Chapter 41: Thank goodness that’s over
Amara
“…And the winner of the 2015 Ms. Arcata High Pageant, and recipient of the Fallen Scholarship is…Ms. Amara Vega!”
I roll my eyes as my boyfriend cups his hands over his mouth and pretends to be a cheering crowd. Juliet, Carrick, and Haley join in and hoot and holler along with Kell. Removing the crown from my head, I lay it over my lap and blow out a strand of hair from my face. “Okay, guys, enough.”
Kell takes my hand and chuckles exuberantly. “Aww, come on, beauty queen, we’re just excited that you won.”
I smile shyly and rest my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being there,” I lay a kiss on his cheek, then turn to my friends. “Thank you all. It was really fun.”
Carrick whoops from the driver’s seat of the car and winks at me from the rearview mirror
KellPROM NIGHTI move my head to the music as I make my way to Amara’s house. My fingers pull at the bow-tie that hangs snuggly around my neck. I’m wearing a traditional black and white tux with a black bowtie─James Bond style. Or so Amara told me. I smile at the memory of the really bad things we did after I got the tux.It doesn’t take me long to get to Amara’s house. We decided to forego the traditional limo. Especially since my Barracuda is so badass. Amara loves this car. We’ve had some really hot make-out sessions in the front and back seat.Stepping out of the car, I adjust my jacket, grab Amara’s corsage, and make my way to the front steps. Mimi answers the door with a delighted grin. Mimi has warmed up a lot to me over the past few months. At first, she was very formal, but I wore her down with a few flirtatious comments and compliments on her outstanding cooking.  
AmaraThink about Juliet…Think about Juliet… I keep repeating in my head as I gaze into the mirror. At first, my vision swirls, and everything is hazy. I blink my eyes, trying to focus, but everything is too blurry. After a moment, I think I’m going to get stuck like this, but then as if someone turned a television on, my vision sharpens.I’m surprised to find myself in the school greenhouse. This time I’m not in someone’s mind. I’m definitely me. I look down for reassurance and see my beautiful prom dress and sigh in relief. Hopefully, this will stop the dreadful cold that debilitates me when I snap out of my vision.I can see all the beautiful flowers and the stars gleaming from beyond the glass ceiling and the ivy vines wrapped around the greenhouse walls. I walk around for a moment, confused. It feels so real. I can smell the scent of roses and other plants. I move closer and run my fingers over a soft ros
Chapter 44: EpilogueKell“Ready, beauty queen?” I ask Amara as I heft her heavy luggage cart towards our rental SUV. Amara, Haley, Carrick, Juliet, and I decided to take a road trip after graduation. Traeger and Jelena invited us to a cabin her parents purchased in one of the state parks located in upstate California. I could tell that Amara wanted to get away from home. Her parents are still trying to convince her to quit school and become a model. I can tell that she’s ready to snap. Unfortunately, it will be months before we start school at Cal State, so I suggested a road trip. Everyone jumped on the chance.Carrick told me the other day that he finally revealed what he was to Haley. She freaked out at first, but Amara spoke to her, and she seems fine now. Azazel made sure that Juliet’s memory of that night with Taylor was erased. According to Azazel, all she remembers is her car stalling on prom night and her falling after stumbling
Amara“Girl, this year is going to be sick! We’re seniors!” I roll my eyes as I watch my friend Juliet dance wildly around the girl’s bathroom floor. I’ve never seen her so excited. Snorting at her enthusiastic dance, I lean over the bathroom mirror, roll some lip gloss on my lips and smack my lips together. That’s when it happens. The vision.I’m in some kind of church. I know it is a church because I look at my surroundings and see the cavernous interior, with rows of wooden benches. I lie in the center of the church’s pulpit, feelING dazed and confused as I pan to the right and catch a glimpse of a beautiful stained glass window depicting Judas hung from an olive tree with thirty pieces of gold gleaming at his swaying feet. The colors are breathtaking shades of amber, gold, and greens. I look back up with a gasp, seeing a woman standing over me with a knife in her hand. I raise my hands defensively, b
Kell“Why do you tease her so much?” My brother mutters amusedly.I don’t look at Carrick as he watches the girls rush down the hallway. I refuse to admit that my eyes are glued on the perfect curve of Amara’s firm backside.Shaking my thoughts off, I turn to Carrick with a devilish smile. “It’s fun. She’s so freaking sweet. It makes me want to mess with her.”Carrick doesn’t smile, though. Instead, he quirks a brow and says. “Don’t mess with her, man. I think her dad owns the school.”Chuckling, I caress my fingers over my lips and make my way to class. “Seriously, man, her dad doesn’t own the school.”He chuckles and punches my shoulder playfully. “Yeah, but she might as well. Her family is loaded. She is so high maintenance that all of the guys in school can’t afford her.”My mind wanders back to how good she fe
AmaraI unlock my camera and adjust my lens. I love taking pictures. Someone once said that pictures steal a person’s soul. But the reality is that pictures capture a person’s soul. You can capture moments that reflect a person’s passion, sadness, or anger forever.My mother thinks that photographs are for capturing designer clothing and beautiful women with fake tans and tight bodies, but there’s so much more. I find beauty through a lens everywhere. Beauty is an older woman with the wisdom of her years gleaming in her eyes. Or an innocent child who has never seen the horrific side of the world. It’s the only time that I’ve ever felt alive, and I can’t let anyone take that away from me. Especially my greedy and shallow family.The day is chilly, but it no way compares to the chill permeating my bones. I tighten my jacket around my chest to ward off the rising coldness in my body as I make my way to the sch
KellI sigh in relief when the last bell rings. I’ve never been the type to stay still, and it drives me nuts to have to sit for so damn long. I look around as everyone rises up from their chairs and eagerly rush out the door. At that moment, Carrick meets me near the door and walks beside me until we reach our lockers. Carrick’s locker is next to mine. As he pulls the locker door open, he mutters gleefully. “Alex texted me earlier. Mikhail, Rowan, and Neveah are coming home for dinner.”I grimace at the news then turn the dial of my lock. It’s not that I don’t want to see my brothers; it’s just that I have tutoring today.“I’ll probably be late,” I answer with a blank look. “Mr. Moody wants me to take after-school tutoring.”Carrick frowns as he places his books inside the locker. “You should have told me you needed help. I would have tuto
AmaraI watch through the rearview mirror as Kell slips into his car with hope and trepidation. My heart is still running a mile a minute. I had never felt so shaken by a guy. I don’t know what it is about Kell Cross, but he drives me crazy, and for someone like me, that’s a dangerous situation.Kell Cross does not seem like the type of guy to stick around, which is why it’s better if I forget about him and focus on something else. After all, Kell just wants to rattle me. He doesn’t really have any romantic intentions toward me, other than the obvious, of course. Taking a deep breath, I turn on the radio in hopes of distracting myself from the sweet honey desire engulfing me. Regrettably, the news comes on, and my desire turns to dread.In other news, the mutilated body of Leslie Johnson was found this morning by a jogger in Solis National Park. Police believe that Ms. Johnson’s body is one of three rit