let’s just go before he does anything stupid,” she could see I was worried.

Will was starting the car as Alex opened the passenger door for his sister and then the back door for me and helped us to get in.

“Don’t worry, he won’t do anything.  There are too many people around,” Will said. 

I looked at him suspiciously, “How do you know that?”

“Because I can hear what they’re saying.  He wants to come over believe me, but Tisha is furious and wants to go home,” Will told us looking meaningfully at me.

“Can I borrow your cell?” I asked Alex.  He handed it to me and I dialed Christine’s number quickly.

“Hi Christine, its Anna,” I spoke into the receiver.

“What’s wrong Anna?” she asked.

“Are you still here at the school?” I asked.

“Yes, we were just about to leave, why?  Is something wrong?” she sounded worried.

“Tisha and Jeff are fighting.  I don’t want to interfere with your plans, but could you check on her and see if she needs a ride home?  I’m worried about her,” I told her honestly.

“Sure.  That’s a good idea.  I’ll call you back in a minute, is this your cell?” she asked.

“No it’s Alex’s.  Do you need the number?” I asked.

“Yes, just hang on I need to grab a pen. Ok shoot.”

“705-555-0011 We’ll wait in the lot to make sure she’s ok.  I just don’t want to go near Jeff right now.”

“I’ll call you back in a minute,” she said and hung up the phone.

           We watched as a blue Toyota pulled up in front of Jeff’s car.  Christine got out of the car and walked over to Tisha.  I watched them exchange a few words and then Christine and Tisha walked back to the Toyota.  I breathed a sigh of relief knowing Tisha would be okay.  I didn’t want her to get hurt because of Jeff’s rage.

Alex’s phone rang.

“Hello” I said.

“Hey, I’ve got Tisha with me and she wants to talk to you,” Christine said.

“Okay,” I replied as I heard Christine hand the phone to Tisha.

“Anna, thanks.  He was getting pretty ridiculous.  I’m sorry if he ruined your night.  He’s been a complete dolt,” Tisha said clearly upset.

“I’m more worried about you, Tisha.  His jealousy has pretty much wrecked your night and I feel awful about that,” I said honestly.

“Don’t worry about me.  Jeff’s going to be a leper at school for the rest of the year because of this and he knows it.  I probably won’t ever talk to him again either,” she said angrily.

“Get home safely Tisha.  I’ll see you next week,” I told her.

“You too,” she replied.                      

I was thankful that she was safe.  Jeff could go home and deal with his anger without involving Tisha.  I was worried that she would have gotten hurt being in the car with him.  Jeff’s anger was very obvious as he got into his car and slammed the door shut.  Joel had already left the parking lot with the girls and we were just about to leave as well.  Will waited until Jeff had pealed out of the parking lot in a show of squealing tires and flying gravel before we headed for home.

Chapter 28: The Prom

 

 In almost no time, Prom was here.  Everyone was abuzz with excitement, and Lizzy and Cassy were no different.  I, on the other hand was stressed out than excited for prom to finally have arrived.  All the high schools were holding their proms on the same night.  Some of the students were planning on splitting their time between two proms because their date was from a different school.  I really didn’t even want to go to one prom.  I was a bundle of nerves.

“Anna, you need to lighten up, it will be fun tonight.  A masquerade is always the coolest. No one knows who’s who.  It’ll be great, now come on and start getting ready,” Lizzy pleaded.  She was looking at me so hopefully I had to laugh.

“Well, you had better put on some upbeat music, because that’s what I need.”

“I’m on it!” she crowed happily bouncing up off the chair.  Suddenly the house was blasting with upbeat pop music.  I felt my mood lightening almost immediately.

Only the girls were home.  The boys wisely thought it would be a good idea to go out while we spent most of the day getting ready.  I went to the room I shared with Alex and decided to start with a long, hot shower which always helped me to relax.  As I luxuriated under the steaming water I started day dreaming about the day Alex had asked me to the prom.  I had just come back to school after being off sick with mono for six and a half weeks.  We were standing  in the hall by my locker.

          “Anna” Alex said quietly.

          “Yes” I replied gazing into his amazing green eyes.

          “I was wondering….” he stopped and took my hand in his.  It sent shivers up my spine.

          “Since we missed our date before new year, because you were sick, would you be my date for the Prom?” He asked smiling warmly at me.

My heart had started to race and I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.  I bit my lower lip hide my reddened cheeks smiling to myself.   Alex gently raised my chin with his hand so that I had to look into his eyes.

            “I would like that very much,” I whispered.  He smiled at me, his eyes sparkling as the sun came through the window by my locker.  He lightly trailed his fingers over the curve of my hotly blushing cheek and I could feel my head starting to spin.  Then Will had appeared behind Alex. He nudged him,

“So did you finally ask her or what?” he smirked. “I hope you turned him down Anna, that way I can bug the hell out of him.” 

Alex sighed and shook his head.  “Way to kill the mood, Will! She said yes, now leave us alone.”

“Ohhh, so that’s the way it’s going to be now is it?  So are you two officially an item yet?” Will teased nudging Alex again.

I blushed deeper and turned away from both of them.

“Will, would you please stop pushing me.  I just got back to school,” I said in an angry whisper. “Alex and I are friends and I don’t want to ruin that.”

“Awww, you know that I’m just teasing, Anna,” Will complained rolling his eyes at me.  Alex looked like he was ready to punch him.  I placed my hand on Alex’s arm and looked into his eyes.

“Thank you for asking me, I’ve never been to a Prom before.  I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun,” I said warmly.  Then I turned to Will, stuck my tongue out at him and started:  “Stop being an annoying big brother type.” I then spun on my heels and walked away grinning as I listened to both of them trying to stifle their laughter.

Remembering this made me laugh.  I never would have thought that I would become so close to any one family as I was to this strange family of vampires and half humans.  I had never felt so at home and at ease as I did since coming to Huntsville.  James, the Worthingtons and the Foxworths had welcomed and protected me, no questions asked.  They knew more about me than I did and it was nice to finally just be myself without having to concoct a story. I looked in the mirror as I towel dried my hair and smiled contently.  I found a blue track suit and slipped it on, then I walked back to the bathroom and started on my hair.  I had put moose into my hair, dried it and put Velcro rollers in when Lizzy joined me in the bathroom looking fabulous with her hair piled onto her head with elaborate curls and twists.

“How are you making out?” she asked smiling me.

“Well, the hair is underway and I was going to start working on exfoliating my skin.  Since it’s only four o’clock I know we have lots of time to do a few extras,” I said winking at her.

“That’s a great idea. Cassy you should do that too,” Lizzy said in a slightly raised voice.  Cassy was in my bathroom in a flash, her hair in an elaborate array of braids and long curls. I had never seen anything like it.

“Wow. Cassy your hair is amazing! You should do movies,” I said awed.

“Thank you.  It’s my favourite style,” she replied.  “So exfoliation time.  Let’s go to my room, my bathroom is bigger and I think I have the perfect products.”

Once we finished in Cassy’s room I went back to my bathroom to put on my make up before I took the rollers out of my hair. Lizzy came in to help.  We slowly pulled out the rollers and used a special hair putty to mould the curls.  Lizzy finished my hair with a beautiful blue and white rhinestone comb, I stared into the mirror pleased with the finished product.  Long curls flowed softly half way down my back.  Lizzy spotted my mother’s necklace on the counter, picked it up and looked at it for a moment, then turned with the clasp open to help me put it on.

“Thank you,” I smiled softly.

“It’s a beautiful piece Anna, your mother had excellent taste in jewellery,” she stated matter of factly.

I smiled warmly. “Thanks, I like to wear it on special occasions.  It’s a little piece of her that I get to carry with me,” I said smiling at our reflections in the mirror.  I glanced at the clock and my eyes widened.

“We better get our dresses on, the guys will be back soon.  I hate being late,” I said looking at Lizzy.

“No problem Anna.  Now this is your first official date, so it should be a great night for you and I want you to have fun.  Please promise me you’ll enjoy tonight,” she pled.

“I promise to have fun and I’m sure you’ll do everything you can to keep me busy when I’m not with Alex.” I laughed shaking my head as I headed into the bedroom to retrieve my dress from the closet.

My dress was a light green strapless gown that reached my ankles.  The bodice was made of a crimped chiffon that hugged my body and flowed into a skirt made of long layers of chiffon that gave the impression the dress was floating on my skin.  The colour emphasized my eyes making them a deeper shade of jade green that was complimented by my peaches and cream complexion that I had inherited from my mother.  I looked in the mirror one last time pleased with the picture I made.  All I had left to do was put on my clear strappy three inch heels.  Which would make me almost as tall as Alex.  I grabbed my matching clutch and made my way to the dining room as I heard the guys come through the front door.

“We better see if the girls are ready,” Will said walking into the foyer with Alex and George.

“I’m sure Lizzy will be ready, but you know Cassy, she rushes right to the last minute,” George replied fondly.

“We better get changed or they’ll have our hides,” I heard Alex say as he went down the hall towards our room.  George walked into the dining room and stopped abruptly staring at me as I slowly turned to greet him.

He whistled softly “Anna you look amazing.  I don’t think Alex will let you out of the house looking this good,” he teased.

“Thank you.  I’m sure Cassy will knock your socks off when you see her,” I smiled delighted at the compliment.

“She always does,” he beamed. “Well, I better get dressed I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m good.  Kind of excited, but don’t tell Alex that.” I winked as George laughed and left the room.

I wondered out onto the small deck off the kitchen to wait for the others to finish getting ready.  Lizzy and Will were the first to join me.  They were the perfect couple; Will in his well tailored tux and Lizzy in a beautiful pale pink silk dress with spaghetti straps the dress showed off her curves amazingly.

“Everyone will know there’s something up with you two. You both look absolutely stunning,” I complimented.

“Thanks,” Lizzy replied. Then she winked at me, “I don’t think Alex will want to go out when he sees you I have a feeling he will want to keep you all to himself.  He doesn’t like to share, and I should know,” she teased.

I laughed and shook my head, “You’re not the only one who’s said that to me tonight.”

“Anna, promise me now that you’ll save me a dance.  That way Alex can’t object,” Will said grinning at me.

“Of course I will dance with you Will, but if and only if Lizzy is in agreement,” I teased him.  He laughed.  Cassy and George joined us a minute or two later. 

“Wow we’re ready before Alex.  That’s a first,” Cassy giggled.

“Oh! He’ll never live this down,” George said as he smiled at Will.  I could tell by their expressions the two of them were already thinking of snide remarks.  I just smiled and shook my head.  The others went into the house while Will and George went to get the cars.  George and Cassy left shortly afterwards. 

I was standing on the deck looking at the forest admiring the different shades of green.  I loved spring, it was my favourite season with everything blooming and coming to life.

“Anna” I heard Alex call my name softly from behind me and I smiled.  I hadn’t even heard him walk onto the deck. As I turned slowly to face him I was awed he was the most beautiful creature I had ever set eyes on.  His black tux fit him perfectly, he was stunning.  He looked like a renaissance painting brought to life or the handsome prince from a fairy tale.  I gazed admiringly into his amazing green eyes, completely lost in the moment.

“You look stunning Anna,” he smiled as he took in my transformation.

“Thank you. You look wonderful too,” I beamed at him; my prince charming for the night.

I walked toward him and slowly reached my hand to his cheek wanting to commit every moment of this night to memory.  He leaned down and gently brushed his lips over mine.  He gazed lovingly into my eyes again for a long moment then sighed and shook his head.

“We better get going.  Lizzy and Will are getting impatient,” he said grudgingly.

“I was told that you wouldn’t let me out of the house,” I teased.

“I might not.  I don’t want any of your other admirers to get any ideas,” he replied as he gently ran his fingers down my cheek.

“Gee and I thought it was because you were supposed to be selfish.  At least that’s what your sister told me,” I grinned at him.  He laughed and grabbed my hand leading me to the front door where the others were waiting.

We arrived at the school about fifteen minutes later and we parked beside George’s car.  He and Cassy were chatting with a group of other students.  Alex came around and opened the car door for me offering his hand to help me out.  He kept my hand in his we slowly walked towards the school.  I saw Jeff and Tisha and Christine and Joel with their usual group of friends.  I waved to Christine and her jaw dropped when she realized who I was.

“Oh my GOD!!! Anna you look amazing!  Where did you get that dress?  I’ve never seen anything like it,” Christine gushed. “You look great too Alex,” she said trying not to stare openly at him. I must admit, Alex and his family were very distracting when they dressed up.  Everyone was staring at the beautiful picture they made.

“Thank you Christine, I got it in Toronto last weekend, it was a lucky find,” I replied, “you look so beautiful too!  It’s nice to see everyone all dressed up,” I said gazing around.

She beamed at me. “We should go inside the music is starting to get good.”

We all headed into the gym after saying hello to our friends and exchanging compliments.  The gym had been transformed into masquerade ballroom with streamers and crepe paper.  There was an archway into the gym that was covered with twinkle lights and green ivy.   Everyone was either dancing or sitting at tables talking.  We found a table with the rest of our group and grabbed some snacks and drinks which we left on the table.

“Shall we?” Alex asked holding his hand out to me and looked at the dance floor.

“Sure,” I smiled placing my hand in his.

We walked onto the dance floor and Alex twirled me around to face him.  I placed my left hand on his shoulder and he put his hand on my back and pulled me close, and then we were twirling around the room.  Lizzy and Will were dancing too and she smiled as we went by.  I gazed into his eyes and I was lost yet again.  I couldn’t look away; His eyes swirled with emotion and he had a soft smile on his lips.  He looked perfectly content; I’d never seen him like this before.  I smiled to myself, glad that he was happy because I was happy too.

What bliss, another perfect memory, I thought to myself.  It was like we were the only two people in the room dancing together and gazing into each other eyes.  I didn’t want this experience to end, I felt so completely safe and loved.

Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The garden

 

“Can we get out of here?  I need to get some air,” I said looking into Alex’s eyes.  He took my hand and led me to the back yard.  As we walked slowly hand in hand towards the trees I noticed they had an interesting shape.  As we got closer I realized I wasn’t looking at trees, but at an archway of climbing roses.  They weren’t in bloom yet since it was too early in the season, and the leaves on the trees, bushes and vines had only begun blossoming a few weeks ago so the trees were just starting to look full.  As we walked through the archway we entered into the most beautiful secret garden I had ever seen.  I stopped suddenly and gazed around in wonder.  The spring flowers were a rainbow of colours, pinks, purples, yellows, oranges, reds and white. It made me feel like I had just walked into a story book it was so perfect.  There was a large white classic-looking fountain in the centre with benches surrounding it and the trees in the background were draped with ivy which gave them a majestic look.

“It’s absolutely breath taking,” I said completely awed. 

“I knew you’d like it.”  Alex said smiling tenderly at me.  We walked to the other side of the water fountain and nestled under the trees was an old-fashioned swing bench that blended into the garden so well that I hadn’t even noticed it. We sat on the swing and slowly rocked back and forth. 

“This place is magical,” I breathed.  I inhaled deeply enjoying the fragrances.  It was so amazing, each scent blended into the next and I sighed happily as a cool breeze played with the loose tendrils of my hair.  Alex caught one of these in his fingers and gently tucked it behind my ear.  I could feel my heart quicken as his hand softly brushed my cheek.  I looked at our hands intertwined and noted how perfectly they fit together.  I smiled happily and looked up into his vivid emerald green eyes.  I could gaze into his eyes forever.  I felt like I was falling into their hypnotic depths; it was hypnotic, and I couldn’t seem to look away.  Alex’s eyes had never affected me like this before and mesmerized I moved closer to him and placed my free hand gently on his cheek.  Somehow I knew his temperature had increased slightly and my breathing started to quicken in response.  My fingers moved slowly from his face to play with his hair.  Alex placed his free hand gently under my chin and raised it slowly.  My heart was hammering in my chest as he slowly leaned down and brushed his lips gently over mine.  His lips were warm and soft as they moved searchingly against mine.  His breath was warm and sweet and my lips parted slightly responding to his.  My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer.  His tongue traced my lower lip sending a shiver up and down my spine as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his solid chest.  His tongue searched for mine, and I responded eagerly and passionately.  My head swirled and my heart was beating so hard I wasn’t sure it would stay in my chest.   All I knew was that I didn’t want this feeling to stop.  When Alex slowly pulled away, I was breathless.  He smiled at me mischievously.

“Well, for someone who’s never dated you do that rather well,” he teased.  I blushed and buried my head into his shoulder as he chuckled softly and kissed my hair.  I squeezed closer to him.

“I feel like I’m in a dream.  The best dream ever, and I don’t want it to end,” I admitted as I inhaled deeply and sighed happily.  He tightened his arms around me pulling me closer.

“I feel the same way you know.  I want to remember this moment forever,” he whispered in my ear.  We sat on the bench for a little while longer and watched the sun set.  The sky was a beautiful orangey-red and the clouds had a pinky purple glow. It was starting to get cooler, so we finally got up and started to walk back towards the house.  It was the perfect end to a very long day.

The next day we went to school.  As expected there was an assembly held first thing in the morning.  Everyone was buzzing about Prom, so the assembly was a surprise this late in the year.

“Good morning everyone” Mr. Stevens said talking into the microphone as he stood on the stage facing the students.

“Morning,” everyone replied.

“I’ve gathered you here today for an important announcement.  I received some news yesterday that concerns all of you,” he took a breath and started again.

“I want to remind you that in order for you and your date to get into the Prom you both must be wearing a clear ID bracelet. You will not be allowed in without it, and if you are caught not wearing one it will result in you being removed from the prom and an automatic suspension,” he said sternly.  A collective groan rose from the assembled students.

“There is a reason why we are doing things this way.  We have received reports that there are strangers in town looking for someone.  We do not know who that someone is, but these men have been seen hanging around the school parking lots.  The principals of the other high schools, and myself, are concerned for your safety and we ask that if any of you see anyone that shouldn’t be here, please report it to the office immediately,” he announced.

“Mr. Stevens,” one of the students called.

“Yes Sarah,” he said looking at her.

“I saw a man with a camera in the parking lot this morning taking pictures.  Is that what you mean?” she asked.  I looked at Alex, Will, and Lizzy my eyes wide and my hands started shaking.  Alex squeezed my hand reassuringly while the others remained expressionless.

“What did this man look like Sarah?” Mr. Stevens asked.

“Tall, short dark hair, tanned skin.  He definitely didn’t look like he was from around here.” she replied.

Alex held me in place because he knew I wanted to run, but the only thing we could realistically do was wait.  After the assembly we all returned to class.  Everyone was buzzing with the news wondering aloud who these strange men could be looking for. 

Alex and Will spent our lunch break outside looking around while Lizzy and I sat at our usual table and quietly picked at our lunch.  I was so nervous and anxious I could hardly sit still. 

“Would you please calm down Anna, you’re driving me nuts!  Nothing is going to happen,” Lizzy whispered harshly to me.

“I can’t help it.  I just don’t feel safe.  I would rather be at your place, not here,” I said honestly.  Lizzy looked at me sympathetically.

“Even if they did find you, they wouldn’t dare touch you with all these witnesses,” she said confidently.

“I’m not so sure about that.  They shot Alex and my friend Paul in a public place,” I reminded her.

“You’re safe Anna.  This is the best place for you to be.  Now we had better get to class,” she said as she grabbed her bag and tray and stood up ready to leave.  I know that Lizzy was doing her best to keep me calm, but I could see the cracks in her calm demeanour.  Saying nothing, I just nodded and followed her out of the cafeteria. 

The rest of the week passed without incident.  I was able to get to and from school without any trouble, and the man with the camera had not returned.  However I was still wary of my safety.  I had to be – I couldn’t let my guard down even though I had some powerful protectors.