It was a half-hour before the dance, and Kylie and I were getting ourselves ready. The two of us were standing in front of my mirror, putting on makeup with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" cranked up full blast. Kylie was wearing a black miniskirt, an orange and black spaghetti-strap tanktop, and black combat boots. Her blonde hair now had blood red tips, courtesy of temporary color hairspray from the local Halloween store. Lots of people did that sort of thing for the dance; some even wore capes, made themselves look dead, or wore plastic vampire teeth, like Kylie was going to do.
I, on the other hand, was wearing black cargo pants, an orange tanktop under a black jean jacket, and orange Converse sneakers. I had also put in the red hairspray, but I did mine in streaks. I was applying my makeup heavily, with lots of dark eye shadow and eyeliner. I turned to Kylie.
"Does this look okay?" I said, gesturing to my face.
"It looks fine, if you're going for the whole 'walking dead' look," she said. "It might scare off your boyfriend, though." I hadn't thought of that.
"He's not my boyfriend." I shot back, attempting to wipe off some of the harsh makeup with a Kleenex, which wasn't working all that well.
"Yet." Kylie giggled. I glared at her.
"Will you stop? He's probably not even single." I replied. For someone that good looking, he probably had a girlfriend back in…wherever it was that he was from. I tried to mentally remind myself not to fall in love with the boy, since you know, he apparently ends kicking the crap out of me at some point in time.
Kylie popped in her fake vampire fangs and made an angry scowl, trying not to laugh.
"Scary?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah," I answered sarcastically. "Almost as frightening as the real thing."
"Be careful, girls. Don't go off with strange guys, no drugs, alcohol…you know the drill." Dad instructed as we hopped out of the Impala.
"Yes, sir." We replied.
"Okay. Have fun. See ya at ten-thirty." He said, before Kylie slammed the back door shut. The Impala sped off down the road, and the two of us went into the school. We paid for tickets, and entered the gym. The gym was absolutely packed with students, most of them moving (in some cases quite inappropriately) to the loud music blasting through the speakers. I could feel the vibration in my chest; it was like being at a rock concert. Strobe lights flashed on the ceiling and swept over the crowd, and black lights were set up at random spots. Fog machines positioned at the corners of the gym went off every so often, creating a thick mist over the floor that rose up to cover the mob of teens. It gave the large room an eerie appearance.
Kylie and I instantly dashed over to the huge sort of mosh pit that had formed in front of where the DJ was set up, and started dancing and jumping up and down, screaming the lyrics to the songs we knew. It was a totally crazy atmosphere, and we always made sure to take some wild pictures to commemorate the experience every year.
The DJ decided to slow things down halfway through the dance, just for a couple of songs. Kylie and I took a seat on the sidelines, watching as the other couples slow-danced together. I kinda hoped Oliver would come, so I could maybe dance with him once...or twice. I had been keeping my eyes peeled for him all night.
As if on cue, though, he appeared, and glanced around, searching for someone. And I knew that someone was me. He caught my gaze and walked over, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans.
"Hey, Alyx."
"Hey," I replied, standing up, suddenly happy as ever. "You decided to come after all."
"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, staring down at the floor for a moment. "So, would you…like to dance with me?" I grinned. Would I ever…
"Of course." I answered. I followed him out onto the floor, as another slow song started up. He placed his hands gently on my waist and I put my arms around his neck.
"I'm not much of a dancer, just to warn you." He confessed, giving me a smile that made me turn a deep shade of pink. Luckily, it was dark, so he didn't notice.
"That's okay. As long as we don't crush each other's feet I think we're good," I stated with a laugh. "So, where did you transfer from?"
"New York City."
"And of all places, you picked Kansas? May I ask why?"
"Believe me, it wasn't my first choice. My mom and I needed a fresh start, and we have a family friend here."
"That's understandable. Just you and your mom, then?" I asked.
"Yep," he answered. "She's raised me by herself since I was a baby." Well, I guess we had something else in common, besides our Latin fluency…
"I know how that is. It's just me, my dad and my uncle. They've raised me since I was a baby, too." I stated. We held each other's gaze for a minute, his piercing blue searching my startling green. He averted his stare, looking down at the floor.
"I'm sorry, Alyx," he said, glancing back up at me. His eyes were filled with what I perceived as shock. "I can't…I have to go."
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Oliver?" Without another word, he started making his way out of the packed gym. I immediately went after him, trying to keep an eye out for where he was headed, pushing people out of my way. I ignored the dirty looks I was receiving, and scrambled out of the building. When I got to the front steps, he was gone. Completely gone—nowhere to be seen. I scanned the front lawn, the chilly wind blowing my hair off my face. I shivered, pulling my jean jacket closer to my body. Someone suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. I spun around to see Kylie.
"A little jumpy, are we?" she laughed.
"You scared me."
"Sorry. What are you doing out here, anyway? You and your boyfriend disappeared so I got worried and came looking for you."
"Thanks for your concern."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't really know." I said honestly.
"What do you mean?" Kylie asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"He just…kinda…left…"
"Did you scare him away or did he ditch you?" she asked, laughing. I rolled my eyes. "I told you looking like a zombie wasn't a smart idea."
"Shut up." I said, smacking Kylie in the arm. She gave me little shove back.
"C'mon, we still have a half hour left…let's make the most of it, okay?" she suggested. I nodded, and followed her inside, taking one brief glance back.
The next morning, the two of us woke up to the wonderful scent of breakfast and the sounds of Metallica playing in the kitchen, which obviously meant that Dad was up; he was the only one besides me who listened to that stuff. Kylie attempted to sit up, rubbing the sleep from her icy blue eyes. I yawned and stretched, still halfway in my sleeping bag. The living room was an absolute disaster zone; the result of an almost all-nighter. There were pillows, blankets, DVDs—mostly horror flicks—and random assortments of junk food strewn about. We hadn't gone to bed until six in the morning, and it was now close to ten. I groaned and sat up, stretching my tired muscles again.
"Did you have a good four hours of sleep?" I asked Kylie.
"Yeah," she said, yawning, "Happy Birthday, chica." She gave me a tight hug.
"Thanks."
"Now, c'mon, let's go see what's cooking." Kylie suggested, pulling me to my feet. We shuffled down the hall to the kitchen, where Dad was standing by the stove; frying up bacon and humming to the song that was playing. There were piles of breakfast food on the table—eggs, toast, sausage, chocolate chip pancakes, and waffles. I was thoroughly stunned. There was no way he could've made it all by himself. I cleared my throat to acknowledge our presence.
"Mornin' ladies," he said in an oddly chipper tone of voice. We glanced at each other, then hesitantly took a seat at the table. I swear, if he had been wearing an apron, oven mitts or a chef's hat, I would've been: a.) Extremely embarrassed b.) Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off or c.) Reaching for the holy water, a rosary, and Grandpa's journal, contemplating the possibility that he was possessed. "Happy Birthday, Alyx."
"I can't believe you cooked. You never cook."
"It's one of my many hidden talents."
"Well, you should use this so-called 'hidden talent' more often." I stated, as he joined us at the table, setting the plate of bacon down in the center. Our meals usually consisted of something that came from a box, could be made in the microwave, or ordered from a restaurant. We began piling food onto our plates as Sam walked into the kitchen.
"Wow." He said, surprised. He sat down with us also, grabbing a plate from the cupboard.
"Morning, Sammy."
"Morning, Alyx, Kylie. Happy Birthday, Ally," he replied, filling his plate with food. "How does it feel to be sixteen?"
"I don't know…I don't feel any different. Nothing's really changed."
At around one o'clock in the afternoon, my surrogate aunt/motherly figure, Missouri Moseley, came over for the birthday festivities. I was extremely close to Missouri, since she had also helped to raise me. Before I could go on hunts with my dad and uncle, I spent weekends at her house, so she played an important role in my life. These days, I visited her frequently to talk and get advice on things.
"I can't believe you're sixteen, Alyxandria," Missouri said, smiling, as we sat in the living room, finishing up cake and ice cream. "It seems like just yesterday I was changing your diapers and bribing you with chocolate chip cookies." Missouri's homemade chocolate chip cookies had always been my weakness for as long as I could remember. I used to throw tantrums when Dad and Sam left to go on a hunt. I would hook my little arms around my dad's legs and I wouldn't let go. Missouri would have to rip me off him and bribe me with something. I think she should be named a saint for putting up with my troublemaking self for all these years.
"Can you open my present now?" Kylie wanted to know, disrupting my trip down memory lane. She was bouncing up and down like a kindergartner on a major sugar high. I nodded. Kylie handed me a large, rectangular box wrapped in Halloween wrapping paper. I tore off the paper to reveal my very own Ouija board.
"Cool!" I exclaimed. It was my turn to act like a little kid. "I've always wanted one of these…"
"I thought it was cool, too. I know it's just a toy, but it's worth a try."
"Those things actually work, ya know." Sammy told us, throwing this weird glance at my dad. Then, I remembered the whole ordeal where my dad almost died before I was born and there was a Reaper after him—for the second time, I might add—and Sam communicated with him through an Ouija board, since his spirit wasn't attached to his body or something.
I thanked Kylie for the gift, and Sam gave me a couple of books tied up in orange and black ribbon, explaining that his wrapping skills were not the best. The books were obviously on different supernatural topics, like Urban Legends and stuff. Missouri gave me a new outfit, consisting of a pair of jeans and a rock T-shirt, which was probably the only normal thing I was going to get…not that I minded.
"Okay, my turn," Dad announced, getting to his feet. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up, also. "Close your eyes, Alyx." I hesitantly did so, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He began to lead me somewhere; I got really confused when the temperature suddenly changed, but didn't ask questions. "All right…open 'em." I slowly opened my eyes and nearly fainted from shock. Right there, in the garage, was a midnight blue Impala—a '67 like Dad's. It was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen. It was so shiny I could see my reflection in it. It was absolutely perfect. I immediately pounced on my father, giving him the tightest hug I could manage.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I shouted. I let go of him, and approached the car—my car—running a hand over its polished exterior. "Can I take it for a drive?" Dad smirked and tossed the keys over to me. I unlocked the car, and hopped into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut. The loud roar of the engine instantly brought a smile to my face. I motioned for Kylie to get in, and she climbed into the passenger's side. Next thing I knew, we were halfway down the road with the stereo turned up. I think my dad might've been shouting at me to be careful, but I couldn't exactly hear him because the music was too loud.