May 26th comes and it's the day of the dance. Everyone is exuberant.

As of how Kian's first day back at school went.... Hayden was pretty mad about it; I could tell. But I couldn't be happier.

Kian says he'll meet me at the dance. So he's not picking me up, which is odd, but Kian is not exactly normal.

Shauna does my makeup. She's applied a silvery white eyeshadow, which makes me look sort of angelic. She also insists that I have eyeliner and mascara, too. It makes my eyes way more noticeable than they used to be. Other than that, I just have lipgloss. She told me I have perfect skin. As for my hair, she just pins it back on both sides with some fancy clips.

She makes me wear her strappy silver heels. They're very uncomfortable. She offers me several different options for jewelry, but I decline them and just keep the one remaining earring that Jill gave me.

As she drives me to the school, I become very nervous. What if I trip or something? What if everyone stares at Kian and I together? They really shouldn't, for they've seen us together everyday, but what if?

...Who is Hayden going with?

Shoot. Does he even have a date? Have I ruined his end of the year fun?

When Shauna pulls into the parking lot, I see Hayden. Luckily he has a girl with him. And that girl is...Robin. Okay...cool.

I step put of the car. It's dark outside, but street lamps light everything up. Hayden looks over at me and seems unable to look away, so I shoot him a glare that says pay attention to your own date!

I walk into the school alone, while everyone else has people with them. Hopefully no one thinks I came alone.

In the hallway outside the gym, Kian leans against the wall. He has a black tuxedo on over a white dress shirt. He looks very striking.

When I stand in front of him, my heels put me at eye level. I wonder if that's why girls wear heels to dances. So they can look into the boy's eyes as they dance.

"Hello," I say.

He smiles a little, but he looks slightly troubled. He probably remembers what I said about my parents.

"Hello," he greets.

"You wanna go in?" I ask.

"Sure."

The gym is dim, with streamers and colorful paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and walls. Loud music is playing. People are dancing here and there, but Kian and I prefer to stand in a corner, isolated from everyone else.

"Are you having fun?" Kian asks me.

"Well, not really."

"If you want to dance, you can."

"I can't dance. I don't want to in front of these people anyway."

"You sure?"

I grab his hand. "Don't you know me by now?"

He thinks for a minute. I do too. I realize then, that he knows mostly everything about me except for the agency, while I know basically nothing about him. I know his favorite color, and I have an idea of what his life is like, but nothing more.

"I suppose I do," he says. "But you don't really know me. That's why you're still here."

"Here?"

"With me."

"Kian, I don't know why you think I'll run away in disgust if you tell me something about yourself."

"It's better that you don't know."

"Then keep it that way. Is it the thing that could get you hurt?"

"Yes."

Hmm. Maybe The Red threatened to kill him if he told someone what he's hiding? I have no clue, but that's a probable guess.

"It's just...," he says, "I want to tell you everything so, so badly. Sorry. It's probably not good to talk about it."

I squeeze his hand and look up into his eyes. "Kian," I say, "I'm not going to leave you."

"You might."

"Why? Wouldn't you be hurt?"

He looks at the ground.

"Kian," I press. "Wouldn't you?"

He nods slowly. His eyes start to glisten, probably fighting back tears.

"Is it something you regret doing? I feel like I could forgive you of anything."

"Stop," he says. "I feel terrible."

"Oh...." I'm not sure what he means, but I don't push him further.

Finally, a slow song comes on. I don't do anything, but Kian pulls me out of the corner. I don't know how to dance, but I figure out the simple two-step dance.

Kian's eyes are on mine. "You look beautiful, by the way."

I smile. "Oh, but don't I always?"

"Always."

"Well, you look great too."

He rests his forehead on mine. I'm tempted to look around and see who's staring, but that would ruin the moment. Hayden's probably the only one who cares.

"Remember what I said, Kian?" I say quietly. "How I think I might love you?"

"Yes," he whispers so quietly, I barely hear him.

"I still think I might."

He leans down to kiss me. Like the first time, I feel like I'm floating, kind of like the angel I resemble tonight. Despite this, it saddens me that he doesn't tell me he might love me too. Is he afraid? Or does he not love me? Am I acting too soon?

The song ends, and Kian and I return to our corner. I glance around the room and catch Hayden giving us the death glare. I look up at Kian. He's looking back at Hayden. Hmm.

"Don't worry about him," I say.

"I'm not. He's being ridiculous."

"I know. Just don't look at him."

Kian looks toward the door, and says, "Um, I'll be right back."

"What?" But he's already disappeared into the hallway, leaving me standing alone. I find a chair to sit in while I wait for him to come back.

"Natalie!" Hayden is jogging toward me. He has two girls behind him.

"Hey," I say. "Where's Robin?"

"She's talking to her friend."

"Oh. Who's this?" I ask, looking at the girls behind him.

"There are my friends, Alice and Jo."

Alice his taller than Jo, with dark blond hair and blue eyes. She's wearing a floor-length blue dress with capped sleeves. Jo's hair is lighter than Alice's, and she has gray eyes. She's wearing a knee-length cream colored dress with butterfly sleeves.

"Nice to meet you," I say.

"You too!" says Jo. "Hayden talks about you a lot."

Hayden blushes.

"Yep," Alice says, and then whispers, "I think you two ought to dance."

"Um," Hayden interrupts loudly. "Can you two leave for a minute?"

Alice and Jo slump their shoulders and turn away.

"What do you want, Hayden?"

"I'm wondering if you'd agree to hang out with me sometime now that you've met my friends."

"I'll pass. I'm not very social."

"Just with Kian, huh?"

"Exactly." I don't I even try to deny it. I like Kian and I'll be proud of it.

"How could you let him kiss you?!"

"Hayden! This isn't your concern!"

"Well, it kind of is if I'm trying to save you from a dangerous murderer."

"He's not a murderer!"

"Prove it! What is it that he refuses to tell you?"

"What? How do you-"

"Yeah, maybe I've been eavesdropping tonight. Obviously, he doesn't want to tell you that he's a murderer."

"That's ridiculous."

"Natalie, I'm just really really worried about you. One of these days, he'll pull out a gun and end it for you."

"Hayden," I say angrily, my face heating up. "Shut. Up."

He holds his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying-"

"I have to find Kian." I storm out of the gym and into the hallway.

I walk in one direction for a minute, and turn a corner. The sight I see confuses me greatly.

Kian's there...but so are two people. One's a man, and one's a woman. They're both in black jumpsuits and masks. I can't see much of them. All I see is the eyes. The woman's eyes are brilliantly blue, and the man's are brown. They turn and look at me - all three of them. Kian looks alarmed, and the two black figures have sinister eyes.

I then notice that they are holding guns. I clap my hand over my mouth.

"Run!" Kian yells.

I turn and run down the hallway in my heels, the sound of gunshots echoing behind me. I almost trip a million times, but I keep going. I hear people screaming as the guns continue to shoot. I still don't stop. I push a door open and run outside. I pause for a few seconds to rip my shoes off. I throw them in the air, hoping they'll land on the roof so the people with guns don't follow them.

Without my shoes, I can run much faster. I don't know where I'm going, or what's even happening. Tears begin to fall from my eyes. I don't care what it does to my makeup.

The cool night air hits my face as I run, drying my tears. Suddenly, I run into something, and fall to the ground, out of air.

I look up into Hayden's eyes. Panic is written all over his face.

"I told you he'd try to kill you!" he says as he helps me up and begins running with me.

"It's not what you think," I gasp as we run.

"What is it?"

I just shake my head. Truth be told, I don't know what it is. Could Kian really be working with The Red? Why would he tell me to run? Was that even The Red?

"Where are we going?!" I ask Hayden.

"No clue!"

Suddenly I hear more gunshots. That means the gunners are out on the school property, looking for me. What if they're shooting people?

"That way!" Hayden yells, and heads across the road. Instead of following him, I turn and keep running on the school property.

I can't be sure of why I did that. But I do think of a plan. I can't lead the killers into the neighborhoods. I'll keep them on school property.

Or should I let them shoot me? They must be The Red, and they must be here for me. Innocent people could be dying right now because I'm running away.

I slow down and stop where I'm standing. I turn around. I see Kian. Should I be scared? Or relieved?

He's walking towards me. His tuxedo jacket is gone, leaving him in just his white shirt. I slowly back away.

No. Didn't I tell him I wouldn't leave him? And I wouldn't be scared?

So I stand there. He stops about ten feet in front of me. He's holding a gun now. Tears are streaming down his face. I want to run up and hug him, but is he here to kill me, as Hayden predicted?

"You might have guessed," he says in a broken voice. "That was The Red. They are my parents."

I gasp and hobble backwards. His parents killed mine. I really should be scared of him, and hate him on every level.

"I knew you'd be scared," he says. "I shouldn't have ever let you near me."

"I...I don't want to be scared," I say, clearly crying by now.

"You should be. The blood of the people who ruined your life runs in me. I'm so sorry, Natalie."

"Why.... Where are they?"

He looks at his gun. "They told me to kill you."

My whole world stops right there. Not literally - yet. I back away more, but then I walk closer, standing tall.

"Then do it," I say, adrenaline fueling my voice to sound confident.

"You're not going to fight?"

"Well, you came to kill me, didn't you?"

"They said if I didn't, they'd do something much worse."

"Then do it. I'd rather be killed by someone I love than by cold blood."

He shakily points the gun at me.

"Do it," I say again. "I'll no longer be near you, Hayden will be proved right, and people won't have to spread rumors about me anymore. Everyone wins."

"Don't talk like that."

"Just shoot me already!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're pointing that at me; get it done!"

He releases a sob. His finger adjusts on the trigger.

"I don't know if you love me, Kian. But just know that I loved you."

What am I doing? He's not going to shoot me now!

"Come on," I say. "Shoot. I can't just stand here and wait." Despite my confident words, my chest feels like its on the verge of implosion.

He pulls the trigger.

The boom sounding from the gun seems to be the loudest sound I've ever heard.

I feel the bullet as it whizzes through my hair, not making contact with any part of my body.

And he runs.