From the angle of the window, Mina saw a limo door open and close and knew that Brody was on his way up the stairs.
“Mom! How do I look?” Mina called out, hoping to fix any last minute curls that had come loose from their bobby pins.
“You look beautiful,” Sara came over and gave her daughter a kiss on her cheek. “Please, Mina, be careful tonight.”
“I will.” Mina knew her mother was worried. She wasn’t the only one. Tonight she was more grateful than ever that the Grimoire was so slim, as she was able to tuck it between her body and the corset, cinched tightly and in easy grasp. She had whispered and coaxed the book into an even smaller, slimmer form to fit in her bodice.
A knock came at the door and Charlie ran to open it. His mouth dropped in shock and he backed away, pulling the door open so Brody could step through. Mina froze mid-step as his tall form entered the kitchen. Brody looked deadly. He hadn’t taken any shortcuts in designing his costume, and now wore leather bracers, a leather vest, and brown pants tucked into tall leather boots. Strapped to his chest she saw belt of knives and on his back, an actual bow and arrow. Brody was literally armed to the teeth. And incredibly hot.
Brody stumbled when he caught sight of Mina in her red dress. She felt herself blushing, but he quickly composed himself, and reached for her hand so he could bring it softly to his lips.
“Are they real?” Mina asked reaching out to touch the daggers in the bandolier. She was a little disappointed when they bent easily.
“No, unfortunately not. I wouldn't be able to get real ones past security,” he chuckled.
Mina felt another familiar tingling sensation spread throughout her body, reminding her that tonight would have a storybook ending, one way or another. The Story was already at work.
When Brody and Mina were on the landing and had shut the door, he stopped her from walking down the stairs.
“Why did you stop?” Mina was holding onto Brody’s arm, her other hand gripping layers of her dress so she wouldn’t trip going down the stairs.
“I wanted a moment with you alone.”
“Is something wrong?” she asked. She worried that he knew something was coming as much as she did.
Brody reached up and caressed her face. “No, nothing’s wrong. Everything is perfect. But with the way Nan talks, this may be our only quiet moment for the rest of the night. Even if we have to suffer Jared’s presence.”
Mina was once again surprised by how often Brody seemed to read her mind. She had been nervous about being in the back of a limo alone with Brody, given their new relationship status. More than anything, she was nervous that she would somehow resort back to the awkward stage of their friendship, and not be able to remain calm, cool, and collected.
“No, that’s fine. I’m happy that you invited Nan.” Mina's shoulders slumped at the thought of facing Jared and being shunned.
“But not Jared?” Brody could read the strain in her voice.
“No, I'm glad. Really I am.”
“He was part of the deal. I knew you would want to have Nan close to you and he was just the carry-on luggage. If he makes you uncomfortable, just let me know.” Brody rubbed his finger along Mina’s jaw and leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the mouth. Mina reached up and drew him closer. He tasted of richness and warmth. Brody wrapped his arms around her and Mina felt safe and secure, until a loud horn blared from downstairs.
Mina pulled back from the kiss and grinned. “That would be Nan. Her timing is usually pretty terrible.”
Brody helped Mina down the stairs and opened the door onto the street. As soon as she popped out the door, Nan jumped down out of the driver’s seat and over to Mina. “Oh my goodness, you look beautiful. I never imagined red looking that good on you, but wow!” Nan’s own hair had been piled high and sprayed with white, with white ringlets falling down the back of her neck and around her face. She had a flowing white dress and red, red lips; she was obviously the Snow Queen.
“And wait till you see Jared,” she told her. “Is he hot, or what?”
Just then Jared stepped out of the limo and Mina clutched onto Brody’s arm. Jared hadn’t dressed as a specific character, but the costume seemed so fitting it was hard to remember what he looked like in anything else. His thin frame was the perfect complement to the white Victorian shirt with the tie-up collar and silver doublet with dark black pants. His skin glowed in the darkness, accented by his dark hair,, though that may have been a trick of the light from the neon store fronts across the street. His stormy eyes shone like molten silver.
“You clean up nice,” Mina said, trying to ease the tension in the air. “This is a good look for you.”
“Thanks,” he muttered. “You look…fantastic.”
Mina smirked. “Why Jared, that may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I cannot tell a lie,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders before helping Nan into the car. It came off as a joke, but only Mina knew the truth behind those words.
Brody led her slowly to the back of the limo, Mina walking on the balls of her feet so as not to damage her heels in the grass. He opened the door to let her slide in. Mina was so short she had a bit of trouble maneuvering up into the limo, especially with the dress. Once she was in, Nan slid in behind her and moved down toward the drink bar. “Look, sparkling cider.” She opened the cider and poured a few glasses.
Mina took the glass and sipped it cautiously, fully aware of Jared’s direct gaze. Nan handed a drink to Brody who put it in a cup holder. As they took off, Nan fiddled with the radio stations and finally found a rock station worth jamming to.
The music seemed a surreal backdrop to the scene in the limo: Nan bobbing her head to the music, Jared sitting against the black leather, brooding silently across from her, and Brody decked out in knives, his bow and arrow parked beside him, studying everyone with an intense look.
“Happy birthday MINA!” Nan yelled out and giggled. Jared’s head flipped to Mina with a look of horror on his face. She supposed she hadn’t told him that the day she’d faced one of the scariest tales would also be her birthday. Not that he’d asked. Mina broke eye contact first and nervously played with a pleat on her skirt.
Her head started to pound from the loud music and she desperately wished the limo would fly to the school, so they could already be there. The limo ride, though beautiful, was unbearably tense. She sighed in relief when the driver turned into the school parking lot and pulled up to drop them off at the entrance. Then she saw the crowd. Over two dozen students were milling around outside, and several started whistling when they saw the stretch limo, knowing only Brody Carmichael could be inside Among them, Savannah White and all her friends.
When Mina and Nan stepped out of the limo behind the two hottest boys in school, Savannah’s smile turned downright ugly. She’d come dressed in light blue, her blonde hair piled high in a bun with a tiara. She was obviously Cinderella, and Pricilla, with her green dress and stuffed frog purse, the princess from “The Princess and the Frog.”
Mina tried not to look Savannah’s way, but she could see her whispering furiously to Pri out of the corner of her eye. She felt sorry for her, for a moment, knowing Brody had once meant something to her, too. But then she heard her snicker, “Little Grimy Hood” as she passed by, and felt all sympathy drain from her mind.