Status: An idea I've had for a while now. Please give me feedback :)

If You Dare

Mama's Dress

"Shauna, is that you?! Get the fuck in here!"

I groan at the sound of Uncle Rex's yelling. He's drunk again, obviously. He always calls me Shauna... He has since his wife left him for his brother, Uncle Max. Mama's side of the family is the screwed up one, whereas Papa's entire family is pretty much unreachable.

"Uncle Rex, it's Alexandreina," I call, walking into the kitchen to get some water.

I hear his feet shuffle in and a hand wraps around my arm tightly. I wince and try to pull my arm out of his grip. He whirls me around, looking angry. "Why am I not good enough f-for you?! Tell me," he shouts. I close my eyes, knowing that an answer will just make it worse. I feel a smack on my face, just as hard as it usually is. He lets go of me and I hear him walk out of the room.

I turn and run down the hall, slamming my door. I rip of my jacket, gloves, and scarf, chucking them at the wall. I start slamming my fists into the wall over and over, cursing under my breath. I feel pain shooting through my knuckles and stop. Blood is smeared on the wall and covering my knuckles. I can feel my cheek throbbing and look at my mirror. There's a dark pink mark, but I'll be able to cover it easily for the dance. Luckily, he didn't leave any marks on my arms. I know I have to wear the dress Mama left me, and that has no sleeves.

It goes to the floor, covering most of my body. It's got a black skirt that's full and flowing. The top is a red and black corset with intricate lacework. It has no sleeves at all, so I'll be wearing gloves to my elbows..

We apparently need masks, and Mama left those too. I grab the one with the feathers shooting from each angle. About an hour later, I dress myself quickly and do my make-up. Hopefully, no one will recognize me. I shoot out of the house, avoiding any contact with Uncle Rex. I decide to borrow the car. It's not like Rex will be using it when he's drunk.

I'm at school quickly and I step inside, hoping to go unnoticed. That doesn't quite work.

I can see in the girl's face that it's Shelby. She looks at me and sneers, "Who the hell are you? Your dress is so, like, vampire princess or something. What, are you here for our blood?" I notice her dress and choke back vomit.

Its about a foot too short and neon pink. I snicker and decide to take advantage of the fact that she doesn't recognize me, covering my accent with the American one I'd been working on for a while. "Yeah, I have. Oh, and what a lovely shade of slut you're wearing," I say, walking off and finding a seat in a dark area of the room. More and more people begin to arrive.

I'm alone in the corner for quite some time before I hear footsteps. I look up to see a boy with a plain black mask and long, dark brown hair. He's not as dressed up as the other guys are, wearing only a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black slacks, and converse. He doesn't notice me at first, he just stands there, out of breath. He turns his head and sees me, jumping slightly. Then he notices that I'm alone and sits down next to me.

"Hey," he says, attempting to start a conversation.

I look down and say, "Hello," my accent somewhat heavier than it usually is.

He smiles slightly, but something isn't right about the smile... It's too sad. "Would you like to dance?" he asks, looking at me hopefully. I look around and realize that I know the song that's playing. With Arms Wide Open by Creed.

I decide that my night can't get much worse, so I nod and he takes my hand.

We walk out onto the floor and there are so many people slow dancing. I look at him and say, "I'm Alexandreina," being compelled to tell hm my name.

He gives me the sad smile again and says, "I'm Mason."

He takes me hand and places the other on my hip. A guy appears out of nowhere and pushes us closer together. I chuckle lightly and we start to dance. Mason's eyes are closed, and he looks at peace.

His hand moves from in mine to my shoulder. My uncovered shoulder. And I hear his thoughts...

This all ends tonight... he thinks.