by Amanda Ashby
Twenty minutes later, her mom had finally finished the photographs and Chase was driving toward prom. Out of the corner of her eye, Mia studied his face, again marveling at how gorgeous he looked in his tuxedo. She loved the way he chewed on his bottom lip when he was concentrating. And the way his left hand tapped the steering wheel. In fact, the more she knew Chase, the more she seemed to be liking everything about him, and—
“So where are you meeting Rob, inside or out here?” Chase asked as he pulled into the Newbury High parking lot and brought the Impala to a halt. For a minute, Mia looked at him blankly before she figured out what he was saying.
Oh yes, she was going to the prom with Rob. Rob, who she had thought was the most amazing guy in the world, until in fact she had met the most amazing guy in the world and realized that Rob paled in comparison.
“Mia, are you sure you’re okay?”
“What? Oh. Yes, I’m fine.” Apart, of course, from being the biggest idiot that ever existed. But then Chase already knew that from the moment she had inadvertently done a zombie spell. And if he hadn’t picked it up then, the fact that he had seen her Buffy-filled bedroom, found out she was scared of heights, and basically discovered that she was as shallow as he was serious would’ve hammered home the point.
“So?” he asked again. “Where are you meeting him?”
“Um, inside. Sh-should we go in?” she asked, and immediately regretted it as Chase reached out and touched her arm and a series of fireworks started to explode in the pit of her stomach. Final proof that she had fallen for Chase Miller. Talk about bad timing.
“I guess we might as well.” Chase looked up at the front of the school that was now draped with fairy lights, as if that would somehow hide the concrete ugliness of it. The hallway was decorated in a mass of gold and silver balloons that led them into the gym. But when they reached the entrance, Mia stopped and stared.
It was almost impossible to decide what the theme was meant to be, but she had a feeling that if Tarzan ever wanted to open a nightclub, this is what it would look like: full of thick plastic jungle vines draped around the walls while silver disco balls and shimmering tinsel was hanging from every available surface, including the numerous white-clothed tables that were set up in the middle. Mia had no doubt that Samantha played a big part in choosing it all.
“Wow, it’s really . . . ugly,” Chase marveled as he held his hands up to his eyes to shade them from the brightness.
“Yup, welcome to senior prom.” Mia frowned as she looked around. “By the way, where is everyone?”
“I’m not sure.” They walked over to where a stage had been built. There were instruments and a microphone but no sign of any band members. Over at the far wall was a long table where the sodas and a large punch bowl were sitting. “Hang on, what’s that noise?”
Mia looked over to where some screens had been set up (and subsequently draped in green vines and tinsel) and there was a large sign indicating it was where the photographer was. They walked over just as Rob and a couple of his friends wandered out from behind the screens doing a series of high fives.
“Mia, you made it. We’ve just been getting a few pictures taken.” Rob came to a halt and grinned as the other jocks headed out to the main part of the gym. Over Rob’s shoulder Mia could see there was a large group of cheerleaders and their dates still in with the photographer. So that answered that question of where everyone was.
“Oh, that’s nice,” she said, suddenly not quite sure how to answer him. Not that Rob seemed to notice as he continued to grin at her. He was dressed in a tuxedo with black satin on the lapels and pink cumberbund and bow tie. She couldn’t help but think how much nicer Chase looked in his unadorned suit.
“So, I guess I’ll go wait for Candice,” Chase said in a low voice.
“Actually, I’m just going to go out to Randy’s car and get Mia’s corsage. You’ll never guess what color it is?”
Mia looked at his cumberbund and sighed. “Pink?”
“Hey, yeah. I’ll tell you, Chase, smart girls are the way to go. Anyway, I’ll be right back,” Rob said before ambling off in the direction of the door. Once he left, Mia noticed that the gym was slowly starting to fill up, and her nose twitched at the onslaught of perfumes all competing to outdo each other. Then she caught sight of Candice carefully making her way toward them wearing the second of the midnight-blue silk dresses.
“You got here. Are you feeling better?” Mia asked as she pushed one of Candice’s curls off her face and noticed that her eyeliner was smudged. She knew the shower was a bad idea.
“I’ll say.” Candice nodded. “I actually feel great. I was so tired and then I remembered that I’d bought these new multivitamin supplements. Anyway, a couple of them and a quick power nap and here I am, ready to go. Hey, Chase. You look hot.”
“Er, thanks.” Chase gave her an awkward smile and glanced around the place as if studying the spruced-up students. Then he looked at Mia and frowned. “Have you noticed anything weird?”
“What, like Samantha’s dress?” Mia glanced over to where Samantha was currently holding court in a bright pink taffeta creation that looked like cotton candy.
“I’m not sure.” He chewed on his full lower lip as if trying to figure it out, while next to her Candice jiggled her bracelets in excitement.
“Oh, I know what it is.”
“You do?” They both turned to her.
“Sure, it’s the food. Where is it? I can smell it, but I can’t see it. How weird is that?”
“Smell it?” Mia frowned as she glanced around. “I can’t smell anything but the perfume counter at Macy’s.”
“Really?” Candice looked at her in surprise as her nose continued to twitch. “Can you seriously not smell that? It’s just like the most amazing thing ever. In fact, I’m starving.”
“Candice.” Chase suddenly asked in an urgent voice. “What does it smell like?”
“Why, chicken, of course,” she said simply. “Really, really great chicken.”
“Chicken?” Mia started to say. “I don’t smell any . . . oh, crap.” She took a step back and tried to stay calm. “Chase,” she said in a low voice out of the corner of her mouth. “Did you hear that? What does this mean?”
“I’m not sure.” He reached out and grabbed her hand and, okay, to be fair, she had been looking for an excuse to touch him, but this wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind. All the same she edged closer to him.
“What’s wrong?” Candice looked at them both blankly as her right arm flew uncontrollably in the air. “Why are you both staring at me like that?”
“Candice, when you had that power nap before, how deep was your sleep?” Chase asked her, while his green eyes continued to scan the room. Mia tried desperately to read his face but it was almost impossible to do so.
“Man, it was amazing. I slept like the dead. Why?” Then Candice widened her eyes before clamping her hand down hard over her mouth in horror. “Are you saying the reversal didn’t work?” Candice’s voice was muffled as Chase continued to carefully study her face.
“I’m afraid so.” He frowned. “It seems like whatever we did only slowed down the virus. But now it looks like it’s active again.”
“But that means—” Candice stared at him in horror.
“It means,” Chase said in a dry voice, “that you’re all going to turn back into zombies.”
fourteen
“But how did this happen?” Candice moaned as she started to fan herself with her small sequined clutch purse. Yes, Mia would like to know the answer to that one as well, because they had fixed it. They had.
“I don’t know.” Chase led them over to a table in the far corner. “The department was concerned about us using a non-approved translation for the reversal spell, but since they didn’t have the resources to help us do it in time, they let us proceed. But the important thing is not to panic.”
“Not panic?” Mia and Candice both stared at him as they autom
atically followed him over and sat down.
“We’ve just had the week from hell, and now according to you it’s going to happen all over again.” Mia clutched at a piece of silver tinsel that was decorating the table as she tried to fight the nausea building in the pit of her stomach.
“Yeah.” Candice agreed as her arm started to twitch in a jerky action. “Like Groundhog Day of the Living Dead.”
“Look, I know you’re both freaked out, but right now we need to just assess what’s happening,” Chase said in a calm voice that was belied by the numerous wrinkles in his forehead. He was worried, and if Chase was worried, it didn’t bode well.
“Okay.” Mia took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. “So maybe there was a mistake in the translation?”
“Oh, so now this is my fault?” Candice widened her eyes in annoyance. “Because if we’re going to point fingers, then let’s not forget just why we were doing the stupid spell in the first place.”
“You were the one who took me to visit a Chaos Maker,” Mia retorted.
“Both of you, cut it out.” Chase glared at them, his face pale and drawn. “This isn’t helping.”
“Sorry,” Candice muttered. “I think it’s all the residual protein that’s left in my system. But the thing is, I didn’t make a mistake in the translation. So why didn’t it work?”
“That’s the problem.” Chase rubbed his chin. “It did work.”
“Really?” Mia glanced over to where a group of hockey players were all licking their lips and waving at her. “Because I would beg to differ.”
“Yes, but I checked and double-checked, and everyone was clear,” Chase insisted.
“So?” Candice wrinkled her nose and Mia tried to ignore the fact that the skin around her mouth was starting to sag. “We did it right but missed something? Maybe I should’ve translated the rest of Algeria’s notes at the end of the incantation?” she pondered.
“What?” Chase and Mia both stared at her before Chase finally spoke.
“There were extra notes? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because you told me to just translate the ingredients,” Candice protested. “And let’s not forget that I had a virus that was trying to turn me into a mindless idiot. In fact, considering the circumstances, I think I did exceptionally well. I mean, how many mindless idiots do you know who could conjugate Latin verbs?”
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Mia assured her friend as she tried to hide her mounting panic. “And the important thing now is to translate the rest of the notes and redo the reversal spell. The book is back in my bedroom, so I guess we’d better go back there now. How much time do you think we have?”
“Not enough to get the book,” Chase said in a flat voice.
“But I live only five minutes away,” she protested before noticing that his green eyes were full of worry.
“Mia, this isn’t like last time, when everyone was only in stage two of the virus. If Candice has already been in a coma, then it means they must be just about to hit stage four.”
“Stage four?” Candice howled, and Mia winced as several people glanced over at them. Suddenly she wished the back of her dress wasn’t so exposed because she got the distinct impression that her fellow students were counting her ribs.
“Right, so how about this. I call my mom and get her to look in the book. Candice can tell her where the section is that needs to be translated and then we can go from there.”
“Won’t she think this is really weird?”
“I’ll make up some excuse or something,” Mia said.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Candice demanded as she opened up her purse and pulled out a pen and paper.
“Wow, you’re prepared.” Mia raised an eyebrow.
“If I was prepared I would have my Latin books with me,” Candice retorted as she impatiently tapped her pen against the white tablecloth. “Now call your mom already, Mia. I’m dying here.”
“Okay, I’m doing it.” She made the call and nervously looked around the room as she waited for her mom to answer. To an outside person, it looked like the start of a regular prom with groups of people standing and talking in awkward clusters, but it was only belied by the deadened expressions and the random arm twitching that seemed to going around the room. Finally the phone was answered.
“Hello? Mom, it’s me,” Mia said in a rush. “Look, I know this is going to sound weird, but—”
“Mia, everything that comes out of your mouth sounds weird,” her sister’s voice rang in her ear and Mia groaned.
“Grace, not now, can you put Mom on, please?”
“Er, that would be a no.”
“Seriously, Grace, this is important.” She looked over to where Chase was using his own cell phone to send a text message.
“I’m sure it is,” Grace replied in a disinterested voice. “But Mom’s at the grocery store and she left her cell phone here.”
“What?” Mia yelped as Candice stared impatiently at her.
“You heard me. So whatever your emergency is, it will have to wait. Now if you don’t mind—”
“Grace, stop!” Mia shouted as she realized her sister was about to hang up. “I need your help.”
“Are you insane? Why do you need my help?”
“Because there is something I need you to do for me. Up in my bedroom there is a small black velvet book on the dresser.”
“Oh, yeah, the one with Elvis on the front.”
“What?” Mia was instantly distracted. “How many times have I told you not to go into my room?”
“I was only looking for my magazine,” Grace argued. “Anyway, what was that book? It was all written in some weird language.”
“Latin. The thing is, there is something in that book that I really need, so can you please go and get it for me? I’ve got Candice here—she’ll tell you what page to look for, and once you’ve found it, you just need to read it all out to her. Okay?”
“What?” Grace demanded as it sounded like she was walking up the stairs. “Mia, you are at your prom and by some ridiculous freak accident you’ve even been nominated for prom queen, yet you want me to translate something in an Elvis book for you? What’s going on?”
“Grace, please, it’s a very long and complicated story and you probably won’t even—”
But the rest of her words were cut off as Candice reached out and yanked the phone out of her hands with surprising strength (which didn’t bode well if things got ugly).
“Grace, it’s me. Mia turned everyone at the senior assembly into zombies and now we all want to eat her because she smells like the most amazing barbeque chicken that you could ever imagine. We want to eat Chase as well, but right now he still smells a bit undercooked. The point is that in the book is the answer of how to reverse this whole mess so unless you want the senior prom to end in a bloodbath and be canceled for future years, I suggest you do what your sister says.”
Okay, so perhaps it wasn’t so long and complicated, after all. Candice handed her back the phone, but there was only silence at the other end.
“Grace?” she called out. “Are you still there? I know it’s a little hard to believe what Candice just told you, but—”
“Of course I believe you, Mia. It makes perfect sense. Rob has dumped you and you’d rather pretend that you’ve turned everyone into zombies than admit the truth.”
Mia sighed. “Look, you can believe whatever you want, but right now I need your help. So if I hand you back to Candice, can you please tell her what it says?”
“Fine,” Grace agreed.
“Really?” Mia couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Yes, really,” Grace said in a saccharine-sweet voice. “If you admit that Rob dumped you and has hooked up with Samantha, then I will help you.”
“What?” Mia blinked before she realized her sister was serious.
“You heard me.”
“Okay, fine.” Mia gritted her teeth. “You were right. Rob d
umped me and I was too embarrassed to admit it. I never should’ve tried to go against the laws of nature. Happy?”
“Of course not, because your actions could still have serious repercussions on my future social status,” Grace retorted. “Furthermore, let this be a lesson to you to not do anything so stupid again, because—”
“Grace, please,” Mia cut her sister off.
“Okay, geek-head. Don’t get your panties in a twist. Put Candice on the phone so I can do whatever the stupid thing is she wants me to do.”
“Thank you.” Mia quickly handed the phone over before turning to Chase and shooting him an urgent look.
“Do you really think this is going to work?” she said in a low voice as Candice awkwardly held the phone up to her ear and started to scribble something down into her notebook.
“I don’t know. I’ve just sent a message to my boss, and they are going to get a team out here as quickly as possible—but until they arrive, we’re on our own.”
“But even if we get the translation, what about all the ingredients?” she said, and Chase pulled a brown bottle out of his pocket along with the original incantation. Oh, thank God. Mia felt so relieved that she could’ve quite happily leaned over and kissed him.
“Got it.” Candice looked up and handed Mia back the phone. “Now I just need to get this baby translated. By the way, do you think they have any food around here?”
Mia didn’t like the way her friend was looking at her arm, but before she could comment, Samantha suddenly descended upon them in her horrible gown.
“Did you say ‘food’?” the cheerleader demanded. “Because I’m starving. I mean, it seemed like a good idea to not do a sit-down dinner for the prom, because seriously most of the seniors at this school could afford to lose twenty pounds, but now I’m starting to regret that we didn’t get the three-course menu. I swear I could eat about four cobb salads.”
