The Dark Divine

"Three," Daniel said. "You'll have three nights to worry about."

"Huh?"

"The moon is technically full for three nights. I came looking for you on the third night of the last full moon. Tonight is the first of this month."

"Three nights to myself then? All the better, I guess. New relationships can be so time-consuming." I shrugged and tried to laugh.

Daniel didn't. "I wish making you lonely was the only thing I had to worry about. If I'm staying here, if we're going to be together, then I have other things to take care of tonight. That's why you need to stay in. Please, Gracie. Don't go to the dance, or di

"I've never been more serious, Grace. Please, do this for me." He engulfed me in his arms, pressing me to him with such urgency. "Promise me you'll stay out of harm's way." He kissed me then like he had under the walnut tree--like his life depended on it.

"Okay," I said, and sank into his arms.

Chapter Twenty-five the other one

BEFORE THE DANCE

What is it about promises? They should just be outlawed. Seriously, I'm going to hell for this one, I thought as April slipped one last bobby pin into my upswept hair.

"You look amazing," she said.

I'd tried to keep my promise to Daniel. I really did. I'd called April first thing when I got home. I thought I could soften the blow on Pete if I convinced her to call him for me and tell him I had the chicken pox or something equally contagious. But no, that had been a mistake.

"Don't do this to me!" April yelped over the line. I could hear the din of the Apple Valley Mall behind her. She'd just left Nails 18 and was fumbling with the phone, trying not to ruin her manicure. "I will never forgive you," she said, more than half meaning it. "Do you have any idea what this means to me? You will ruin my entire life if you don't go."

April's used-to-be-absent mother was keeping her on a tighter and tighter leash as more and more days passed without the police finding Jessica Day. She would only let Jude come over for "studying," and she'd agreed to the dance only if April shared a car with Pete and me. April was to go straight to di

"But I'm sick. I can't go."

"No, you're not. You just told me that was your excuse for Pete." Crap.

"Please, please, please. You have to do this for me. I'll just die if I don't go to the dance with Jude."

I laughed. "Well, if it's a life-and-death situation ..." "Thank you, Grace. You will never regret this!" I really hoped I wouldn't.

It was just di

Seriously, why did I never learn?

April strategically situated a lone, curling tendril down the side of my cheek. "Pete is going to flip when he sees you."

I hope not, I thought, but smiled and thanked her anyway.

April had almost gagged when she came over early and saw the hairspray-mates-with-mousse mess I'd made out of my hair. I don't know why my hands shook so much-- it's not like I was nervous for my date with Pete.

"You look like a 1980s beauty queen," she'd said, and sat me back down at the bathroom vanity.

"Isn't that look in this year?"

I could see April roll her eyes in the mirror as she set to work fixing the disaster. And I have to admit that I ended up looking pretty darn good. It was a good thing the guys were totally late, or I would have looked scary instead.

I stood up and inspected myself in the full-length mirror. Sometime during finals, April had dragged me to a dress boutique in Apple Valley. I hadn't been in the right frame of mind for shopping, so I'd let April pick out my dress--and I'd bought it without even trying it on. But I have to say: once again, she'd done a stellar job. I loved the way the white satin dress felt against my skin, and I loved even more the way it looked with my violet eyes and flawlessly coifed dark hair. The tight, sculpted bodice actually made it look like I had breasts, but my favorite parts were the pop of color in the purple sash around the middle that made my waist appear impossibly small, and the quick coat of matching purpley toenail polish that April had picked up for me at the mall.

I did a girly little twirl in front of the mirror. Too bad

Daniel wasn't the one who was going to see me in this.

The only thing I wasn't sure about were the thin spaghetti straps. Mom was pretty strict about sleeves when it came to my clothing. She'd been so busy with her late shifts at the clinic that she hadn't even asked to see my dress after I bought it.

I brushed my bare shoulders and shivered.

"Don't worry," April said. "I brought a wrap for you. I just strategically left it downstairs so you wouldn't have to put it on until after Pete sees you."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea--"

The doorbell rang.

"Showtime." April plumped her pink lips that matched the shade of her rosy pink dress. She took my hand and led me to the staircase where we could make our "grand entrance."

Jude, who had agreed to get ready over at Pete's house so April and I could get ready here, looked sullen but dashingly brooding in his black suit. He held a pink five-

rose corsage for April. Pete, in a navy-blue blazer and tan dress pants, put his fingers in his lips and let out a long whistle of approval when he saw us.

My bare shoulders felt warm and itchy. I could see the stern look on my mother's face.

"Tell me you have a wrap," she said as Pete greeted me with a peck on the cheek.

"It's in the front room with my purse," April said.

When Mom went to get it, Pete leaned in slipped a corsage of pale purple roses on my wrist. "Don't you look divine," he whispered in my ear, and then he kissed me on the cheek again, so low it was almost my neck. He smelled of an extra dose of spicy deodorant and something strangely sweet that I couldn't place.

I stepped away from him and let my mom securely wrap the length of purple chiffon around my shoulders.

"Be glad your father isn't back yet, young lady," Mom said in my ear. "Or you wouldn't be going out at all."

Part of me wished he was here then. I felt wrong for being on this date--and not just because of my broken promise. I wasn't the slightest bit uncomfortable when Daniel kissed me like that, but Pete was different. There was this look in his eye that made me shiver as he watched me while Mom snapped pictures of us--it was the same look I noticed him wear when I played street hockey with the guys in the cul-de-sac, like he was determined to win no matter what.

We paraded out the door. Pete squeezed me to his side and waved good-bye to my mom. I was glad we were all going together in the Corolla.

"Wow, is that really the time?" I said when I noticed the clock in the dash. "Are we going to make it to the dance after di

"Yeah," April said. "You guys are way late."