"Silena! Over here!"

My best friend, Amelie Weber was waving me over.

"Hey Mellie, what's-" I didn't have the chance to finish my greeting, because she frantically hissed under her breath, "You have to walk down the graduation hall with Nathan. Belismo."

"Well, I knew that already. Our last names are alphabetically next to each other." I replied, unaffected.

"Yeah, but look at him!" Mellie said. "He's so...weird!"

We both turned and looked at him. Nathan Belismo was the new kid at our school this year. From day one he was immediately classed as 'social
suicide'. He walked awkwardly, with an almost clip-clopping motion, and he had terrible acne. During lunch, his food was all vegan, and he had always looked at his sodapop can hungrily. Even now, Nathan was looking at an aluminum can with an expression on his face that screamed "I want to eat that soda can really badly."

"Whatever, Mel. Let it go. Are you still coming to my house for the after-grad party?"

This was my graduation from elementary school. My dad had thought it was a big deal, so he was throwing me a chocolate themed graduation party.

"Of course I'm still coming!" She said, offended that I had ever doubted in the first place.

"Everybody, line up with your walking partner!" Ms. Pearson said.

"Bye" I whispered to Mellie, then we parted ways as I made my way up to the front of the line, and she walked down to the back of the line.

Nathan smiled when he saw me, and looked a little scared.

"Hi Silena," he said shyly.

"Hey Nathan, how's it going?" I asked, not unkindly.

"So, there's this place that I go in the summer, and do you want to go with me?" he asked, in a rush.

"What place?" I asked back, just to be polite. I probably wasn't going to go. Mellie and I had already planned what we were going to do this summer. We were going to go to equestrian camp together, since both of us loved riding horses.

"It's a camp, on Long Island. In New York."

Now I was interested. My eyes grew wide as I stated, "You mean New York as in the fashion center of the United States?"

Mrs. Pearson chose that exact moment to blow her shrill whistle. "Quiet down!" she thundered. "We are going to start walking now." My classmates in front of me began walking, and Nathan and I followed.

After an hour or so, everyone had received their diplomas and they were just scattered about and socializing. My father was talking to Anna and George, Mellie's parents, and I was talking to Mellie, herself.

"So Nathan invited me to this camp during the summer." I told her.

"Ew, that is so pathetic. He just likes you, like every other guy in this school." Mellie replied.

I hit her gently on the arm. "That is so not true!"

"Oh my god, Silena! Look who's walking over here," Mellie's voice dropped in excitement.

When I turned to see who it was, a tingle ran down my spin. It was Gabriel, only the hottest guy of our year, and the guy I had a crush on. I spun around to Mellie, and asked, "Mel! Do I look okay?"

"Relax," she replied, "you look fine."

I felt a finger tap my shoulder. I twirled around prettily and smiled.

"Oh, hey Gabe," I greeted, pretending to be surprised, "how are you?"

"I'm fine. What time does your party start again?" he questioned.

"6:30. Don't forget that it's semi-formal!" I stated.

"Wouldn't miss it, Silena." he replied.

Just then, my father walked up. "Ready to go girls?"

We nodded, and I waved goodbye to Gabe. Mellie said goodbye to her mom and dad.

"The maids should have already set up the party area, and I made the chocolates yesterday. Everything should be ready, darling." My father informed me during the car ride back home.

"Thank you daddy." I smiled at him.

When we reached our destination, I grabbed Mellie's hand and led her into my bedroom.

"What should I wear?" I asked her. "Gabriel Demikov is going to be there! It has to be amazing."

"I know!" she squealed. "He's so hot!"

Mel shed her graduation gown and put on her dress that she had brought to my house a couple of days ago. Her dress was a pale ice blue that complimented her eyes and offset her light blonde hair perfectly. The dress had glittered decorations in gold, and the straps of it were of the same threaded gold color. It fell to her knees, and ended on a slant.

"My god, Mel! You should take an ugly pill or something. You're so gorgeous!" I complimented.

"Lena, you should wear the coral pink dress that you have." she said. "And pair it with your silver bow flats and your white gold coated Tiffany necklace. It's simple elegance!"

In a flash, I put on what she told me. The coral of the dress and the simplicity of the design worked well with the silver accessories.

"Your a genius Mel. Let me do your hair in return, so I don't owe you one."

She grinned and sat down on the bed. I grabbed my hair curler from my bathroom, along with a couple of blue and gold bobby pins and a hand mirror. I brushed through her hair, curled it slightly, then pulled back the two sides with the pins. Mellie studied herself in the mirror and grinned.

"It looks amazing Lenny." she said, still turning her head back and forth, admiring her hair.

"Hold up the mirror for me," I asked her.

Mellie complied.

I twisted my hair back with a couple of complicated motions, and clipped it together with black bobby pins. Reaching over, I grabbed a silvery white flower that my father gave me before we left for graduation, and threaded it into the up-do.

"What's the name of that flower?" Mellie wondered out loud.

"I think it's called moon lace. My dad gave it to me."

Mellie put down the mirror. Just then, the doorbell rang. Looking at each other excitedly, we knew what the other was thinking. The first person had arrived!

Quickly, we made our way downstairs.

"Hey Ava!" I said. "Your the first person to come-"

I was cut off by the doorbell. Soon, almost everybody was here. Laughter and conversation filled the room, and our guests were happily dipping fruit into the chocolate fountains, taste testing different truffles and candies, making their own chocolate lollipops, and doing other chocolate related activities. I smiled to myself. This party was a success.

"Hey again." A familiar voice said from behind me as warm hands covered my eyes.

"Hey yourself." I replied back.

"Guess who I am?" the voice asked.

"Gabe." I said immediately.

"Aw, how'd you know?" he asked.

"Who else would it be?" I quipped.

"Come on," he said mysteriously. "I have something to show you."

Gabe covered my eyes again, and led me somewhere.

"Where are you bringing me? It's my house, you know." I giggled out.

My laughter, however, was cut short as I heard a rumbling growl. Something sharp, like claws, started pressing into my head where human hands and finger nails used to be. Gabe's, no not Gabe, something else's hands were squeezing my head, tighter and tighter, and those claws pressed harder and harder until I thought they were going to draw blood. I reacted with the typical eleven-year-old reaction.

I screamed bloody murder.

I heard a door crash open and my father's voice gasping, "Silena!"

The pressure on my head wasn't decreasing, and spots appeared before my eyes. Soon, I grew limp, and gave in to peaceful darkness.