I take another scan of the place—things look good. Could they have been better if my fucking helpers did their damn jobs? Sure, butall things considered, it’s pretty perfect. I haven’t seen Lacey or Jessica all night. I finished setting up solely with the help of Whitney before her tragic… accident in the bathroom.
“Stacey for Prom Queen!” some other half-in-the-bag fool yells from the dance floor, and I pretend to smile modestly and wave politely.
I better be fucking prom queen. None of these other bitches even bothered to show up alive or with their makeup done.
“Dance with me, babydoll?” a deep sultry voice asks from behind me as the heavy scent of weed pricks at my nose.
Clearly, Sam went to clear his head after the events in the bathroom. We put up an ‘Out of Order’ sign that we found in the janitor's closet so no one will go in there. They’ll eventually find her body, of course. But, not tonight. Nothing and no one is ruining my prom.
“Shouldn’t you be dancing with yourdate,” I reply without turning to look at my brother.
“Nah,” he quips, coming around to my front. His fingers find my chin and tilt my head up. Our eyes are mirror images of one another, two halves of the same soul. “I deserve to dance with the most beautiful girl at prom, wouldn’t you agree?”
His words make my cheeks flush and my stomach roll. Being with Sam is like being at the peak of a rollercoaster, the anticipation nearly unbearable. You have no choice but to fall.
“Alright, lead the way, Prom King.” I slip my slender fingers into his and let him lead me out on the dance floor. The warmth of his body presses against me as he wraps me up in his arms. Withhim I feel safe, treasured, complete. I stare up at him and can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. The disco ball spins, leaving a pattern of shimmering light across his handsome features. I’ve never been happier, more complete, than I am right now, in this moment.
“Help!” a scream cuts across the expanse of the gymnasium as the metal doors fly open with a deafening crash. “Help!” someone screams again.
The DJ stops the music, the needle scratching the record slightly as everything comes crashing down around us. Sam’s warmth slips from around me, leaving me cold and alone as he runs towards the bloodied and teary eyed Lacey who just crashed into the party and ruined my perfect prom moment.
“It’s Paul!” She sobs as the entire crowd turns to face her. “He’s dead!”
A soft but horrified murmur spreads like wildfire across the sea of students on the dance floor. They all spin to look at the bitch that’s stealing my moment, my spotlight. Her mascara is running down her face, her hands covered in blood.
“Paul’s body—I saw—paper cutter—then there was a person—” She stutters a mess of nonsense between choked sobs. Everyone else stands frozen, uncertain of how to react.
But before Lacey can finish, a second figure enters through the double doors of the gym. Cloaked in all black with one of those cheap plastic pig masks, they waltz in as if they own the place. Oh, absolutely the fuck not. Lacey and Paul are not pulling some fucking theatrics shit and stealing the crown from Sam and I. Hell will freezeover before I see that bitch crowned Queen.
“Move!” I shriek at the limp students standing and watching like idiot sheep as I shove my way through the crowd.
“Lacey,” Sam’s deep booming voice calls over the whispers and mumblings of the crowd. “What is going o—”
Before he can finish his sentence, Lacey’s eyes fly to him. For a moment, she looks relieved, as if she’s found her savior. Then her face distorts into agony as a knife slides straight through her, the shimmering steel tip peeking out from the front of her abdomen as the masked person stabs her from behind. A gloved hand lands on her shoulder, pulling the knife back out, then plunging it in again. And again. And again. Blood pools, staining the teal bodice of her dress an ugly shade of brown. We all stand still for a moment, watching in horror as our classmate is murdered. Then all Hell breaks loose.
Students scream. They start shoving and pushing. A mob of chaos moves towards the doors but they appear to be locked. I scream and curse but no one’s listening. It’s pure chaos.
“Sam!” I shriek. “Sam!”
Someone hits me and the wind is knocked from my lungs. I double over in pain, and someone else shoves into me from behind. Screams echo through the cavernous space.
“I have you, babydoll.” A soft whisper caresses my ear and strong arms wrap around me and drag me from the chaos. Sam drags me off to the side and out of the sea of frenzied students.
“The doors are locked!” someone screams.
“Fire! There’s a fire!” someone else yells.
It’s chaos. Utter chaos. And through it all, I cling to my twin, my lifesaver through the sea of the storm.
“Everyone remain calm!” Principal Matthews’ voice booms through the space, demanding order.
Everyone stops and spins, eyes turning to the stage where our principal is perched with the microphone. His free arm is raised high, his palm open, demanding calm. For a moment, the chaos seems to settle. We all pause to listen. Sam’s arms wrap tightly around me from behind, refusing to let me go. I glance behind us to where Lacey’s dead body is slumped across the gym floor, lying in a pool of blood… alone.
“Everyone, please remain calm. We will evacuate in a safe and orderly manner. Please form a single file line—”
Principal Matthews cuts himself off as the figure cloaked in black ascends the stage. The pig mask still distorts their face, but it’s now streaked in scarlet splatter. Blood. Lacey’s blood. I squeeze Sam’s hand, watching in horror as the masked murderer walks silently across the stage then cocks their head. It’s so silent you could hear a pin drop. With a shaking hand, Principal Matthews reaches out until his slender fingers grip the stiff plastic of the mask. Slowly, he pulls the mask from the person's face to reveal…
A soft shocked sound travels across the students gathered to watch. Murmurs and whispers begin to build as we take in the face of our destruction. Auburn hair, brown eyes, and cheap ass make-up.
