Until Beth by Amowitz Lisa

Author:Amowitz, Lisa [Amowitz, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: 2015-09-29T03:00:00+00:00

18

THE NOISY CHATTER WENT SILENT THE MOMENT I entered the dining hall, then erupted in earsplitting applause. I thought back to my first day there. From the start, this room full of cheering students had played along with the ruse that High Step was simply a school for artists and musicians. I knew I should be angry, but there was no denying the fact that I was as strange as the rest of them. That I really did belong here.

I bowed and nodded to the admiring crowd. The talk was all about my impending Reveal, leaving me to conclude that High Step’s oddball student body didn’t need much of an excuse to throw a party. Vincent worked the crowd, stopping to chat at every table like the maître d’ of the dining hall.

At Xavier’s usual table across the dining hall, a red-haired boy spooned food into One-Digit Della’s twisting mouth. A flicker of sorrow shuddered through me. No one said a thing about Xavier’s absence.

My sorrow was quickly drenched by Lila’s full frontal assault. “People, people! We need to discuss decorations. Themes. We need a theme to end all themes. Any ideas?” Zuber, Prishkin, and Dawn stared at her blankly.

“I like magenta,” I ventured.

Lila grimaced. “Yeesh. How imaginative. Plus it will clash with your dress. Why are all of you so brain-dead?”

“Not to mention your blue hair,” Zuber quipped. Everyone laughed, except Lila, who drummed her fingers impatiently on the table. My gaze locked briefly with Zuber, worry for Xavier shimmering in his dark eyes. I vowed to check in on him later, no matter what Vincent said. It was my fault he’d gotten into this mess in the first place.

My attention returned to the ongoing debate. Lila was not pleased by the lackluster pool of ideas. I was at a loss over what would be a winning theme at a party for freaks.

“Circus!” Dawn blurted. The girl spoke so infrequently that it was easy to forget she was there.

“Hmmm,” Lila said, a finger pressed to her scarlet lips. “Not too shabby, Waverly. What if it’s a haunted circus? We could have ghost clowns, zombie jugglers, and a vampire ringmaster.”

“I call Vampire Ringmaster!” bellowed Demetri Prishkin, shoving the shock of straw-colored hair from his sleepy blue eyes. Lila colored a deep rose and Zuber smirked. I snickered behind my hand over how blissfully oblivious Prishkin was to Lila’s obvious infatuation with him.

The conversation bounced back and forth at breakneck speed until an actual idea popped into my head. “Wait, I think I have it. Zombie rock concert!”

“That’s perfect, Beth,” Lila said, clapping. “Finally!” Then everyone started talking at once at high volume. It was decided that I’d perform with my zombie band to an audience of zombies. I found that I was actually excited to play some pure shrieking rock and roll in front of a live group. It seemed like it had been forever since I had.

Vincent returned to the table and reluctantly agreed to be a zombie violinist in my band.

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