Metamorphosis

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 34 (The Perfect Night)

"What are you doing?" Trina asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time as Lindsay adjusted the simple black dress that Trina was wearing. It had a low V cut a lacy collar that matched the transparent lace shoulder straps. The bottom of the dress had a cut in the side that swept up from the bottom and it gave her the appearance of the liberty bell with a handle. "Why am I dressed so formally?"

"Don't you think looking hot is good?" Lindsay was being as coy as possible to give nothing away, but she wasn't too fond of that idea. The girl had also made her hair as fancy as possible, fluffing it into large waves flowing down like a brown waterfall around her shoulders and neck.

"This is really a bit much, Lindsay…I mean, you know…"

"Just relax and go with it." Trina felt like she was all dolled up, and while it annoyed her greatly, she decided it was best to just go with the flow and let Lindsay do whatever it was she was trying to accomplish. "You're going to have to trust me on this one."

She pulled at the edges of her dress and peered down at it. "Trusting you isn't the issue I'm having with this." It was a beautiful and simple dress, so she had no problems with that. Lindsay also put makeup on her face, but it was very minimal-an incredibly light blush to match her skin tone and some beige eye shadow.

Lindsay grabbed some lipstick from the sink and Trina watched as the girl popped it open, praying it wasn't pink. "I know you're not a huge fan of lipstick, but trust me, this will match you nicely." When Lindsay popped it, the lipstick had a very sugary brown look to it. "It's a very peach shade actually, light enough to give your lips a full plump look without looking painted."

"So let me get this straight. You're getting me all dolled up like Barbie because?" She closed her lips and waited as Lindsay carefully slid the lipstick across Trina's mouth.

Lindsay was dressed up as well, but perhaps more so than her-which was shocking. The girl had an elaborate red dress with frills at the bottom, no shoulder straps, and a low cut back. The girl also had a good deal of makeup on, it wasn't heavy but it wasn't as light as what she put on Trina.

Much like Trina's black heels, Lindsay had a pair of red heels to match her dress. Lindsay's hair looked as frilly as the lace on Trina's dress and fluffed out around her head like a cocker spaniel's ears.

She was beautiful.

"Do you and Travis have some sort of elaborate double date planned or something?"

"Something like that." Lindsay placed the cap back on the lipstick and took a step back, gushing when she looked to Trina. "Oh you're gorgeous!" Trina bent a bit, grabbing the bottom of her dress and fanning it out. Her eyebrows rose and she turned to the mirror.

The sight of her was breathtaking as Lindsay implied. "Wow. You know, you're really good at makeovers…" Lindsay played with her hair and looked to the side, chuckling as pride flashed in her eyes.

"Not to brag or anything."

She put her hand to her chest and turned around. "Purple is more my color but this is-" She was at a loss for words and unable to explain just how amazing the dress looked, not to mention how surprised she was that Lindsay even had it in her possession. "Where did you-when did you get this?"

"Remember when we went out for my birthday and we tried on a bunch of different dresses at a nearby store?"

"Yes." She remembered now trying on this dress and loving it despite the store was a cheap clothing store. She didn't see Lindsay buy anything, but the girl must have done it when she went to the bathroom. "My god, I can hardly believe this is the same dress."

"Well it is, so is the dress I have." Lindsay checked her watch. "Now let's get going, we're going to be late."

"Late for what?" Lindsay took her by the hand and pulled her out the door without another word.

They reached the mess hall and Trina could see through the windows that something looked different. She stopped when they heard footsteps and turned around to see Travis guiding his equally confused best friend towards them.

When she saw Jason, her jaw dropped to the floor. His hair had been spiked up in the front, he was wearing a black jacket with slacks and a warm brown dress shirt that had a matching brown tie. For a moment she was sure he had coattails, and the buttons on his jacket and sleeves were gold.

"I don't usually like to get dressed up like a Ken doll, but Travis-" Jason stopped abruptly when his eyes landed on her. She could feel them travelling along her body and into her eyes as though taking in a beautiful portrait. "Oh my god."

She raised her clasped hands to her face and bowed her head, touching the tip of her nose to her knuckles as the blood rushed to her burning ears. She felt a nudge on her back and stumbled forward just as Travis pushed Jason towards her.

Trina gasped out and fell against Jason's chest, then looked up to him without thinking about Lindsay. "Hey there handsome," she said with a nervous chuckle. Jason cast a dreamy smile which made her swoon.

"You look-wow. Stunn-no-beautiful." He held her as she straightened here posture. She was sure she heard him stammer, which wasn't typical of him. It was the first time she'd ever seen Jason not being direct and rather, being incredibly nervous.

Travis coughed into his left fist. "Ahem." They turned their heads and Travis slowly pulled from behind his back a case with a corsage in it. "Come on Jason, get with the program."

Jason narrowed his eyes and took the corsage. "You didn't exactly tell me what the 'program' was, Trav." Trina put her fingertips to her mouth and chuckled into them.

"Lindsay wouldn't tell me anything either." It was one thing that their best friends were keeping something from them, but it was another that she hadn't seen any of the other campers since coming back. There usually would be some walking around, but the place was as empty as a wasteland. "But I'm starting to get an idea of what they're up to…"

Jason glanced at the building and his mouth curved into a smirk. "Yeah, I think I'm starting to see it too, but I have no idea how or why they even pulled it off." Jason raised the corsage to the chest of her dress.

Trina pulled her hair back and the butterfly pendant glistened in the moonlight. Jason smiled and carefully attached the corsage near the pendant. He took a step back and raised his finger to his chin. "My god. You are…breathtaking…"

"I thought you didn't like girls in dresses?" She teased him with a smirk which grew when he rolled his eyes and smirked back. "Don't worry, I'm not huge on men in tuxes."

"It's not a tux." Jason placed his hands on her hips and gradually pulled her towards him. She flung her hands to his chest, gasping as her body pressed against his. "So. Prom?"

"I think this is…I've never had one."

"I didn't go to mine, never wanted to go with anyone."

Trina chewed her lower lip and dropped her head. "So…" If this was what Lindsay and Travis had planned, she honestly didn't know what to think about it. It was nice, and it did have a bit of an official flair to it. "Travis was the only one that ever went to a prom, I think."

"Yeah. Tried to get me to go to mine, but I just couldn't find a reason to."

"Same. No one asked me anyway."

"Well…" Trina held her breath and looked up timidly. "Would you be my date?" Trina watched Travis and Lindsay link arm in arm, then looked back at Jason with a confident nod.

Lindsay and Travis opened the doors and music blasted from inside. Tables and chairs had been covered with classy tablecloths with fancy napkins and champagne glasses were strewn about.

There were long tables against the left wall with various drinks and foods. Many campers were walking around, dressed in classic wear. Trina's eyes welled up with tears as she listened to the music by classic artists such as Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Ritchie and others.

"Oh my god." She pulled her hands over her mouth as the campers turned to her and Jason, then parted for them to make their way in. She tried to speak, to ask Lindsay if they'd really gone out of their way to do all this, but she could barely get the words out of her mouth.

"Welcome to prom," Lindsay said while shaking her hands in the air. "The theme is 50s and 60s with a splash of 70s."

Dr. Wyatt approached them, he had a glass in his hand, and a grey tuxedo. "It's all for you two." The man sipped on his drink and whisked it away with a sigh. "They insisted on throwing a prom because neither of you had been, and of course, everyone appears to have agreed."

"How did they rope you into this?" Jason inquired.

"I thought-what a perfect way to give the campers a bit of a break and something to remember this year by!" Dr. Wyatt pulled his arms out and laughed openly. "Besides, young love intrigues me."

Travis pulled his hat from his head and put it to his red suit while bowing his head. "I felt obliged and honored to suggest a classic theme since the two of you appear to love people like Frank Sinatra and whatnot."

"Thank you," Trina replied, "Thank you for everything. This is…" It was almost too much, but she couldn't possibly bring herself to say that.

She looked at the ribbons that framed the walls, and of course the extravagant designs and decorations that transformed the room were remarkable. "This may be the first time I've seen everyone all dressed up."

Just then she saw Jenny in the row on the left. The girl had a short ponytail and frilly pink dress with a poodle on the bottom of the skirt. The girl saw her and yanked a sucker from her lips. "What 'cha lookin' at?" Jenny said with a playful smirk. "The two of you should come in, have some drink and dance. Quit your gawkin' and let the night begin."

Lindsay's head turned and her eyebrows rose up. "My god you're really into this." Jenny's smirk grew and she shrugged.

"I'm a sucker for romance."

Trina took Jason by the hand, laughing with glee as she pulled him and ran into the room. The crowd swarmed them and the DJ began to blast the hits out. People began to dance while others hung out near the food and drink bars.

She always imagined herself to be the wallflower of every dance she could possibly go to, never had she imagined that she'd have such a unique and special day like this.

After some time passed, Travis stepped up to the stage and shouted for everyone's attention. "I've had some time to practice," he started, "And there's a song that I would like to devote to all the couples out there that have had some time being single and finally opening up to new things…"

"How many couples can there possibly be?" Jason crossed his arms and started to chuckle. "I mean there is kind of a dating policy because Dr. Wyatt's always believed it might distract campers if everyone started to-"

Suddenly many couples joined together on the dance floor, causing Jason to drop his arms and start to stammer. Travis put the mic to his lips as Barry Manilow's Ready to Take a Chance Again began to play. Trina stood in amazement as a velvety vocal tone wafted into the air.

"Wow." She crossed her arms and leaned into Jason's shoulder. "I guess that's what practice will do." Jason snickered for a moment and walked with her to the drink table.

"His mother made him go to a vocal coach when he was younger because she wanted him to sing in some country festivals. So he's had some classic training, don't let his 'southern drawl' fool you…"

"Yeah, and I think Lindsay's secretly a fashionista." Trina grabbed a piece of fruit from the chocolate fountain next to her and smiled as Jason did the same. "You know, l have to admit, Travis sounds better than most of the 'singers' at my school."

"Don't let him catch you saying that, he hates people knowing he had a vocal coach." They laughed together before dipping the fruit into the chocolate fountain and feeding each other.

It was true; for many 'singers' at Hollywood Arts, they would brag about never needing a vocal coach. Just like Tori, all they ever did was sing in the shower and suddenly they could sing.

"I'll be honest, Hollywood Arts basically is filled with karaoke singers that think they're special because teachers aren't allowed to say they suck. So…you've got people singing off key, some singing sharp and others flat, or blasting their voice or lacking enunciation, and the world's become so politically correct that public educators have to treat them like they're special little dandelions."

"Ouch."

"You know this girl-Cat? She sings, she doesn't enunciate. She sounds almost drunk sometimes."

"And they say you can't sing?"

"Or dance, but you know what?" She looked to Jason's eyes, listening to Travis's song. Jason had been doing the same, and as he looked back at her, his gaze became soft and his hands moved around hers, squeezing them gently.

You remind me, I live in a shell. Safe from the past and doing okay, but not very well…no jolts, no surprises, no crisis arises-my life goes along as it should. It's all very nice, but not very good…and I'm ready to take a chance again! Ready to put my love on the line with you…been living with nothing to show for it, you get what you get when you go for it, and I'm ready to take a chance again with you…

Trina intertwined her fingers with his and leaned towards him. Just as they started to kiss, the music faded to an end and the next person to speak was Lindsay. "Okay everyone, it's that time of the night." They pulled apart and looked at the stage. "We must crown the King and Queen of the camp's very own prom!"

Jason raised an eyebrow and leaned into her, whispering. "You don't think…" Trina whispered back, shaking her head.

"They wouldn't. Besides, who would vote?"

"Were there ballots?"

"Yes. At each table in the chairs." She'd seen the ballots as the time went on, but didn't think much of them other than they were just a part of the whole prom theme and not something that was actually going to happen. "Our names were on them. So were Lindsay and Travis, Jenny and Ross, and a few other couples like Dr. Wyatt and his wife."

"Oh…well, let's just play it by ear and see how it goes."

"Sure."

"For our King." Lindsay lifted the envelope and a dazzled look burst in her eyes. "The king of the castle, our prince and our knight." Jason rolled his eyes and started to groan. Trina's lips spread into an ever-widening grin. "Jason Tyler!" Jason crossed his arms and started to move behind Trina. "Jason Tyler, get your ass up on the stage right now!"

Trina covered her mouth and started to laugh. "I think you'd better go, honey." The Kings and Queens were voted on separately and while she hoped maybe she would be selected since Jason had been, there was still the nagging part of her that wanted to say even now she wouldn't be selected and some other girl was going to go up with him.

She watched Jason go up and was very surprised when they presented an authentic looking crown.

"If anyone but me was selected…." She started to growl, watching the others in the room. "There will then be no touching."

"And of course." Trina held her breath as Lindsay started to read the results. She knew in her heart what the answer was, but she was nervous about going up there in front of everyone. At the same time, when she was with Jason, none of that mattered much to her. "Our gorgeous queen…" Lindsay barely looked at the result before swinging her arms out. "Katrina Vega! Get up here girl and get your man."

She wasted no time running up to the stage. When they presented her with a silver tiara, she barely took notice and locked her hand with Jason's while the tears ran down her face in streams.

"This is-this is almost too much."

Her cheeks flared up as she and Jason walked down to the center of the room. It was clear what was to happen next, and she didn't mind if everyone saw. Trina carefully placed her arms around Jason's neck, gazing into his eyes as a new song began to play.

Travis and Lindsay both joined in singing Endless Love by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross.

Jason pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. His right hand rose to her upper back and his left hand rested on the small of her back. They swayed gently, taking two slow steps to the right.

Jason led with his hand, guiding her back and they turned together while continuing to sway with the music. "There's one secret about this mess hall that really makes the camp unique," Jason whispered.

Just as he said that, Trina glanced over the shoulder to see Dr. Wyatt striking a button near his office door. The lights in the room went out and she heard a trembling sound. "Look up."

As she did, she saw the roof part. She let out a gasp and thought about the metal hinges she'd seen on the outer walls-they were there to give a unique touch to skylighting.

Stars glistened in the sky like specks of glitter, and shining down on them like a natural spotlight was the bright neon moon. "Oh god." Her voice trembled and her head fell to Jason's chest. "This is perfect."

They continued to turn and sway in silence, with Jason's chin resting atop her head. Those watching them began to fade away and nothing else was important enough to venture into her mind.

While she knew they could talk, there was plenty of time for talking, and for now she just wanted silence. So they held each other in this moment of perpetual bliss, with their two hearts beating as one as the song went. And they danced for hours, long after people began to leave.

For this was the moment her sister spoke of so long ago. Her journey, her trial and her transformation. She knew who she was and what she wanted out of life, she knew where she wanted to go, and she had someone who loved her enough to go through her journey with her.

Trina closed her eyes and moved her arms down around Jason's waist. She bit down on her lip and thought back; now she understood that stupid butterfly analogy and why her sister was talking about it with such endearment. She was the caterpillar, ugly and slow, transforming into a beautiful and confident creation.

It was her turn to shine, her turn to open her wings-spread them and fly. She was exactly where she needed to be.

"We should probably go to bed," she heard Jason whisper, "Everyone's gone. It's late, and we're alone here."

She didn't move her head or open her eyes, but only listened to the music that the DJ left on for them. "Let's stay just a little longer. I'm enjoying this."

"As am I. For you? I'd dance all night like this."

What did you think? Did you enjoy it? There is one more thing left, I think it's important to put it here because it fits more in Meta than Gap, plus it ties up the final loose ends. What did you think about the prom date though? Yeah, they have the best friends too