Confrontation

                “Listen, Piper,” Ezra begins, catching my attention, “If it would make you feel better, I’ll come with you to this dance.”
                “Really?” I ask excitedly. The thought of Ezra coming to the dance with me is comforting. If I ever have to confront Emmett or if I need to be protected from the vampire, I’ll have Ezra by my side and he can protect me with his weird, supernatural powers.
                “Yeah, if you want me to.”
                “Yes, I want you to!” I say, sounding more excited than I intended to be. I hope he doesn’t find it weird that I want him to go with me to the homecoming dance, but I can’t help myself. I don’t want to go the homecoming dance and be by myself while thinking of a plan to save Hannah that could potentially kill me since Emmett doesn’t seem too friendly. Seeing someone eat a raw rat whole after having their fangs pierced through an animal definitely makes that person seem unfriendly.
                “Wow. Didn’t know you liked being around me so much, Piper,” he jokingly says.
                Although we’ve only met a few times, I actually do like being around him despite the time when he scared me half to death when he used his powers on me. I don’t know if it’s because he’s a part of the supernatural or if it’s because I have someone to talk to other than Hannah and my parents. Either way, I won’t tell him. It’s too embarrassing to admit something like that and a little weird since we haven’t known each other for long.
                “So,” he continues, “When does this dance start?”
                “Oh, yeah,” I say, slightly embarrassed that I almost forgot to give him details about the homecoming dance, “The dance starts at seven, so meet me at the bus stop at six.”
                He raises an eyebrow. “An hour earlier? What for? Do you want to be the first person there or something?”
                I roll my eyes. “Of course not. We just need to talk about what we need to do to stop Emmett.”
                He lowers his eyebrow. “You haven’t figured that out yet?”
                His question piles more stress on top of the stress that I already have. “No,” I mumble, wanting to cry. Hannah is depending on me and I’m letting her down already. I’m too stupid to come up with a plan. If only I was smart enough to make a plan that could save her then this problem would have been an easy fix.
                “Well,” he says, “I guess we should be getting ready for this dance then. Make sure you’re prepared for this, Piper.”
                “I will be,” I mutter although I’m not sure if I will be. I still don’t have a plan and I’m going to a dance where a vampire will be at. How prepared can I be for that?
                “Then see you later.”
                “Yeah,” I mumble.
                I watch him walk into the woods. The further he keeps walking, the more I wonder where he lives. Since he’s a nature spirit, does he just live outside or does he live in a house like humans do? I wonder, but then I quickly think, Piper, do you really have time to think about this stuff? I know I don’t have time to think about something so pointless. Right now I need to prepare for the homecoming dance.
                I follow the dirt trail home. When I walk into my home, I quickly walk upstairs into my room and I set the journal on the white nightstand besides my bed.
                I walk to my closet and I swing the door open. I walk into the small closet and I look at my clothes loosely hanging on their hangers, searching for a dress that my mom may have possibly hid from my middle school days. One of my dresses from middle school should still fit me since I only became a high school student this month.
                To my misfortune, there’s no dress in my closet. To make things worse, my closet is only filled with plain t-shirts, old jeans, and stained sweatshirts. I know I can’t go to homecoming in any of these clothes. I would stand out from everyone else who would be wearing extravagant clothes. I’d look like an idiot.
                I guess I should have bought a dress earlier, I think. Just then, an idea pops into my head. My mom might have a dress that I can wear. She never throws anything away, so I bet that she has at least one dress in my size.
                I quickly walk into my parent’s room and I intrude into their closet. My eyes wander from shirt to shirt until my eyes land on a black dress hanging in the back of the closet. Yes! I think in triumph.
                I take the dress off of its hanger and I hold it up to my body. I look into the long mirror that my parents have in their closet to see that the dress is far too big for me. It would probably fall off of my shoulders if I tried to put it on. Not yes, I bitterly think.
                I’m about to put the dress back when I notice more dresses in the back of the closet. I throw the dress aside and I begin to look for a dress that can fit me.
                Most of the dresses are too big or too long, but I finally find one that fits me almost perfectly. It’s a dark purple dress. It’s simple yet elegant.
                This will work, I think, glad to have finally found a dress that’s not too big for me.
                I pull off my clothes and I replace them with the dress. The dress is a bit tight on me, but otherwise it fits. The dress hugs my stomach, making my stomach produce a small bulge in the dress. The dress reaches my ankles, making my feet barely visible. I wish the dress was shorter. I’m afraid that I’ll trip on it tonight.
                I push my thoughts aside and I begin to look for shoes that are nicer than the dirtied sneakers that I usually wear. I eventually find a pair of black flats tucked away in my closet. I haven’t worn them since my last choir concert which was months ago.
                I slip on the shoes. Fortunately, the shoes still fit me. “Good, good,” I mumble, looking at the black flats that have obviously been worn more than once.
                “Now I just need a purse or something,” I think aloud. I’ll have to have my journal with me at the dance. I’m definitely not going to the dance without the journal. I might need it. I’ll need something to keep it in, so that I’m not flaunting the journal at homecoming. I don’t need someone to see what’s inside the journal and then question me about my sanity.
                I rush back into my parent’s closet to search for a purse. Finding a purse is easy. My mom turns out to have a lot of unused purses tucked away in her closet.
                I pull out a black satchel from the pile of purses. After running back into my room and stuffing the journal into the old bag, I sling the satchel’s strap around my shoulder and I look into the long mirror in my room. My chestnut brown hair messily tied into a bun and wearing this outfit would make me look simple to anyone else, but I think it makes me look outstanding. After years of having my hair loosely tied into a ponytail and wearing plain clothes, this new look makes me feel like a model.
                I check my alarm clock to see what time it is. To my dismay, six o’clock is approaching. The dance is going to start in about an hour and I still don’t have a plan that will save Hannah.
                What am I going to do? I worriedly wonder, Even with Ezra helping me, will it be enough to save her?
                I let out a sigh of misery. I absolutely have no idea what I’m going to do.
                Instead of silently agonizing over it, I decide to start walking to the bus stop where Ezra and I will discuss about what to do to stop Emmett from hurting Hannah.
                I climb down the stairs and I quickly leave my house. After locking the door behind myself, I begin to walk down the dirt trail, covering my flats with mud still wet from the rain that passed through the woods yesterday.
                I finally reach the bus stop to see that Ezra is already there. I’m surprised that he’s actually here and on time. I thought he might have decided to not partake on this dangerous adventure and ditch me.
                I look him up and down to only resist my urge to groan in embarrassment. The boy is wearing a black sweater and faded jeans with brown boots. Compared to the other boys at the dance who will probably be wearing tuxes, he looks third rate.
                He turns and he looks at me. His dark eyes widen in astonishment for a moment before they narrow at me. “Why are you scowling?”
                I hadn’t realized I was scowling. I quickly wipe away the broody expression. “No reason,” I reply, not bothering to tell him that his clothes are stupid to go to homecoming in. He might think that they’re nice and I have no reason to make him fret over it. I’ll just probably be made fun of by a few other people for going to the dance with someone who can’t properly dress himself.
                On second thought, maybe I should tell him.
                “So, have you thought of a plan yet?” he curiously asks, pulling me away from my thoughts.
                “Nope,” I reply, sounding as if I’m not too worried about the problem, but I honestly feel like I’m going to break down and cry at any moment.
                He gives me a small glare. “Okay, since you can’t find a solution to your own problem which you got yourself into, I guess I’ll have to find a way to help out your friend then,” he says with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
                His tone makes anger flare in my stomach. I already know that I can’t think of a plan by myself and that I need his help. He doesn’t have to be rude about it. “Okay, sorry,” I snappishly say, “I’ll make a plan on my own then.”
                His expression softens. “I said I’d help you. Besides, are you able to do that?”
                I think about it for a moment. I know I won’t be able to make a plan on my own any time soon. If I couldn’t think of a way to save Hannah for hours then I definitely won’t be able to do it now. I’ll need his help.
                I try to calm myself down, but a tiny part of my anger remains in me. I’m not one to let go of something easily.  “Then what do you think we should do?” I ask, hoping that he might know of a way to save my friend.
                “I think that we should follow them after the dance is over. When they’re in a place with no other people around, we’ll confront that vampire guy,” Ezra explains, using a tone that makes him sound professional.
                I thought about his plan before, but then I found too many errors that would make that plan not work. “But they’d notice us, Ezra. We’d probably be attacked,” I say, pointing out the flaw in his plan.
                “That’s where Plan B comes in,” he states, “If that does happen then I’ll resort to using my powers.”
                I don’t know if his plan will work or not, but it’s the best one we have. I know I won’t be able to think up another plan and by the looks of it, Ezra thought of this plan for a long time. He probably won’t be able to make another one either. “Alright,” I sigh, feeling defeated already, “Let’s go with that plan.”
                He gives me a thumbs up.
                Just then, the bus pulls up to the stop. The doors to the bus open. “Come on, Ezra, let’s go.”
                He looks at me as if I just said something crazy. “We’re riding in that?”
                Confusion sweeps over me. “You’re acting like you’ve never ridden in one before.”
                “I haven’t,” he says to my surprise.
                I stare at him in disbelief. How is it possible for someone to not have ridden in a bus ever? Well, I think, He is a nature spirit, so maybe that’s why.
                “Well, looks like you’re going to ride one today,” I say before climbing into the bus. He follows after me timidly.
                After paying the bus driver, we both take our seats on the bus. The bus would have been empty if it hadn’t been for the elderly couple sitting near the back.
                As the bus drives towards the town, Ezra closely examines the inside of the bus. I watch him in amusement. He looks completely fascinated by the bus. Any other person would have not cared at all. It’s strange to see someone look so captivated by something so ordinary.
                Eventually the bus comes to a halt at the bus stop in the town. “We’re getting off, Ezra,” I say as the doors to the bus open.
                “Right,” he says, moving his eyes away from the window to look at me.
                We both rise to our feet and we walk out of the bus. The doors close behind Ezra and the vehicle drives away. Ezra watches it disappear into the distance.
                When Ezra loses his attention on the bus, his eyes begin to wander around the town. He looks amazed by every building and streetlight. I find it strange that he’s examining every detail in the town. I begin to wonder if he’s ever been to this town before. “You’re acting like you never left that forest,” I comment.
                His attention remains focused on the cars passing through the streets. “I never did.”
                I stare at him in shock. I thought he would have at least left the woods once. “Seriously?”
                “Yeah,” he replies, moving his attention towards me, “I’m a nature spirit. I’m supposed to guard everything in the forest. I never thought of leaving until a while ago.”
                I understand his reasoning, but it still seems strange to me. To never leave one place is just too strange. How could he have lived like that?
                “So, this dance… Where is it?” he asks curiously.
                “I’ll show you.” I begin to walk towards my school and Ezra follows behind me. We walk to the high school in silence.
                We eventually arrive to the tall, brick building with a flag pole in front of the building that is my high school. The American Flag dances in the wind, making the high school look patriotic.
                “This is your high school?” Ezra questions, looking fascinated by the long building.
                “Yup,” I mutter, not feeling the same amazement as he does.
                I suddenly notice Hannah and Emmett walking towards the school. Hannah is wearing her gold dress that she bought today. She added a brown belt with a silver rose to the dress to make it stand out more. Her golden high heels complete her outfit perfectly. Her hair is neatly curled and her makeup is as flawless as ever.
                Emmett is wearing a nicely fitted tux with a rose brooch on his suit. His dark hair is lanky and greasy, but he still looks better than Ezra who is wearing what someone would wear any other day.
                “There they are,” I whisper to Ezra, pointing towards Hannah and Emmett.
                Ezra looks away from the school to look at Hannah and Emmett. “Is the vampire the pale guy?”
                “Yup,” I say, giving Ezra a quick nod.
                When Hannah notices me, she immediately starts waving at me frantically. She runs towards me with a huge smile on her face. Emmett quickly follows her.
                “Piper!” she cheerfully says when she reaches me, “You’re here!” Her eyes move from me to Ezra. “And you brought a date! What’s his name?”
                “I’m Ezra,” he says, looking a bit annoyed that Hannah asked me for his name instead of asking him directly.
                “Nice to meet you! I’m Hannah and this is Emmett,” she gleefully says, gesturing to the vampire, “He’s my date.”
                Emmett nervously waves at Ezra. Ezra narrows his eyes at him instead, making me want to elbow him to make him stop glaring at the other boy. We’re trying to make sure Emmett doesn’t know we’re onto him and Ezra’s already making us look suspicious.
                “Let’s go in, everyone. I heard that the punch is really good this year,” Hannah says, grinning as if she’s having the best time in her life.
                I’m glad that she’s having fun and I don’t want it to go sour because of Emmett. Maybe Ezra and I need a new plan to make sure that Hannah doesn’t find out that Emmett is a vampire under any circumstances. I thought that it would be okay for Hannah to know before. I don’t know if it was because I wanted her to know about the paranormal, so that we could talk to each other about it or because I didn’t want to make a plan that was too hard for me to handle. It doesn’t matter either way. I just have to make sure that Hannah’s good mood isn’t ruined by Emmett’s big secret being discovered.
                “That sounds good,” I say, giving her a small smile.
                The four of us walk into the high school. After buying our tickets, Hannah looks at me in surprise. “You’re paying for Ezra’s ticket? The guy’s supposed to pay for the girl’s ticket!”
                I would have made him pay for his ticket, but I don’t think he has any money. Maybe he doesn’t even know what money is. What if he found out that money is made from trees? He’d probably freak out, screaming that the trees need to be protected. I don’t need that to happen. It’s better if I pay for his ticket instead without causing trouble.
                “It’s cool. He’s going to pay me back,” I lie.
                We walk into the gym where streamers and balloons are hung on the stands. Tables of food ranging from cookies to cakes with drinks are lined up against one wall with a purple banner with Homecoming 2014 written across it in yellow paint. A DJ stand with speakers besides it is put near the stands. There’s people roaming the gym, talking to each other while popping the balloons that are taped to the stands.
                This homecoming dance is the worst I’ve ever seen. The only good thing about it from what I can tell is the food.
                “The dance is going to start soon. Let’s go get some food while we wait for it to start, Emmett,” Hannah says, giving her date a huge grin.
                “Okay,” Emmett simply says. The sound of his voice annoys me. Just the thought of that voice lying to Hannah makes me angry. He’s keeping his identity a secret from Hannah until he reveals it later when he attacks her.
                Hannah and Emmett make their way to the tables of food, leaving Ezra and me alone. When they’re out of earshot, I quickly turn to Ezra and say, “Ezra, we need a new plan.”
                “What for?” he asks grumpily, “My plan was good enough.”
                “No, we need to make sure that Hannah doesn’t find out about Emmett’s secret! It would just make her sad,” I say, making sure to not let the word “vampire” slip out of my mouth. I don’t need the people standing near me thinking I’m weird.
                He lets out a small sigh. “Listen, Piper, I know that’s what you want, but the thing is, Hannah not finding out about Emmett being a you-know-what is next to impossible. From what it looks like, they’re not going to separate soon. Her finding out is the least of our priorities.”
                I give him a small frown. I know that it might be hard to make sure that Hannah never finds out about the paranormal side to Emmett, but we have to make sure that it happens. I can’t let her know something like that. Not only would her mood be ruined, but her life might also be ruined. Knowing that your date is a vampire that only wanted to eat you is something that’s hard to get over.
                Before I can speak, Ezra suddenly says with urgency, “Piper, they’re gone.”
                With my heart racing in fear, I peel my eyes away from Ezra to look at the snack table where Hannah and Emmett should be. They’re not there.
                My eyes scan the gym, searching for a glimpse of the two of them, but I don’t find either of them. Fear washes over me. Hannah’s alone with Emmett. Her life is in jeopardy.
                “Ezra, we need to search the school,” I gravely say, quickly leaving the gym with Ezra following me, “You go right. I’ll go left.”
                Ezra nods in agreement. He begins to run down the hall until a teacher yells at him. He gives the teacher a small glare before briskly walking down the hall in search of Hannah and Emmett.
                I quickly walk down the opposite side of the hall with my eyes glancing over every person that Hannah could be. Where could she be? I restlessly wonder when I can’t find her after a few minutes of searching.
                I open my satchel and I pull my journal out of the bag. Maybe something in the journal could help me pinpoint where Hannah and Emmett could be.
                I open the journal to the section on vampires. I skim over the information that I skipped reading aloud when I found the journal today. My eyes land on a line that states, Vampires don’t like cramped spaces. They tend to like open spaces. When I read that line, I immediately think, Outside.
                I run to the nearest door that leads outside of the school. I push the door open and I run out into the cold evening air. I look around frantically to find myself behind the school in a field of green grass. Bushes with dark green leaves are lined up against the backside of the brick building.
                I look around, searching for Hannah and Emmett, only to find that they’re not here. I’m not giving up, I think, determined to find Emmett and save Hannah from him.
                I’m about to run to the front side of the building to start searching for them again when Emmett suddenly jumps in front of me from out of nowhere. I let out a yelp of surprise by his sudden appearance. I nearly had a heart attack.
                “Hello, Piper,” he snickers, pulling his lips apart into a grin to show me his set of fangs. I take a step away from. My body trembles in fear. I’m finally confronting the vampire.
                Or is the vampire confronting me?
                “What do you want from Hannah?” I ask, trying to sound angry, but my voice wobbles, showing how afraid I actually am. I silently curse myself for showing a sign of fear. I don’t need him knowing that I’m frightened of him. It probably boosted his ego.
                “You know what I wanted from her. That changed though.”
                I raise an eyebrow in confusion, wondering how he wanting to eat her changed. Did he suddenly change his decision and plan to not eat her? I hope so, but by the wicked look on his face, I’m probably wrong.
                “I noticed you,” he continues, “When I was in the alley, I saw you watching me. Don’t think I didn’t notice you, Piper.”
                I nervously gulp. I thought he hadn’t saw me then. I must not be as stealthy as I think I am.
                “So, I chose you instead, and look how easy it was to fool you here.”
                I stare at him in terror. He wasn’t planning to eat Hannah tonight. He was planning to eat me.

Reviews

[D.L. Coleman]

Though "If" is correct in the first sentence, if would be clearer. "Jokingly" in paragraph 5 is not necessary and is verbose. Your technical grasp of the language is very good. I think this is a story for middle graders, but your writing ability is excellent. I can't judge the merits of the story's plot because I've NEVER read this kind of thing. I just now that whatever you do, you 're doing it well.

[Melissa]

Thank you!! :)