May 2032

Work became easier for Keeley once she reached Phase II of the project; she was no longer the sole researcher. DOMA rarely received FDA approval for new therapies, so everyone temporarily shifted their focus to this crucial endeavor.

With more trials running concurrently, Keeley found some breathing room—just in time for her children's junior prom. Both were attending, and she wanted to be fully supportive.

Kaleb, as the asker, was responsible for the limo and boutonniere, plus a pocket square and tie to match his date's dress. Violet, as the askee, needed a dress, shoes, hair styling, and a manicure.

Keeley wasn't surprised her son asked a cheerleader, but she was astonished that Violet had a date—not that she'd been asked, but that she'd accepted. Violet had never attended a high school dance before, citing disinterest.

"The dancing at those things is barbaric, nothing like real dance," she'd explained to her mother when asked why she'd skipped homecoming freshman year.

That had been the end of the questioning until Violet casually mentioned a date at dinner one day.

Kaleb was thrilled. "Vi, that's great! We can double-date if you want."

She smiled, readily agreeing. Thus began Keeley's frantic preparations to ensure a smooth prom night for her children, finally united in a common goal.

Kaleb's tie and pocket square were red, matching his date's dress, but Violet needed to choose hers soon to inform her date. Matching was essential at these dances; everyone did it.

"I don't know about this color, Mom," Violet said, frowning as she examined herself in the mirror.

She wore a dark blue dress that accentuated her eyes, but the geometric cutouts were bolder than her usual style. While flattering her eyes, it made her look pale.

"You might look better in something lighter," Keeley conceded. "Do you want to stick with blue?"

"I honestly don't know."

Violet typically wore pastels—lavender, baby pink, ice blue—ballerina colors, essentially. She avoided black, finding it unflattering.

Keeley suggested these colors. Violet tried on an ice blue mini-dress, a baby pink mermaid dress, and a floor-length lavender gown reminiscent of a toga. Keeley thought she looked lovely in each, but the choice was Violet's.

"I might go with the lavender one. What do you think?" she asked.

"The lavender one is beautiful. You'll knock him dead," Keeley said encouragingly.

Violet's smile crinkled her eyes. "Hopefully not, or I'll lose my date."

Keeley understood her daughter's happiness; it was Violet's first date.

Only one other boy had asked her out before, and she'd refused due to a bad feeling. This proved wise; he subsequently stalked another girl, resulting in a restraining order. Had Violet accepted, she might have been his victim. He apparently started stalking shortly after their two dates. The girl attempted to gently reject him, but he didn't stop.

The incident unnerved Violet, prompting self-defense lessons from Noah, focusing on techniques for overcoming larger opponents.

"Take a picture of me in my dress?" she asked, handing her mother her phone.

Keeley saw two missed messages from Noah while opening the camera app. "Noah texted you."

"I'll text him back later."

Violet struck several poses, a rare girly display for the usually unconventional ballerina.

Keeley returned the phone. Violet texted furiously before returning to the changing room, emerging a few minutes later with the lavender dress.

"Mom, Noah needs homework help. Can you drop me off at the Singletons'?"

Usually, Violet drove herself, but since they'd arrived together, they used only one car. Her mother readily agreed, keeping the dress to put in Violet's closet later.

Violet frequently visited the Singletons, so Jennica didn't call Noah down. Violet went directly to his room.

Playful from her successful dress shopping, she covered his eyes, saying, "Guess who?" in a good Logan impression.

"Nice try, Vi, but it's you."

She pouted. "How? My Logan impression is amazing!"

"It is, but Logan wouldn't play that game. It's girly," Noah reasoned. "Ready to tackle algebra? I'm completely lost."

"Algebra's easy for me. I've got your back."

They worked on his assignment for thirty minutes, Violet frequently pausing to explain concepts. This was their established routine; she was his de facto math tutor.

Halfway through, he looked at her with an unusually serious expression.

"You went dress shopping today, right? For prom."

Violet had shared her good news weeks earlier. Throughout high school, she'd strived for normalcy, participating in choir, orchestra, yearbook, and even football games despite her aversion to sports.

This normalcy helped Kaleb become less strange around her. Having his acceptance back was wonderful. She realized he'd resented having to constantly care for her. That was over now! She was popular in her own right. Yet, no one had asked her out. She wondered if Kaleb had something to do with it—perhaps threatening anyone who showed interest in his sister.

It seemed plausible. Violet lived with a houseful of overprotective males. Oliver and Nathan were bad enough, and her father was even worse.

The extraneous promotional material ("Search the NovelFire.net") has been removed.