Hey guys! This is a pretty long chapter, but there's a lot going on at this prom :) I hope you enjoy it!
I'm really enjoying updating this novel again! I hope you guys feel the same!
xo Andrea
Chapter 24.
A warm breeze hits me as I step into the Paideia Collegiate theatre.
Despite finishing up the decorations here a few hours earlier, I'm still in awe as I walk through the doors with my friends to gaze upon what the combined efforts of our committee have achieved.
I feel proud of our work.
The theatre is transformed, with huge columns and draping golden curtains billowing around the entrance, thousands of fairy lights dripping above our heads and over the tables, vines and ivy covering the walls, and a string quartet creating a harmonious atmosphere to enter to.
It's certainly a sight to behold. And while this is an event I have never thought I would enjoy, the glitz and glamour of the Cobalt Isles is certainly hard not to love right now.
To top it off, everyone looks like a celebrity tonight, dressed to the nines after being dropped off by their limo or sports car.
It's like something out of a dream.
I follow the group through the theatre and over to the table where we will be having dinner.
Asthore and Georgie excuse themselves and head off to mingle with some of Asthore's friends from the swimming club. Ashlyn drags Lyke away for a dance, and Andrew excuses himself to go and talk to the basketball coach.
Leaving Laura and I alone at the large circular table.
She stands up and takes the seat next to mine. Before grabbing a glass of sparkling grape juice and taking one long, slow sip.
She raises her eyebrows and stares at me as she does this.
I groan, "Go on, say something."
"I'm just disappointed, that's all."
My brow furrows, in what way is she disappointed? I mean, she could be disappointed that I wasn't honest with her, that I basically made out with Andrew for about five minutes before we decided to re-enter the kitchen, that I turned down Andrew in the first place...
"I'm disappointed that you attempted to ruin Ashlyn's handiwork so soon after she made you up! Thank goodness for setting spray, that's all I can say, alright?"
I sigh in relief.
"Laura!" I gasp, "I thought you were going to kill me when I got back into the kitchen earlier. It's extremely hard to conceal your thoughts after something like...that...happens..."
She sniggers a little, "I must admit, I'm a little peeved I've got to hang out with Andrew for the rest of the night after you guys had your 'moment'." She creates little quotation marks with her hands.
"Honestly, though." She asks, crossing her legs in her satin gown as the dulcet tunes of the string quartet fill the air, "What took you so long?"
I honestly don't know how to answer that.
"Ok, so you don't know. But did you enjoy it?" She asks.
Err.... Yes.
"And what about Lyke, and Luca? Are you over them yet, have you finally figured this out?"
Err.... Nope. Not at all. To be honest I would gladly kiss Luca again, and I've never kissed Lyke...But....
"You're a mess Amber. A complete and utter mess. What do I do with you now?"
I take a sip from my own glass and look out at the polished hardwood dance floor as I respond.
"I'm so sorry Laura. I guess it's what you said earlier, I just don't know what I like about each of them yet."
She chuckles, "And the only way you could possibly find that out is by making out with all of them, or something of the sorts. Some Athena you turned out to be."
"Hey!" I gasp, "Don't say that!"
She smiles at me, "I'm sorry, but I need Andrew as my prom king tonight if I win. After this is all over, he's all yours. Alright?"
I shrug, "It doesn't bother me. We just had a 'moment'."
She grimaces, "Yeah, eww. By the stuff in your head right now, it certainly was. Please think about something else."
I stare out at the gorgeous couples on the dancefloor, watching as they perfectly waltz along to the quartet. I'm desperately trying to distract myself right now.
"Thank you." Laura tells me, looking out at the dancefloor with me.
We take in the room for a few moments, the soft fairy lights and the flickering candles make the theatre look truly enchanted. There's a couple dancing effortlessly in the centre of the floor, a girl with hair like spun gold in a matching dress, and a boy that's the polar opposite with his deep black hair and suit.
Luca and Callia.
Thunder and lightning.
They're so perfect together, and despite what happened with Andrew earlier, my stomach sinks a little as I watch them together.
"What do you see in him?" Laura asks, listening to my thoughts again.
I sigh, "I don't know."
"He's got that bad boy thing going for him, I get that. It drives most girls wild."
I nod, "Tell me about it."
She smiles and offers me a motherly pat on the shoulder, "You'll get over it, Hun."
I look away from Callia and Luca, only to see Laura grimacing again.
"Oh, yuck. More disgusting post make-out thoughts." She complains, as I turn to see Andrew walking towards us.
He glances at Laura, then me, then Laura again.
"She knows." He finally says, taking the seat beside hers.
She turns to glare at him.
"How stupid are you Andrew?! I can hear your thoughts!"
He looks a little embarrassed, "Oh, sometimes I completely forget that you can do that."
"Don't worry, I'm not angry. I'm just sick of what is going through your head and Ambers! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and get some last-minute votes. You guys sort yourselves out, and then I'll need you to come and join me."
Andrew and I watch as she stands up and sashays away, smiling demurely as our classmates surround her and shower her with compliments.
"You probably shouldn't spend too long with me" I tell Andrew, as he moves into Laura's seat, "You need to help her win that crown tonight."
He nods, before locking eyes with me once more.
"You know..." He finally starts, as a melodic tune begins to fill the room, laced with the beautiful sounds of a harp. "I always forget that Laura can read minds. I don't know how she put up with me when I went back into the kitchen."
I feel my cheeks heating up a little, "Yeah, me too. That was, something..."
He leans forward and places one of his hands on my lap.
"You don't know how long I wanted to do that with you."
My eyes flicker down to his hand, "I would be lying if I didn't say I've always wanted to do the same."
"So, why didn't you want to come with me tonight?" He asks.
"I-I just needed some time to figure myself out. I haven't been fleeing like myself recently, every day, I become more fearful about what is coming for us, and when it will come."
"I understand." He responds, his voice extremely soothing. "I'll be here when you need me Amber, I don't mind waiting."
"Thank you."
"I should probably go and help Laura, but come and get me if you need me." He tells me, getting up and giving me a soft kiss on the forehead, before walking across the dancefloor to join his prom date.
I feel someone watching me, and glance up to see Luca's eyes locked on mine.
I turn my back to him and pick up a fruit from the bowl in the centre of the table.
I need to distract myself on this perfectly hopeless night.
I place the deep red fruit on the small plate in front of me and cut it open.
It's a pomegranate. One of my favourite fruits.
Blood red and dangerously delicious.
I spend the next five minutes slowly eating it.
As I do, I begin to feel better about myself, more independent, more assertive, more 'Athena'.
This is exactly what I needed.
I smile to myself as I get out of my seat and walk confidently onto the dance floor, ready to confront Luca once and for all.
But he's nowhere to be seen.
Callia is though, I find her by the drinks table.
"Hey!" I say to the golden-haired god, "How's your evening going?"
She smiles at me, "Perfectly! I couldn't have asked for a better partner."
"Speaking of, where is he? I needed to ask him something about training."
She shrugs and takes a sip from her drink, "I'm not sure, I think he said he was going to get some fresh air on the balcony."
"Thanks." I reply, "You look amazing tonight!"
"You too! I'll see you at training tomorrow."
I nod and walk away from her, heading back across the dance floor and over to the staircase, if Luca is alone on the balcony then I'll finally be able to talk to him about us.
I'm brimming with a newfound confidence and I'm ready for whatever he must say to me.
I take the stairs two at a time despite the heels I'm wearing, almost pushing someone over as I brush past them.
"Look where you're going!" They snap.
I glance up and stare at Macy, Andrews friend and my co-decorator on the committee.
She looks insane tonight, more gorgeous than usual. She's honestly the definition of perfection, looking more like a goddess than me! But her attitude certainly doesn't match.
"I'm sorry, Macy! I was in a hurry. Aren't you Impressed with how good this looks?"
She shrugs in her silver dress and tosses a few perfect blonde curls over her shoulder.
"I couldn't care less. Thank goodness, I made sure that it was up to standard! You don't fit in here Amber, if you were the only decorator on the committee, this event would be a mess!"
My eyes widen, "Gee, you don't have to be so harsh about it."
"I don't care. To put it frankly, I've never liked you Amber."
"Uhm, ok."
"I was only ever nice to you because you were friends with Andrew. And since I plan on asking him out tonight, I need to stay on your good side."
My brow furrows, "Uh, shouldn't you still be on my good side now then?"
She shakes her head, "I don't need you anymore. You're not like the rest of us Amber, so stop trying."
My jaw almost drops as I watch her strut down the stairs.
What.
A.
Bitch.
There, I said it.
I've never liked Macy, and now that she's shown her true colours, I realise that my intuition was correct all along.
It's just a brutal way to find out.
Especially since she thinks she's going to get Andrew to go out with her tonight.
She can try!
I shake my head and continue up the stairs, hoping to find Luca alone on the balcony when I get to the top of them.
I'm a little out of breath when I reach the top of the staircase and carry on down the landing towards the balcony.
What will I say to him?
That I'd like to have another chance with him.
That I'm sorry he thought I didn't want to go to the prom with him.
That I'd like to kiss him again.
I'm not entirely sure.
But I don't get my chance.
I step out onto the balcony and take in the view of the town, glittering in the dark winter night.
It's certainly something, but not what I came for.
Luca isn't out here.
I sigh and turn around, preparing to head back into the theatre. When I notice two figures on the next balcony. Something doesn't seem entirely right.
I decide to investigate further.
I walk quietly across the landing and over to the next balcony, before leaning up beside the door and glancing out to see who the two figures are.
Oh.
Oh no.
My heart falters as I recognise the couple, their hands knotted in each other's hair as they hold each other, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.
It's a tryst that the myths warned me about.
Ares...and Aphrodite.
Love and strife.
I turn from the balcony and clench my fists, anger boiling up inside of me.
It hurts, because Luca probably never wanted me, this is probably who he was after the whole time. But what makes me even more upset, is that the lovely Damian probably has no clue that this is going on.
What am I going to do?!
Do I tell him? Do I say 'Hey, Damian, Selina is cheating on you with Luca...'
I don't know if it's right to break it to him like that.
I just can't believe it!
This whole night is a mess! Andrew caught me off guard and kissed me, Macy is a complete psycho and Selina and Luca are in the worst kind of secret relationship imaginable.
What next?!
Will the sky open and swallow me whole? Will a storm of titans attack the prom and tear me limb from limb?
I'm not sure.
But I know one thing.
I'm extremely angry right now. And whatever happens next, is going to set me off.
I grit my teeth and make my way down the stairs, I might as well try and have fun at this event while I can.
"And the winner is, Laura West! Congratulations to this year's prom queen! With Andrew Alford as her perfect king this year."
I step onto the crowded dance floor as my classmates cheer for Andrew and Laura while they stand on the stage.
I find Ashlyn in the crowd and give her a hug, "Don't tell Laura, but I voted for you."
She laughs and hugs me back, "Aww, Amber, thank you! I don't mind that Laura won though, at least it wasn't Selina, right Lyke?"
Lyke is unusually quiet as he stands beside my most bubbly friend.
He nods once, "Yeah, sure."
Ashlyn rolls her eyes dramatically and sighs, "Chin up Lyke, we're going to make the most of this night, right?"
"Yeah, sure."
Ashlyn turns to me and whispers in my ear.
"There's totally something up with him tonight."
I sigh and try to catch his eye, but fail. There's no light in my favourite mischievous friend tonight, although he looks handsome as hell. With his perfectly tousled hair and athletic body looking amazing in the suit he's wearing.
Why do I have to be so stupid around guys? I clearly missed out on a lot tonight because I was trying to find myself and make up my mind.
"I'm sure you guys will have a lovely night, I'll catch you at the after-party." I say to them, before swiftly making my exit.
Lyke looked like he didn't really want to see me, and I wanted to make sure Ashlyn could have some fun tonight. The only way I can do that is by keeping my distance.
The two of them managed to distract me, but only momentarily.
The anger is back, coursing through me in waves. I've never felt like this before, but then again, I've never had my heart broken and been spoken to in the way Macy did before.
Speak of the devil...
My eyes narrow as I watch Macy speaking to Andrew. Twirling her perfectly curled hair with her fingers, running the fingertips of her other hand down Andrews arm.
I spot Laura in the crowd and stalk over to her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She gasps, "What is going on in that pretty little head of yours?"
It only takes her a few seconds before she understands where my headspace is completely.
"Oh."
I nod, "Yeah."
"I always knew Selina was a bit fake, but that...that is a whole new level of horrible. I just can't believe Luca would do that either! And Macy...well, that's another story."
I glare across the room at Macy and Andrew as they begin to dance together.
"Don't get me started."
Laura sighs and rests her hand on my shoulder, "Hey, did you ever think that maybe Selina has Luca manipulated under her powers?"
I shake my head, in my anger, I never actually thought of that possibility.
Maybe that could be a possible reason, but I'm not entirely sure.
"You never know." Laura adds.
"Any chance you know what's going through Macy's head right now?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch her steal Andrew away from Laura and I, charming him with her fake niceties.
"You probably don't want to hear it."
I raise my eyebrows, "Believe me Laura, I do."
"Macy is thinking about how perfect it is to steal Andrew away from you. She thinks you really like him, which isn't far from the truth to be honest. Aside from that, he head is just filled with evil thoughts, about you and about everyone else here."
"She's a monster." I growl.
"Calm down Amber! We're at a prom, I don't want you causing a scene."
I stare at her and gesture towards Andrew and Macy.
"I can't let her do this to him. She's evil Laura, clearly!"
Laura places her hands on my shoulders.
"Look, Hun. I get it, she struck a nerve, but you need to chill out for a second here, it's not like she's trying to kill him."
"She might as well be." I snap.
"Amber please- "Laura starts, attempting to restrain me.
I brush her hand off and storm towards Macy and Andrew, my peers clearing a path for me on the dance floor as they stay away from the angry auburn haired girl in the area.
My blood is boiling, I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, I'm just filled with hate.
"What do you think you're doing?" Macy asks, as I approach her and Andrew.
He shoots me a concerned look.
I raise my brow, "Excuse me. After the way you spoke to me earlier, I think an apology is in order."
"Macy, what's going on?" Andrew asks.
Macy smiles at Andrew, "This girl is clearly insane, I've been nothing but nice to her."
Andrew looks extremely confused. He knows me well, but he's known Macy his whole life.
I don't give him enough time to decide who to side with.
"Cut the crap Macy, just leave Andrew alone."
"Why?" She asks, "So you can get your grubby hands on him, like I said before Amber, you're not like us. You're an outsider here."
"Well..." I start, "You're ugly Macy, you're a monster!"
I grip my necklace as I try to stop myself from transforming it into a spear and just stabbing her.
I don't want to kill Macy, I just want to teach her a lesson.
I'm a goddess scorned, and that is exactly what we do.
I don't completely understand what happens next.
But a spark shoots out from my necklace.
It flies through the air for a split second, before slamming into Macys face.
She screams and drops to the floor.
"EEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! IT BURNS IT BURNS!"
I watch in shock as she writhers about on the floor, but do I feel remorseful right now?
No.
Whatever is happening is what she deserved.
The theatre becomes panicked as Macy's screams fill the air.
She should have known better than to get on the wrong side of a goddess.
Just then, a rough hand grabs mine and I turn around to come face to face with Marco.
I haven't seen him since the day he snuck into my bedroom.
"Amber!" He gasps.
"What?"
"Did you eat that pomegranate earlier?" He yells at me, trying to be heard over Macy's guttural screams, which are now becoming terribly monstrous and metallic.
I nod.
"Oh no." He groans.
I'm about to ask him what the actual hell is going on, when hundreds of screams fill the air.
The screams of my peers.
And very quickly, I join them.
As I turn to face Macy once more.
Or what has become of her.
She's hideous. Her face contorted and twisted. As evil on the outside as she is on the inside.
What's more, her perfect curls have transformed into a head full of hissing snakes.
I've created a true monster.
Andrews eyes widen.
Medusa.
What have I done?!
~~~~~
A/N
Well, yikes.
Selina and Luca, and now THIS?!
And what is up with the pomegranate? - Any ideas??
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter - please feel free to leave comments, feedback and theories! I love to hear what you're thinking!
I can't wait to write the next chapter, don't forget to vote and comment!
xoxo Andrea