The Beginning (Book One in The Illusion of Certainty Series)

A Night Out

My Saturday was pretty boring. I cleaned my room and did my homework. I blared my music like always and just like every Saturday my mother and my father told me to turn it down or close my door.

I, of course, smiled and closed my door and turned my music down. I called Sophie around six.

“Hey,” she said.

“Are you going?”

“Of course! I’m so excited. What are you wearing?”

“That dark blue little dress?”

“Trying to impress someone?”

“No!” I said it too quick.

“Gee…”

“Fine. I agreed to go to the party with…Aidan.” I winced.

“Oh. My. God. Seriously?!”

“You sound…”

“I’m happy for you! Finally you have a date to one of these things! And it’s not Joey Staten.”

“I wish everyone would let that go.”

She laughed. “You wearing your hair down?”

My face fell. I’d forgotten about that. I had the dress on now and I turned and looked at myself in my full length mirror. I lifted my hair with one hand and stared.

I sighed. “Looks like it.”

“Don’t be that upset about it. Most guys like long hair and you have the market cornered on long hair around here.”

Most girls “around here” cut their hair in the latest styles, which at the moment was a little below the shoulder level. Me? I’d refused to cut my long brown locks with the rest of the crowd. Even Sophie had cut her hair but she looked gorgeous.

I dropped my hair and it completely covered my now light pink scars.

“You’ll look dazzling no matter what you do,” Sophie said.

“Thanks Soph. I’ll see you there.”

I hung up my phone and got redressed. I hung the dress on the closet door and sat down on my bed, one leg folded under me. I stared at the dress, completely fixated on the fact that only last week I didn’t have to worry about scars. I could wear my hair up or down in the little strapless mini. But now…I just had to get back to that state of mind where I didn’t care what everyone else thought. Eventually it would blow over and everyone would get used to them.

“Gee! Dinner!” my mother called.

I sighed and got up, taking one last look at the dress before exiting.

Everyone went to sleep early that night. My parents spent most of the day grading papers and they wanted to spend some quality time together…in their room. My brother and I never heard anything but we had a pretty good idea what they were doing. We weren’t stupid.

I got dressed quickly and paired the dress with some black flats. I’d been told never to go anywhere unarmed but tonight I thought about making an exception. Of course as soon as I hoisted myself up on the window ledge, I changed my mind. I tucked a little knife into my right shoe, exactly where a pocket had been made for it.

Now I was ready. I decided to jump tonight, since I was wearing a dress and all. I started off across the quad like I saw several other people doing. We were all going to the same place and shared secret smiles at that fact. I’d sent Aidan a text earlier telling him I’d meet him at the party, that there was no need to come and get me. He of course insisted until I finally wore him down.