“What?”
“Nothing.”
I grumbled. “So when were you going to tell me that we needed a costume for this banquet thing?”
“I did you the credit of assuming that you’d figure it out on your own. And I was right.”
“Charles. We’re the only kids from Mars in this whole ratty school, don’t you think we should have each other’s backs?”
“If I offered my help—if I walked right up to you and told you that you needed help and I was the one who had the answers—would you even listen to me?”
“I’d probably wonder what you were up to,” I said. In fact, I might do exactly the opposite of whatever he suggested, just to keep from falling into the trap he’d set. Except he probably knew that was what I’d do, so doing the opposite would be exactly what he wanted me to do … That was the trouble with Charles. No matter what, I couldn’t win.
“Exactly. You ought to just keep on doing what you’ve been doing. You’re obviously functioning well enough.”
“What about you?”
“I’m shocked that you would even take the time to care.”
“You are my brother.”
“I’m fine. Really. You don’t have to
worry about me.”
“And you don’t have to worry about me,” I said. “Everything’s fine.”
“Right. Of course it is.”
* * *
The night of the banquet arrived. I’d assumed we’d be in the dining hall—sure, it’d be dressed up and polished. They might even be able to get rid of the constant boiled-vegetable smell. But no: we had fancy invitations, printed on real paper, informing us that the banquet would be held in the school’s main administrative building. Most of us had never even been there. That was where Stanton had her offices. Where the people who ran the school worked. Apparently they also had a banquet hall.
“It’s for wining and dining the school’s patrons and sponsors,” Angelyn explained. “Rich parents and things. Makes them feel special.”
“That seems excessive,” I said.
“It’s how it goes.”
Angelyn came to our room to get ready. I needed all the help I could get. Marie humphed at us and stormed off to one of her friends’ rooms. Every girls’ room in the dorm, and a couple of the guys’ rooms, had turned into a chaotic mess of makeup, shimmery fabric, and enthusiastic squealing. I’d never seen anything like it. It was a tornado made of clothes.
Ladhi, Angelyn, and I wriggled into our dresses and helped each other with hair and makeup. They looked great. Angelyn’s slinky blue gown looked just as amazing as I imagined it would. She wore high heels that made her seem like a statue, a piece of finely carved artwork. And her hair—she brushed it out loose, and she’d done something to it so it lay in dark ripples down her back. She was self-conscious about the wide scar on her elbow from where she’d been scraped up in the fall. The concealer she put on it didn’t hide the pink very well.
“As soon as we get a break in school, I’m going to have surgery to get rid of it,” she muttered.
“It’s a badge of honor,” I told her. “Show it off.” I was one to talk. I still ached around my chest if I got tired, but I tried not to show it.
But Angelyn washed off the makeup and let the scar go.
Ladhi was magical, in purple silk that seemed to drape around her body, molding to her shoulders and hips. Gold earrings dangled, and she wore intricate sandals that laced around her feet. I had no idea how I looked. I didn’t look like myself, for sure. And those sandals—I’d let Angelyn pick out a pair to go with my dress, because they all looked horrifying to me. My feet would be practically naked. And what if I had to run in those? Angelyn and Ladhi just kept telling me everything would be okay.
I was wearing the dress. It had arrived in a box just a few days ago, and I’d pulled it out like it was going to bite me. It looked … well, I’d never seen anything like it. Not clingy like Angelyn’s or airy like Ladhi’s, it flared out in the skirt, flowing like ripples in sand, and the wide neckline framed my face and neck. It was made of a shimmery red fabric that changed shades in the light, depending on how I moved. It looked even better in person than it had on the screen. It made me look older, sophisticated. Angelyn studied me a minute, then ran back to her room. She came back with a length of fabric, a filmy black shawl that she draped around my elbows and let fall behind me. I looked almost elegant.
She also did something to my hair that made it fluff out and shine, like it was another perfect accessory. I looked older and taller—which meant I stood well above both Angelyn and Ladhi. A mutant. But an elegant mutant.
“Wow, look at us,” Ladhi said, as we stood side by side in front of the square bathroom mirror. We looked like we should have been in some kind of video. I was actually getting excited about it all.
We joined a stream of students walking from the dorms to the banquet at the admin hall. Just after dusk, the sky had darkened, gray clouds against deep blue. The concrete path was lit with solar lamps set along the sides, about a foot high. It was like we were walking on a trail of light. The girls had gone all out, with fancy gowns, hair styles, and glittering jewelry. I was glad I’d listened to Angelyn. For once I actually felt like I belonged. The guys wore suits, tailored jackets and trousers, with colored shirts, and ties. They looked slick and polished—strange, almost, after seeing everyone in plain uniforms week after week.