![](\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZRv2tBMmAXs\/U34HArS8cBI\/AAAAAAAAA9k\/wrJ0MvbsREU\/s1600\/black_combat_boots_375.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nCHAPTER ONE
\nI stripped off my stilettos and pulled on my combat boots. I didn\u2019t have time to change my prom dress. Silver satin rustled as I cinched my laces. In the ballroom next door, cheers erupted as the student body elected a new prom queen.
\n\u201cJune Brighton,\u201d I heard Principal Evans call.
\nThe cheers continued. How long would it take them to realize I\u2019d disappeared?
\n\u201cJune Brighton,\u201d the principal repeated.
\nI winced as he said my name. Being prom queen made my life more complicated. I\u2019d never admit it to anyone, but I felt grateful that the Revens picked tonight to prowl. I had an excuse to avoid all the attention. I wasn\u2019t sure why I felt that way. I wasn\u2019t sure of a lot of things, except that right now, I had to stop the Revens.
\n\u201cJune, where are you?\u201d
\nThe cheers quieted. I almost wanted to go over there so I could end the awkward silence, but thought better of it.
\nI stood and smoothed my gown. I\u2019d found the pattern three years ago and knew this would be my prom dress. Half my summer savings went into buying the material.
\nThis gown was every little girl\u2019s dream. Layers of ivory and silver satin hugged the bodice. Rhinestones sparkled around the sheer sleeves and scooped neckline. It took me hours to stitch the tiny beads into place. The tiered ruffled skirt flowed to my knees in waves of shimmering taffeta.
\nBut that wasn\u2019t the only reason I\u2019d sewn it myself. I had to make sure the dress was practical. Mom had found some military-grade Kevlar at a surplus store. I\u2019d reinforced the bodice with the body armor, layered the underskirt with a durable polyester blend, even sewn an extra pocket for my knife.
\nI pulled out my dagger. The familiar pearl handle conformed to my palm. Naomi\u2019s text said the Revens were gathering on the roof. They wouldn\u2019t get away this time. I sighed as I stared at my gown. I\u2019d hoped it wouldn\u2019t come to this. But there was no way I could take down a Reven in this skirt.
\nI gripped my knife and cut through the fabric around my knees. I sawed at the material until I\u2019d made an ugly serrated gash. I ripped the skirt off, transforming my floor-length gown into a tatty, knee-length skirt. This looked so much easier in the movies, and much more elegant. My heart gave a painful thump as I found the nearest trash can and disposed of the fabric.
\nRegret nagged at me. I should\u2019ve just made it knee-length in the first place. But my stupid sense of fashion had overridden my rational thoughts. No use crying about it now.
\nI crept to the dressing room\u2019s door and peeked outside.
\nHotel LaBelle is one of the nicer places to stay in Manhattan. My high school doesn\u2019t like to play it cheap. They book the place every year. Tiny chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Plush carpeting covered the hallway\u2019s floor. Lucky for me, the carpet would muffle the sound of my clunky boots.
\nThe hallway was empty, so I snuck outside.
\nIn the ballroom, I heard Principal Evans on the microphone. \u201cIf anyone sees June, tell her she\u2019s our new prom queen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today you get a special sneak peek of my latest Shine novella. REVEN, Book One, is scheduled for official release in July. I’ve had so much fun working on this book. To be honest, June and Memphis were some of personal favorite characters to create. I hope my enthusiasm shows in the writing. I can’t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1353,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149\/revisions\/1353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamaragrantham.com\/StagingSite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}