The Dead Girl's Dance

I dont make the rules, but everybody knows you dont get into the Dead Girls Dance without making an effort. Besides, youll look way cute as a teeny little Goth girl.



Michael was frowning at them both now. No, he said. Its too dangerous for you to be out at night without an escort.



Well, were fresh out of escorts. I think Claire broke Detective Hess last night. And Im not going to just sit and wait, Michael. You know that. Eve locked eyes with him, and softened as he reached across the table and took her hand. No head stuff. You promised.



I promised, he agreed. Never happen again.



Cute as you are when you worry, its a partythere are hundreds of people there. Its safe enough. Eve held his gaze steadily. Safer than Shane is, in that cage, waiting to die. Unless youre giving up on him.



Michael let go of her hand and walked away. He stiff-armed his way out of the kitchen door.



Guess not, Eve said softly. Good. Claire. We need to find out what the timeline is. Whether theyve moved it.



Ill do it, Claire said, and punched in the number from another card. It was Detective Hesss private number, the one penciled in on the back, and it rang four times before he picked up. He sounded bleary and exhausted. Sir? Its Claire. Claire Danvers. Im sorry to wake you



Not asleep, he said, and yawned. Claire, whatever youre thinking, dont. Stay home, lock the doors, and keep your head down. I mean it.



Yes, sir, she lied. I just want to knowthere was talk about moving up thethe execution?



The mayor said no, Hess said. Said he wanted due process, and called for Shanes dad to give himself up. Looks like a Mexican standoff to me: hes got Shane; Shanes dad has Monica. Nobody wants to blink.



How long?



Before sunrise. Five in the morning, Hess said. Itll all be over before dawn. For Monica, too, if Shanes dad isnt just bluffing.



Hes not bluffing, Claire said numbly. Oh God. Thats not much time.



Better than what Oliver wanted. He wanted to do it at sunset tonight. The mayor backed him off, but only to the legal deadline. There wont be any last-minute stays of execution. Hess shifted; his chair creaked. Claire, you need to prepare yourself. Theres no miracle coming; nobodys going to have a change of heart. Hes going to die. Im sorry, but thats the way it is.



She didnt have the heart to argue with him, because she knew, deep down, that he was right. Thank you, she whispered. I have to go now.



Claire. Dont try. Theyll kill you.



Good-bye, Detective.



She hung up, put the phone down on the counter, and braced herself with stiffened arms. When she looked up, Eve was watching her with bright, strange eyes.



All right, Claire said. If I have to be a zombie, Ill be a zombie.



Eve smiled. Cutest zombie ever.



Claire had never worn this much makeup in her life, not even at Halloween. You wear this every day? she asked as Eve stepped back to look at her critically, makeup sponge still in hand. It feels weird.



You get used to it. Close your eyes. Powder time.



Claire obeyed, and felt the feathery touch of the powder brush as it glided over her face. She fought back an urge to sneeze.



Okay. Now, eyes, Eve said. Hold still.



It went on like that for a while, with Claire passively sitting and Eve working whatever dark magic she was working. Claire didnt know. There was no mirror, and she was weirdly reluctant to see what was happening to her, anyway. It felt a little like she was losing herself, although that was stupid, right? How you looked wasnt you. Shed always believed that, anyway.



Eve finally stepped back, studied her, and nodded. Clothes, she said. Eve herself had put on a black corset thing, a tattered black skirt, and a necklace of skulls with matching earrings. Black lipstick. Here you go.



Claire took off her blue jeans and T-shirt with great reluctance, then sat down to put on the black hose. They had white deaths-head symbols in a line, and she couldnt figure out if they were supposed to go front or back. Where do you find this stuff? she asked.



Internet. Skulls go in the back.



After the adventure of the hose, the black leather skirtknee-length, jingling with zippers and chainsseemed almost easy. Claires legs felt cold and exposed. She hadnt been in a skirt inwhen? Not since she was twelve, probably. Shed never liked them.



The top was a black net thing, stretchy and tight, see-through with a black skull and crossbones printed on it. No way, she said. Its transparent!



You wear it over a camisole, genius, Eve said, and tossed a black silky thing to her. Claire slipped it over her head, then fought her way into the clingy embrace of the skull shirt. Watch the makeup! Eve warned. Okay, youre good. Excellent. Ready to take a look?



She wasnt, but Eve didnt seem to notice. She steered her into the bathroom, turned on the light, and put her arm around Claire. Ta da! Eve said.



Oh my God, Claire thought. I cant believe Im doing this.



She looked like Eves skinny little sister. A dead-on junior freak in training.



Well, at least shed blend in, and if anybody was looking for her, theyd never, ever recognize her. She wouldnt recognize herself. And somehow she just knew thered be pictures on the Internet later.



Claire sighed. Lets go.



Eve drove the black Cadillac onto campus and parked in the faculty lota blatant violation, but then, Eve didnt give a crap about campus tickets, either. It was the closest parking to the frat house. So close, in fact, that Claire could see the lights blazing from every window, and hear the low thudding thump of the bass rattling through the car.



Wow, Eve said. Theyve gone all out this year. Good old EEK.



There was a graveyard around the housetilting tombstones, big creepy-looking mausoleums, some decaying statues. There were also zombiesor, Claire guessed, party guestslurching around and doing their best Night of the Living Dead parody for their friends cameras.



The dull roar of the party was audible even through the cars closed windows.



Stay close, Eve said. Lets find Sam, yeah? In and out.



In and out. Claire nodded.



They got out and ran the short distance to the graveyard.



At close range, the tombstones were either foam rubber or Styrofoam, and the mausoleum was a dressed-up storage building, but it looked great. Zombie hands were reaching up out of the dirt. Nice touch, Claire thought. She came close to one, and it turned and groped her ankle. Claire screamed and jumped back into Eve, who caught her. Jesus, guys, grow up, Eve said, and crouched down to look at the ground. Where are you?



Right here! A trapdoor covered with sod lifted up, and a geeky-looking frat boy wearing a pledge board stuck his head out. Uh, sorry. Just kidding. I have to



Grope girls and look up their skirts. Yeah. Tough work, pledge. Eve stood up and brushed dirt from her knees. Carry on.



He grinned at her and thumped the trapdoor back down. His hand came up again through a hole in the ground.



Wow, Claire said. How many of them are there? In the ground?



Just the pledges, Eve said. Come on. If Sams here, hell be talking to people. He loves to talk.



If Sam could talk, and anyone could hear him, it was more than Claire could imagine. The music was pounding so loud that she felt it like physical waves through her body, and she had to fight back an urge to cover her ears. Eve had put Claires hair up in little pigtails, and she missed having it over her ears to block out the roar. I need earplugs! she yelled in Eves ear. Eve mimed a What did you say? Never mind!



The Epsilon Epsilon Kappa fraternity house was trashed. Claire suspected it was usually trashed, but this was extra specialplastic cups everywhere, drinks soaking into carpet, a chair broken in the corner, and drunks sleeping on the sofa. And this was just the foyer. Two guys stepped into their path and held out their hands in the universal gesture for Dont even think about it; they were big, muscular guys dressed in white face paint with black T-shirts that said UNDEAD SECURITY on them. Invitations? one of them yelled. Claire exchanged a look with Eve.



Ian Jameson invited me! she screamed back. Ian Jameson!



The security guys had a list. They checked it, and nodded. Upstairs! one yelled. Last door on the left!



She didnt intend to find Ian, but she nodded anyway. She and Eve pressed between the two security guyswho were maybe a little too closeand stepped over the threshold into the wildest party Claire had ever seen in her entire life.



Not that her experience was wide, but stillshe was pretty sure Paris Hilton would have classified this as wild. Despite the fact that alcohol was banned on campus, she was also pretty sure the punch that was being ladled out of gigantic coolers was alcoholic (it also had severed hands, eyeballs, and assorted plastic gross-outs floating in it, and was bloodred). A lot of the people at the party already showed the telltale signs of being wastedstumbling, laughing too loud, making wild gestures. Spilling drinks all over themselves and others, which really didnt seem to bother people because, hey, zombies! Not neat freaks. Everybody wore white makeup, or had some kind of rubbery disgusting mask (though that was mostly the guys).



The main room was kind of a dance floor, people pressed up against each other and swaying. Claire stood in the doorway,frozen with sudden dread. It looked like a room full of dead people. Worsedead, drunk, horny people.



Come on, Eve yelled impatiently, and grabbed her by the hand. She plunged into the crowd without hesitation, craning her head to look around. At least hes a redhead! Because most of those at the party were wearing black wigs, or had dyed their hair like Eves. Claires had suffered a temporary blacking from some kind of spray-on stuff Eve had assured her would wash right out. Claire tried to shield herself from unnecessary body-to-body contact, but it was pretty much useless; she was closer to a whole bunch of guys than shed ever been in her life.



A hand tried to go up her skirt as she pressed through the crowd. She yelped and jumped, moving faster. Somebody else swatted her on the ass.



Faster! she yelled at Eve, who had slowed down to get her bearings. God, I cant breathe in here!



This way!