Dead Is Not an Option

by Marlene Perez

  "I can't be the prom queen, because this is not the prom," I said. I pointed to the banner smugly.

  She smiled serenely. "Of course you can't be queen of the prom," she replied. Her apparent acquiescence didn't reassure me.

  "Everything turned out so well," I said. "I can't believe how fast you got everything organized, Sam."

  She shrugged off the compliment. "It's easy to boss people around." She leaned in and said, "I heard Wolfgang is going to be here tonight."

  "He's only a freshman," I said. "And he's part of the reason prom got canceled. I thought he would be on lockdown after Circe's shooting."

  "I heard he's coming too," Ryan said. "I think he's going with Christy Hannigan."

  "I didn't even know they were dating," I said. "What about Claudia?"

  Ryan changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"

  "Starving," I admitted. We got our food and sat down at a table with Samantha and Sean and a bunch of cheerleaders and their dates.

  Mom and Dad had thankfully opted to stay home for the evening, but I spotted Rose and Nicholas holding hands by the jukebox. Some chaperones they were. They were staring into each other's eyes, oblivious to everything going on around them. I recognized the dress she wore as another one of Grandma's. This one was a day dress, a black and white toile, which she paired with simple black flats. She'd tied up her hair with a thick red ribbon.

  Lil was cooperating this evening and cranked out a steady playlist of songs from the 1950s. "Sea of Love" was playing when I walked up, but she changed it to "You're So Fine" by the Falcons.

  "Thanks," I said. "I haven't forgotten about you, Lily."

  On the way back to the table I bumped into Lilah Porter, who wore a cream and black fitted sheath and mile-high heels. When I looked closer, I saw the cream material was printed with tiny mermaids. She had a rope of pearls draped around her neck that I swore looked real.

  "I like your dress," I told her with a grin. "And your necklace."

  She grinned back. "The pearls are a family heirloom," she said. "One of my ancestors, er, found them one night during a swim."

  Coming from a mermaid family did have its perks.

  Penny and Tyler came in late. Penny looked as pretty as I'd ever seen her in a coral chiffon dress with a sheer material draped over the bodice and bows at the shoulders. There were also bows scattered throughout the skirt.

  After we ate, we migrated out back to the parking lot in the rear of the restaurant. There wasn't enough room in the restaurant for a dance floor, so one had been set up in one of those huge white tents people rented for weddings.

  Flo's boyfriend, Vinnie, had pulled some strings, so not only were Side Effects May Vary playing, but a trio called Howling Monkeys was also performing. Howling Monkeys consisted of two brothers who looked nothing alike, as well as their little sister Casey, who was around twelve but sang like she'd experienced years of heartbreak.

  "I love this song!" I said, grabbing Ryan and heading for the dance floor. Several songs later, the music abruptly ended and I looked up to see Sam standing in front of the microphone.

  "May I have your attention, please?" she said. She waited for it to get quiet and then said, "Although our real prom was canceled, which was a bummer, I want to thank Slim and Natalie for hosting this event and all the people who volunteered for the Not the Prom."

  We all broke into loud applause, and there were several wolf whistles from the crowd.

  She waited for the applause to stop and then said, "And now it's time to crown the king and queen of the Not the Prom," she said. "But first I'd like to present the members of the royal Not the Prom court. Please join me if you hear your name called. Penny Edwards and Tyler Diaz."

  Penny squealed with excitement, and everyone laughed. She ran to the bandstand, and Tyler, even with his long legs, had a hard time keeping up with her.

  "Rachel King and Brian Miller," she continued. "Jordan Kelley and Reese Calhoun. Samantha Devereaux and Sean Walsh," she said.

  "That's me," she added, in case anyone at Nightshade High didn't already know.

  She paused while the crowd applauded. She waited until everyone had joined her at the bandstand, then reached behind the drum set and handed something to Sean. When she and Sean went back to the line, they were carrying daisy chains in their arms.

  "I have a bad feeling about this," I said to Ryan, who just grinned at me.

  "The king and queen of Not the Prom are"—she paused dramatically—"Ryan Mendez and Daisy Giordano."

  Ryan grabbed my hand and we walked up to Sam. "I thought we agreed that since there wasn't a prom, there shouldn't be a queen," I told her quietly, but I smiled when I said it. It was a nice thing for Sam to do, and if I was truthful, part of me was thrilled to be a queen, even if it was for a pseudo prom.

  She gave me a dazzling smile and put the daisy chain around Ryan's neck. She nodded at Sean, who put the daisy chain he had around my neck.

  Then Sam said, "I present your king and queen, Ryan Mendez and Daisy Giordano."

  Ryan and I joined hands and took a bow.

  Ryan and I were slow dancing when Wolfgang walked in with his date. Obviously, he didn't get the memo about the theme, because he wore khakis, a striped shirt, and a loud tie. Christy followed behind him with Claudia and her date, a Nightshade junior named Henry.

  Christy wore a hot pink dress, but the other girl's pale skin and blood red gown were what drew everyone's eyes.

  Surprisingly—or maybe unsurprisingly, since it was Wolfgang—he all but ignored Christy and pulled Claudia onto the dance floor, where they proceeded to make out. Christy looked unconcerned and stood chatting at one end of the tent with Claudia's date.

  Right after Wolfgang arrived, Chief Mendez, Officer Denton, and Mr. Bone slipped in and tried to look like they were mingling, but I noticed how often their eyes darted around, scanning the crowd for ... what?

  "What's going on?" I asked Ryan.

  "W-what do you mean?"

  "I mean, why is your dad here? And don't tell me to chaperone either. Out with it."

  He looked guilty. "I can't tell you right now," he said over the music.

  Something was definitely up. I sighed. "I like a mystery more than the next person, but why can't we just have a normal prom just once?"

  The song ended and the band announced a fifteen-minute break. I dragged Ryan into a quiet corner and grilled him for information.

  "Now tell me the truth," I said.

  "Wolfgang and Claudia," he started to say, but I interrupted him.

  "Why are they here now with other people?" I asked. Then I answered my own question. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

  He nodded again. "You can't say anything," he said. "Not even to Sam."

  "I won't," I told him.

  Sam and Sean joined us. "What are you two talking about so secretively?" she said. "Spill."

  I looked at Ryan. "Just after-prom plans," I said.

  "Ooh, anything interesting?" Sam asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

  I knew what she was really asking.

  "We refuse to be a prom-night cliché," I said, trying not to blush. "Besides, we all promised to be on our best behavior. No sneaking off. So it's movies at my house. Science-fiction marathon. Want to join us?"

  Our conversation was cut short by the sound of shrieking coming from somewhere outside the tent.

  Poppy and Liam walked in, and they each had a tight grip on the arm of a still-shrieking woman.

  Her hair had been dyed a frightful shade of burgundy, but I recognized her. It was the woman who'd masqueraded as my postal carrier, the woman who'd knocked on the Devereaux door when I spent the night—the woman who had shot Circe.

  "We caught her trying to put poison in the shake machine," Liam said. And that's when I realized the woman hadn't dyed her hair. A sticky dark red shake was dripping down her head, but I could still see her birthmark.

  Poppy grinned. "I gave her some of my special telekinesis whammy,"
she said, "and a Bloodbath shake ended up all over her."

  I tried not to think about the ingredients in that particular dessert, but I suddenly understood why Liam had volunteered for shake duty.

  "It was all I could do not to bite her," Liam said. "Especially when she tried to go after Poppy." He wrapped his arms around my sister. The blissful look on both their faces convinced me they were in love.

  The chief read the woman her rights as he snapped a pair of handcuffs on her and hauled her off to jail.

  "This isn't over," the woman shouted. "Not by a long shot."

  The chief ignored her but did stop to shake hands with Mr. Bone, who seemed absolutely delighted with the turn of events.

  I stalked up to him. "I hope it was worth it," I said.

  "Daisy, you seem perturbed," he replied. "Aren't you pleased? We believe that woman we just arrested was the leader of the Scourge."

  "Are you sure?" I said.

  "We have just captured the person who was responsible for your father's abduction," he said. "And your father is headed to the station now to identify her."

  "I hope it was worth Circe getting shot," I explained. "I don't particularly like Circe Silvertongue, but I didn't want her to get hurt."

  "She was aware of the dangers," he said mildly.

  "How is she doing, anyway?" I asked.

  "Recuperating," he said. "She has a remarkable ability to heal."

  Probably a spell. I wondered why she hadn't made herself invincible, but then I remembered Natalie's comment that all magic had a price. Maybe Circe hadn't wanted to pay the price.

  "So, you're just letting Circe off the hook about Balthazar and Lily?"

  "She's not off the hook," he said. "We're working on it."

  "Do you honestly think she's going to stick around after her usefulness has ended?"

  "Circe isn't going anywhere," Mr. Bone said. He changed the subject. "I didn't get the chance to tell you how grateful the council is to you for your quick actions the night she was shot."

  "Ryan's the one who called 911," I pointed out.

  "Yes, Ryan too, of course," he replied. He gestured to where Ryan was standing. "Now, why don't you join your young man and enjoy the rest of the dance?"

  I decided to take his advice. There was nothing more I could do tonight, and my father's kidnapper had been captured. I could finally relax.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Ryan came up to me after Mr. Bone had left.

  "What was that all about?" he asked.

  "Mr. Bone is convinced they've captured the leader of the Scourge," I explained.

  "That's great news," he said. "Now let's enjoy the rest of the night. We need to have memories to hold on to when we're apart."

  "You're right," I said. "C'mon, let's dance."

  After all the excitement, it was nice to go back to pretending that a dance in Nightshade could be normal. As Ryan whirled me around, I vowed to let go of my cares and just enjoy the moment.

  We danced until almost everyone else had left. It was very late, but I didn't want to budge from where I was.

  Ryan brushed a stray curl out of my eyes and said, "I could stay like this all night."

  I didn't notice when Slim came into the tent, but he cleared his throat and said, "It's closing time, kids."

  I looked up at Ryan and gave him a wry grin. "Apparently we're overstayed our welcome."

  Ryan and I pulled apart reluctantly and went to find Sean and Sam. They weren't in the tent, but we eventually found them in a booth in the restaurant, splitting a sundae.

  "Are you guys ready to head to my house?" I asked them.

  "We'll be right behind you," Sam said.

  As Ryan and I headed for the door, Lil started a new song, "Mistaken Identity" by Kim Carnes. I ignored it at first, but then she followed that quickly with "Wrong" by Depeche Mode and then "The One That Got Away" by Bon Jovi. Lil was definitely trying to tell me something.

  I turned to Ryan. "I think Lil's trying to tell me that someone else is still out there."

  She repeated the songs while we stood and listened.

  Finally, Ryan said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

  "That there's still another member of the Scourge on the loose? Yes."

  "Not only that," he said slowly. "But it sounds like Lil doesn't think Trinity is the leader."

  "Then who is?" I replied. The whole way home, I pondered Lil's clues.

  My parents were in the family room. There was a bowl of popcorn between them and a movie in the DVD player. They were waiting up for us and pretending not to.

  Dad yawned and stretched unconvincingly. "How was the dance?" he asked.

  "It was fun," I said. I hesitated. "Except—"

  Mom cut me off. "Ryan's dad called us and told us what happened."

  "I've already been to the precinct to identify her," Dad reassured me. "I recognized her voice."

  "So she was the one who drugged you?" I asked.

  He faltered for a minute. "I still don't remember that part," he said.

  Ryan and I exchanged glances. I shook my head. I didn't want to tell my dad about the jukebox's clue until I'd had time to process Lil's message. Besides, Dad looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

  Dad could barely restrain his glee. "They're finally out of my life for good."

  "That's great, Dad," I said.

  "Now I think it's time for bed," Mom said.

  I remembered something. "I invited Sean and Samantha to watch movies with us. It's okay, right?"

  Mom nodded. "I always sleep better when I know you're in the house. Why don't you see if Samantha wants to sleep over?"

  "There's not much of the night left," I pointed out. "A bunch of us are supposed to meet at the Donut Hole for breakfast at six a.m."

  "Well, see if she wants to stay over anyway," Dad said. "Spenser is out of town."

  "He is?" I was surprised. I was certain Sam said he'd given her the earrings today.

  "He's been gone for over a week. Book tour stuff," he replied. "Can you believe it?"

  I couldn't. Mr. Devereaux wasn't telling the truth about the book tour. If Sam had seen him today, he must be in town, but he wasn't going to work for some reason.

  My dad gave me an odd look, and I realized I'd been lost in thought. He was still waiting for a reply.

  I shrugged. "Sam didn't mention it."

  My parents said good night. Ryan and I settled in on the couch and were enjoyably engaged when the doorbell rang.

  "I'll get it," Ryan said. He came back with Sean and Sam.

  "You haven't put the movie in yet," Sam said.

  Ryan blushed revealingly. "We were waiting for you."

  "Is that what they're calling it these days?" Sean said.

  "What do you guys want to watch first?" I asked. "We have Alien, all the Terminators, and old-school Planet of the Apes,"

  I fell asleep halfway through Terminator 2, and when I woke up I was wrapped in Ryan's arms, on the couch. He was dreaming—I could tell by the way his eyelids twitched. I glanced over at the other couch. Sam and Sean were asleep, scrunched up in the love seat.

  I stayed as still as I could and relished the feeling of being held safe in my boyfriend's arms, until Sean let out a loud snore and shattered the moment.

  Out the window, I could see the first pink rays of dawn. I tried to go back to sleep, but the puzzles dancing around in my brain wouldn't let me. I finally gave up and carefully slid out of Ryan's arms and tiptoed to the kitchen to make coffee.

  The smell of brewing coffee must have woken everyone up, because one by one they staggered into the kitchen.

  I handed Ryan a cup and then the sugar bowl. He had a sweet tooth, but not in an eat-every-donut-in-sight doppelganger sort of way.

  "Do you feel like heading for the breakfast thing?" I asked.

  "Why not?" he replied.

  "I'm always up for donuts," Sean said.

  "I'm a mess," Sam said. "
I need to go home and shower first."

  "Take one here," I suggested.

  While Ryan and Sean went next door to clean up at Sean's house, Sam and I freshened up. After her shower, Sam dug into her tote bag for a change of clothes.

  More new clothes, I noticed. Even the bag was new. She got dressed and then slipped on a thick gold bracelet.

  "Is that from Sean?" I asked.

  "Daddy brings me back something from every trip," she said. "And he's been gone a lot lately. But I don't mind a few guilt presents." For a minute she sounded like the old Sam, my nemesis and total stuck-up cheerleader.

  "So, everything's going well ... financially?"

  She shrugged. "I guess so. Daddy never tells me anything. Now, get in the shower or we'll be late and all the good donuts will be gone." That was definitely the Sam I knew and loved. Snarky Sam would never have eaten a donut, let alone admitted that she was looking forward to it.

  Some of our classmates were already there. We waved to Jordan and Rachel and their dates through the window. They'd put a bunch of little tables together to form one enormous table.

  Ryan and Sean went to place our order while Sam and I joined the group.

  I sat next to Lilah. She wore spanking-new UC Santa Barbara sweats, and her hair was still wet, probably from an early-morning dip in the ocean.

  "Nice sweats," I said. "Is that where you're going?"

  "Yup," she said. "They have a great art program, and it's practically on the beach."

  "Are you going to sing?" I asked without thinking.

  Brian Miller looked up at our conversation. "Sing?" he said incredulously. "Lilah?"

  Lilah gave me a little wink that no one else caught. "Daisy, everyone knows I can't sing a note."

  Not unless she's in mermaid form, that is, I thought. She had a voice meant to lure sailors to the sea. If Brian ever heard her real voice, he wouldn't know what hit him.

  My question started an avalanche of conversation about college plans. Everyone chattered away about it while I sat in silent misery. I was the unwanted one, going nowhere, doing nothing.

  "What about you, Daisy?" Rachel asked.