Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
in, and compliments rained down on both of them. Elena's dress… her hair… her flowers. Matt was a<br />
legend in the making: another Joe Montana, a sure bet for an athletic scholarship.<br />
In the dizzying whirl that should have been life and breath to her, Elena kept searching for one dark<br />
head.<br />
Tyler Smallwood was breathing heavily on her, smelling of punch and Brut and Doublemint gum.<br />
His date was looking murderous. Elena ignored him in the hopes that he would go away.<br />
Mr. Tanner passed by with a soggy paper cup, looking as if his collar was strangling him. Sue<br />
Carson, the other senior homecoming princess, breezed up and cooed over the violet dress. Bonnie<br />
was already out on the dance floor, shimmering under the lights. But nowhere did Elena see Stefan.<br />
One more whiff of Doublemint and she was going to be sick. She nudged Matt and they escaped to<br />
the refreshment table, where Coach Lyman launched into a critique of the game. Couples and groups<br />
came up to them, spending a few minutes and then retreating to make room for the next in line. Just as<br />
if we really were royalty, thought Elena wildly. She glanced sideways to see if Matt shared her<br />
amusement, but he was looking fixedly off to his left.<br />
She followed his gaze. And there, half concealed behind a cluster of football players, was the dark<br />
head she'd been looking for. Unmistakable, even in this dim light. A thrill went through her, more of<br />
pain than anything else.<br />
"Now what?" said Matt, his jaw set. "The hog-tying?"<br />
"No. I'm going to ask him to dance, that's all. I'll wait until we've danced first, if you want."<br />
He shook his head, and she set out toward Stefan through the crowd.<br />
Piece by piece, Elena registered information about him as she approached. His black blazer was of<br />
a subtly different cut than the other boys', more elegant, and he wore a white cashmere sweater under<br />
it. He stood quite still, not fidgeting, a little apart from the groups around him. And, although she<br />
could see him only in profile, she could see he wasn't wearing his glasses.<br />
He took them off for football, of course, but she'd never seen him close up without them. It made her<br />
feel giddy and excited, as if this were a masquerade and the unmasking time had come.<br />
She focused on his shoulder, the line of his jaw, and then he was turning toward her.<br />
In that instant, Elena was aware that she was beautiful. It wasn't just the dress, or the way her hair<br />
was done. She was beautiful in herself: slender, imperial, a thing made of silk and inner fire. She saw<br />
his lips part slightly, reflexively, and then she looked up into his eyes.<br />
"Hello." Was that her own voice, so quiet and self-assured? His eyes were green. Green as oak<br />
leaves in summer. "Are you having a good time?" she said.<br />
I am now. He didn't say it, but she knew it was what he was thinking; she could see it in the way he<br />
stared at her. She had never been so sure of her power. Except that actually he didn't look as if he<br />
were having a good time; he looked stricken, in pain, as if he couldn't take one more minute of this.<br />
The band was starting up, a slow dance. He was still staring at her, drinking her in. Those green<br />
eyes darkening, going black with desire. She had the sudden feeling that he might jerk her to him and<br />
kiss her hard, without ever saying a word.<br />
"Would you like to dance?" she said softly. I'm playing with fire, with something I don't understand,<br />
she thought suddenly. And in that instant she realized that she was frightened. Her heart began to<br />
pound violently. It was as if those green eyes spoke to some part of her that was buried deep beneath<br />
the surface – and that part was screaming "danger" at her. Some instinct older than civilization was<br />
telling her to run, to flee.