Free Before the Dawn by Kristal Lim Page A

feet worse. And what if you get an infection?" He
seemed ready to go on and on about it, but she interrupted him.
    "It’s fine. I’ll be fine, I promise. We’ve
got more important things to worry about right now," she told him.
"You know, I think I may have some kind of theory about what’s been
happening to us, and it's connected to that silver leaf I gave you.
Have you still got it, by the way?"
    "Of course," he confirmed, and he took out a
small plastic case from his backpack and shook it. The leaf made a
rattling sound as it bumped against the sides of the case. "I think
this leaf kept me safe last night, or it acted as some kind of veil
or something." He wouldn't say any more about it though, but he
promised to tell her later about everything that had happened to
him during the previous night before he ended up in that strange
ballroom. For now, they both agreed that they would first have a
talk with Aline’s friends about what they could remember regarding
her birthday party and last night.
    The two of them didn't speak much during the
bus ride to school. They sat near the back and she just leaned
against him while he put his arms around her. The other kids gave
them curious looks when they recognized Aline, and she knew that
the news would be all over the school before lunchtime that she and
the new guy, Trevor whatshisname, were playing kissy face on the
bus. But she didn’t really care. There were other things that she
had to worry about today.
    It turned out to be a really good thing that
she and her friends had homeroom together with Trevor in the
mornings. It gave her the chance to talk to everyone right away.
While the classroom filled up and she waited for her friends, she
looked around carefully to study the other kids in their seats.
Most of them had gotten invitations to her birthday party at the
Ballroom and she had seen them dancing with the people in the
Prince's castle last night. This morning, they all looked pale and
tired, a fact that only increased her anxiety levels. When Meran
walked in and she also looked exhausted, Aline became even more
anxious. Meran seemed surprised to see that Trevor was in the
usually empty seat on Aline’s right as she slumped down in her own
chair, but she didn't say anything about it and Aline just shrugged
at the questioning look she got from the other girl. So, instead,
Meran bitched about Aline’s early morning call.
    "Seriously, the sun had barely risen," she
complained. "You're not supposed to call anyone that early. It's
illegal or something." Then she yawned widely.
    "Meran," Aline said slowly, "why are you so
tired?" She wanted to hear what her friend’s answer would be.
    Meran blinked and looked surprised as if she
had just realized that very fact herself. "I'm not sure," she
confessed with a shrug. "I slept early last night. I should be
well-rested. But, yeah, I do feel bad, like I ran a marathon or
something. And my feet hurt worse now than they did yesterday."
    "They're not bleeding, are they?" Aline
asked.
    "No, no," Meran shook her head. "Just really
sore. But, hey, I just thought of something, or I remember
something, I mean. You met that cute guy named Raven at your party,
right?"
    Aline suddenly felt cold. Beside her, Trevor
tensed. "Yeah, I did," she said carefully. "What about him?"
    "He came to see me last night," Meran said.
"He's really weird. But I think he’s okay. If he'd only shut up
once in a while. He's always arguing with me about something." She
gave an embarrassed laugh and blushed. "It's kinda stupid, but I've
dreamed of dancing with him for two nights now. Really stupid, I
know. You don't have to tell me."
    Aline didn't know how to react to her
friend’s little confession. On one hand, she was scared sick that
that freak, Raven, had dared to come to Meran’s house. But, on the
other hand, she was furious at him and the Prince for playing their
twisted games with her and her friends. What did those two want
from them anyway? She