New Boys Can't Date The Snow Queen, Part 3
That librarian didn’t like me. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me almost every single time I’d walked past him or past the library desk while he was manning it. Not that I cared, of course, but it was a little…disconcerting.
This time, he was talking to the janitor as I went by. His blue eyes narrowed, then he resumed the conversation. Thankfully, the committee meeting wasn’t in the library; a spare classroom had been set aside for us.
I wasn’t the first to arrive. The other members – Larisa, Ethan, Flora Greenfield, Tellie Donalds, Mark Jackson and Jodie Bennett – were already there, as was Miss Emmons.
As I sat down, I noticed there were eight chairs around the table. Seated in the final one was a very familiar figure.
What was Blake doing here? Surely he couldn’t…
“Speaking of boys, guess who’s joined the events committee.”
“No idea.”
“Seriously? You can’t guess?”
Larisa shrugged at me, as if to say that she’d tried to warn me, but the mischievous glint in her eye was back.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen.” Miss Emmons rubbed her hands together eagerly. “I’m sure you’re all as eager to get started as I am, so let’s start planning the best Christmas ball this college has ever seen.”
Jodie and Tellie beamed eagerly.
“Now you all know that I’m here to assist you whenever you need it, but you are in charge of organising this event. That means you get to decide who does what – calmly, no bickering – and everyone’s opinions are important. But before we begin,” Miss Emmons said, gesturing towards the newcomer, “Blake Starfyre is the newest member of the committee. I thought you could use an extra hand, and he was very happy to agree.”
Blake nodded in a friendly way, his gaze roving around the circle. As his eyes fell on me, my cheeks warmed, and I avoided his gaze.
“So, I’ll just sit down over here,” Miss Emmons announced, making her way to another chair in the corner and sat down, “while you get started.”
“Wait,” Mark said. “You’re not going to do anything here, Miss?”
“Like I said, this is your project.” She gestured towards the large whiteboard before the table. “Go.”
For about five seconds, there was nothing but awkward silence. Then Larisa cleared her throat. “OK. What do we need to do to organise the ball? Like, what things should we be taking responsibility for?”
Flora began to count on her fingers. “There’s food and drinks, decorations, promotions and sales, entertainment and security. That’s all I can think of right now, anyway.”
“I’ve had an idea.” Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “There are eight of us, right? Why don’t we split into pairs and divide the responsibilities? Then we meet up same time next week and share our ideas; if we don’t like any of them or if they aren’t good ideas, we can just make some changes.”
It made sense that Ethan would take charge so easily. He was the captain and star player of the football team, after all, and they were doing well under his leadership.
“I can do food and drink,” Flora said. “Larisa, you want to join me? The food you came up with for the party on the beach was delicious.”
Larisa smiled. “Sounds great.”
“I’ll do promotions and sales!” Tellie’s eyes were bright and eager. “I’m good with graphic design.”
“Can I join you on that?” asked Jodie. “We can do a social page for the ball as well!”
“Just bear in mind that whatever you come up with will have to match the theme and the decorations,” I pointed out, “so maybe just keep it simple at first.”
Tellie nodded slowly, her red ponytail bobbing as she did so. “That’s a fair point.”
“Hey, speaking of decorations, why don’t you and I team up, Claire?”
I froze at Blake’s words. I honestly couldn’t move, and I didn’t know why.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Larisa said, turning to me. “Your creative side could really come into play here.”
“I…OK, sure.” What else could I do?
“Guess that leaves Mark and me with entertainment and security,” remarked Ethan. “You OK with that, Mark?”
Mark shrugged lazily. “Fine by me. Don’t know if I’d be any good at any of the other things. Shall we meet up next week to compare ideas?”
Just like that, the meeting was at an end. As she flounced past me, Larisa winked cheekily. My mouth dropped open in shock.
She was not doing what I thought she was.
“So.” Blake stood in front of my chair, smiling down at me.
I folded my arms. “So?”
“Are you free on Wednesday, after college?”
No. “I think so.”
“That’s great. Fancy meeting up at the garden centre to discuss ideas?”
I nodded. “That sounds fine. Half-past five OK?”
“See you then.” With one final smile, he left the room.
Then it sank in. I had about one evening to come up with some sketches for potential decorations. How was I going to do it on top of everything else?
He would be expecting another progress report soon. What was I going to do?
My chest twinged uncomfortably again, and I rubbed at my breastbone.
“Claire?” Miss Emmons hadn’t left. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Everything’s fine.”
***
Dad had gone, just as he said.
With a sigh of relief, I dropped my bag on the kitchen floor and got out my assignments. I needed to get as much done as I could, but it couldn’t be slapdash. My grades still mattered.
After doing some work, I cooked and ate a supper of pasta in a tomato and bacon sauce. The wards around the house were still in place, and my bracelet would alert me if they were breached.
It was time.
I went into the living-room and headed towards the white marble statue of an angel in the centre of the mantelpiece. Its blank eyes stared at me in silent judgement.
Say nothing about this to anyone. If you do, I will blame your father, and he will be ruined. Do you understand me?
I pressed down on the angel’s head, triggering the secret switch. A hidden door next to the mantelpiece swung open, revealing a dark, empty space like a yawning mouth. I walked right into it; tiny lights on the wall illuminated a winding staircase. My feet creaked softly on the wooden stairs as I climbed.
Eventually, I reached the top and pushed open the door. Immediately, more lights lit up the black room and glinted off tiny pieces of glass.
In the middle of the room stood a huge mirror with a black wooden frame. Two jagged sections of it were missing; the remainder lay scattered on the floor in front of the mirror.
It wouldn’t be long now. I slipped on my fine gloves, went over to the tiny shards of glass and got to work.