Cinder dreamed of Peony, the bubbling preteen spun around the room holding her mint green dress to her chest and imagining herself at the dance.
"I can't wear this anymore, so I guess you'll have to." Peony crossed the room and handed the dress to Cinder, who glanced down at it longingly, tears swelling in her eyes.
"Peony, I can't-" Cinder stopped, her sisters pale skin was filled with dark purple bruises, swirling around her like colors on a kaleidoscope, her fingertips were shriveled and blue as she handed the dress to Cinder.
"But you have too." pushing the dress into Cinders lap, Peony stood up and walked to the door, "goodbye Cinder," opening the door, Peony put a barefoot out into the fresh New Beijing snow.

"I can't believe he's going to the dance with her, she's not even that pretty." Spitefully, Cress pointed a pudding drenched spoon at Kate Fallow, the girl her crush had chosen to take to the dance.
Cinder shrugged, "she's kind of pretty,"
Cress glared at her, "Kate Fallow is not pretty, she's just a girl with good genes."
            Cinder rolled her eyes as Iko sat down next to them, "ah, heartbreak, I've heard it all before."
            "What happened to you?" Iko's blue braids frizzy and out of place, her mascara was smeared, and the sleeve of her shirt sadly hanged to the corner of her shoulder.
            "I was caught in a mob," Iko mocked a British accent and theatrically raised her hand towards the window, "'twas, just a normal day and I, a normal girl, ventured to the locker of Kai to ask him to the dance. But it was not so, for many a love struck girl had already gathered to ask him the same question. In the end, Kaito escaped, leaving me to weep in the gallows of my shattered heart."
Cinder rolled her eyes, "someone's been studying Elizabethan theater in drama class."
If Iko heard Cinders comment, she didn't let on as she obnoxiously bowed for a fake audience.
"You guys just don't understand," Cress pouted, "Thorne isn't like Kai. He's- I don't know, I just thought." Cress got up and left.
"Poor thing," Iko watched Cress leave, and then swiveled her attention to Thorne, "he his hot, I mean not Kai hot, but I understand where she's coming from."
"She just needs to get over him." Cinder poked at her food.
"Get over him! Cress is just to shy to approach him, if he got to know her he would love her." Iko snapped, "that's it!"
"What?"
"Cress is to shy to ask Thorne out on her own, so I'll ask him out for her!"
Cinder looked up, "that sounds like a really bad idea, Cress would not appreciate being forced to go on a date with him."
"Which is why I'll ask him out as a friend," Iko stood up, Cinder could almost see the gears turning in her head, "me and you will go to dinner with her and Thorne, it will be for your birthday!"
"My birthdays in December,"
"But he doesn't know that, we can fake a birthday party for you and invite him. But last minute I'll have a family emergency and you'll need to drive me home. But we won't leave, we'll just spy on them until they fall in love and he'll ask her to the dance and it will be perfect!!!"
"One problem to your master plan, we don't even know him. You can't ask someone out, even as friends, if you're not friends."
Iko laughed as if Cinder was a cute puppy, "lucky for you, I'm naturally fabulous." Iko flipped her blue braids over her shoulder and strutted away, Cinder had no choice but to follow.

Carswell Thorne, the closer Cinder got to him the more she disliked him. In addition to the infamous Kate Fallow, he seemed to be flirting with four girls simultaneously . He had his arms around two separate girls, and was winking at countless others.
"See Cinder!" Iko started loudly talking as if they were in the middle of a conversation. Marching up to Thorne, Iko shoved one of the girls sitting next to him off her seat and sat down, "I told you the rumors were true."
Smirking, Thorne ignored the girl that Iko had pushed away and put his arm around Iko instead, "and what rumors would that be."
"Well," Iko seemed unfazed "someone told me and Cinder you more attractive than Kai. Cinder was convinced if wasn't true." Lowering her voice to a whisper, Iko leaned in, "I think she's got a thing for him." Cinder blushed as a couple of the girls at the table giggled.
"My names Carswell Thorne," he picked up Iko's hand and kissed her temple, "but you may call me captain of you like,"
"Captain," Iko looked up and pursed her lips, "sounds familiar, do we have a class together?"
"Of course," 'Captain' Thorne smirked, "don't you remember? We have chemistry."
Iko giggled and Cinder rolled her eyes, she wondered how many other girls he has used this cheesy pickup line on. "Well, in that case we can get straight to the point," pushing some surprised girls aside, Cinder pushed forward until she was standing across from Throne, "Iko, would you like to tell him why we're here?"
"Oh yeah, of course," Iko straightened her spine and pulled her hand away, "Cinder here has a birthday coming up, and I, we, would like to know if you would go to dinner with us. As friends."
"On one condition," Thorne smiled, "you promise to call me captain."
"Of course, Captain." Iko glared a Cinder who sighed,
"Captain."
Thorne's face lit up with a huge smile, "well then, I guess I'll see you two ladies at dinner." He smiled as Cinder and Iko walked away, Cinder could already tell this was a bad idea.
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Well then, that was fun. Can you guys believe there's only one week left before stars above comes out!?!? I'm so excited to get it, I've already preordered it :)