• Chapter 1
    I pulled on the golden victorian dress that I had bought at the costume shop, and looked at myself in the mirror.The gown was gorgeous, with intricately sewn lace and meticulous design. The puffy sleeves weren't what I was used to, but the dress's splendour was lovely all the same. The corset I wore was tight and uncomfortable, but I didn't mind, because the dress was so beautiful in a courtly way. My black hair flowed down to my waist, silky and elegant. It had taken half an hour just to brush it out this well. There was a victorian ball tonight, and everyone in the town was going.
    "Juniper! It's time to go!" My father yelled in his strong, deep voice.
    I slowly stood and walked downstairs tall and proud, where I tried to look like the women that I'd seen in pictures that had been painted in that era. I walked outside to where my father was waiting in his black Saleen S7, which would soon be mine in two months when I turned sixteen. My father oopened the door for me, he looked different in his victorian costume. His hazel eyes were gleaming with excitement, but also with some sadness. My mother was not there to enjoy it with him. I carefully got in, trying not to hurt the dress. We rode in silence as I dreamed about how my night would go. Of course, it probably wouldn't happen as planned. The car pulled into the driveway of Clara's Mansion. The front gardens had been wonderfully landscaped, and the flower beds were dotted with rose bushes. The white wooden estate was tall and, though old, strangely welcoming to everyone. Clara's Mansion looked excellent tonight, and someone had put lights along the walkway.
    Clara had been the daughter of the first mayor of the town, but she mysteriously disapeared on her sixteenth birthday 150 years ago in 1858. Ever since, all of the children of town mayors have mysteriously gone missing on their sixteenth birthdays as well. I didn't believe it, but many people say there is a curse. Of course, they're just stupid people telling stupid ghost stories.
    I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath -I was starting to feel dizzy from lack of air- and stepped out of the sleek black sports car. I walked down the brick sidewalk towards the large, mahogany double doors. When I passed through them, I had to blink to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The inside of the mansion was entrancing, it's detailed architecture, elegant style, and exquisite furniture all made it feel just like the 1850's. There were already people dancing, beautiful ladies with long, full skirts and lacy dresses who were gliding around the floor with their dates. I was dateless, I wouldn't be one of the graceful women surrounding me who were with their dates. Most boys only asked me because I was rich and beautiful, the mayor's daughter. Maybe tonight I would find someone who cared about me, not my hair, face, or my money.
    I walked around for a while, looking at everyone's fancy attire. Everybody looked almost perfect, except for one couple that caught my eye. They were perfect. They looked liked they really did belong here, in this house, at this party. The boy was tall, around my age, maybe slightly older. His hair was hot chocolate brown. His outfit looked like he had bought it from a victorian shop, one that was open around 150 years ago. The girl was even more stunning. She couldn't even be five feet tall, but she had a sense of power to her, as if she were indestructable. Her shoulder-length hair was light brown, and it had a bit of red tinted in it. It was like silk, moving without fault, perfectly straight and shiny. Her blue -no grey- eyes seemed deep and endless, aware and alert, but at the same time, calm and glassy. She, just like her date, had perfect clothing. She reminded me of a doll, tiny and beautiful. She turned her head, her gorgeous hair flowing around the turn, and stared directly at me, like she knew I was watching her. She smiled, and went back to dancing as I quickly turned around. Then, I heard him from behind me.
    "Would you care to dance?" I wheeled around to face a handsome boy. I had been thinking of saying no, it was probably another one of those boys, the type who wanted my glorious riches. I was too caught up in his soft, warm eyes to answer. They were a soothing green, I couldn't stop staring at them. My heart had melted. My brain had frozen.
    "Y-Yes." I managed to get out. I couldn't breath. I didn't know if it was my too-tight corset or if the movie-star boy's beauty was constricting me. I stood there, unable to think. Then the corset actually did get a hold of me, and everything went black.
    Chapter 2
    I woke up in his arms. Everyone was looking at me. I felt my face heat up with embarrasment, as he looked at me with worry. I felt like a fool. Why me? already I had been in the town's attention because I was nearing my sixteenth birthday, and now I had to of gone and fainted in the center of the dance floor! The boy who had asked me tto dance with him was staring at me with worry.
    "I'm okay." I squeaked to everyone. A few long moments later, everyone went back to dancing. I forgot about the incident as did everyone else once the music resumed and the dance continued.
    His name was Philip. He was wonderful, more wonderful than the stars that light up the midnight sky. We danced all around the floor, and people stepped back to give us room..
    "Did I mention," he told me as we twirled around, "That your golden dress really compliments you amber eyes?
    "No," I replied, " But you have told me numerous times that my dress is beautiful, elegant, pretty, and stated other things along those lines.
    "Well, you are better than that dress. One hundred times better." His eyes never broke contact with mine. We tuned out everything, soon I couldn't even hear the music. Only his soft, gentle voice was ringing in my ears.
    We talked about everything from politics to school and friends to favorite foods. He was very mannerly. We laughed about jokes and told each other stories. He led me out to the back gardens, which had tons of flowers that were prettier than the front gardens.
    He picked me a flower, a white rose. He handed to me as another song started. "May I have this dance, m'lady?" He asked, almost laughing. I did laugh as I giggled "Yes," and he took my hand and waist and we waltzed around the gardens. We finally went back inside.
    Just as the next dance started, he glanced at the clock, as if he had forgotten something. It was 10:25, as the grandfather clock placed at the end of the room said.
    "I have something to go to, it starts at ten thirty," he told me. He kissed my hand. "Goodbye, Juniper," and he was gone.
    I had forgotten about the couple I had been watching until I noticed the boy following the girl upstairs out of the corner of my eye. I wondered what they were up to, because the doors upstairs were always locked. Since I had nothing else to do, and Philip was gone, I slowly made my way up the stairs after the boy disappeared around the corner, which led to a long hallway of doors.
    As I was walking down the dark, unlit hallway, the music from the dance faded. Where were they? I could see no one in sight, no shadows, just the long expanse of empty room. I knew all of the doors were locked, so they couldn't be in any of the rooms. I looked around, trying to find a way they could have left. I noticed a window at the end of the hall, but it was closed. This didn't make any sense.
    A few minutes later, I heard one of the little brass doorknobs turn. The brown haired boy stepped out of a room. I started frantically looking for a place to hide. Unfortunately, the hallway was barren of furniture.
    "Please don't let him see me...." I muttered to myself in almost a silent whisper. I really shouldn't have, because the moment the words left my frightened lips, he turned to face me. I looked up at him with a weak smile as if to say, "Pay me no mind."
    "Ah, Miss Juniper," he addressed me."We were just discussing you. Please come in and sit with us."I wasn't so sure. I hardly knew him! Then again, if they tried to do anything to me, some would hear, right? He led me into a cozy room with a fireplace.
    There were three other people in the room. Two girls were sitting on a large, oak canopy bed that had been adorned with plum-colored bedding. One was the tiny girl who had been dancing, and the other one had red ringlets and violet eyes. But what startled me most was the fact that Philip was laying on a purple velvet ottoman placed at the end of the bed. The boy took a seat on a matching purple velvet chair.
    "Please, have a seat," the small girl chimed. Philip sat up, giving me room to sqeeze in beside him. I looked at him warily, but he only gave me a comforting glance. We sat there for a little while, and everyone else was staring at the short girl, occasionally nodding. "Oh," she gasped. "Pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Clara May Poplar, the first daughter, and that is my date, James Bartholome Willow, the seventh child. His sister, Mariam Jane Willow, the second seventh child, is sitting next to me." She notioned to the red curled girl. " And you know Philip, I presume?" I nodded. Wasn't Clara May Poplar the name of the first mayor, the girl that disappeared? And James, Mariam, and Philip were also among those children?
    "Yes, we are of those who have vanished," Clara May stated with a sigh.
    "Is this some kind of joke?" I questioned her. "I mean, they've been dead for decades."
    "No, we never left the earth. We only left town." Philip told me.
    Chapter 3
    None of this made sense. I must not of woken up from fainting yet. I thought. And this is all a dream. Or maybe I fell asleep in the car and the dance hasn't even started. Clara May laughed." I can have Philip pinch you if you want." How did she know my what I was thinking? This was getting weirder and weirder. "Apparently Juniper is not going to believe anything we say. Not now anyways, so, Juniper, you are free to leave," Clara May told me. She jumped up and opened the door. She was shorter than I had thought, once I was standing right next to her. "See you in two months." Her eyes twinkled. Philip stood and walked out with me.
    "Philip, what are they talking about?" I stared up at him, my eyes wide and curious. As far as I knew, Philip didn't seem like a prankster, so why was he in on this charade? I knew I was going crazy.
    "It's very... complicated, Juniper. You wouldn't understand. Shall I escort you to your car? If you don't think I'm too out of my mind to do so, that is." He held out his hand, with the same expression as he had had when he asked me to dance. That expression did it.
    "Okay, I guess so." He took my hand and led my down the tall staircase. This time, the clock said 10:41. The dance was over at 10:45, so it was time to leave. The population of the dance hall was already deteriorating as people left. We went outside to the drive.
    "Now, which car would be yours? Is it the white one, or the yellow one, or is it perhaps, that white one. Maybe it's the red one..." He kept pointing at cars. I replied "No," to each one, while giggling.
    "It's the black saleen. Over there." I pointed, and his eyes followed my finger over to the car.
    "Beautiful, kind, and rich?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. With a sly grin he added, "I didn't know it was possible!" It was so hard to stay mad at Phillip. We continued to the car, but before we reached it, my father rushed up, his eyes with worry and resentment.
    "Where have you been, Juniper Ruth Valen? I have been looking all over the mansion for you, and you didn't show up! Were you with that boy?" He said, glaring at Philip, "You know the rules, young lady! No dating, no boyfriends, no boys!" I had forgotten. It had never really crossed my mind in the last two years to even talk to any of the boys at my school, let alone date them. When my mom had died 4 years ago, my father made the rule. No dating. He didn't want us to be broken like he had been.
    I sighed. "Bye Philip, I guess I'll never see you around." I looked at him with a sad face, playing along with my father's rules. As I shut the car door and rolled up the window, I noticed his mouthing of the words, "See you soon. I love you. Two Months." I smiled back at him. We rode home in silence, yet again. This time, instead of dreaming, I was having a nightmare. My mom, standing over the gas stove, reaching across the granite countertop for the flour, spilling the oil, the intense, blue flames engulfing her screaming, elegant body, as I hurried to turn the sink knob with scared, shaking fingers. I had been too late. It was my fault that my soft, caring, beautiful, mother was gone. It pained my father to look at me, I knew he had to hate me after what I couldn't do. I was a failure, horrible, awful person. I didn't deserve anyone that I knew. None of my friends. None of my family, my little sister, my father, none of them.
    The feeling of the car coming to a stop in front of our house shook me from the horrid thoughts. I hurried inside, and when I entered my room, I noticed an envelope resting on my pillow. I gingerly tore it open, somehow knowing it was from Philip. It read:
    Dear Miss Juniper:
    I would like to thank you for the lovely night we had together. I am sorry you will have to wait so long to see me again, I don't know If I can handle 2 months. I hope this doesn't bear too much pain on your shoulders for the time being or damage our current relationship. I feel we are very close though we have only known each other for a few hours, but then again, I know Clara May, though you probably don't realise the meaning of that yet. I hope she didn't scare you too much, she is really a very sweet person. Remember, exactly two months, give or take a few hours.
    Yours Sincerly,
    Philip Oaks    Why two months? What was in two months that would be significant to him seeing me? My sixteenth birthday. That was it. But really, why couldn't he see me before then? I sighed, and flopped down on my bed, to puzzled to do anything. I fell asleep without even bothering to take my shoes off.