Midnight Metamorphosis

by Deborah E. Kehoe

  “Let’s do this!” I said putting out my fist for her to bump lightly, and we headed for the stage.

  We had decided to start in the middle of one of the scenes, skipping Juliet’s monologue and jumping right into their interaction. Avery headed across the stage and turned around to stare blankly at the audience.

  I stayed across the stage, to her right, waiting.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she did this, her hair started to move gently, and a soft glow lit her features.

  “Romeo.

  ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy.” Avery’s eyes opened and she looked directly at me, her hazel eyes had turned green and glowed. Immediately entranced, I took a step towards her as she continued to speak.

  “Though art thyself, though not a Montague. What’s a Montague? It is no hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man.” She reached up and pushed a wavering strand of hair behind her ear. “O, be some other name! What’s in a name?”

  I stepped closer, and as I started to respond, I noticed the light that lit her reached out towards me and engulfed me in its embrace as well. I reached my hand towards her, my ring glittering in the light. “I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized. Henceforth, I will never be Romeo.”

  As we continued through the short scene, I reflected upon these words, again, and how this situation was about what other people wanted, and not what I wanted or what was good for me, a kind of familiar theme in my life right now. I looked at Avery, who was looking earnestly at me as she quoted her last line, “Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?”

  As I started to say my last line, I felt a click, and our energy snapped together, which turned the light a soft pale blue color, “Neither, fair maid, if either you dislike.” I quoted softly, meaning every word.

  The sound of loud applause and a few whistles broke the spell that Avery and I had woven with each other. I blinked and then gave her a grin, and she smiled proudly back. I took her hand and we bowed to the audience. I could hear Summer yell, “Way to go, Avery!” I laughed and looked over at her to see she was blushing slightly but she looked pleased.

  I heard Newsome say something about the lighting, and noticed him looking at the darkness in the back of the auditorium and the lack of a lighting tech. He frowned slightly in confusion and then shrugged.

  There was a door off to the side of the stage and we left through that door, as did the performers before us, so that we could enter the auditorium from the back again, but I stopped Avery before we took more than a few steps. I felt a rush of energy pulse through me and grabbed her for a hug. She laughed and lightly hugged me back.

  “That was awesome!” I tightened my arms around her and then quickly released her. She looked up at me with a grin.

  “That went better than I thought it would.”

  “You were in the zone, and that lighting was brilliant!” I exclaimed noticing her blush slightly.

  “Well, that was kind of an accident, but I’ve been practicing meditation, and sometimes, I, uh, start to glow.” She looked down at her feet but then peeked up at me through her hair. “It didn’t seem like such a bad thing it happened this time.”

  “Absolutely! We killed it! Though, I think Newsome was a bit confused, but he’ll get over it.” I grabbed her hand and started walking rapidly down the hall but stopped when I felt her pull on my hand.

  “Um, we just passed the door?” She said giving me a questioning look.

  “Yeah, we aren’t sticking around to hear everyone else, cause they are all going to suck in comparison. Let’s go somewhere and celebrate!” I said, laughing.

  “I should really be in there for Cole and Ana’s.” I heard her say, but I ignored her and grabbed her hand and started hauling her out to my car.

  Chapter 19

  Cole

  This is torture, I thought, as I watched Avery laugh at something Summer said. Ben’s antics since he and Summer were now an item seemed to have worsened. He was always trying to make her laugh, because she’d giggle and then nudge her head against his chest. I looked back at Avery again, and saw her looking across the quad. I followed her gaze and saw Devon sitting alone under a tree.

  After Avery and Devon’s performance on stage the other day, I could tell that creepy tension had turned into something else. It had been hard to go on stage with Ana and quote our scene because I’d kept glancing towards the back of the auditorium waiting for Avery to come back in the room. As our scene disintegrated, Ana had just faded until her voice was the only piece of her present in the room. Needless to say, we hadn’t gotten a very good grade.

  I glared hard at Devon, then caught myself. Why did I even care if I was going to follow my orders? I stiffened when I saw him smirk my way and made myself relax. I looked back towards Ben and Summer again to break eye contact.

  The sun was shining brightly, glinting in Avery’s dark blonde hair as she took her sandwich out of the wrapper. Why couldn’t she have been just a normal girl? She looked at me and nodded at her sandwich, asking if I’d like half. I shook my head and looked away. I noticed a bird fly across the sky behind her and land in the tree over our heads. A blackbird with red stripes on its wings cocked its head and looked from Avery to me.

  I took a deep breath. Was this the Sentinel, checking in on his daughter? Or just a blackbird? It trilled softly, then flew off again, and I breathed a little easier. Avery’s birthday was Saturday night, and she’d start to gain more powers at the stroke of midnight.

  The sound of paper caught my attention and I saw Ana hand Avery and Summer a flyer for the dance. It was Friday night, and despite everything, I really wanted Avery to have a good time. After all that night could be her last.

  Last night when I got home, my dad was in his office talking on the phone. He didn’t know I was home yet, and he was arguing heatedly with Mathis on the phone. I heard my name mentioned and I crept closer to the door. My father was assuring Mathis that I was on board with the mission, but I could hear the doubt in his voice. He asked Mathis if that seat on the Committee that he’d given up when we moved here was still open. I could hear the relief in his voice. Thinking of all that my father had given up for this mission, his place on the Committee and the honor that comes with that position. My shoulders slumped slightly. I didn’t want to disappoint him! I touched the bar in my eyebrow, the power tingling through my finger giving me confidence. I squeezed my eyes shut then opened them to look at Avery laughing with her friends. I straightened my shoulders with resolve and pushed my feelings into a dark corner of my heart.

  Chapter 20

  Avery

  When the four of us walked through the doors of the gym, we stopped to take in the transformation. The bench seats that normally lined the wall were pushed back leaving only one row to sit on. Bales of hay were piled in each corner of the room to create seating areas for the students. Orange and black twinkly lights were strung across the top of the room and fog was drifting across a dance floor already filled with students moving to the music of the DJ set up on the stage. Jack-o-lanterns lined the edge of the stage. Some of their faces set in scary grimaces, while others were more comical.

  I noticed a refreshment table set up across the room and looked around for Ana. I watched a girl step up to the table and jumped slightly when Ana materialized in front of her. Ana was wearing black leggings and a black cotton turtleneck. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, leaving her bangs to frame her small pointed face. I think she was dressed up as Audrey Hepburn, from an American in Paris’ beatnik scene. I could tell she was having fun, her skin glowed a soft peach tint.

  A flash of light caught my attention and I looked over to the left of the door at a photographer taking pictures of couples arranged in front of a backdrop with a huge full moon and a witch flying on a broom in silhouette.

  “Let’s take pictures!” Summer grabbed my hand and ran over to the photographer, Ben and Cole following behind u
s. A couple finished taking their picture and the four of us stepped in front of the camera. Ben grabbed Summer and held her in front of him, but slightly to the side since he was a couple inches shorter. Summer looked beautiful in her white Marilyn Monroe dress. Her hair was done in a loose curly style very reminiscent of the 60’s. Ben was wearing a suit, but his blonde hair was slicked back and styled to look somewhat like JFK’s did when he was the president. He was wearing a sash across his chest, kind of like Miss America’s, but his read: Happy Birthday Mr. President.

  When Cole had shown up at my house, he was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. He wore some black eyeliner and gelled his hair so that it looked a little messier than normal. He had liberally dusted his face with the iridescent powder I had bought earlier that week.

  When I looked over to him as we stepped in front of the camera, it was hard not to notice how cute he was, his purple eyes were even more defined from the eyeliner he was wearing. He was still wearing his eyebrow piercing, even though Edward never had one in the movies.

  My costume was pretty easy since Bella Swann was not a fancy dresser. She wore jeans, t-shirt and a hoodie in most scenes, which I thought was kind of boring. So, I decided that we were going to be Bella and Edward at their wedding. Ana and I had gone out to a second-hand store and I found a wedding dress that only had a couple of tears along the hem. Cole and I both wore wedding rings, and I held a fake bouquet of flowers.

  I had colored my two-toned hair a soft one toned brown. I hoped the color rinsed out after one washing, like it was supposed to.

  Cole reached for my hand and pulled me in front of him. I stood there wondering what was running through his head, the Cole that I had met a month ago had disappeared, and this cool, kind of angry Cole stood in his place. I looked at Summer and Ben, mugging for the camera. She had the front of her dress held down just like in that famous pose of Marilyn on the subway grate, while Ben was standing at her side with a cheesy grin on his face and his hand sliding up her leg, pushing her dress up. Cole moved my hair off my neck and I felt his breath on my skin and a couple of pricks from his fake vampire teeth surprised a shiver out of me. Just as that shiver ran through me, the light flashed from the camera. Summer and Ben laughed and walked away so the next couple could have their picture taken, but Cole grabbed my hand and held me still for a moment. Confused, I looked up at him.

  “You okay?” He asked cocking his eyebrow at me. He gave me a soft smile, and again it was like a switch was thrown, and the old Cole was back. I looked down at his hand holding mine, embarrassed that he had felt that shiver, and nodded.

  “Sure. Um, are you ok?” I asked, trying to read his mind. He gave me a blank stare then smiled slightly and nodded. We followed Summer and Ben over to the refreshment table, and when I tried to release his hand, he firmly gripped mine and linked our fingers. Surprised, I gave his hand a squeeze and left mine in his content to keep the peace for the moment.

  Ana materialized as we approached the table. I saw her take note of Cole holding my hand and she raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged with a “Your guess is as good as mine” look, but smiled. She smiled back, pleased to see it.

  “Audrey Hepburn, right?” I said, gesturing with my hand towards her outfit. “All you’re missing is Fred Astaire.”

  “Oh.” She said quickly, “He’s here somewhere!” Summer and I exchanged looks. As far as we knew, Ana had come to the dance by herself.

  Ana looked over her shoulder and gestured. A tall skinny boy I had not noticed stepped away from the wall and came up behind Ana. He was also wearing black leggings and a black button-down shirt, but he had a scarf tied around his neck.

  “This is my friend, Stick.” Stick nodded and blended back into the wall. “Stick is the son of a friend of my fathers.” She whispered urgently. “Daddy wouldn’t let me come to the dance by myself, even though I didn’t want a date.” I could tell she was upset because the freckles on her skin were whirling madly. Ana threw a frustrated look over her shoulder.

  “Let me know if you need me to run interference.” Summer whispered back to her. We both looked over Ana’s shoulder and tried to spot Stick against the wall. Chameleons were hard to notice anyway but put them in black clothing in a dark room, and well, they were pretty invisible unless they wanted to be seen.

  “Oh. He’s all right.” Ana took a breath and let it out gently. “Daddy frustrates me more than anything. You’d think I lived in the Middle Ages or something.”

  Summer and I exchanged a look. I had told her about the conversation Ana and I had about her father. He was a little eccentric, living in a bunker behind the house Ana lived in with her aunt. A little overprotective, he would sometimes overreact, and it seemed that this was one of those times.

  I reached out a hand to Ana, in sympathy, but she brushed me off, changing the subject.

  “I’m glad you and Cole are together tonight. I meant to tell you,” Ana’s sentence trailed off.

  “Tell me?” I whispered back to her. Summer leaned in to hear better.

  “I had told you that I would try to find out why he was acting so strange over the last week?” she whispered, looking over our shoulders at Ben and Cole who were standing with their backs to us, watching the dance floor.

  “I, um, overheard him talking on his cell phone to his dad yesterday.” She looked at us with a confused expression on her face.

  “Yeah?” I whispered to her, to hurry her along.

  “He, was, umm, in the boy’s locker room, after soccer practice.” At this, Summer and I exchanged glances with raised eyebrows.

  “Sugar, do tell!” Summer grinned at her.

  I laughed and thought that some of those training exercises her dad had her doing must have come in handy.

  Ana blushed a becoming shade of pink, her freckles swirling wildly. “Oh hush. I was trying to not be seen!”

  I can imagine, I thought. Her specialty is blending in to the background.

  We all looked around at raised voices behind us to see Ben joking around with Cole and I gestured for her to continue.

  “He was having an argument with his Dad. I didn’t catch all of it, but it was about you, Avery. Your birthday tomorrow night?” I nodded at her. “His dad is telling him to do something before your birthday.”

  “Maybe buy her a great gift?” Summer joked.

  “Um, I don’t think so? I mean, Cole was pretty angry. Saying that he said he’d do it, and he could stop checking in with him about it. That’s all I could hear though.” She looked down in embarrassment.

  “Hey, thanks, it’s nice to know you have my back.” I touched her hand gently, wondering what Cole was supposed to be doing. I looked over at him, but out of the darkness a glass full of punch was thrust forward to me and I found myself taking it. Stick was suddenly standing next to Ana. He poured Summer a glass as well.

  “Um, thanks Stick,” Summer said raising the glass to her lips and taking a sip.

  “No problem,” he replied, taking a step backwards again. I took a drink of my punch. Not bad, it didn’t taste like anyone had spiked it yet, and truly, with Stick and Ana standing guard unseen, I doubt anyone would.

  Ben called to Summer and me, “Come on ladies, I love this song, it’s a classic!” He grabbed Summer’s hand and she grabbed mine. I looked at Cole as I was being dragged towards the dance floor. He scooped the cup out of my hand, drained it and followed.

  We hit the dance floor and started dancing to some 80’s song I’d never heard of called, appropriately, “Dead Man’s Party.” Ben loved 80’s music and he said it was by some band called Oingo Boingo. Weird name, but Ben was right, the song was awesome!

  As the four of us danced, I took a look at the couples around us. Dancing among us were the couple from the dance poster Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Next to them Barack and Michelle Obama, and Mr. and Mrs. Brady in 70’s outfits. You could tell the drama department really got into this because there were some really great costum
es. Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, with some guy dressed in a Gladiator outfit, Lucille Ball had a huge red wig wearing a house dress and Desi Arnaz was carrying a set of bongos, and two guys were dressed as the Lone Ranger and Tonto. I raised a brow. Cool, I thought.

  The song ended and a slow song started up. Summer and Ben immediately cuddled up swaying to the music. I sighed and turned to walk off the dance floor and was surprised when Cole caught my arm. I glanced up and noticed he was looking at me intently. I raised an eyebrow in question.

  “Avery, let’s stay and dance.” He said quietly, tugging me towards him. Kind of weirded out but also kind of happy that sweet Cole was back I allowed myself to be pulled to him, my arms trapped between us. I’d never slow danced with anyone before tonight, so I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with my arms. Embarrassed, I looked over at Summer and noticed that she had her arms slung over Ben’s shoulders, so I pushed my hands up Cole’s chest until they reached his neck. I looked up, caught him looking down at me, and I raised an eyebrow back at him then put my cheek on his chest and closed my eyes. I felt his arms tighten a little bit, and I relaxed slowly as we swayed from side to side, his chin settled on the top of my head.

  “I’m going to stay in my car outside your house tomorrow night.” Cole said to the top of my head.

  “What? Why?” Confused with his comment, I lifted my head off his chest and looked at him.

  “You turn sixteen at the stroke of midnight.” I felt him playing with the bottom of my hair in the middle of my back, and then his hands splayed protectively over me. “I want to make sure everything goes well for you.”

  It might be overkill to have Cole sitting outside in a car, but it did make me feel slightly better knowing that if something were to happen, I wouldn’t be alone.

  Just as I started to nod in agreement, the DJ changed speed and started a fast song again. The four of us started dancing, and I felt a nudge on my right hand side. I smiled at Ana, as she and Stick joined us. The six of us moved among each other changing partners, until I was dancing opposite Stick. He was very tall, probably 6′1″, and skinny, compared to Ana’s 5′1″, but I noticed that even though he was paired up with me, his eyes remained on Ana. I followed his gaze and noticed that she and Ben were laughing. Ben twirled her around and her hair flew around her face, her skin a soft peach tone that told me she was happy. She looked beautiful. I looked back at Stick. He definitely thought so too. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.