What Emma Left Behind

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  At about seven o' clock, Caera descended the stairs, having showered and attired herself in her new dress; her hair was styled glamorously in an upsweep that made her neck and ears feel drafty. Traditionally, Caera made a 360 degree turn for her parents.

  "You look beautiful, darling," Mr. Campbell enthused, kissing her on the cheek.

  "Very nice, dear," her mother agreed before shouting to Claudia that they'd better leave if they didn't want to be late.

  A minute later, Claudia nearly tripped as she descended the staircase two steps at a time. They had both decided to look as different as was possible tonight, and Claudia wore her hair in a mass of curls that fell to her shoulders.

  "You'd better hope your hair doesn't fall down," she informed Caera wryly as she dropped her shoes on the floor and slipped into them.

  "Thanks for your encouragement." Caera put as much sarcasm into her voice as she could, aware that her sister's remark scored a coupla points higher than hers on a scale from one to ten.

  "You look beautiful, Claudia," Mr. Campbell said in a tone that meant they'd both better get in the car now if they wanted a ride.

  "Thanks, Dad," Claudia said, her head down as she pulled up her hose. Caera was relieved to see that her mother was not intending to bring the camera with her this time. Throughout the drive into town, no one said much except Caera, who was telling their parents a story about what had happened in science a few days before when a Bunsen burner had set Elizabeth Atkinson's sleeve on fire, and when her father pulled the car up to the main entranceway to let them out, Claudia looked out the window.

  It was a beautiful night. Though it had been snowing all afternoon, it had mostly melted by now, and the puddles and water which glistened on the cars and buildings reflected the light coming through the glass doors of the school.

  Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Claudia saw Corey and Brian waiting for them just outside on the school's welcoming mat. She and Caera waved goodbye, and their parents left unobtrusively.

  "You both look great," Brian managed to say when the girls approached.

  "Yeah," Corey agreed. After heading to the cafeteria, the twins saw Ana and Justin Porter already moving about on the dance floor while the band behind them played slow songs. Claudia sighed as Corey made his way to the snack table, pulling her along with him. He poured them both a glass of punch, picked up a few heart-shaped cookies, and gobbled a slice of the heart-shaped Valentine cake, getting pink icing on the corners of his mouth.

  Claudia turned and saw Brian chattering away in her sister's ear as they started to dance. Yup, she thought to herself, this is gonna be one of those evenings...