Chapter 14: Pre-Teen Bonding - Part 3
A row of cars wrapped around the front of the building as parents and guardians dropped their kids off at the entrance where a red carpet had been laid out, leading inside. The constant stop and go had proved to be relatively quick for most parents as they pulled up to the designated drop of zone, eagerly ushering them off to an evening of festive social memory making.
The banquet hall had gone the extra mile to make the night as special as they could, including two large spotlights at the entrance to welcome everyone in. The lobby entrance was wide open, numerous doors along the walls that leading to other banquet hall areas. Various school signs and posters advertised the dance, including streamers in the school colors with the name of the dance on it.
The back of the building was home to the patio, decorative lights covering the numerous railings, overhead covers and archways that led back inside to help entice students to come out and get fresh air. The final touch was the trail of lights leading to the small round dock platform that extended out into the lake just a few feet from the shore via the bridge.
Many of the students were found mingling around the front, chatting with friends while taking a few extra pictures and preparing to have a good time.
Well, most students anyway.
"Alright, guys, here you go," Jazz said, parking the car to unlock the door and turning to the two kids as they unbuckled themselves, stating, "When you guys are ready to get picked up, just give Danny a call. He's over at Sam's place with her and Tucker so it shouldn't take him long to get here."
"Sounds good. Thanks for the ride, Jazz," Jake said, opening his door and climbing out. Danielle began to slide across the seat to follow him but stopped as Jazz tapped her arm.
"Remember, try to have fun, Ellie. Let your problems go for tonight," Jazz encouraged. Danielle gave her a small half smile, nodding her head before climbing out to stand next to Jake. Closing the door, both she and Jake turned back to the car as Jazz rolled down the window, throwing out one last piece of advice. "And remember- "
"No getting into a fight," the two said in unison, Danielle adding in, "We heard you the first six times," along with an eye roll. Jazz laughed, rolling up the window as she drove off. Danielle sighed, turning to look at the building. "Alright, let's try to get this over with. The sooner we get that necklace, the sooner I can get out of here."
"Well, let's not be too hasty," Jake said, a noticeable sweat beginning to build on his brow. The nervous boy looked around, he adding, "No need to rush, right?"
Danielle raised an eyebrow at him, and Jake could only turn his head away, giving off a fake laugh. Her ears picked up the thumping on his heart against his chest as his pulse seemed to be getting faster and faster.
"What's with you? I thought you'd be flying over the moon by the time we got here, and you'd have darted in there and ditched me to go look for Lilith," she commented, noticing his heart skip at the mention of her name. Danielle could feel her own heart sink at this, and said, "Oh, I get it. You're nervous about seeing her."
"Can you blame me? I just really wanna impress her. How do I look? You think I look, ok?" He asked, facing her. Danielle could feel her cheeks getting a bit hot as she looked him up and down. Truth be told, she had been sneaking glances at him in his suit since she came downstairs to meet him. As much as Sam appeared to not like girly things, she was truly a magician when it came to making people look nice.
She had picked out the prefect black suit jacket and pants, giving him a mint green shirt to wear under it with a silk black bowtie around his neck. His dress shoes were shined to perfection, and his normally messier blonde hair had been swept out of his face and gelled back stylishly.
"You look good, Jake. I promise," Danielle said, clutching the small blue purse Sam bought her tightly. It didn't have much, just her ID, some money and her phone, as well as an emergency make-up kit, but for some reason, it felt incredibly heavy in her hands. "I'm sure she will be…very impressed."
"Yeah…yeah, you're right," he said, his confidence building from her encouragement. Turning to look at her, he made sure to also add, "You look really good too, by the way."
"Oh, thanks," Danielle replied, embarrassed at the compliment, though she did agree that she looked nice for once. Sam, with her magic, had put together an outfit that even Danielle could say that she really liked. The dress was blue and a simple design with its spaghetti straps and silver rhinestones covering it that gave it a nice sparkle. The skirt flowed from her waist to her knees in a puffy design that also adorned her flats as little bows being held in place with more small rhinestones.
Her make-up was light, just enough to lightly cover her face, and Sam had taken the extra time to find her a matching eye shadow color that she had applied in a wing tip pattern. This, admittedly, was something that made her feel a bit better given her Spirit's nature. She had also found Danielle a blue matching lip gloss that complimented it, as well as the purse. However, the final touch, Danielle added herself.
Danielle didn't have much jewelry to her name, mostly because of how expensive it was and knowing her, she'd more than likely lose it. There were a few exceptions, mostly because she would need something to wear for fancier occasions, but her favorite were her pair of diamond earrings. They weren't overly big, resting nicely in her ears, and they always seemed to add an extra sparkle to her eyes. When Sam saw them, she knew exactly what to do, and pinned Danielle's long hair up into a bun that was nested on top of her head, allowing a few stylishly curled stray strands free to frame her face and help show them off.
"Yeah, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were trying to impress someone too," Jake joked, laughing at the thought, and Danielle felt her heart thump in her chest. Was this it? Was this supposed to be her moment when the time was right? If she didn't do it now, would she miss her chance? Danielle bit her lip, looking at him again as she debated if she could do this, but stopped as she saw the happy look on his face while he adjusted his tie.
"Yeah, that would be crazy, right?" She mumbled, doubting that he had even heard her or seen the small amount of white in her eyes. Before anything more could be said, the sounds of their phones ringing in their ears interrupted them. Danielle brought her head up, looking around to see if there was anywhere they could go to answer while the white faded from her eyes, neither the wiser. Seeing a nearby tree with no one around, she stalked over to it, Jake following up before the two accepted the call and summoned their Phantom Phones.
"Ranger 5: Meta; Connected," Jake answered, giving the pass phase they had come up with to link him to the group call.
"Ranger 4: Fauna; Connected," Danielle answered, connecting as well. "Why are we using our Spirit names again?"
"Because it's cool, covert, and we need to get used to using those when we're in public as much as we can," Tucker said. "Everyone in position?"
"Confirmed. I'm currently in the forest around the back end of the lake," Sam said as she sat in her Ranger form on a tree branch, swinging her legs back and forth.
"Also confirmed. I'm standing on the roof with a view of both the front entrance and the back doors from the dance's hall to the patio," Danny said as he looked over the lake's moonlit reflection.
"Well, we're at the front entrance about to go in and start looking for her," Danielle replied. "Tucker, where are you anyway? You never actually told us where to find you."
"Why, I'm in the most important spot of all, Ellie," he said, before his voice muffled under the sound of something crunching. "I'm in the dance hall, above the snacks and refreshments."
"You can't be serious. You're inside, stuffing your face, Tucker?"
"Hey, I'm not just stuffing my face. This is the most tactical location to be as I can see the main doors to the hall, all the exits and all the guests. Besides, superheroing is hard work," he said with a smirk as he ate another chicken slider.
"Ignoring Tucker, have you two seen any signs of Lilith yet?" Danny asked, looking over the front ledge.
"Negative. I don't see her anywhere out here, and I don't see any messages on my phone," Jake said as he pulled it out to check.
"She's here," Danielle said with a slightly disgusted look toward the front doors. "I've already caught her scent. That weird lavender perfume she's always wearing is unmistakable."
"Hey, chill, Ellie," Jake said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Danielle could feel the heat of his hand as it rested, something that seemed to make her demeanor become less hostile.
"Remember, just stick to the plan. You two get in there and find her so Jake can lead her away. Preferably outside to the gazebo on the water," Danny said. "We don't know exactly what it is that causes the change other than that it's triggered by emotion, so be careful."
"Once we get the necklace, we'll meet at the rendezvous point, and you two can go back to the dance," Sam added.
"Exactly. So, get in there, and if there's any issues, call us."
"Yeah, yeah, we we're on it. Fauna, out," Danielle said, disconnecting from the call. As their earpieces vanished, she added, "I doubt she has any other emotion besides happiness, anyway. She's a total airhead."
"Lay off her, will ya? I know you don't like her, but all this hostility is only gonna make this harder," Jake said. Turning to the building, he took a deep breath to try to swallow his nerves, and asked, "You ready?"
"As ready as I can be," she replied, starting to make her way toward the doors. He was at her side with each stride, watching her out of the corner of his eye as she subtly sniffed the air, following the scent of their target.
The lights were bright as they entered the building, the main lobby decorated with various decorations in their school colors. Looking to their right, they could see the main hall where loud music was blasting past the open doors. Various students wandered around the open area in front of them, as well as a few who were in a line that Jake could see forming to the left of the doors to the party.
"What's that line for?" He asked, trying to see where it went. The line seemed to stop behind a man, and looking around him, Jake could see a camera was set up and people were posing in front of a collapsible background. An idea came to him, and Jake quickly grabbed Danielle's hand. "Come on!"
"Whoa, what's going on?" She asked, her focus shattered as he started to drag her over. As they got into line, she turned back toward the dance, saying, "Jake, she's this way. What are we doing over here?"
"Simple. We're gonna take some pictures," he said simply while watching as the next group moved in front of the camera for their turn.
"What? Oh, Jake, no," she whined, trying to pull away from him. "We already took like 3 dozen back at home with Jazz. And we're supposed to be on a mission right now."
"Yeah, but we're allowed to have a little fun, right? Besides, what could it hurt?" he asked, holding her hand a bit tighter to get her to stay. Turning to look at her, he looked her in the eyes, saying, "I know this isn't really your thing, but we can still have a good time. All work, and no play, and all that. So, relax."
Danielle stared into his eyes, a powerful wave spreading through her chest as if her heart rate were speeding up and going into overdrive. The world around her began to fade as the noise grew quieter and everything seem to grow distant, until all she could see and hear was Jake. A wash of fog spread over her mind, her head spinning slightly though she had yet to move from Jake's grasp.
"Yeah…ok…" she said, dreamily, surprising Jake.
"Wow, I thought I was gonna have to twist your arm a lot more," he joked before noticing that she was just staring at him. "Hey you- "
The boy flinched back as her once clear aquamarine irises now peered at him, colorlessly, bringing an eeriness to her gaze which seem hollowed and empty, like she was staring into his soul. A cold gripe squeezed his gut as Jake reached out, touching her lightly on the shoulder and giving her a shake. "Ellie?"
"Next!" The photographer called out loudly, sending a fright through him and taking his attention away from her. Turning back, he jumped back again in astonishment as Danielle looked at him, her eyes reflecting their natural color once more, accompanied by a strangely playful smile.
"Looks like, it's our turn. Come on," she said, retrieving his empty hand, that he hadn't realized he had pulled away, and walking them both in front of the camera. Perplexion ran across his features as he questioned what was going on.
Is she possessed? He thought to himself, the hollowness of her eyes replaying in his mind. What could have caused her sudden mood and eye change? Jake could never recall her having eyes that color before. Thinking back to earlier in the day, he was certain that he didn't remember this haunting eeriness he felt either, but he was now certain that he hadn't just been imagining what he saw at the base.
"Alright, let's get you all set up," the Photographer said as he adjusted some settings on his camera. Looking through the lens, he took a moment to consider his options for them, before smiling and saying, "Alright, kids, you ready?"
"Yes, sir," Danielle replied, though Jake had remained silent as he looked from him to her and back.
"Awesome. We're gonna have you turn your bodies sideways toward each other at an angle," he said. Danielle did as they were instructed, making sure to turn her face toward the camera to show off her right profile. Jake looked, copying her movements, though he faced from the left. "Ok, little lady, I'm gonna need you to take your right hand and grab the left lapel of his jacket."
The same vacant smile never left her face as she reached up, gingerly taking a hold of the lapel and sending a wave of heat to Jake's face.
"Great! Alright, pal, now just put your left hand in your pocket and wrap you right hand around to hold her waist."
Jake was pretty sure that he could feel a hint of mischief hiding under her smile as she looked from the photographer back to him while adjusting her purse to rest on her shoulder. Nevertheless, he said nothing as he did it, not even noticing that the space between them had grown ever so slightly closer. The closeness only made the heat worse for him as a light sweat built on the side of face and a single drop ran down.
"It's just a picture, Jake," she said quietly, lightly touching his arm that was around her waist and readying herself for the picture. As she turned to the front, she said, "So, relax."
The words tumbled from her mouth so nonchalantly, that he almost didn't catch them, and yet, they struck Jake like a rock to the head. He stared at her, confusion covering his features as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening.
Did I enter some kinda Twilight Zone!? He thought to himself. His face no longer burned with awkward discomfort as the blood that had rushed to there before faded, however, she now had his full attention.
"Smile for the camera!" he heard, cutting off whatever thought had accumulated in his mind as the young ranger turned away from her to look at the camera. He looked at the device, feeling his face curve into a fake smile as he tried to look like he was having a good time, and not internally panicking about this.
The lens clicked as the Photogrpaher snapped his shots, bathing the area in light, as the flashes went off, blinding them both. The fog that had been clouding Danielle's mind seemed to vanish, her head feeling as though she were waking from a dream, and with each blink, more and more clarity found her.
"Ellie?" Jake asked, still holding her waist. She turned to look at him, staring at him quizzically as if she were having trouble seeing or remembering him, but as the seconds ticked by, it all seemed to dawn on her. "Are, You…ok?"
Danielle bowed her head, hiding her face from him. "Yeah... yeah, I'm fine." Dropping her hands, she turned away from him, clutching the strap to her purse in her hands to keep them busy. Hurriedly, she added, "I'm gonna go put our info in for the pictures…um, did you want me to order some for your sisters too?"
"Uh, yeah, sure. That sounds great," he replied, the awkward tension he felt earlier coming back as he too turned away from her and pointed toward the area around the corner. "I'm gonna give them a quick call and meet you in a bit."
Jake didn't wait for an answer as he turned on his heels, making quick strides to get out of sight. As he rounded the corner, he was greeted by a short "L" shaped hallway, the coat room directly ahead of him who's attendant aimlessly scrolled away on her phone. Looking above her head, he saw a sign indicating that the turn he saw to the left led to an "Employee's Only" area. Looking above his own head. he was greeted by two other signs, one on each side of him with the label "Bathroom" as well as a picture of the respective genders.
Jake hastily made his way into the boys' room, shoving open the door before leaning his back against it. He paused to gather his thoughts, deciding to call upon his Phantom Phones, and instantaneously, one of the shiny green devices formed in his right ear. Jake brought his hand up, pressing the side as a pleasant ring chimed in his ear. A few seconds ticked by, each accompanied with another chime before Jake was answered by the "received" beep that confirmed that he had been connected.
"Hey, uh, you guys there?" Jake asked quietly as he righted himself, checking the few stalls that there for any signs of occupancy. The bathroom was modernly elegant with its marble sink countertop that reflected the bright LED lights from the blub above the mirror. The floor was made of decorative slate that was smooth to walk on as his dress shoes clicked on each step during his inspection of all of the four metal stalls.
"We're here. What's the situation, Jake?" Danny asked, his voice coming through so clear it was almost as if he were standing in the room with him.
"You guys locate Lilith and the necklace already?" Sam asked as she looked toward the building.
"Not yet. Ellie and I walked inside and saw a photographer. I thought it might be a fun to take a few professional ones and tried to convince her to do it. At first, she said no, but then she said yeah, and started acting all weird," he replied as he looked into the mirror, staring back into his own wide eyes, expecting white but only seeing his own normal green.
"Weird how?" Tucker asked, his voice coming in slightly muffled as if it were still full.
"Well, she just seemed off. She was acting nice. Like overly so."
"…while I'm sure that's a cause for concern from someone who is a constant pain in the ass, I fail to see what the issue is here, Jake," Sam said dismissively as she leaned back against the tree trunk, but continued to look at the building, her amethyst eyes glowing in the dim light around her. Jake frowned at the comment as Danny and Tucker laughed in his ear.
"Oh, haha, you're so funny. But I'm serious about this. Ellie was acting weird, and get this, her eyes-"
"Jake?" A muffled call came from outside the door, and Jake swore as he clicked the button to disconnect and recalled his Phantom Phone. He opened the door, stepping out with a lopsided smile on his face as another nervous sweat rolled down when he came to face Danielle who looked at him queerly. "Are you ok? Your pulse is kinda fast."
"Yeah, I'm good. Totally," he said as he stuck his hands in his pockets to try to come off as relaxed. "I think maybe I'm just getting kidna thirsty, and these water fountains aren't helping. We should head into the main hall and find the refreshments. If Tucker hasn't eaten it all already."
"Oh. Uh, yeah, sure?" she said uncertainly as she brushed one of her curls from her face. Opening her bag, she dug inside, pulling out a small square that she then held out to him. Jake looked to her, and then it as he reached out and accepted it. Looking, Jake saw it was a copy of the photo that had just been taken, the two looking, to his surprise relatively happy. His eyes studied the print, lingering on the blue in her eyes before looking back to her. "I got a package big enough to split between our families…and a few extra in case anyone on the team wanted one."
"Thanks, that was really good thinking," he complimented, looking at it again before opening his jacket to put it into the inside pocket. "How much do I owe you?"
"Don't worry about it. Jazz gave me some money for the night so it's on her," she said with a half chuckle that he also shared. "They said it'll be abbout a week for the actual prints, but he was nice enough to email us copies too."
"Sounds cool. And, uh, what about you?" he asked, unsure of how to broach the topic.
"What about me?"
"Are you feeling…any particular way, right now?"
"Noooo…." She replied, turning her head to the side with a look of concern. "Though I'm starting to get worried about you. Did the bright light from the flash scramble your brains or something?"
"What? No!" He rejected, narrowing his eyes at her. "I told you, I'm good."
"Sure, you are. Now, will you chill out and relax?" she asked with a swift turn on her heels, not noticing when his eye twitched at that statement. Her shoes gave a soft pat on the carpet with every step as the two finally made their way through the main lobby and into the dance hall.
The music grew louder as they approached further inside, something that would likely dampen the hearing for most, but neither it nor the dimmed lights had much, if any, effect on Danielle's senses. The various flashing strobe lights bothered her a bit, as did the crowd, but Danielle ignored those to continue her survey of the area.
The dance floor was covered in people, all moving and dancing to the music blaring from the DJ's speakers located at the back if the room. Said DJ looked to be a teenager, one of her brother's classmates and definitely a jock from what she could ascertain from his build.
She turned to Jake, grabbing his attention with a tug of his sleeve, drawing his focus from the right side of the room, which appeared to have the multiple food and refreshments tables against the wall. Various tables were laid out for the guest, giving a barrier between it and the dance floor, some occupied with resting kids while others were supply covered in coats, bags and used plates and cups.
"Hey, doesn't that guy know your sister?" She asked him, not bothering to get close as she knew he could hear her.
"Yeah, that's her new boyfriend, Kwan. He's on the football team," he replied, watching as the boy seemed to really be in the zone as he mixed more music and bobbed his head with each beat. "He seems like a cool guy from the few times I've met him."
"Not according to what my brother used to say," Danielle said with amusement as a breeze blew in from one of the open doors to her left, just past more tables. Danielle could smell the scent of the outdoors as it mixed with the smells of the people around, but it wasn't long before her mood changed, and the smile slipped from her face. Turning to face him completely, Jake was surprised when she lightly touched his shoulder, her eyes dropping to the floor, hidden from his view again as she said, "She's coming this way."
Jake was confused, forgetting for a moment who she could mean, when the person in question came into his view. Lily was making her way through the crowd toward them, her dark hair curled and tied to make it puff out at the back of her head, and Jake could only swallow his nerves.
He's been thinking about this all day, mentally preparing himself for it; but now that he was faced with it, was he sure he could do this?
The beating of his heart was like a drum in Danielle's ears, causing her to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself quiet, because for the second time that night she wondered if this was the moment she was supposed to take to confess how she felt.
Yet every thump against his chest, as he looked to the girl he actually liked, was like another punch to her gut. It wasn't fair. Why him, of all people? Why couldn't she have liked anyone else?
Because he's different, she heard in the back of her mind. And she knew it was right.
"I already told you; just relax, stick to the plan and follow my lead," she encouraged just as Lily finished closing the gap between them.
"Hey guys!" the breathless girl said as she made it up to them. Her face and neck were flushed and glistening with sweat, though Danielle didn't need to see her to know that, easily able to smell it mixed with her natural scent. "It's about time you finally made it!"
"Hey, there, Lily," Jake said, a hint of nervousness causing him to blush again as he took in her appearance. Her dress was a cool shade of purple, the skirt pleated vertically while the torso was straight, curling over her shoulders with a small, curved neckline for her necklace to be seen. Except that the necklace was missing, as were her shoes, he noticed. "Hey, why are you walking around barefoot?"
"I took my shoes off to dance. They're back at the table with my purse and jewelry, so don't worry, "Youngblod", I brought your gift like I promised," she said playfully before adding in, "by the way, you guys look great! I love your hair, Dani!"
"Thanks," Danielle replied as she turned to look at Lily with a tight smile. "My friend Sam is a true miracle worker. Sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I was gonna go grab some punch for Jake and me." The tight smile remained as she faced Jake. "Why don't you be a gentleman and walk Lilith back to the table with our stuff."
"Uh, isn't it more gentlemanly to-"Jake started to ask but was cut off as Danielle took her purse off her shoulder and shoved it into this hands with more force than what was probably necessary.
"Thanks, you're so sweet, Jake," she said in fake enthusiasm. With her back to Lily, Danielle looked at him expectedly, thankful that a moment later he seemed to understand what she was doing.
"Oh, right, of course. Good idea," he said with a laugh as he stepped around her and up to Lily. "Meet you there in a bit?"
"Sure," she said with a call over her shoulder as she began to disappear into the crowd, barely resisting the urge to shove everyone in her path out of the way. Jake and Lily watched her back as she vanished into the sea of people on the edge of the dance floor, and Lily couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"Something the matter?" he asked as he turned his attention to her, receiving an unimpressed look from her.
"Really? You're gonna act like you don't know?" She asked, rolling her eyes and folding her arms over each other. "Come on, Jake. Everyone in our class knows Dani doesn't like me. If it weren't obvious enough with the fact she's the only one who still calls me by my full name, you think I haven't noticed the way she looks at me?"
"Yeah…I guess when you put it like that, maybe it is kinda obvious," he said sheepishly. "Sorry."
She smiled at him, uncrossing his arms and gingerly taking Danielle's purse from him. "It's ok. I know you're just trying to help, and I do appreciate it. I just wish I knew what I did to make her hate me so much."
"If it makes you feel better, I don't think Dani hates you. She's just…got a lot going on right now," he said, attempting to cover for his best friend's passive-aggressive behavior.
"Well, then I hope that she starts to feel better soon. Maybe one day she and I can get past whatever it is that's between us and be friends," she said hopefully as she turned and started to take a few steps forward, saying, "Let's go put her purse down and wait for her. This night's just getting started."
To be continued…
Author's Note:
Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've done one of these. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, whether you're familiar with my work or new to it. I've got a lot of things planned out for this story, so I hope you all continue to read and enjoy. It would also really help, and I would appreciate, any feedback you guys have.
Thanks, and I'll see you guys later.