Chapter 18

A ringing phone woke Jade the next morning. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her mouth felt parched. She was dizzy from the emotional toll of the previous day. As she turned over in bed, the cool chain of the locket slid across her skin, a reminder of what she had gained—and lost. She pulled the locket back over her heart, cupping it in her hand. At least it’s something, she thought. She had photographs, stories, and little tokens to remember her parents by. Love will prevail, she repeated to herself, recalling the inscription in her father’s ring it was comforting to know her parents loved each other enough to risk everything to be together. She hoped she could summon that same strength if her time ever came.
The phone rang again, its incessant sound pulling her back to the present. Jade fumbled under her pillow and grabbed her phone, squinting at the caller ID—Aiden. Was she ready to get out of bed and face the world? No. But then again, she realized, she might never feel ready to take the next step into this new life, this new world she still hadn’t figured out. She flipped open her phone.
“Hello?” Her voice was hoarse, barely audible even to herself.
“You sound like crap,” Aiden said bluntly.
“Thanks,” She muttered, rolling her eyes. She wished he could see her reaction if only to know she was alive enough to give him grief.
“Get out of bed, get dressed, and be downstairs in ten minutes. The gang and I are on our way.”
“Good lord. Couldn’t you have given me a little more warning?” Jade asked, leaping out of bed and rushing to her closet. Ten minutes wasn’t nearly enough time to pull herself together. She needed a shower—and caffeine, lots of it.
“Ah, sorry. I forgot you’re a girl,” he said, not sounding sorry. “Lacey said I should’ve called you earlier.”
“Tell her I said thanks. See you soon.”
Jade hung up the phone and rummaged through her closet with both hands, searching for jeans and a super-comfortable, oversized sweater. If she had to venture outdoors, she still wanted to feel like she was lounging in her PJs.
Just five minutes later, she heard a car beep outside. “Of course, Aiden’s early,” she muttered under her breath. She glanced out the window while hurriedly buttoning her jeans and saw Lacey shoving Sam out of the front seat of her small convertible. With a sheepish grin, he climbed into the back with the boys. Jade smirked and decided to hurry before Sam tried reclaiming shotgun.
“Hey!” Lacey waved energetically from the driver’s seat as Jade walked outside. Jade returned the smile, feeling a little lighter already.
“So, what’s the mystery event today?” Jade asked, climbing into the car. “Aiden didn’t tell me anything over the phone.”
“Well, it was my idea,” Lacey said, fiddling with the radio while shushing the boys’ groans as Taylor Swift came on.
“Shopping?” Jade guessed, noticing the glimmer of excitement in Lacey’s eyes.
“Costume shopping!” She announced, practically giddy, as she pulled from the curb and eased onto the empty street. As the car sped up, Jade felt the wind whip through her hair, and for a brief moment, the roar of other cars as they hit the busier road drowned out the chaos in her mind. It almost felt like a normal afternoon with friends.
“Halloween is in two weeks, and we have nothing to wear! It’s a travesty!” Lacey added dramatically, though Jade could sense a trace of real panic in her voice.
“You want us to coordinate costumes again?” Jade asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not this again,” Alex groaned from the back seat, scrunching his face in exaggerated misery and knocking his glasses askew.
“Oh, please, it’ll be fun!” Lacey argued, her enthusiasm undeterred as she let go of the steering wheel to make her point. Jade quickly reached forward, grabbing the wheel before the car swerved. Lacey flashed her a sheepish smile.
Jade chuckled, shaking her head. Despite everything, it was hard not to feel a little more normal when she was with them.
“I’m with Alex. I refuse to dress up as a Ken doll you're taking that movie too far,” Sam muttered, but loud enough for Lacey to catch.
“It was only an idea...” Lacey let her voice trail off, clearly still envisioning it. Jade laughed at the mental image of the boys dressed as different Ken dolls, complete with sequined blazers.
“I’ve got it!” Aiden suddenly chimed in from the back seat. Everyone but Lacey, now concentrating on driving, turned to look at him. “Power Rangers.”
Jade groaned. “I refuse to wear a pink jumpsuit. Never happening. No way.”
“You could wear the yellow one...” Aiden suggested, his voice trailing off as if expecting a slap. But instead of hitting him, Jade rolled her eyes and turned back around. Aiden laughed but held her gaze for an extra second. Jade nodded subtly, trying to convey that this silly banter was exactly what she needed. She was starting to feel a little better. The constant bickering between them was helping to drown out the darker thoughts swirling in her head.
“I’m with Jade. No way! I can’t do Power Rangers,” Lacey announced.
“Aww,” Sam quipped from the back.
“What about the Scooby gang?” Jade offered, trying to join the debate.
“There are only four of them,” Alex pointed out.
“I know. Aiden can be Scooby-Doo!” Jade smirked.
Everyone burst into laughter except Aiden, who just shook his head, claiming he was too tall to be a dog.
They pulled up in front of the mall, and Lacey expertly slid her car into a parking spot. As they hopped out of the convertible and made their way toward the front doors, a peace treaty was agreed upon: everyone would come up with a costume theme, and after fifteen minutes of browsing, they’d vote on the best one—the end of discussion.
The mall was packed, and Jade’s body tensed as soon as they entered. The crowd pressed in from all sides, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that there were too many unknowns, many people hiding dangerous secrets. She tried to push the thoughts aside, reminding herself that today was about feeling normal, about being with her friends. But the gnawing sense of unease clung to the edges of her mind, refusing to let go.
Children laughed as they played on the jungle gym where Santa’s workshop would soon stand in just two short months. Their parents watched from the sidelines, chatting amongst themselves. Nearby, a group of preteen girls gossiped in the corner, and across from them, Jade spotted a few Goths she recognized from school. She scanned the faces, forcing herself to relax. Everyone’s harmless, she reassured herself. She had to believe that, even if her mind wanted to entertain darker possibilities.
Sunlight streamed through the skylight above, warming her skin, and for once, Jade was truly grateful for the lack of artificial lights in the mall. The warmth spread through her body, bringing a small sense of calm.
Aiden appeared beside her, casually draping an arm over her shoulder. Jade realized the rest of the group had already drifted toward the costume shop at the far end of the mall, leaving the two of them behind.
“Are you okay?” Aiden asked gently, nudging her forward. Her feet instinctively fell into step with his, and she began to shake off the lingering tension.
“Yeah,” She nodded, trying to convince herself as much as him. “What’d you tell them? No one’s mentioned my...mood.”
“Nothing much, just that you were dealing with some family stuff. Lacey wanted to call you yesterday, but I told her to give you space. Figured you didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Thanks,” she said softly, nestling into his arm further. “I still don’t know what to do. I talked to my mom, she told me everything—about my real parents. And she gave me this.” Jade pulled the locket and ring from beneath her sweater, opening it to show him the tiny photograph inside. He squeezed her shoulder in quiet comfort, and it was then that Jade realized she’d been holding her breath, trying to keep the pain at bay.
“Come on,” Aiden said, picking up the pace. “No more sad thoughts. It’s time to let Lacey turn you into her very own life-sized Barbie doll.” He grinned, his cheerfulness making Jade groan as she reluctantly followed him into the Halloween shop.
They stepped inside greeted by life-sized animated skeletons and ghouls, their glowing electric eyes staring eerily ahead. The ceiling was thick with fake cobwebs, and gruesome severed hands and heads lined the floor. Before Jade could take another step, a mechanical spider dropped from the ceiling, landing on her head. She let out an involuntary yelp, realizing too late it was fake.
A five-year-old boy giggled from the other side of the store, and Jade shot him a look. Annoying little kid, she thought, shaking her head as she scanned the aisles for her friends, only to realize they had all mysteriously vanished.
“Jade!” Lacey waved her over to the back wall, which was lined with costumes and, thankfully, lacked the gory decor from the entrance. On her way to the women’s section, she spotted the boys huddled in a corner, each holding different swords and whispering in hushed tones. Whatever they were plotting, Jade didn’t like the looks of it.
“Which one?” Lacey asked, holding up two costumes—a pirate and a princess. Both were short, revealing outfits that left very little to the imagination.
“Um...” Jade hesitated, not sure how to answer. She wouldn’t be caught dead wearing either of those in public.
“Okay, okay,” Aiden chimed in, appearing behind them. “The boys have made their decision, superheroes, supervillains, or pirates. Girls, your call.” Jade noticed the toy saber Aiden had looped through his belt, making him look more like an excited little kid than ever.
“Ooh!” Lacey squealed, her eyes lighting up as she ran off without a word. Jade exchanged a look with Aiden, who raised an eyebrow. She shrugged in response. Moments later, Sam and Alex sauntered over, both out of breath.
“Swordfight,” Sam puffed, looking victorious.
“It was awesome! We need to be pirates,” Alex added, while Aiden looked crushed that he’d missed out on something exciting.
But before Aiden could lament further, Lacey rushed back, shoving something vaguely black and shiny into Jade’s hands. “Put it on!” she squealed, disappearing into a nearby dressing room before Jade could protest.
Jade sighed, already having a good idea of what the “costume” was. She reluctantly followed Lacey’s lead and entered the dressing room, unfolding the outfit in front of the mirror, a Catwoman suit... Of course.
With a sigh, Jade stripped off her clothes, knowing she’d have to appease Lacey somehow. She squeezed into the skintight suit, the faux leather clinging to her body in a way she’d never experienced before.
When she finally looked at her reflection, Jade had to admit—she looked good. She had never worn anything like this, but the black leather and the whip in her hand made her feel powerful, sexy even. She slipped the mask over her eyes and smiled. She barely recognized herself, but she liked it. The faux cat scratching up her leg added to the sultry look, and she pushed aside the fleeting thought of what Benjamin might think. She couldn’t let herself go there.
“Jade, come on! I bet you look amazing,” Lacey called from outside.
She peeked around the curtain and saw Lacey a few feet away, dressed in a Poison Ivy costume. The boys looked appreciative, still bickering over who got to be Batman if they stuck with the theme. Taking a deep breath, Jade slid the curtain open, and the boys’ jaws dropped, their argument halting mid-sentence.
Jade smiled. It felt good to surprise them.
“Wow,” Alex muttered, scrambling to fix his glasses, which had shifted during the argument. The other boys remained slack-jawed, still taking in the sight.
“Perfect!” Lacey beamed, clapping her hands together. “These costumes are amazing. We’re going to look incredible at the party.”
“Party?” Jade’s heart sank. It was one thing to wear this costume in front of her friends, but a whole other thing to wear in front of the entire school.
“Yes, the party. The Halloween party? I thought you knew about the school dance. I’ve only mentioned it a hundred times,” Lacey replied, clearly not sensing Jade’s panic.
Jade forced a smile, but inside, her anxiety spiked. Dressing up as Catwoman at school, in front of everyone would be a much bigger deal than she’d expected.
Oh, that party, Jade thought, quickly trying to recover. “Right, right,” she murmured, forcing a smile. She could never let Lacey know she didn’t pay attention to half the things she said during lunch. The girl spoke at a hundred miles an hour.
“You do like the costume, right?” Lacey’s hopeful eyes glinted with excitement Jade couldn’t help but notice the boys’ eager faces. She sighed.
“Yeah, I love it.”
“Excellent!” Jade practically skipped back into her dressing room, clearly satisfied.
Jade pushed aside the curtain, stepping back into her room. But before she could even let out a breath, a hand clamped over her mouth, and Benjamin pinned her against the mirror, holding her so tightly she couldn’t move. His free hand swiftly pulled the curtain shut behind him.
Jade’s body reacted, heat rushing to her skin. She wasn’t sure if it was his proximity or her powers, but her cheeks flushed, and a wave of fear crept into her chest. Her pulse quickened as she stared into his familiar eyes, searching for an answer.