20. Prom Night
Mina
I am Wilhelmina Todd, surviving Splinter resistor of eight hard years.
I have seen monsters. I have seen death.
I have seen madness and oblivion.
I am not afraid to kill.
I am not afraid to die.
I am not afraid to live.
I am not afraid of going to prom.
And I am certainly not afraid of a pair of contact lenses.
The clumsy tremors in my hands said otherwise.
Mom slapped me on the back.
“Don’t be a baby. If I can do it, you can do it, right?”
I wasn’t sure when she’d last had occasion to give me a pep talk. For that matter, I wasn’t sure when I’d last seen her really smile.
Thanksgiving, probably. Over a glass of the wine this dress reminded me of.
“Of course I can do it,” I said. “Just… just talk me through it again.”
It took six false starts and one
