Chapter 8

 

A month passed.

Days blurred together like they always did. Every day the same classes, the same people, the same dull lessons and the same endless rehearsals after school.

If there was any difference from one week to the next it was the weather. Just a little colder every week, with an inexplicably mild day thrown in here and there for variety. Aleda now owned more sweaters than she had thought could actually exist. Ten, in fact, as of the previous weekend’s shopping trip. She was beginning to have trouble closing the drawer.

The musical was progressing nicely. Most of the actors could now remember most of their lines. Even blocking was no longer such a nightmare, with the slow addition of props and set pieces so that the actors could see what they were supposed to be doing. These were courtesy mainly of her mother, who tended to get fidgety when she had nothing to do.

The various instrumental groups Aleda had joined were… progressing. Probably. She had learned the music in the first month of school, thanks to Mom’s obsessive and inescapable coaching, and now spent the majority of the rehearsal time attempting to shut her ears.

Classes were classes. Aleda didn’t waste much time thinking about them.

At the moment, she was determinedly not thinking about Chemistry. The class had more or less devolved into a series of complicated formulas that she did or did not understand, depending on the day and how hard Mara was trying to set the lab table on fire.

Rather than think about Chemistry class, Aleda had divided her attention between the lit Bunsen burner and the flared sleeve of Mara’s shirt. As much as the girl was inclined to set fire to the table, textbook and any loose paper that came to hand, Aleda was certain that she did not intend to ignite her shirt. As a result, she was paying far more attention to the various possible trajectories of the mineral sample than to what her sleeve was doing. Every so often Aleda nudged her arm with a ruler.

“This one’s green,” Mara said. “I think it’s copper.”

Aleda scribbled ‘copper’ on her chart. Mara moved to set down the sample, and Aleda automatically held out the metal ruler between her sleeve and the flame.

“So what are you doing tonight?” Mara asked. Aleda shrugged.

“I have no idea. Homework, probably.” Nudge. “Why?”

“Nothing for Halloween?”

Aleda stared at her blankly. “Hallow—? …No, I wasn’t planning on doing anything.”

Nudge.

“Yes you are,” Mara replied blithely. “You’re coming to Val’s house tonight.”

“Tonight?” Nudge. “But it’s a Thursday.”

“Yup! And it’s also Halloween. So you’re going to come to Val’s pa—… For crap’s sake, why do you keep poking me?”

“So you don’t set yourself on fire.”

“Oh please, I’m not going to set anything on fire.”

“Of course you’re not.”

Mara huffed indignantly and went back to carefully burning the magnesium.

Aleda went back to nudging her arm with the ruler.

She thought a bit about the party Mara had mentioned. Val had actually told her about it earlier that week, and she had avoided an answer then as well. On the one hand, it sounded like it could be fun, but on the other it was a school night. Besides, she did not exactly have a ready supply of Halloween costumes that she could wear.

Well, the party wasn’t until later that night. No need to worry about it just that moment.

She absently nudged Mara’s arm away from the flame.

 

 

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Aleda stared blankly at her precalculus textbook, not really seeing the numbers.

She was troubled.

Twenty-three days.

Supposedly, that was how long Aleda had been ‘going out’ with Nathaniel Burns. It was old news to the high school’s rumor mill, which had long since moved on to more exciting topics.

For the last three weeks, Aleda had gone to class, rehearsal for the musical, orchestra and band practice… in fact just about everywhere except anywhere with Nate himself.

She did see him, of course. He made sure to talk to her for at least a few minutes before English class, and she spent almost as much time with him at rehearsal as she did with Mara and Val. They even held hands when circumstances allowed.

Mara and Val insisted that this was perfectly normal for high school.

It didn’t feel normal to Aleda.

Maybe she was still clinging to her preconceptions from Spain. It wouldn’t be impossible. Not a day had gone by since August that she didn’t feel homesick, didn’t wish she could go back to Andalusia to her family and friends. She had not spoken to any of her old friends for two months. Not since she moved. It wasn’t allowed.

Aleda glanced up at the stage. She was getting thoroughly sick of her precalculus homework. Mrs. Dodges was moving the Mayor again: a little farther to stage left this time. Nate kept tripping over the props.

A few feet away, Val growled at her homework and tossed her textbook aside.

“Precalc needs to die,” she declared. “I don’t know why I took that stupid class in the first place.” She stood and re-settled herself next to the other two girls. “Hey, Mara, what are you wearing tonight?”

“Pirate outfit. You?”

“Nuh-uh, mine is going to be a surprise. You’ll just have to wait until you get to my house. Speaking of which,” Val said, turning her attention to Aleda, “Is there any way I can get you to change your mind about coming?”

“I don’t know,” Aleda said. “We don’t really do Halloween in my family.”

“Religious or European?”

“What?”

“Is it a religious thing or a European thing?” Val asked.

“Oh, it’s not religious,” Aleda said quickly. She bit her lip and looked away. The concept was easy enough: dress up in a costume and get candy from strangers.

But knowing the basics from films and actually knowing what to do were entirely different. Besides, as far as she could tell, there was no actual ‘trick-or-treating’ involved in Val’s party. She was also fairly certain there would be no actual guarding against evil spirits or sticking hot coals in hollow turnips.

She had told Val and Mara that her family didn’t celebrate Halloween, and that was true. In fact, most of her extended family celebrated All Souls’ Day. Complete with turnips. Aleda guessed that it was some sort of equivalent to having a mid-life crisis. A man gets to be one hundred, he starts to miss his childhood.

That excused Great-grandpa Seth anyway. She wasn’t too sure about Aunt Firi.

As far as Aleda knew, she was in her thirties.

Val was still staring at her expectantly.

“I don’t have a costume.”

“That’s okay, you can borrow some of my stuff,” Val said. “I’ve still got the fuzzy angel wings I wore last year.”

“Come on, Leda,” Mara insisted, “It’s going to be fun. And in case you forgot, Nate’s going to be there.”

Aleda winced and smiled anxiously at Mara. She knew full well that Mom would all but push her out the door if she asked to go. And she also knew where a suitable white skirt was hanging in her closet.

“Okay. I’ll come.”

Val let out a whoop of approval and shoved her arm. “That’s more like it! I’ve got wings and a halo waiting for you, just show up a little bit early wearing everything else.”

“…What time?”