Faetality |✓|

1.1 //Lights Out//

Thirty seconds to midnight.

Blankets bunched at my waist, I rolled on my side, counting down with the red glowing hand of my alarm clock. At midnight, Cinderella lost a glass slipper to a handsome prince. All I was asking for was my driver's license.

Drifting to sleep's horizon, I smiled, lulled by the magic in that tiny interval when day is one with the night. Sweet sixteen, here I come...

The stillness of the night was shattered as something in the darkness called my name. I sat up quickly, heart drumming as combinations of voices muttered all at once. The whispers were unintelligible, in no language I understood, but they sent chills up my skin. Paralyzed, I watched tree branch shadows dancing on the walls transform into hideous demon faces, their burning eyes red as blood.

A note of panic escaped my lips; I lurched for the bedside table, yanking the cord on the night lamp. The room was immediately bathed in comforting shades of yellow, evil shapes and terrible voices retreating with the darkness. I rubbed my face, willing myself to believe the memories were nothing more than waking dreams. The cheerful golden wallpaper and delicate white curtains, gauzy as butterfly wings willed it so.

The fan's current kept the curtains fluttering above the window seat, where the pages of my favorite magazines were spread. Across the way were music posters and shelves of accolades from gymnastics and cheerleading. Underneath sat the white antique dresser, it's heavy oval mirror stationed above. Revealed in its smooth, unblemished surface was someone I hardly recognized - a frightened girl with her knees drawn to her chest, as if the whole world were out to get her.

I turned to my friends for solace. Their pictures were tucked in the mirror's golden frame, pasted and laminated in collages that had taken hours to make. But their happy, shining faces were worth the effort. Now they gave me the strength to turn the lights out.

Once more, darkness invaded. I waited, but the shadows stayed shadows and the whispers stayed mute. I sank back on the pillows and pulled up the sheets, commanding sleep to return. Instead, images of Dean floated inside my head.

I remembered seeing him at the pep rally the day before, after the first routine...

I cast my pompoms thoughtlessly aside, trading them for a Gatorade from the refreshments stand. Arms snaked around me from behind and I narrowly avoided spilling my drink down my uniform.

"Dean, hey, shouldn't you be with the team, getting ready for the game?"

"So what? I wanted to see you."

Prying eyes saw us too. No such thing as privacy when it comes to cheerleaders and their football captain boyfriends. Especially boyfriends who filled out their uniform in the most excellent way.

"My parents are going out of town for the weekend. We should hang."  Lower lip between his teeth, Dean tapped my shoulder with his helmet. The warmth of his easy smile, the gentle way his fingers threaded through my curls, were hard to resist. "Tell your dad you're spending the night at Sienna's--she can drop you off at my place. We'll have our own sleepover, just me and you."

Few girls could resist the temptations of Dean Taylor. His charisma was only part of his charm - his good looks did most of the legwork. Dean's permanent summer tan set off his amber eyes like July fireworks. Certain girls had fishy habits of brushing his honey locks from his bold gaze, and admittedly, so did I. In a word, Dean was perfect - and that was exactly what bothered me the most about him.

"A sleepover does sound fun. I'll think about it." 

"C'mon, Tammy, what's to think about?" He cuffed my chin. "You know I love you."