“Oh my God!” Emily gasped, sitting up from her bed.

Ophelia looked over, startled by the sudden outburst. “What? What?” she asked, hurrying over.

“I just remembered something!”

“What?” Ophelia asked again.

“I’ve been so busy working on school stuff and the whole prom thing, I forgot to buy a dress!” Emily cried out.

Ophelia let out a sigh of relief and frustration. “Em, next time you remember something like that, don’t do it in such a dramatic way! You’re going to kill me, doing that!”

“Sorry. It just popped into my head.”

“Well, it’s not a huge deal. How much money do you have?”

“Thirty dollars.”

“Okay, fine, that kind of limits things. We’re hitting the thrift store. I bet you’ll find an awesome dress for under $20. Probably can find some decent shoes, too.”

“Are you sure?” Emily asked.

“Trust me, I’ve found really good stuff at the thrift store.”

“Hm, well, I guess I’ll trust you on that.”

“Want to go now so you won’t keep freaking out?”

“Yeah, sure.”


Tiffani grumbled and wiped the makeup from her face. This won’t work either, she thought. And I can’t even find a decent-looking dress. I shouldn’t have cut my hair-- I’m going to look really bad dressed up. I can’t do much more than this with my hair. I’m going to look like a wreck. What I need is a miracle.

She sighed and curled a lock of hair around her finger. “This is not going to work,” she muttered. “Maybe if I cut my hair shorter… and maybe dye it… go for a more dramatic effect. I need to make the look work for me.”

Tiffani frowned and peered at her reflection more closely, then selected a darker tube of lipstick and tried it on.


Dunstan was curled up on the couch, drifting between sleep and wakefulness. He opened his eyes ever so slightly and found Angela kneeling inches away from him, a frightening expression on her face. With a horrified cry, he sat up and backed away quickly.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Angela smirked. “I take it you didn’t go to work again.”

“Not feeling well,” Dunstan lied.

“Hung over, more likely. You really shouldn’t be drinking so much.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Look, Dunstan, I know this is a hard concept for you to understand, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I didn’t think you would.”

“So, what do you want now?”

Angela rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m not in the running for Prom Queen anymore. Ophelia and Emily and Tiffani still are, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you plan on doing now?” Dunstan asked groggily.

“I… I’m going to… you know, I really don’t know.”

“You mean you’re actually out of plans now? No more diabolical ideas?”

“Oh, shut up, you’re acting like I’m some evil genius bent on world domination and destruction.”

“Sometimes I wonder about you.”


“There’s not much time left,” Ms. Gibson muttered. “Everything hangs in the balance. A single act can change everything. But do I dare disturb the universe?”

She closed her eyes, as though listening for a response, either from within herself or from the universe, but none came. With a nod to herself, she turned the hourglass over. “Yes,” she murmured. “It’s clear now. If you change the right variable in the equation… yes, yes… it’s clear now. I understand. I wasn’t sure before, but now, I see… it has to be this way. It’s the only way.” With a sigh, she smiled and whispered, “Yes. I see.”