The month passed quickly, and before I knew it, the weekend of the Prom had arrived.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. In fact, I ended up spending half of that Saturday morning hiding in my bed. It took Aunt Gabrielle to pull me out when she got to the house at eleven. My dad didn't seem to have to heart to do it himself.
But, of course, Gabrielle also knew me too well when it came to things like this. I'd hide there all day if I had the chance, and she'd already made the plans for me to get ready.
I'd heard her tell Michael that she had really wanted to do this with me as soon as she heard that I was going to the Prom. Gabrielle never had any children of her own, so she had always delighted in spoiling me and Raziel. As far as she was concerned, my Prom would be like her own daughter's.
I will say that anyone who says that Prom isn't work for a girl is a liar. I definitely felt that after spending all of that time getting ready. Thankfully, I'd gotten my dress two weeks before. That was probably the easiest part of all of it.
I really liked my dress as I stood in front of the mirror and looked at it. It was long and pink, with black ties all around it. The best part of this dress was that I had designed it myself. I'd always liked sketching dress designs, and Michael had offered to let me have one made for this occasion. It turned out just as I'd pictured it.
I smiled as I took in my reflection. I was finally getting used to the contacts I was wearing too, and that felt like a plus in my favor when I looked at myself.
Gabrielle sat on my desk chair near me, "Looks like it turned out to be a perfect fit." she commented, a proud smile on her face. I swear it had been there all day.
"I'm glad. I was worried that I might gain weight or something before today." I confessed.
Gabrielle laughed at me, "I doubt you'd gain that much weight in two weeks dear."
I laughed too. I was in a really good mood now. I'd even managed to somehow not think about Zane at all that day. Never thought that one would happen.
"So you really think I look okay?" I asked her as I studied myself in the mirror.
"You look perfect." Gabrielle assured me. She got up and stepped behind me, pulling my hair back over my shoulders, "Though I still think you should've had them pull your hair back."
"I don't like it pulled back. I look weird." I complained.
"You're your father's daughter. You both are way too stubborn at times." Gabrielle chided me.
She had a point. Michael and I were both as stubborn as mules most of the time when it came to what we preferred. But I had always liked my hair down and long. It really didn't look that bad to me. They'd put some flowers in it on the left side and braided the sides of my hair with pink and black ribbons to match my dress. Honestly, I knew that I couldn't complain at all about my appearance now. In fact, I'd never felt more beautiful in my entire life.
Still, it felt a little embarrassing for me to make my grand appearance. I couldn't say that things were unpleasant, but I was still a very shy person at heart; and, as always with all the Prom stuff, all eyes were on the girls.
Raziel and Anna had also stopped by there, so the two of us were the ones everyone looked at. I have to say that Anna looked absolutely stunning. I'd always thought that she was pretty before, but in her red dress and with her hair and makeup done professionally, she was practically radiant. Of course, her personality also added to that.
I had to wonder though if her father had even seen her. Raziel had said that he was angry over her going to the Prom with him. It made me a little bit sad to think that the man would shun his own daughter on such a special night just because of a petty hatred, especially when I knew that my own father was very, very proud of me.
I tried to push it to the back of my mind. Like I said, this was a special night. It wasn't a time to worry over all of the little things. It was kind of funny when I thought about it later, but I could've sworn when I came down those stairs that I saw Sean's eyes get a little bigger for a split second. It was a look I'd never seen him have before. But it was so quick that I couldn't really take it in.
Sean had a very calm nature as a rule. It was something that I'd noticed a lot in the last month since we'd really started getting to know each other. Sean had used the Prom thing as an excuse to be close to me whenever he wanted, and since Raziel couldn't really argue that one, it worked perfectly. Sean had been able to slowly integrate himself into our lives.
It was amazing how easily I was able to get along with him now too. In a way, it felt like coming home to someone, and though he was supposed to be so different from me, I found that he really wasn't. It seemed like we complemented each other perfectly.
The Prom was a big deal in our small town. I guess things like that typically are when you aren't living in tourist meccas. Most of the kids went all out, and there were a lot of limos. Our Prom was held at the small inlet in Cambridge. There was a main building that was used for the dance, though people were spilling out into various places around it.
I can't say how many compliments I ended up getting on my dress. I don't think that there was a soul there that didn't notice it. Guess that's what one gets when they want to be unique.
After staying inside for a while, Sean and I slipped out to the nearby cement deck. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone else out there, though we could hear the music clearly.
"This turned out to be a nice night." Sean commented as we sat down on the side bench and looked up at the full moon lighting the sky.
"Yeah. It's nice out here, and at least we're away from all of those people." I agreed.
I smoothed out my dress a little as I spoke. As much as it pained me to admit it, I actually felt pretty now. But that hadn't stopped me from feeling a little self-conscious around all of those other kids.
"And to think, I wasn't even planning on this six months ago. I honestly thought that I'd just be running around the woods or something like that tonight." Sean continued.
I watched him as he sat back against the bench. He seemed pretty casual now. Maybe it was time to take my chance and ask the question that had been on my mind for the last month.
"So Sean, I was wondering about something." I spoke up.
"Sure. What is it?" Sean asked, looking back over at me.
Here went nothing, "I know that this is probably a terrible thing to ask, especially now, but I have to know. Did you ask me to this because you wanted to, or were you kind of forced?"
Sean shrugged his shoulders, his expression not changing , "Actually, I was expecting that one. To be honest with you, it was kind of a half and half thing." he answered.
"Half and half?"
"Well," he went on, "I had wanted to ask you out to do something before the whole Prom thing came up, but this turned out to be the best opportunity, and considering everything that had happened before, I was wary about how much I pressed my luck. I didn't really care that much about what happened to me, but I did worry about my mother and what it may put her through. Not to mention I worried about giving you any guilt over my selfish actions."
"So, Michael did end up forcing you into it." I guessed.
"No. I approached him with it the week before we talked in the art room. I'd decided to go ahead and see what he'd say if I came clean about things. I can't say that my mother was too happy over me doing it, but at that point, I felt like I was only torturing myself with dwelling on the what ifs. So I went to Michael's office and spoke to him in private. But when I told him that I wanted to do this, he put a bit of a stipulation on me. He told me that if I wanted to do this and claimed to care so much about you, then I'd have to prove my worth in keeping my word on protecting you, and if I let anything happen to you, he'd kill me himself." he explained.
Okay, so I had to admit that what he said did sound like a threat that Michael would make, especially given what I'd gotten to see from him after Sean had attacked me before. I had the distinct feeling that if things hadn't turned out like they had, and I hadn't broken Sean, my father would've killed him with no hesitation.
"So, I guess that's why you started coming around me more too, huh?" I surmised.
"That was part of it, but also, I saw good chances there too, and I think it's been good for both of us. We've definitely gotten to know each other better." Sean told me.
I followed his gaze as he looked at the nearby building. Some of the other kids had spilled out now, and were roaming around and talking by the doors. We could hear the sounds of a slow song drifting out as well. Sean stood up and offered me a hand.
"Let's head back in now. You did promise me one dance, right?"
I smiled as I stood up and took in that happy expression, "Yes, I did. But I'm not a great dancer." I warned him.
"Don't worry about it. There's really nothing to dancing to a slow song." Sean assured me as we walked back inside.
The building was still a bit crowded, but it didn't feel too overbearing. The music may have been slower, but it was still pretty loud. Although not quite loud enough to drown out the little bit of embarrassment that I was feeling. I'd never been that good at being close to guys outside of my family, say for Zane.
But at the same time, as I was pressed closer Sean, I also felt a familiar comfort in this. I felt a bit conflicted as I realized this. Even though I'd told myself that I was going to get over Zane now, that small part of me still tried to hold on so dearly to his memory.
Still, as I looked into the emerald eyes of the boy in front of me in the shadowed light of the room, I couldn't help feeling drawn in. No, Sean wasn't like Zane, and not just because of what he was. It was something else entirely. I was sure of that much.
I snuggled against his shoulder as we danced. Even through the loud music, I could hear him speak.
"I'm a pretty foolish fox. I know I'm out of my league with all of this, yet I'm still trying so hard."
I didn't bother lifting my head, "Why would you be out of your league? We're both living creatures, right?" I replied.
I felt a slight movement from his chest. It took me a second to realize that he was chuckling.
"Yes. You're right." he agreed.
I was reluctant to let him go when the song ended. There was something that felt so right in being close to him. But I forced myself to look up at him.
"Hey, you'll keep being my friend after this, right?" I had to ask.
"Of course. I plan to stay around for however long you'll let me." Sean promised.
I looked down, the thought of what I'd done to him coming to the front and center of my mind.
"Hey, you don't think that I'm..." I started.
I was interrupted by the sound of someone calling for us. Turning my head, I followed his gaze to see Raziel and Anna coming over to us.
What timing, I thought. Raziel must have planned it.
"So this is where you went. You both disappeared on us. Were you out looking for some alone time?" Anna said.
"Very funny." I muttered, feeling myself blush. Oh the images that statement brought to my mind.
Raziel seemed to ignore all of it, instead eyeing Sean, "Hey, they're getting ready to kick us out of here soon. Are you planning on going to the after prom?" he asked him.
"Actually, I was leaving that one up to Mia." Sean replied.
I shook my head, "No, I wasn't that interested. Are you going?"
"No. We're gonna go change and take off for a while before calling it a night." Raziel answered.
"Actually, that does sound like a decent plan. I'm not one to stay in this early anyway." Sean agreed.
"This early? It's nearly midnight!" Anna declared, staring at him in shock.
Sean just smiled at her, looking very amused, "It's just in my nature. Night time tends to be my element."
I'll bet, I thought.
Raziel shook his head, "Whatever. Just make sure that Mia gets home before you start your nightly roaming. She doesn't need to be out there with you." he ordered.
"I'm not a kid Raziel!" I protested.
"I know, but you don't need to be hanging out all night with a fox either. Not to mention that your dad's gonna get worried." Raziel countered.
I frowned at him but didn't get the chance to say anything before Sean spoke again.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure that she makes it home safe, and I won't take her out there with me. It's not suitable anyway." he assured him.
He didn't seem worried at all over Raziel's attitude towards him, but then, he never really was. Raziel and Sean tended to be like oil and water most of the time. Although when one really looked at it, Raziel was the one who was usually starting all of the arguments.
Raziel gave him a hard look before taking Anna's arm in his, "Fine. Just remember Michael's warnings."
"Point taken." Sean agreed.
But as we walked back out to the limo, I stopped and turned back to Sean.
"Hey, I'm really not that tired right now." I spoke up.
"Really? Did you want to go to the after prom?" Sean asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.
I'd probably just stumped him big time, and I couldn't help thinking that his expression was almost funny.
But, be as it may, I didn't let myself laugh. Instead, I kept my resolve.
"No. I just don't feel tired yet, and you said that you like roaming around places. I want you to take me somewhere."
Sean seemed to think it over, "Take you somewhere huh? Well, I'll have to think about that one. A lot of the places I go aren't exactly what you'd be interested in." he finally said.
"Like where?" I probed.
"Well, I usually just roam around the woods, though lately I'll admit that I have been exploring a trail with ruins of an old girl's school. But it's not the best area either. I'm kind of playing Russian Roulette there most of the time. It's a bad habit I tend to have." Sean explained.
"What do you mean?"
I was a bit confused. What kind of Russian Roulette would you play out in the woods? Was there something more out there?
But Sean avoided the question by taking my arm and leading me to the limo, "Don't worry so much about it. Come on. It's getting very late, and you need to get home before your father starts to worry. I did promise him that I'd take care of you, and I don't think we need him getting angry at me again." he said as he opened the door.
I reluctantly slipped into the limo, but my mind was still on what he'd told me as we rode back to my house. Honestly, it seemed like Sean enjoyed speaking in riddles when it suited him. But this time, he'd intrigued me. An old girl's school abandoned in some woods? Playing a game like Russian Roulette there? I'd never even heard of the abandoned school thing before. Even Raziel had never mentioned it.
Things did end up going well that night. After getting back, Sean walked me to the door and stole a quick kiss before we went in to my father. No doubt he wasn't ready to be caught doing that. Michael had waited up for us and seemed happy with how it had all turned out.
But after Sean left and I said goodnight to my father, I decided that I would try to do some research on my own on my computer in my room. In all honesty, I didn't even have a clue as to where to begin with this place that Sean had mentioned, but his words were enough to spur me on.
Sean probably didn't know it, but I was not the type to let something like that go. I had to find my answers to such little bits of hidden history, and after doing quite a few searches about the history of the Eastern Shore, I finally managed to find it.
"St. Andrews." I whispered as I looked at the screen.
It had been located about ten miles south of Madison and was now sitting as ruins deep in the woods. The school had been open up until around 1909, and had served as a prestigious boarding school for girls that was run by a group of nuns. According to local legend, it was abandoned after thirteen students were brutally murdered there by a crazed nun. She'd been very abusive towards them, and ended up butchering them one dark night.
Of course, this led to legends of the place being haunted, not to mention the whispers about devil worshippers that apparently came there every now and then. Evidence had been found of them, although the worshippers never were.
I wondered if this was what Sean had meant when he'd claimed that he was playing Russian Roulette there. Maybe he was avoiding those people.
But I wasn't so sure about that. Something felt wrong about St. Andrews' ruins as I read about them and looked at the old pictures that were posted on the site. It was as though a part of me knew how dangerous this place was. Not to mention with the knowledge of those thirteen girls and their grisly demise, the chills kept going up and down my spine.
I ended up going to sleep around two a.m. still thinking about all of this. Unfortunately, the whole thing gave me a nightmare. I woke up screaming, though I honestly couldn't remember anything from the nightmare. This was all the more embarrassing when my dad heard it and came in to make sure that I was okay. I guess after Sean's attack on me, he wasn't ready to take any chances. It took a lot of convincing for him to believe that it was only a really bad nightmare.
I finally decided to mention St. Andrews to my father that morning as we sat in the kitchen. I'd been wondering how much he may have known about it, and if there was anything supernatural about the place, then more than likely, he'd know what it was.
"Hey Dad, have you ever heard of a place called St. Andrews?" I asked him as we sat at the bar and had breakfast.
"St. Andrews? Wherever did you hear about that place?" Michael asked as he looked up from his morning paper.
I played it cool, "There were some kids talking about it in one of my classes the other day, and I was wondering about it because they were claiming that it was supposed to be haunted. I thought that maybe you'd know whether that was true or not." I lied.
"I suppose it could be, given the nasty past it has. Personally, it's not a place that I've ever been to, although I do admit that I've heard about it before. But I wouldn't worry too much about it either. It's abandoned now, and pretty far from here." Michael told me.
I knew I probably wasn't going to get much more out of him with that, so I agreed.
"Okay. I was just curious, that's all." I said, allowing the subject to drop.
I do admit that the just curious thing was a huge lie, but I wasn't about to let him know how interested I was, or that I'd heard a little about it from Sean. But, as usual, Michael could see right through me.
"That said Mia, I would just leave it be. St. Andrews isn't a good place to go exploring, even with others. The ruins can be quite dangerous." he added.
How does he do that? I had to wonder.
He must have been able to read my mind, even if just a little bit. Michael had always been good at guessing what I was thinking. Sometimes I felt like he wouldn't bother because he wanted to allow me my freedom with certain things. But for the time, I just sucked it up.
"I'm not. Like I said, I was just curious about it. That's all." I assured him.
I ended up spending the rest of the morning after this conversation just lying around. But as the afternoon wore on, I began to feel restless. Raziel had been home for most of the day, trying to recover from the night before. He'd stayed up a lot later than me, and I couldn't reach Sean. It seemed like he was sleeping the day away too. So I decided that maybe I should get out for a while on my own. I had no idea of where I was heading when I got into my car. I just had to get out of that house and do something.
I went to several places, eventually ending up at the old church a few miles from town. Getting out of my car, I felt the warm spring breeze blow gently through my hair and listened to the swaying leaves in the trees. This place was always so serene; such a beautiful place to rest after death.
I walked through the archway and along the stone path weaving through the many graves, searching the stones until I found the ones for my grandparents on my dad's side. They were set near one of the old trees, and the family name Renaldi was displayed prominently. I had been there before, but I confess that I hadn't paid a lot of attention to them. I'd been too young to really grasp the concept of life and death.
However, now that I was older, I wanted to study them closer. But as I looked the names and dates on the stones, I was surprised to realize that my grandmother on the Renaldi side had died pretty young. She was only in her mid-thirties. I wondered what had happened to her.
Michael and my aunt and uncle didn't really talk a lot about their parents, although I had heard before from Raziel that our grandfather had passed away when we were eight. He had been really close to him, and he'd tell me at times that he still missed him. From what Raziel had said, he'd died of cancer.
This puzzled me now that I thought about it. Michael had told me that my great grandfather was an angel, so that meant that my grandfather should've been a Nephilim. Why didn't he change like his children and grandchildren?
But as I pondered that, I noticed that there was another small stone near my grandparents. It was under the tree and partially hidden under the freshly cut grass. I stood up and walked over to it, kneeling down to wipe the grass away and look at the name carved into it.
Noel Renaldi.
I squinted my eyes as I studied it. She had the same birth date as Gabrielle. But according to dates on the stone, she had died at only sixteen. I wondered who she was. Michael had never mentioned her before, and when I thought about it, I couldn't recall hearing Raphael or Gabrielle do so either.
But it looked like she could've been Gabrielle's twin. Yet I noticed that she was also removed somewhat from the other Renaldi graves. Even Raziel's mother Maya was buried right beside my grandparents. Why was Noel so far away?
I barely noticed the footsteps walking up the stone walkway as I pondered all of this.
"This is a surprise." I heard a familiar voice say.
I quickly stood up and turned to see Raphael standing near my grandparents' graves. Instinctively, I pushed the grass back over the stone to pretend that I'd never seen it.
"Uncle Raphael! I didn't know you were coming here." I said, though it kind of came out dumb. That's shock for you.
"I stop by occasionally to pay my respects. It's the least I could do for those I've cared about." Raphael responded, looking down at the graves.
I walked over beside him, "I feel kind of bad. I can't even remember Grandpa." I confessed.
I was actually looking to make some small talk so that he wouldn't suspect anything. Somehow, I doubted that the subject of this mysterious Noel would be welcome.
"You wouldn't. You were with your mother when he passed away, and were only two years old when you last saw him." Raphael reminded me.
"And Grandma died so young. Was she sick?" I continued.
"No." Raphael answered, "At least, not sick in the sense that you're thinking. But she was very troubled, and unfortunately, she took her own life."
Now that one I didn't know anything about, "Grandma killed herself?"
"Yes. It was a long time ago, right after we found out that you and Raziel were going to be born. But you shouldn't worry too much about it. What's done is done, and there's nothing we can do to change it now. We simply have to learn to keep moving forward." Raphael reminded me.
"I see."
He did have a point. The past couldn't be changed. But hearing about my grandmother made me consider trying to call my mother again. I hated to think of something happening to her without me at least trying to reach out to her one more time.
"By the way, your father told me that you mentioned hearing about St. Andrews the other day. You haven't been thinking about looking for it, have you?" Raphael asked, looking over at me again.
I felt tiny under that dark gaze. Raphael had very dark blue eyes, which were a stark contrast to his white blonde hair and pale complexion. He was the only Renaldi with eyes that dark, and it made him pretty damn intimidating at times.
"Not really. I was just curious about why people were saying it was haunted." I confessed.
"I know you probably won't listen, but it's in your best interest not to go there if you can help it. The fox is one thing, but St. Andrews is another for what lurks there. Sean is broken. That thing will never be." Raphael warned me.
"What thing?" I dared ask.
Raphael patted my shoulder, "Let's just say that it's nothing you'd ever want around you. We'll leave it at that. For now, why don't you go on home? If you aren't back there when Michael gets back, he's going to worry." he told me.
I was beginning to understand how protective Raphael was. I would later find out that Michael had mentioned my speaking to him about St. Andrews, but he had not asked him to say anything to me about it. Raphael had taken it upon himself to find and speak to me personally about it and warn me away from this apparently very dangerous place.
I should have been grateful, but I'll admit that I was still just a stupid kid. I didn't believe him about what might be there. But I agreed anyway just to get him off of my back.
Still, walking back to my car, I couldn't help looking up at the leaves in the trees and thinking about everything I'd seen and heard in the last few hours. St. Andrews, my grandmother's suicide, and that strange grave of a Renaldi that no one spoke about. Who had Noel Renaldi been? And how had she died?
I had to wonder about that one. There had to be something much more to that story; something that none of my family wanted to talk about.
I glanced back at the graveyard as I opened my car door. As I did, I saw Raphael step over to the tree. He then knelt down and brushed the grass away from the lonely stone.
I quickly got into my car before he noticed me watching. However, turning on the car, I didn't miss him reaching into his pocket and placing something on the grave, something I could see clearly, even from the distance.
It was a single white rose.