Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles 1)

What the—?

Lena gasped. I tried to clear the glop out of my eyes, but it was everywhere. When I saw Lena, it was even worse, her hair, her face, her beautiful dress. Her first dance. Ruined.

It was foaming up, the consistency of pancake mix, dripping down from a bucket over our heads, the one that was supposed to release the flakes of fake snow so it could drift down gently for the photo. I looked up, only to get another face full of the stuff. The bucket rattled to the floor.

“Who put water in the snow?” The photographer was furious. No one said a word, and I was willing to bet the Jackson Angels hadn’t seen a thing.

“She’s melting!” someone shouted. We stood in a puddle of white soap or glue or whatever, wishing we could shrink until we disappeared; at least, that’s how it must have looked to the crowd standing around us laughing. Savannah and Emily were standing off to the side, enjoying every minute of what was maybe the most humiliating moment of Lena’s life.

A guy called out over the din. “You shoulda stayed home.”

I would’ve known that stupid voice anywhere. I’d heard it enough times on the court, about the only place he ever used it. Earl was whispering in Savannah’s ear, his arm slung around her shoulder.

I snapped. I was across the room so fast Earl didn’t even see me coming at him. I slammed my soap-covered fist into his jaw and he hit the ground, knocking Savannah on her hoop-skirted butt in the process.

“What the hell? Have you lost your mind, Wate?” Earl started to get up, but I pushed him back down with my foot.

“You better stay down.”

Earl sat up and pulled on the collar of his jacket to straighten it, as if he could still look cool sitting on the gym floor. “You better hope you know what you’re doin’.” But he didn’t get back up. He could say what he wanted, but we both knew if he got up, he was the one who would end up back on the ground.

“I do.” I pulled Lena out of the growing slush puddle of what used to be the fake snowdrift.

“Let’s go, Earl, they’re announcin’ the court,” Savannah said, annoyed. Earl got up and brushed himself off.

I wiped my eyes, shaking out my wet hair. Lena stood there shivering, dripping fake snow like whitewash. Even in the crowd, there was a little puddle of space around her. No one dared get too close, except me. I tried to wipe her face with my sleeve, but she backed away.

This is the way it always is.

“Lena.”

I should’ve known better.

Ridley appeared at her side, with Link right behind her. She was furious, I could see that much. “I don’t get it, Cuz. I don’t see why you want to hang out with their kind.” She spat the words out, sounding just like Emily. “No one treats us like this, Light or Dark—not one of them. Where’s your self-respect, Lena Beana?”

“It’s not worth it. Not tonight. I just want to go home.” Lena was too embarrassed to be as angry as Ridley. It was fight or flight, and right now, Lena was choosing flight. “Take me home, Ethan.”

Link took off his silver jacket and put it around her shoulders. “That was messed up.”

Ridley couldn’t calm down, or wouldn’t. “They’re bad news, Cuz, except Short Straw. And my new boyfriend, Shrinky Dink.”

“Link. I told you, it’s Link.”

“Shut up, Ridley. She’s had enough.” The Siren effect wasn’t working on me anymore.

Ridley looked over my shoulder, and smiled, a dark smile. “Come to think of it, I’ve had enough, too.”

I followed her gaze. The Ice Queen and her Court had made their way up to the stage, and were grinning from the catbird seat. Once again, Savannah was the Snow Queen. Nothing ever changed. She was beaming at Emily, once again her Ice Princess, just like last year.

Ridley took off her movie star sunglasses, just a little. Her eyes began to glow—you could almost feel the heat coming off her. A lollipop appeared in her hand, and I smelled the thick, sickly sweetness in the air.

Don’t, Ridley.

This isn’t about you, Cuz. It’s bigger than that. Things are about to change in this back-assward town.

I could hear Ridley’s voice in my head as clearly as Lena’s. I shook my head.

Leave it alone, Ridley. You’re only going to make things worse.