Captive by L. J. Smith Page A

Sally and he's a fighter. It'll be interesting to see who gets him."
    "You can tell me all about it," Cassie said. "I saw the last fight between Faye and Sally; this one I can miss."
    But it didn't turn out that way.
     
    Cassie was in the herb garden when the phone call came. She had to go through the kitchen and into the new wing of the house to get to the telephone.
    "Hello, Cassie?" The voice was so muted and stuffed-up it was almost unrecognizable. "It's Diana."
    Fear crinkled up Cassie's backbone. The dark energy . . . "Oh, Diana, are you all right ?"
    There was a burst of muffled laughter. "Don't panic. I'm not dying. It's just a bad cold."
    "You sound awful."
    "I know. I'm completely miserable, and I can't go to the dance tonight, and I called to ask you a favor."
    Cassie froze with a sudden intuition. Her mouth opened, and then shut again silently. But Diana was going on.
    "Jeffrey called Faye to tell her he's going with Sally after all, and Faye is livid. So when she heard I was sick, she called to say she would go with Adam, because she knew I would want him to go even if I couldn't. And I do; I don't want him to miss it just because of me. So I told her she couldn't because I'd already asked you to go with him."
    "Why?" Cassie blurted, and then thought, Ask a stupid question . . .
    "Because Faye is on the prowl," Diana said patiently. "And she likes Adam, and the mood she's in tonight, she'll try anything. That's the one thing I couldn't stand, Cassie, for her to get her hands on Adam. I just couldn't."
    Cassie looked around for something to sit down on.
    "But Diana ... I don't even have a dress. I'm all muddy. . . ."
    "You can go over to Suzan's. All the other girls are there. They'll take care of you."
    "But . . ." Cassie shut her eyes. "Diana, you just don't understand. I can't. I-"
    "Oh, Cassie, I know it's a lot to ask. But I don't know who else to turn to. And if Faye goes after Adam . . ."
    It was the first time Cassie had ever heard such a forlorn note in Diana's voice. She sounded on the verge of tears. Cassie pressed a hand to her forehead. "Okay. Okay, I'll do it. But-"
    "Thank you, Cassie! Now go right to Suzan's-I've talked with her and Laurel and Melanie. They'll fix you up. I'm going to call Adam and tell him."
    And that, Cassie thought helplessly, was one conversation she thought she could miss too.
    Maybe Adam would get them out of it somehow, she thought as she drove the Rabbit up Suzan's driveway. But she doubted it. When Diana made her mind up about something, she was immovable.
    Suzan's house had columns. Cassie's mother said it was bad Greek Revival, but Cassie secretly thought it was impressive. The inside was imposing too, and Suzan's bedroom was in a class by itself.
    It was all the colors of the sea: sand, shell, pearl, periwinkle. The headboard on Suzan's bed was shaped like a giant scalloped shell. But what caught Cassie's eye were the mirrors- she'd never seen so many mirrors in one place.
    "Cassie!" Laurel burst in just behind her, making Cassie turn in surprise. "I've got it!" Laurel announced triumphantly to the other girls, holding up a plastic-draped hanger. Inside Cassie glimpsed some pale, gleaming material.
    "It's a dress Granny Quincey got me this summer-but I haven't worn it and I never will. It's not my style, but it'll be perfect on you, Cassie."
    "Oh, God," was all Cassie could think of to say. She'd changed her mind; she couldn't do this after all. "Laurel-thanks-but I might ruin it . . ."
    "Don't let her talk," Melanie ordered from the other side of the room. "Stick her in a bath; she needs one."
    "That way," Suzan said, gesturing with splayed fingers. "I can't do anything until my nails are dry, but all the stuff's in there."
    "Beauty bath mix," Laurel gloated, examining the assortment of bottles on the gilt shelves in Suzan's bathroom. There were all kinds of bottles, some with wide necks and some with long narrow necks, green and deep glowing blue. "Here, this is