The Third Annual Winter Formal

Magnolia had never had never been truly punctual. Tonight was no exception, and the girl hurriedly bee lined across campus. It had taken forever to do her hair, but she believed the outcome was more than worth it. Outside, the chilly December air bit through her thin dress but her excitement kept her from caring. The gym was nearing and she slowed her pace, hoping she had not drug her white dress through anything too nasty.

Entering the gym was like entering a winter forest. Snow fell on Maggie's bare shoulders but almost instantly melted, as if she had conjured the whole scene up in her imagination. The marble floors sparkled as the twinkling lights danced on them. Many couples danced too, the dance floor a sea of different colored dresses and swirling skirts. Unintentionally, Magnolia smoothed her white dress. The gown clung to her torso, but flowed just below her waist. The long sleeves hugged her arms but fell off her shoulders. She felt like she belong in the artificial winter wood. It had taken and hour or so, but just before she dance she had willed a crown of holly to adorn her hair, its bright red berries glistening against the waxy green leaves.

What was there to do in such a busy place though? Although she was late, she was thankful that no one had really seemed to notice her when she walked in. Maybe I should get something to drink and sit down, this is so much to take in! Maggie thought, shrugging past a few bystanders to make it to the punch bowl. There were quite a few large crystal bowls full of red punch, but the students seemed to be crowding around one in particular. There seemed to be nothing special about the punch, but Maggie made her way towards the bowl and poured herself a cup anyways. There weren't many familiar faces, but out of the corner of her eye, Maggie saw something glimmer. She looked over, and just across the table was a snowflake necklace. Something about it seemed so familiar, but the harder she thought, the less she remembered. I've seen that before. What was it about that necklace that was so familiar. She looked up and met a pair of familiar eyes. It was like a freight train wrecked in her mind, spewing memories as if they were wreckage. Evelyn, the drunk girl. For some reason, Maggie looked away almost instantly. It was as if the punch in her hand was suddenly much more interesting. Knocking the glass back, Maggie swallowed a mouthful of the sugar sweet liquid. The red nectar burned as it went down, but it was nothing like the green haired girl had ever felt before. It taste to much like Kool-Aid to throw her off though, so she took another sip and met Evelyn's eyes once more.

Something about the girl made Maggie uncomfortable, as if she shouldn't look at her. It was almost an overwhelming urge, but not impossible to resist. Ever since the night that she had basically drug Eve home, Magnolia had wanted to know her story. What agitated her into drinking so much, and why was she so shy? Coincided with these questions were ones that talking to Eve couldn't solve. Why did Maggie feel the need to talk to her, to get to know her? She hadn't met anyone this interesting at the school thus far, but she wanted to know Evelyn's story, and all about her powers. Magnolia smiled at Evelyn, her cheeks flushed from the chilly air she'd previously endured. Some unknown force willed her eyes away from the strange girls though. Maggie filled her cup with more punch, and sat down at a nearby table, all questions of Evelyn strangely dissipated. What had she just been doing? Confusion and something unfamiliar began to cloud Magnolia's mind, but she pushed the thoughts away and focused on her drink, taking another swallow.

Soda and chips. It wasn't the classiest kind of food for a formal ball, but it looked like they weren't exactly the classiest people anyways. Kayla took another swig, still glaring into the crowd with her back leaned against the table. "And do what?" She was tempted to agree with him, but what else was there to do? Kick around in the infirmary? Go skip stones back at the lake? Even if being around all this cheesiness made her nauseous, it was still better than killing time out there while everyone was in here. And, if she was being honest with herself, she was curious on who was going to win the royalty tonight. Her roommate was the frontrunner for king. Kayla gestured to the punch and popped another sugar cookie into her mouth. "There's a bowl for you to puke in," she said in between bites.

---

---

Jane couldn't help but giggle. She hadn't taken him as the corny type. "Now what are you trying to say?" she said. "I'm flattered, but I don't think watching paint dry is my idea of fun. If you ever want to take me out on a date sometime, I think I'd prefer something more exciting." Something she hadn't done a hundred times before, anyways. "Watching grass grow is a bit low on my list, but if you think you can keep me entertained, I'll be up for it."

---

---

Agh...

Evelyn wilted under the wink, a tinge of red blooming across her cheeks. Was he trying to get a rise out of her? It felt like he was trying to turn her into the butt of a joke that was way too over her head. She quaffed down another glass and turned her gaze down to her shoes, shuffling her feet. Too antsy. This whole situation was more discomfort than she'd signed up for. How did he notice her, anyways? Can't you go flirt somewhere else? The room was full of lovey-dovey dancing couples. They didn't need to use her as a pawn for their banter.

And of course, the other girl just talked right over her. Something about her, the way she talked, the way she carried herself, it made her simmer. But of course she couldn't say anything. Evelyn tapped away at the glass and fiddled with her thumbs, her eyes wandering back over the bowl, the girl, the pink-haired boy with the accent. That's when she saw her. Evelyn froze up like a deer in headlights.

Maggie.

Why here? In this huge crowd, how did they end up finding each other again?

Evelyn glanced away. Maybe she hadn't noticed her. Maybe it was just coincidence. But even still, she feel her heartbeat racing in her chest. That whole night was a haze, but she could remember all emotions well enough, a mixed cocktail that was two parts awkwardness and one part mortifying. Kill me.

No. No. No need to panic. It was alright, right? Sure, that guy had fluked into seeing her, but...

She looked up and caught her smile. Evelyn smiled back, instinctively, and looked back down again, her eyes fluttering back down to her drink.

Fuck, she thought, still smiling. She could feel her face heating up and a strange, flighty feeling in her chest, something that came awfully close to 'fight-or-flight.' It was just a dance. Some smalltalk over a punch bowl wouldn't hurt.

"Um..." The word was left hanging in the air, barely heard over the din and chatter of the Grand Hall. She glanced to the others, and then to Maggie again. Her throat felt dry. The words wouldn't come out. "H-Hi..." That was it. She washed it down with another glass of punch.

Evelyn eyed Maggie's cup out of the corner of her eye. Did she know? Should she say something?

...It probably wasn't worth it.

Myles smiled at that, sarcastic humor always got to him for some reason "Prolly make the taste better, it tastes like they put every type of bottom shelf alcohol they could find, you're pretty much drinking rubbing alcohol. I may drink but I don't drink to seem cool or whatever, I drink for a good time and what better to start a good time then with a good taste?" Myles popped another chip in his mouth and washed it down with a sip of Dr Pepper. To be brutally honest, he'd drink the rubbing alcohol concoction if he really wanted to get drunk, but due to the only real person willing to talk to his cowboy self hating drunks, he decided he'll just have a couple shots of Clear when he got back to his dorm.  " And, well I dunno, walk n talk, get ourselves into trouble. Find something, it's always better than being shunned by tha population ya know? Guess it don't matter too much t' me but I'dguess someone will be finding out about the flying vending machine when the punch starts to run out and the lightweights need some water when they start to pass out."

Barry listened as Cassandra explained what to do and thought that she looked cute when she was concentrating. He watched as she demonstrated what she was supposed to do. He nodded and smiled back at her. "I'll probably be the one who messes up, you seem to know what you're doing." he told her, laughing slightly. He attempted to replicate what she told him he was supposed to do, hoping he doesn't step on Cass' feet. 'Right foot forward, left foot to the side. Left foot back, right foot to the side.' he told himself mentally as he occasionally looked down at their feet to make sure he was doing it right. He smiled as he looked back up at his date, and couldn't stop thinking of how beautiful she looked.

OOC: Layering on all the cheesiness |D

Listening to Leo's second pun, she grumbled and was ready to shove a fist down his throat. One was fine... But two? On the same topic? She thought he was better then that. Rolling her eyes, Keirsta crossed her arms.

When the subject of Aleta turned up though, and her boyfriend started talking 100 miles a minute, it made her confused. Taking his questions one at a time, Keirsta inhaled before going to answer what she knew. But he wouldn't shut up... Finally, she just threw her hand over his mouth, shushing him before she'd go on screaming at him. At least she had the decency to do such a thing.

"Yes, Aleta's finally not being a hermit. You should not be concerned for her wellbeing, she was rather happy to go. Devin was the one who asked her to the formal, as friends, might I add. Her dress is fine, and she looks really cute. Sheevenletmedoherhair." The last part of her little speech was answered quickly, with a bit of a proud tone to it as she thought about the work she had done. Considering it's length, Keirsta had been able to accomplish a rather nice style for what she had to work with.

"But Leo... Let's just enjoy our night together, okay? I'll... go get a bit more punch."

Disappearing quickly to grab more punch, the quickly growing crowd made Keirsta bite her lip as she had to file through them all. Too many people already... I wonder about the ballot results... Seeing that her name had been on the ballot, she wasn't allowed to tally up the votes, and instead another Prefect had been given the task. Hoping silently that it was more than one Prefect doing so, Keirsta poured two more cups of Punch before going back to Leo's side.

Handing the cup to him, she gave him a polite smile as she took a sip of the stronger punch. Now that was the kick she had been waiting for, and it filled her quickly with a happy buzz. But then it hit her, and she smacked her forehead and groaned. Leo still didn't know the punch was spiked... He'd be having even more of it too... She hoped that he wouldn't black out, that'd be terrible. If he could at least last until the votes were announced...

Maggie sat at her table, enviously starring down the gentleman and girl talking to Evelyn. He proposed a toast and something inside her twisted, as if she could hurl at any moment. Of course, she wasnt actually nauseous but her stomach flipped as if she was. With a tip of her head, she downed the rest of her drink. Something about the punch gave her strength to do what she was scheming up.

The plan hadn't been completely drawn out before she began phase one. The plan was, non chalantly get more punch, but also intercept Evelyn's conversation with the other two students. Magnolia found herself feverishly standing, over come with new courage. She strutted to the bowl , in between Jonathan and Eve. On the outside, she was composed and collected, unsuspiciously pouring herself another glass of punch. On the inside, her brain was doing a victory dance as if she had just won the lottery. Her gaze was attracted to the punch, it's red swirling depths so beautifully contrasted against the stark white table cloth. Maggie was painfully aware that Evelyn was next to her, and her skin burned as if the tiny blonde girl was giving off some sort of heat."I didn't mean to um... Interrupt." The Spring girl lied, blush dancing slowly across her cheeks. Oh but she had meant to interrupt, she had wanted to interrupt this strange Jonathan character from speaking to Evelyn.

Yet poor little Maggie was still very shy, no matter what liquid courage the punch gave her.

She took another mouthful of the red drink, smiling as it burned. Alcohol was completely new to Maggie, even if she was unsuspecting of the tainted Kool-Aid. The feeling it gave her was almost as feverish as how she felt being close to Evelyn. Why did she get so nervous around the girl?

His mouth closed shut as her delicate hand covered his mouth in a attempt to keep him from speaking. It worked, although it didn't necessarily sooth his worries. As she spoke, his eyes widened uncharacteristically larger. Devin? Since when where they to- Oh. Just as friends. A thoughtful look crossed his face. What would his father do? Most likely demand to know who this boy was. No, Leo already knew him. His thoughts about how he should react were stopped by Keirsta, who was watching him with those eyes of hers.

Did he always find himself staring into them like this? Honestly, he wasn't sure. But as of then, Keirsta had his full attention. He could only nod, agreeing to focus on he and Keirsta tonight. Not fret about Devin and Aleta. No matter how much he wanted to run over to his sister and coo about her.

Resigning himself, the blond waited patently for Keirsta to return. She hadn't let him go and get the punch yet. Which made him feel a bit bad. He was the one who was supposed to be getting the drinks. Not her. Yet she went anyways. Eventually, his blue eyes lost her in the crowd. A good minute or so later, she returned with drinks in hand.

Gingerly taking the cup from her, he gave her a thanks before taking a swig. Leo flinched once again. His eyebrows scrunching up at the strong taste that the punch gave. It tasted weird. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to think of it yet. It didn't taste bad, but nor did it taste good. "Dos every punch taste like this?" The beginning of his sentence slurred a bit. Barely noticeable. Did it feel a bit foggy to anyone?

---

A laugh escaped Griffin as he led her inside. "Honestly, me either." It was a miracle he had stayed out in the cold that long without getting frostbite. Well, that was an exaggeration. But it really was cold outside. The blond led his date inside, his blue eyes widening as he took in the beautiful decoration that the school had prepared. The snowflakes were a gorgeous addition to the scenery. It honestly looked like a fairy tale. "They really went all out, didn't they?"

---

Aleta didn't know either. "Mine too. My school back at home didn't like having parties..." She trailed off as Keirsta approached the table, most likely aiming to get some punch. The girl gave her brother's girlfriend a smile and turned away once Keirsta had left with their drinks. "What do you see the others doing, maybe?" Her dark eyes scanned the room. Some were dancing, others just seemed to be chatting the night away. Didn't seem like much of a help. Besides, Aleta hadn't danced since... 4th grade for a class recital?

He had a point, but since when did she ever care about being shunned? It wasn't anything new. She could've showed up in the most glittery dress money could buy and people would still turn their nose up at her. If anything, it'd be worse to go and hide away from the crowd. Plus, 'walking n' talking' wasn't exactly her idea of fun. "Nobody will give a shit about the vending machine," she muttered. She'd caused an explosion in the infirmary at least twice now and it'd only earned her a slap on the wrist. "Most of the prefects are here dancing. Do you think any of them want to try and take me down for the Headmaster?" An arc of electricity cracked over her head like a whip as if to demonstrate her point. They might chip a nail or ruffle their suits. Kayla took another swig. Honestly, she'd like to see them try. It'd liven up her night, at least. "If you wanna leave, then feel free."

---

---

Oh. Jonathan. Right. That was a nice name. It had a ring to it. Jon. She couldn't help but feel a glimmer of gratitude that he hadn't steamrolled right over her and cut her out, even if she wasn't exactly a willing participant in this whole conversation. The tone of their flirtation changed a bit with that. Evelyn ever-so-slightly raised her punch, but let it lower back down again as Jon's glass clinked against the other girl's. One step at a time. "I... I-I'm Evelyn..." It felt wrong to answer, like the question hadn't even been directed at her, but there was still some satisfaction in letting her presence be known. For once.

This was okay, right? Maybe the alcohol was getting to her head, but she felt herself standing up a little straighter. Her eyes wandered over to wh—ohfuckshewascomingrightthisway. Evelyn pretended not to notice. No, wait, that was rude. So she glanced back over to her, a little too quickly, as Maggie slid in right between her and Jon. Punch. Right. She was just getting punch. But there was no way they could just ignore this, and pretend like they didn't know each other. They'd already noticed each other, and now they were standing right side by side, and... oh, damn it, why did she feel so antsy? Her face was heating up, her stomach was all twisted up in knots, her head was so light that she thought she was going to faint. Did she have a fever or something? She didn't remember walking in with a fever... Evelyn took a quick sip to burn the anxiety way. She was just nervous. That was it. The last time she'd seen her, she'd had twigs in her hair and her shirt had been inside out. It was normal to be nervous. Did she have to stand so close?

Evelyn couldn't bring herself to widen the distance between them, so she just stood there and stared into her drink. When she spoke, she almost jumped in her skin. "N-N-No, i-it's fine... really... You w-weren't interrupting anything, heh..." The words came tumbling out of her mouth in her rush to allay any... um, concern. "Um..." That felt like an improper greeting, didn't it? "Y-You l-l-look really r-really n-nice tonight..." Was that an awkward thing to say? Evelyn pushed the glass to her lips and took another swallow, just trying her best to play it cool. That wasn't an awkward thing to say, was it? But it wasn't like she was lying... It was a pretty dress. White was a good color on her. "I, um, like your hair." There was a holly circlet resting on her head, a fresh bright and green. Very... Christmas-y. It was cute.

She took another sip and turned her head away, mentally kicking herself.

Myles raised an eyebrow, sighing lightly after Kayla said her last remark. He pursed his lips together before trying to find the correct words to word his sentence.  After he found them he said "Well, you're the only person that's talked t' me besides at the entrance with some...Luce kid who said hi then went to take a leak, and some infared girl who got scared off or somethin'.  First of all, you are literally the only person here who seems to have wanted to talk to me, I guess for their own stupid reason people don't want to talk to someone wearing a cowboy hat and a pair a' boots. But it's just so...weird, down in Texas, I was always talked to, everyone was kinda into me.  Now that I'm in a whole new place it's like no one knows where to put me, guess cause I'm not some introvert crying an' whinin' about not havin' any friends like I'm kinda doin' right now to make a point."  He shrugged, it was true back down South he used to be the guy everyone kinda knew.  He seemed to blend with the crowd there, but always had something that made his stick out a bit more.  But now, he stuck out like a sore thumb and this wasn't the kinda sticking out he liked, but going with it was his motto so he did just that, though this was his first conversation with somebody who was actually willing to not treat him like an outcast.  Though it might be cause she was a bit of an outcast herself and as Myles said earlier, misery loves company.  So he finished the chips, downed the Dr Pepper and after swallowing his last sip he said with a smile "So long story short, if you're stayin', I am too."

It was nice to see Connor all dressed up like he was. "Thank you." Laden thanked his friend and gladly linked arms with him so they could go inside. It was pretty cold outside, so once they entered the room where the dance was being held Lady felt the temperature rise and the energy increase. It made him feel so good and he could practically feel his cheeks redden from the warmth and energy. What to do first? "Ooh, then let's do that first!" Lady decided, hoping to be able to drag Connor out to the dance floor and get him ready to dance.

Devin had never been to school. It was a bit hard with the whole horn and tail thing, so he never had a chance to go to any sort of prom or dance or anything of the sorts. He recalled his sister going to a few but she often wrote them off as being boring. Something about all the couples really just standing around and making out but...Yeah. He might of said something but his voice died in his throat as Keirsta approached the table to get a drink.

He thought about saying something about how the punch apparently tasted weird but instead he found his wings curling slightly around him as if trying to hide him. Once he caught that he was instinctively hiding behind his wings, he forced them back to being closed on his back as Keirsta left. His eyes flickered toward Aleta for a few moments before scanning the formal to get a taste of what people were doing.

Dancing, talking, drinking the punch...He wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to do. He had never danced before in his life - well not anything that counted as real dancing at any rate. Drinking the punch was out of the question so...That really only left talking. His eyes fell back onto Aleta as he nervously cleared his throat. "I think talking sounds like a fine idea," he said with a soft smile.


"So you keep saying, but I still don't believe it," Brant hummed, smiling brightly. Really, he couldn't see how Destiny could keep up this debate. It was clear she was adorable. After all, the more she denied it the more adorable she was. It was really a vicious cycle he supposed. As she took his arm, a laugh escaped him as he grinned. "Well, then I suppose we can both be 'not good' at dancing together."

Did he really want to talk to her that much? Or was he just out of options? Kayla just gave a small nod of her head, not looking at him. "If that's what you want," she mumbled, taking another sip to fill the silence. There was a crackle of electricity around her head. Being excluded wasn't anything new to her. If anything, she'd fit in more here than she ever had back in her normal life before Beata, even if that wasn't saying much. To her, she'd always found a bit of comfort in solitude. But if he wanted her company that much, then she couldn't exactly think of a reason to tell him to fuck off. At least this way she'd have someone to pass the time with tonight, even if it was some hick in a cowboy hat.

After all that rambling, it felt awkward to just leave it at that. Kayla took another swig and fumbled for another subject, eyeing the crowns on the podiums. "Who do you think'll win?"

Myles looked over at the crowns, thinking for a second before offering a shrug saying "I don't even know who we're votin' on, never really had any formals...if you couldn't tell." He'd pause a second before making the last statement, offering a small laugh, sure they had dances but the ratio of people in formal stuff to people in casual stuff was 1:7.  He was wondering what was going on in her head though, content with him? contempt? Was he inadvertently guilt tripping her or did she legitimately actually like him enough to even care what he feels?  But it didn't really matter, he was pretty good at talking to people and since she seemed indifferent rather then grudging approval, he knew he'd be fine, probably have a new friend, at least someone who didn't recognize him only as a hick in a cowboy hat.  He just hooked a thumb into his pocket, looking at the crowns again, the construct of it seemed like an okay thing to do, but he was curious as to how people who got them acted.  They never got any real power, but when you got into people's minds, Myles knew no power was too much for some people, even bragging rights.  He just looked back to Kayla, taking about twenty long too seconds bouncing the thoughts across his head, before he would say. "So, not t' pry, but what makes you so different? A different upbringin' or what? Cause it seems that half this place ain't got no manners, a lot seem to have been raised the same way that so much of this generation is, spare the rod and spoil the child.  It's quite bad in my opinion, a lot of people have zero manners, never call nobody sir or ma'am.  They also think they get fuckin' everythin' they want, never knew what it was like for daddy to roll his smokes, or to drink RC and never a real coke in your life and shit, we didn't even know we were that poor to be honest, not 'till we saw some houses a couple miles out, they had a pool, a pool.  We swam in the creek all of our life, and these guys had a hole in the ground where they poured water and said 'swim time'." He laughed lightly shaking his head "Sorry 'bout the tangent, still kinda miss the place, even if sometimes the only food we had was somethin' we shot in the backyard."

Sophia never takes off her gloves, except that one chance to try to see if she could control her gift, which always ends in failure. This time her cloves actually complimented her outfit, and didn't look like they were being randomly worn. Her dressed flowed behind her as they walked inside towards the dance floor. She smiled up at him as he took her hand, and her other hand was placed where it was meant to be place during a waltz. It was a simple wlatz, but it was fun.

When he mentioned competition she glanced over to where he had directed the attention to. Her grin only grew wider. "Nope, never afraid to be the star. I welcome the attention." She stated. Her tone sounded a bit prideful.

---

When Magic saw her, he couldn't help but think she was beautiful. He didn't care if she was a few minutes late. He was just glad that she was here finally. He was about to say something to her, when she ended up fixing his tie. Embarrassed he looked up, and away from her as his face flushed slightly red. "Sorry about that.. I'm not really used to wearing anything this nice." After the redness left, he looked back down to her. "Seems like nothing has changed, your always fixing my mess." He said softly, with a slight smile. Though he was kind of unsure if Adeline could hear his soft tone, due to the music and what not.

He shifted in his spot slightly. "Anyway.. You look beautiful. Amazing even." Though he was pretty sure she wouldn't believe him. He found his words to be true. "Anyway shall we head inside? Where it's slightly warmer?" He asked, offering his hand to her.

---

Keira was amazed by all of the decorations. It was extravagent, something she had never seen before. And the snow was amazing. How did they get it to do that? She wanted to reach up and touch it but it disappeared before it even met her hand. Slightly disappointed, she settled on the idea that the snow was a mirage or something. "It's beautiful in here." She stated, her brown eyes looking around in wonder, then she turned towards her date. "Are you still cold?" She asked. She could warm him up by using her gift if he was still cold.

---

Destiny let out another huff. "You should believe it." And how she kept the debate up was because she was the daughter of a business man, who taught her all his tricks. She knew how to be stubborn about something to get what she wants. Only slight negotiations were possible. "I'm sure being not good at dancing will be a lot of fun." She said with a slight giggle.

"Maria." She said before she drank the last sip of the spiked punch. "Jonathan. That's a nice name." The tall girl smiled. She was about to say something when another girl came over to the punch bowl. Another shy one? She looked the greenish haired girl over. "Hey, why don't we go to a table? It's getting crowded." She stated, tilting her head towards the few other couples that came over.

She grabbed Jonathan's wrist, not waiting for an answer and pulled him to an empty table. She sat down, looking at the candles that flickered in the light. "They did pretty good with the decorations, don't you think?" Maria said charmingly, playing with a strand of hair.


"Of course. I would never dream of boring you." He chuckled. The tall student looked over towards the punch bowl, seeing quite a few couples there. "Maybe we can grab a snack and chill?" His dance slowed to a stop and he started walking towards the snack table. He grabbed a plate and put a variety of food on it, not knowing what Jane would like.

When he was done, he stepped away from the crowd and motioned his head towards the tables. "Were do you want to sit?" He asked her, looking around. Maria seemed to be enjoying Jonathan's company. They look good together. He smiled. There were a few seats at their table, but he wondered if it would be awkward to sit with another couple.