Chatoyant College Book 7: Upon What Soil

Chapter 15: Invited

"I'm going to change before the party," Corrie announced as she pulled her car into the parking lot.

"Your clothes look fine to me," said Naomi.

Corrie was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, the same outfit that she usually seemed to wear. She turned off her car and shrugged. "I just want to wear something more... party-like. Even if the parties are really casual."

"Well, that's fine with me, I want to drop off some of this candy in my room anyway." Naomi turned to Dawn as they all got out of the car. "You want to meet us there?"

Dawn shook her head. "I'd rather have you guys come with me, actually. It's getting dark."

"Oh, you're not afraid of Tom, are you? He seemed so nice."

She grinned. "I am definitely not afraid of Tom. I'm afraid of the other things that might be there."

"We'll come with you," said Corrie. "No problem. Where are you headed, Edie?"

"I'll go up to the room with you," she said. "But don't you guys want to get dinner?"

"I plan to fill up on candy," said Naomi.

"We probably should eat something healthy," Dawn said. "I don't want to get sick, and I definitely don't want you to get sick, either."

"Aww, thanks. Why do I think you're just worried about me throwing up all over the room?"

"Probably because you've threatened to before." She rolled her eyes. "Why don't we get a quick dinner, then head out?"

They agreed to that (though Naomi kept arguing), and their dinner was a little longer than Dawn had expected, with the result that it was fully dark and getting rather chilly by the time they left. But it was the end of October, after all. "I've got to run, I'm meeting Leila in the orchard," Edie told them quickly. "I'd say I'll see you later, but I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back."

Corrie gave her a quick hug around the shoulders. "Be safe!"

"You too," Edie said, raising her eyebrows. She waved to the others, and they took off in opposite directions, Edie south and Dawn and the others north.

The wind swept past them as they walked up campus, rattling the trees and blowing a few brown leaves along the sidewalks. It made Dawn shiver and pull her jacket tighter around her shoulders. She was glad she had one, at least.

They were quiet until they reached the woods. She took the lead then, picking her way through much more significant piles of dead leaves and prickly brush until they'd reached the numinous line that separated the campus from faerie territory. She glanced back to make sure Corrie and Naomi were still with her (they were, less than a foot behind), stepped through, and called out, "Hey, Tom!"

There was movement in front of her instantly, making her jump: he hung by his knees from a tree branch, his nose just inches from hers. She would have laughed if it weren't for the grumpy expression on his face. "What do you want? It's Halloween!"

"I know," she said cautiously. "I came to invite you to a party."

The change in his expression was instantaneous. He did some kind of complicated flip and landed on his feet almost directly below where he'd been hanging. "Are you going? Oh, you can't possibly be invited, can you? They know about your Sight! And you were involved in that crazy attack I didn't get to watch! You can't possibly be invited."

"Invited to what?" Dawn asked, bewildered.

He frowned at her and shook his head in confusion. "You're not talking about Feloc and Belara's party?"

"No," Dawn said firmly. "That's the last place I want to go."

"It's a human party," Naomi chimed in. "In the art department. We'd love to have you."

"A human party? Really?" His eyebrows rose with surprise, and he looked over to his left, then back at them, chewing his lips. "I'm rather flattered, but I did so want to see what the party is like with their politics changed so greatly..."

"Their politics? Because Mardalan got hurt?" Corrie asked.

"Yes, she's quite incapacitated now, and Belara and Feloc seem to be ruling jointly, which is nothing any of us have ever seen. Then again, their parties have always been the same no matter who rules."

"Well, don't feel obligated to come with us," Dawn said. "I just thought it would be fun to invite you. I didn't know there was another party you were planning to go to."

"I wasn't exactly planning to go," he admitted. "Just to watch. Very well, I shall come to your human party. What should I wear?"

It was such an incongruous question that it made Dawn grin. "I don't know. Naomi, does he look okay?" He was wearing the same outfit she'd seen him in before, one that seemed to be made of leaves and conform to his body.

Naomi shrugged. "Everybody will think your outfit is cool, probably."

He laughed. "Then I shall be cool!"