A Dance with the Phantom-A Short Story Read online

  The commons area had never looked better. The warm fall colored crepe paper draped the rafters creating a hall of mystique. The smell of baked goods for refreshment was stimulating. The sweet aromas of candy and spiced cider blended to launch Stephanie into another world.

  Madison brought her a cup of cider. Both girls sipped as they scanned the crowd. There were so many people there—some they recognized, but some they did not.

  “Well, has any one made contact with you yet?” Madison asked.

  “No, and I doubt he will. It was evidently all a prank,” Stephanie said as she took another sip. “Trick or treat, right? I guess I got tricked.”

  “Cake time?” Madison offered.

  “Yes. I could definitely drown my sorrows in some cake. I hope they have chocolate!”

  The two girls made their way to the refreshment table. On the way over, Stephanie noticed something. Someone stared at Madison from across the dance floor.

  “Hey,” she said as she nudged Madison, “I think that ‘Si Robertson’ look-a-like over there is checking you out, Pocahontas!”

  “What? I don’t look like a duck!”

  “Well, maybe he wants to welcome you to his dynasty!” teased Stephanie as the grey-bearded teen approached them.

  “Hey, hey, Pocahontas, you want to dance?” he asked as he held out his hand to Madison.

  Madison couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure, Si, I’d love to!” she managed to say as she took his hand. “I’ll be back soon!” she called to Stephanie over her shoulder.

  “Don’t rush back on my account!” she called towards the dance floor. “I have cake!”

  Stephanie turned back to the refreshment table to pick up her piece of chocolate cake. Just as she reached down to grab the plate she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Startled, she turned around.

  He stood at least five inches taller than her. His hair was raven-black as was his cloak, except for the blazing red lining that called to her. His white tuxedo shirt was pristine and fit snuggly across his broad shoulders. Gazing on her from underneath the black mask, were the most piercing blue eyes that she had ever seen. He never spoke a word, only extended his hand to her for the dance.

  The Phantom...He’s here... I wish Madison was here. She’d know right away who you are—she knows everyone at Paxville High. She was so mesmerized by his aura that she couldn’t speak. She placed her hand in his and he led her to the dance floor. He pulled her close with his strong arms, never taking his eyes off of hers.

  She tried to begin a conversation with him, but was afraid. This is silly. .. I can at least thank you...maybe you’ll speak then.

  “Thank you, very much for my gifts this week. I’m not used to receiving things,” she started.

  He only nodded and smiled.

  “Are you really not going to speak to me? I’ve been thinking about you all week, wondering if you were playing a joke on me, or if you were ‘real’. Surely you have something to say?”

  He smiled again and this time, he wagged his finger in front of her to say, ‘shame, shame, shame’ to her ploy to get him to speak.

  Stephanie couldn’t believe that with all of the effort to lure her to the dance, he wouldn’t speak to her. I can’t give up now! Let’s try a different approach...

  “So, how do I know that you haven’t been stalking me? You knew what I liked— roses, chocolate, candy corn, Spongebob—and that was in the third grade, sir! How long have you been stalking me, exactly?” Stephanie asked in attempt to get any information from him.

  He frowned, as if to say, ‘You know better than that.’

  “Part of me wants to run away, but...”

  He pulled her closer gently, but with power.

  “...I don’t want to go. I...”

  He placed his finger on her lips to quiet her chatter.

  His eyes were so hypnotic she found herself powerless in his arms. Her head began to swim. She rested her head on his chest as they danced on. It was there she took in the aroma of his cologne. And then she remembered. She had smelled that scent before...but where? She breathed deeply, to take in another sample.

  He took her by the hand and spun her out slowly and then rested one of his hands on her waist, keeping the other hand in his grasp.

  He’s on to me. He doesn’t want me to know who he is, but why? He’s absolutely wonderful. Oh, who are you?

  Again, he rested his eyes on her.

  “Please,” she said with a shake in her voice, “Please tell me who you are.”

  Just as the words left her mouth, the music came to an end. Please...don’t stop now...Please don’t stop the music.

  But, it did stop. And as the deejay began to announce the winners of the costume contest, he took her hand and pressed it to his lips. Her breath caught in her chest. Who does that anymore? And why don’t they do it more often?

  He bowed to her and walked away.

  “Please...” she said as she reached for him, but as she did, someone caught her by her other arm. Stephanie turned around to see who was holding her back.

  “Hey! Who was that?” Madison asked.

  Stephanie stood speechless.

  Madison’s partner approached her again. “Hey, Hey...”

  “Not now, Si!” she retorted. “Go get me some punch, all right? And not in your Tupperware cup, either!”

  Si walked away, frowning.

  “I saw you with him. Didn’t you know who he was?” Madison asked.

  “No, did you?”

  “No. I couldn’t get a good look at him through Si’s beard,” Madison said as she rolled her eyes. “Don’t you remember anything you could use as a clue—his eyes, his voice, anything?”

  “He had the most gorgeous blue eyes, but I’ve never seen them before...oh, I don’t know!” Stephanie was becoming frantic. “He never spoke. I asked him a gazillion questions, but he never answered, well, not with words, anyways.” She placed her hands on her face in frustration. And then she caught his scent on her hands. She placed both hands over her nose in breathed him in again. Madison looked at her like she was a loon. “His scent...his cologne... I’ve smelled that aroma somewhere before, but I can’t remember where.”

  Madison grabbed Stephanie’s hand and took a whiff.

  Stephanie snatched her hands away. “Stop it!” she said as she began to spin around searching for him around the room. The applause for the winners of the costume contest was almost deafening. She felt tears filling her eyes. Where are you?

  Madison saw her plight. “Think, Stephanie, think!” she begged as she watched her friend struggle.

  “I can’t. I don’t want to think. I want to find him!” she said as she finally broke away from Madison. She busted through the commons doors that led to the senior hall. She ran down towards her locker, looking down every hall. Only the lights in the main hall were on, casting eerie shadows everywhere. She finally stopped running. She stood there staring into the darkness at the end of the hall. I’ll never find him. What a trick-or-treat night this has been. I feel both tricked and treated!

  She turned to make her way back to the commons area, but she felt a hand snatch her into the shadows by the entrance to the computer lab. She didn’t have time to scream. But then, she fixed her widened eyes on him.

  He bent to her ear quickly and whispered, “Don’t be afraid,” as he held his cloak around them. He slowly began to kiss her. At first she pressed her fists against his chest in protest, but he was so intoxicating that her persistence soon ceased. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to her. She had never experienced such chivalry and manners from any young man she had dated. She knew she had a treasure, and she was not about to lose him again.

  As he pulled back from her, she slid her hand through the band of the mask, taking it away from his face. He stared at the floor.

  The hallway betrayed him.

&nb
sp; The lockers...his scent...

  Things began to fall into place.

  “Jonathan? Please look at me...” she begged the preacher’s son.

  “Please,” he began while still looking at the floor, “I almost didn’t come here...but I...I had to see you...”

  “...and I’m so glad that you did...” she answered.

  He looked up at her slowly.

  “You are so beautiful...and your voice is so...but you deserve so much better...”

  “Let me be the judge of that,” she answered as she caressed his face, lifting it towards hers. “I’ve never been treated so well in my life. You’re not like the other guys—you’re different. I wish you would have come to me sooner,” she said as she stroked his hair.

  He flashed that handsome smile at her again. “I wish I had too. I was afraid that you’d be like the others,” he began. She looked at him in bewilderment. “You don’t know what it’s like, being a P.K.”

  “A P.K.?” she asked.

  “Yeah, a Preacher’s Kid. It’s so much pressure. The people at church hold you to a much higher standard than they do themselves. You’re afraid to say the wrong thing, go to the wrong place, and do the wrong thing...most people just think I’m weird—if they think of me at all. I’m sorry that I didn’t let you know sooner, for both of us.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Is that why you considered not coming tonight?” Stephanie asked with a frown on her face.

  Jonathan nodded. “At first Dad didn’t want me to come, but my mom convinced him. I‘ve always been afraid of disappointing him; but I don’t care about that...not tonight. You’re all I could think about...” he said as he took her hands. “I won’t live in fear anymore. My mom remembered what that life was like. She knew that I wasn’t really living, and she knows that they have raised me well. I know right from wrong,” he said as he brushed his fingers along the curve of her face, “...and this is right.”

  “I don’t think your dad has one thing to be ashamed of. You’re a gentleman...you’re clever...and romantic...” she said as she ran her fingers along the button-studs on his tuxedo shirt “...your little gifts were really...sly!” she said with a teasing smile.

  He returned that smile. “Trick-or-treat?” he asked as their eyes met again—those gorgeous blue eyes that she’d never noticed before—but now, she did.

  “Treat,” she answered as she slid her arms around his neck once more.

  If you enjoyed this short story, please leave a few words in a review and spread the word!

  Also, check out my novels in the

  Christian Romance Series

  Breaking Dawn: Stories for

  Children of the Light

  Book #1

  Home

  www.vcpbooks.com

  Book #2

  Wheels of Love

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  About the Author

  Amy Leah Magaw is a born-again author and pastor's wife with a passion for writing country-fried Christian romance. A mother of two active teenagers, Amy spends her days teaching high school—and loving it. She spends her nights escaping to her world of writing she affectionately calls, “The Oasis.” When Amy is not writing or teaching, she sails the secretarial seas at Cornerstone Baptist Church. Amy adores speaking at Ladies’ Conferences and meeting new friends. To learn more about Amy’s books, visit her blog at www.vcpbooks.com, or email Amy at [email protected].