Shadow School Ch. 01

The bright light flashed in Cameron's eyes and she winced involuntarily. Great... now she'd have to do it again.

"Sorry!" her mother, practically giggling, popped her head out from behind the camera before ducking back behind it again. "Just a couple more. Promise."

"Oh, you take as many as you need Eilleen, these kids are gorgeous and I wanna get a few good ones!" Trenton's mother, Magda, was already on her third glass of wine by the time Cameron's hair and makeup stylist released her for photos. "I can't wait to send some to Emma Jean Harris, you know she'll be pea green with envy that her boy Bobby didn't win your daughter over like my Trent did. She's been plotting their wedding since she laid eyes on your Cammy." Madga stumbled a little on the cobblestone as she neared the two seniors, her son reaching out to steady his mother before she could spill the red liquid sloshing around in her glass. Magda took the support and steadied herself as if nothing had happened. "But don't you worry Cammy, you made the better choice with this boy here. Strapping lad isn't he?"

Cameron stifled a laugh as Trenton muttered "Moooommm" under his breath. Magda chucked her under the chin, tweaked her son's nose as if he was five, then went off to sit with her husband and Cameron's father where they watched the spectacle from behind a puff of cigar smoke.

Trenton offered a soft apology then squeezed her hand before straightening for another picture. The bulb snapped before she was ready. "Mother!" she whined in admonishment. Her mother tittered the same sentence she had said just moments earlier and emptied the rest of the roll on various shots of Cameron and Trenton standing in front of the fountain, the garden, and the wall of shrubbery that lined one side of their yard.

Finally finished, Cameron's father popped open a bottle of champagne and her mother arranged several glasses in a row for him to fill, passing them out to everyone. Cameron was surprised to get an amount equal to her parents since they usually only let her have a sip. Her father made a toast to the kids and the rite of passage they were about to experience. Cameron wondered at the smirk on Trenton's face before they all took a drink. Next, Trenton's father made a little toast to their family knowing each other for six years now, having met at the country club and formed an instant friendship. Alliance, Cameron thought, would have been a better word. She smiled and took another drink.

By the time the parents ushered her and Trenton to the car, Cameron felt the effects of the drink flooding through her, making her giddy. She smiled as her mother recorded the entire departure on her camera, but was glad to finally be on the way to prom.

"That was a circus." Trenton said, smiling and resting his hand on her leg as he drove. She noticed the move and glanced from the mirror, to his hand, to his face, but he was studiously driving them to the club where their father's had met.

"Yeah," was all Cameron could say as she checked her lipstick for the hundredth time.

They drove in silence, the ten minutes passing quickly with the rock songs blasting from the speaker's of Trenton's car stereo. Cameron felt excited and a little flustered at the same time. She knew what guys expected on prom night, she had overhead snippets of conversations from the girls in the school bathroom and some of the things they planned as well, but Cameron hadn't been dating Trenton for what seemed to be enough time to do... things. Oh, they had kissed, he'd even gotten to second base one night while they were watching a movie, but she had also found herself irritated by the fact that she was missing some of the film. What did that mean?

Cameron glanced over at Trenton as he pulled onto the curvy road leading to the main clubhouse where the school prom was held every year. He looked dashing in his tuxedo, a classic black number that made him look like a young James Bond. His sandy brown hair, which usually hung down to his eyebrows, was gelled back off his face, giving his eyes an even more intense look since they were no longer hidden. He was seriously cute. So why couldn't she get past the butterflies in her stomach? He was a football player for crying out loud!

As they pulled into a parking spot Cameron could see the chaos outside the entrance. Couples were arriving to photographers' flashing blubs, making it look more like a red-carpet event than a senior prom. Trenton was every bit the gentleman as he helped her from the car, escorted her down the aisle, and posed with her before stepping back so photographers could get shots of her alone in her dress. Making their way inside they checked in and got a number for the real photographer who was off in one of the side rooms taking the official photos. Good thing she wasn't camera-shy.

"Oh. My. God!" a familiar voice said from over Cameron's shoulder. Her friend Brandy came up to her, dragging her date, Kyle, along behind her. Brandy eyed her dress from head to toe with a mixture of approval and jealousy. "You got the pale blue one. Oh, Cam, it's gorgeous!" They lightly hugged as their dates nodded a greeting and started to mingle with the other new arrivals.

"My mother wouldn't splurge on the purple one I liked so I convinced her to get me this." Brandy spun, her short red skirt flying up and out like a dancer's costume, except unlike a dancer's costume, there was a hint of lace underneath that wasn't for the stage. Well, not a classy stage.

"Brandy!" Cameron giggled and glanced around embarrassed for her friend. "You're flashing the room when you do that."

"I know, right? It's so Madonna." Brandy smoothed her outfit lovingly. She turned and winked at Kyle, who was smiling down at her with a look on his face that made Cameron's cheek heat a little. Her cheeks got even redder as she noticed Trenton looking as well. To hide the blush she turned back to her friend, who met her ear with a whisper. "I brought a bag... did you?"

Bag? "What bag?" Cameron frowned.

"For after. You know. They got rooms at the Dalton." Brandy glared at some girls who passed by talking loudly then pulled Cameron toward her to whisper in her ear. "Don't tell me Trenton didn't tell you."

Cameron glanced at her date, who was now standing with three other guys, watching the scene around them with amusement as if they were viewing prized ponies being brought out for them to bet on. Some girls even noticed their staring and played the part. Ugh. Sometimes she felt like she was more mature than everyone her own age, yet she had yet to experience a lot of what most of her classmates had.

Once they were inside, the rest of the evening passed in a blur – friends surrounding Cameron at all times, multiple dances out on the dance floor, a few scandals being reported and several meltdowns by those who weren't having the best time of their lives. She was clearly a bell of the ball, having the time of her life. Trenton paid plenty of attention to her, stroking her arm as they sat chatting with other couples, or grabbing her waist in his large hands as they danced. By the time they had their pictures taken her hair had fallen slightly, but might have even improved her appearance as far as she was concerned.

Brandy didn't mention any more about the rooms and Trenton never even brought the topic up so she should have been able to ignore it. But she just couldn't. She was excited and nervous as well as a bundle of other emotions, each one fighting for prominence. The idea of a hotel room flickered in and distracted her every time she didn't having something to concentrate on.

She was so distracted that she didn't even notice the wall she bumped in to while making her way to the ladies room. Only when she took a startled step back and looked up she realized it wasn't a wall, but a young man.

"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you in the darkness." It wasn't that dark, she thought to herself, but what other excuse could she make for running straight into a person. Hi, I was distracted by thinking about having sex with my boyfriend for the first time? No, that wouldn't do. Especially when facing someone with a face so beautiful it made her gasp a second time.

"Are you okay?" The young man asked. His hand reached swiftly out to steady her and she caught a glimpse of his glove-covered hands on her arm. Gloves? At this time of year? They were black, just like his tux and his shoulder-length hair, making his skin look pale in the flashing lights of the dance floor. Someone brought a goth, she thought.

"Yes, thank you." Her mind was a little too hyped up for her to think of anything else to say so she simply gave a little curtsey and retreated to the safety of the restroom. She felt ridiculous for doing it – who curtsied these days? – but she was in this Cinderella-style ball gown and well... she didn't know what she did it but she did. The look on his face though... intrigued and yet surprised... absolutely mortified her.

Oh who cared what some goth kid thought?

When she was finished, she exited the stall to see a tall willowy girl standing at the mirror, adjusting her makeup. Their eyes met and Cameron received the second jolt of the evening as she noticed the girl's beauty. She didn't know her, but then, there were many people there at the prom who she didn't know, dates of her fellow classmates.

She looked away quickly, using her hand-washing as an excuse to ignore the girl, but not before she noticed every classic line of the girl's face, the intricate braids and curls of her hair, the flawlessness of her skin and makeup. Definitely enviable, but the girl also looked like she should be in college instead of at a high school prom. She didn't know a single guy who deserved a date with this girl while in high school. A brief thought that maybe the young woman was a prostitute flitted across her mind, but she smiled inwardly and dismissed it. She didn't think any guy would go that far... unless he was one of the unpopular kids wanting to make an impression. Hah!

The willowy blonde stiffened as she gave a last look to the mirror then flicked her eyes in Cameron's direction. Cameron dried her hands, returned the girl's gaze stare for stare, then made her way over to the wall mirror the girl was vacating. She waited for the door to close behind the blonde before looking back at the mirror to give herself a mental pick-me-up.

Cameron reapplied her lipstick which had faded to a muted mauve color after a few kisses from Trenton on the dance floor. She looked at her hair and makeup, then at herself. She had been very comfortable with herself since she was a child, even when she went through that chubby phase during puberty. Her intense green eyes had always been what drew others eyes to her, and by the time the chubbiness had transformed into soft curves over lean muscle from her tennis training, she was considered one of the prettiest girls in school.

Staring at herself now, she was proud of where she was, and how she looked this evening. Her pale blue gown was cinched so tight at her waist she looked trim and fit, and her chest not too big and not too small, was on the verge of overflowing but not quite. The bottom part of the dress was voluminous, a definite change from the slim satin dress she'd worn last year. Her hair had fallen even more, but no amount of scrunching would make the honey brown locks stay up. The curls started to cascade down her back, which she thought looked even sexier.

That thought brought her back to Trenton. And the room. Rolling her eyes at the whole situation and the fluttering in her stomach she turned and exited just as a whole group of giggly girls stumbled into the bathroom, high on life.

The darkness that greeted Cameron was darker, the light of the bathroom leaving her practically blind now that she was out on the dance floor. She had to tread carefully as she wove her way through the writhing bodies gyrating to the latest rap song. Part of her laughed a little at the thought of bumping into yet another cute boy like she did on the way to the bathroom, and the thought made her look around at the surrounding crowd to see if he was still nearby. She couldn't see him, and it didn't really matter. What did matter was that she couldn't find her date.

***

Trenton was having a great time. He was with Cameron Ellis of all people, prettiest girl in his grade, or one of them, and he was sure she was a virgin. He loved virgins. How Cameron - with her girl-next-door looks splashed with a hint of devious behavior - was single before he'd asked her out, he had no idea. Well, he knew... some stupid rule of her mother's that she couldn't date until she was eighteen – the woman was old fashioned – and Cameron had actually followed the rule. What's the fun of a rule if you can't sneak around and break it a few times? He wondered if she had... he was pretty sure that despite her giving off a slight bad-girl vibe, she was a goody-goody underneath.

Virgin. Yeah.

The moment he saw the balloons delivered to Cameron in their science class he knew that the mommy-rule had come to an end. She had turned eighteen. Just in time to ask her to prom too. He'd snapped her up before she even made it to her locker. By the time the bell rang to signal that school was over for a day, the whole school knew Trenton Avery was dating Cameron Ellis. They had a month of flirting and a few social outings before tonight, so he figured it was a perfect time to make a move. The only problem was he didn't know exactly how to introduce her to the idea of a hotel room.

Deep down, despite all his bravado, Trenton had never had to ask a girl out. Not really. They had come to him without much effort. He had the feeling Cameron would have played hard to get if it weren't for the fact that she had just been set free from her parents' law. He'd treated her as any boyfriend would – better if he had any say in it – because his father had taught him every way to a woman's heart, from opening doors to helping them out of a car, to offering an arm or hand while walking at their side. That was a way to a girl's... heart.

"Hey," Brock Middleson nudged him, offering him another drink of bourbon from a silver flask as he simultaneously pointed at girl speed-walking down a path toward the lake, "look at that."

"Is that Melanie Carver?" Trenton asked.

"Yeah, can't you tell?" Kyle said, chuckling a little, "Her cup runneth over."

The boys laughed. They had seen Melanie enter with her date – some goth-looking guy with girl-hair – and her breast were barely contained in the dress she wore. More than one head had turned as she passed. Trenton noticed, but he felt a little guilty, even if he'd never let on to the others. Melanie had grown up just down the road from him. They'd been friends when they were young, but Melanie was a devout Catholic and had looked down her nose at him when Trenton started showing a wild side. Still, they had had some great times together, and mocking her now felt like mocking his sister.

"She looks upset." Matt Davis said, grabbing the flask from Trenton. "Someone should go see if she needs a hug."

The guys laughed again. Trenton mustered a smile.

"I'll give her a hug." Brock said, shrugging out of his coat.

Trenton acted without thinking. He put a hand on Brocks chest and said "I'll go" in a voice that left no question as to which one of them would be heading toward the lake. Brock simply flashed a devilish grin and nudged Matt for the flask. Instead of taking a drink he offered it to Trenton, who took it, sipped, then handed it back. He turned and walked away to a chorus of cat-calls from his friends.

When he found Melanie she was further down the path, pacing back and forth under an evergreen tree of some kind – he never took the time to learn the names of trees. Spruce or pine or something... needles littered the ground under it and a few pine cones too... did you call them pine cones if it wasn't a pine? By the time he reached her though, all thoughts left him except for one thing... why was she crying?

"What do you want, Trent?" She said, turning her back to him and hugging herself.

"To see if you were okay. Are you? What happened?" He turned her around gently. She was pale but flushed, her cheeks rosy, her dark hair falling down on one side. He knew these girls hair-sprayed their hair as if they were going into battle so the sight instantly put him into a rage. "Did your date do this to you? That goth guy? Where is he? I'll kill'em!" He turned, to what... stalk away? Pace back and forth with her?

She stopped him before he could think that far. "Trent, no!" She quickly withdrew her hand and gasped, looking at it.

He wanted to ask her what that was all about but she went back to hugging herself. "God..." she didn't say any more, just bit her lip and rubbed her arms.

Trenton took his jacket off and threw it around her shoulders. He watched as her eyes squeezed shut and she bit her lip again. "Melanie, talk to me. What's wrong?" He felt her forehead. "You're a little warm."

She leaned into his touch. He started to pull his hand back but maybe this was what comfort she needed. Odd, but whatever.

"Seriously, Mel... tell me." He watched her as she shuttered a little. It wasn't that cold...

Then he saw them... two red jagged lines going down her neck into the shadows of his jacket collar. He gasped, drawing her closer and lifting up the jacket for a better look, only to have her put both hands on his chest, moving them up and down in a caress. The movement distracted him enough that he looked at her. A little moan escaped her lips and her eyes were still closed in a frown.

He thought she was in pain. He looked at the lines again, lifting the jacket up again for a better look, and gasped. There was nothing there. But he could have sworn... they almost looked like bite marks.

It was nighttime, he had been drinking... clearly he was seeing things. He wasn't feeling anything, except Melanie's hands.

Her hands.

Their location, and the cool breeze playing on his chest brought him back to her actions. She had his shirt unbuttoned down to his navel and had pulled his white tank to run her hands over his abs. Damn! She was getting frisky and he hadn't even noticed.

"Mel..."

She made another groaning noise in the back of her throat that he had heard many times before. Seizing her hands he removed them from his chest and held them up in the air, drawing her back so he could get a good look at her face.

"Mel... look at me." He said, trying to look into her eyes. If she would just open them...

"Oh, Gawd, Trent..." she said "God" like it was two syllables, "I feel so... so... funny."

Trenton couldn't see anything funny about the situation, but despite the strange actions coming from his former friend, he couldn't help but get turned on. He could feel himself getting harder, and had to shake himself mentally to concentrate. Especially when she leaned her head toward him and ended up resting it on his chest. He still had her arms in the air. This was a bit ridiculous.

Looking around, he debated the awkward predicament he was in. His date had gone off to the bathroom and would surely be looking for him soon, though he thought his boys wouldn't give him up if they thought he was getting freaky with Melanie. It sure looked like Melanie was up for it. He was on the way to being "up" for it... but she was obviously hallucinating or something.

Maybe that goth guy slipped her a date-rape drug or something. That made his blood boil.

"Melanie... did that guy do something to you? Make you drink something?" Her head rolled back and she finally looked at him. Her pupils were huge... dilated... and she stumbled back, the unexpected movement taking him with her, though he managed to keep them both upright until she hit the trunk of the tree. The air left her lungs and she started laughing and crying at the same time.