Students drifted toward the entrance instinctively, drawn by the unfamiliar hum of a car engine, smooth, expensive, nothing like what usually showed up at a high-school parking lot. The headlights swept across the gym windows, cutting through the music and chatter until conversations faded into silence. A car door closed. Then another.
The chaperones exchanged uncertain glances and stepped outside. For a moment, the doorway was empty. Then the doors opened again, and a hush rippled through the room. A woman stepped inside first. Tall. Elegant. Draped in a black gown that shimmered with each step.