by K. K. Allen
After a moment of stubborn pause, I nod.
She smiles back brightly. “Oh, good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. I have something for you.” She holds up a headpiece made from branches and white wildflowers then places it on my head without asking permission. She leans back, admiring my appearance. “Perfect.”
Rose ushers me into the great room, where the majority of the crowd is gathered. As she does, I can’t help noticing how vibrant she looks in her white short-sleeved dress with a sash made from the same cloth draped diagonally across one shoulder and down to her hip.
“Oh, dear,” Rose says, her eyes on something over on the other side of the room. “I’ll be right back. Mingle, eat, have fun.” Her eyes twinkle before she walks away, and I’m left standing by myself at my own party, among a group of people I know nothing about. Awkward.
A gray-haired woman in a long white gown with a brown belt and wearing a grandiose smile is the first to approach. “You must be the birthday girl. Rose has told us so much about you.” She places her hands on my shoulders, pulling me forward slightly to touch my cheek with her lips. My body jerks toward her. “I’m Darla French, and this is my husband, Darryl.”
I peek over her shoulder to find a man with glittery gold face paint around his eyes.
Peeling myself away from the strong woman, I smile at them. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Darryl takes my hand, raising it to his mouth to plant a light kiss on the back. “Welcome to Apollo Beach. I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to come by to see you before now.”
I’m not sure how to respond to that, so I go with something different. “How do you know my grandmother?”
“We work together at Enchantment Theater on Summer Island.” She’s so animated when she speaks. “I suppose you haven’t been there yet, but we’ve worked together for years, dear. Practically since the beginning. Darryl here works at the energy plant where your father and grandfather used to work.”
I raise my brows, feigning excitement, but to hear someone I don’t know speak about my father is beyond awkward.
Darla doesn’t seem to notice because she’s still talking. “I’m what people here like to call an Elder. Darryl, too, of course.”
Turns out she’s not the only Elder in the room. It seems everyone here plays some grand role in the community. I keep hearing buzzwords and phrases like unrestricted improvements, renewable energy sources, future installments, and the values that govern our society. Keeping up with all of the lingo is exhausting, but at least I try for the first part of the morning.
In an effort to tune out the town politics for a while, I sneak away to the back corner of the room, where the white grand piano sits. I duck behind it and take a seat on a bench, eager for a break from the celebration.
One thing that lingers in my mind is how everyone I’ve come across boasts about Rose and her overwhelming contributions to the town. It’s hard not to be mesmerized by how she floats around the room, too, never losing her sincerity and grace. The way her laughter sounds like it’s tickling the white flower petals that sit atop the piano, she truly is infectious when she’s in her environment.
“Do I finally have the privilege of speaking with the Katrina Summer?”
My shoulders stiffen at the familiar voice, but I can’t ignore the way my heart skips a beat too. I look to my left and find Alec taking a seat beside me on the bench. He stares back at me, his emerald-green eyes swirled with flecks of gold. A flutter builds in my stomach.
“Alec,” I say, unable to hide the nerves that work their way into my voice. He may be one of the only familiar faces in the room, but I’m still humiliated that he only asked me to hang out that night because of my grandma. If Iris and Ava ever found out about that, they would spread that rumor around town so fast. “What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t hesitate, despite my rudeness. “I guess I crashed your party. My parents received an invitation, though.” He looks around. “And apparently, so did the rest of the neighborhood.” When he turns back to look at me, he smiles. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m here.”
Should I admit that I might actually be starting to enjoy my party now? “I guess I’m just confused as to why you’re here, if I’m being honest.”
He takes in a deep breath and frowns. “I’m sorry for hurting you, but if you think I wanted to hang out with you just because Rose asked me to, you’re so wrong. If anything, she gave me the push to do what I already wanted to do. I like you, Kat. And I wanted to be here today to tell you that.” He smiles again, this time unleashing a flock of flutters in my chest. “And to tell you happy birthday.”
His shoulder brushes my arm, and the way the touch heats my body, he might as well have kissed me. “Thank you.” In an effort to distract my emotions, I take a slow sweeping gaze around the room.
“So,” Alec says. “Summer solstice celebration, eh?”
A light laugh escapes me. “Now you know I’m not full of it. I told you, Rose is into this stuff.” Leaning closer to him, I drop my voice to a whisper. “Maybe Rose will perform some of her witchcraft for us.” I give him a wink. My growing boldness doesn’t cease to amaze me.
Alec’s face twists apologetically. “Man, I’ve really been coming off like a jerk since we met, huh?”
I shrug jokingly. “A little bit, yeah.”
He looks at me now, eyes curious, as if waiting for me to say something more, but Charlotte approaches us. She looks stunning in her gold-and-silver-glittered facemask. Her sky-blue dress is long and flowy. Her short blond hair frames her face in an angled bob. If I didn’t know better, I would swear she was sculpted from porcelain.
“Kat, there you are. You disappeared.”
I smile up at her. “Yeah, I was starting to fall asleep.”
She laughs, then her curious eyes scan Alec. “I don’t believe we’ve properly met.” She sticks out a hand. “Alec, is it?”
He takes it while brightening with his charming smile. “That’s me. And you’re Charlotte.”
She nods, looking pleased that he knows. “And your parents are…” She taps a finger to her lips while she searches the party. “There. The professor and his wife. Charlie and Brenda.” She snaps as if she’s proud of her memory.
“That’s them.”
“Well,” Charlotte says while looking between us. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy yourself.” She leaves me with a questioning glance before turning and walking away, and I know it’s because she’s confused at seeing Alec and me together.
Alec gets me up off the bench and forces me to walk through the party. We head to the refreshment table first. It’s adorned with fruit baskets, more flowers, and a sculptured centerpiece of Goddess Hecate, a touch I’m sure Rose is responsible for. I try to ignore Johnny as he replaces an empty tray of fresh strawberries before disappearing into the crowd.
When we get to the end of the long table, Alec grabs two wine glasses and fills them with fruit punch from a three-tiered cement-textured fountain.
I take the drink with a grateful smile. “I’ve been dreading this day—” My confession catches him off guard, and his face becomes bright with confusion, but a smile still lingers on his face. “Until now.”
As expected, Alec relaxes again and even smiles. “Well then, good. I’m glad I came. Even if I did have to crash.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you did.”
“I’m glad you said that because…” He pulls something from behind his back. It’s shiny, red, and wrapped with a bow.
“You didn’t need to get me anything,” I say with surprise, unable to take my eyes from it.
I start to reach for it, then Rose approaches, startling us both. “Alec, I’m surprised to see you here.”
He doesn’t miss a beat. “I wanted to wish Katrina a happy birthday and to clear up a little misunderstanding we had.” He wraps an arm around my waist and guides me closer. “I think we’re square now, aren’t we?”
Rose raises a brow before a hint of a smile plays across her face. “Good. Then that means I’m forgiven too. I was getting quite tired of the cold shoulder, dear.”
Alec and I laugh while Rose spots the red box. “Oh, a gift. I’ll put that with your other things.” After snatching it from his hand, Rose leans in so only I can hear. “You feeling okay?”
What a strange question. I nod, wondering if I appear to be pale or sick. “I feel great.” It’s the truth.
“Good, good.” She darts a look up at the clock then back to me. “Meet me on the beach at noon.” Then she walks away like as if that wasn’t a strange request.
“What’s next, birthday girl?”
My eyes find the floor-to-ceiling windows of the great room, and instantly, I want nothing more than to escape to the outside. I don’t even think twice about reaching for Alec’s hand and dragging him through the patio entryway.
We stop near the pool, and I release his arm. “Sit with me?”
Before he’s even responded, I kick off my heels and sit at the pool’s edge. I slide my feet into the water, letting them fall against the wall. Alec has to remove his shoes and roll up his jeans first, but he follows my lead.
“So where are your better halves today?” I tease.
He chuckles. “If you’re talking about the dynamic duo that is Iris and Ava, they’re shopping.”
“And they didn’t need you to hold their bags?” I bat my lashes at him jokingly.
“Oh, they did,” he teases back. “But I told them I had more important things to do, like get the Summer Girl to forgive me so we can finish what we started during our last swim.”
A flashback of our kiss sends a blast of heat through me. “You actually told them that?”
He squishes his face and shakes his head. “No, I left out the details, but this is a small town. They’ll figure out who I spent the day with eventually.”
I groan. “And then I’m in for it.”
Alec chuckles. “No, you won’t be ‘in for it.’ I know those two can be a little much, but they’re harmless. They just don’t take to new people well, I guess.”
I tilt my head. “Didn’t you say you moved here not too long ago?”
“Yeah, but I’m a guy. It’s different.” When I roll my eyes, he gives me a sideways grin. “Besides, they glare at all pretty girls. You should take it as a compliment.”
I bite down on my lip. “So you think they’ll warm up to me?”
He makes a face. “I hope so, but I was just trying to tell you that I think you’re pretty—in case you missed that part.”
The comment catches me off guard. I let out a nervous laugh as my pulse quickens. I can’t remember the last time a guy called me pretty—especially by anyone as attractive as Alec.
His smile melts me to my toes. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m bad at flirting.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “No, I guess I’m just bad at realizing when someone is flirting.” The embarrassment lingers. My cheeks are hot, and I know I’m red all over for the millionth time today.
I look in every other direction except at Alec, afraid that if I look into his eyes one more time, he’ll see the girl I was back in Silver Lake. The loner. The loser. The weirdo. Up until now, I’ve done a good job of leading a semblance of a normal life. Maybe it won’t be so bad here after all.
He starts to move in, and my breath hitches in my throat. I don’t know why I’m a thousand times more nervous than I was before our first kiss, but my heart is hammering, my pulse feels like it’s zooming a million miles a minute, and everything feels hot. Too hot.
His fingers twist through mine, then he’s pulling me closer and closer, until his lips are nearly touching mine.
A flash of something above catches my eye, and I glance up at my balcony to find whatever was just there is gone. That was strange. But I don’t have time to think about it long.
“Kat.”
My name is just a faint sound, even though I know it’s coming from Alec beside me. I shake my head, trying to rid my mind of the strange sensation percolating through my body.
“What time is it?” It’s all I can think to ask.
“It’s noon,” the faint sound responds.
And that’s when it happens. It’s like I’m not even in control of my own body when my chin lifts. My eyes look up, directly at the sun. I’ve learned enough about the summer solstice to know that noon on this day is when the sun reaches its highest point. But why does it feel like its rays are pouring through my body, filling me with enough energy to light an entire city?
The sun is too bright. I attempt to look away, but I’m blinded by a brighter, familiar light. It takes over my sight like it did that first day on the beach.
I jam my eyelids together, squeezing them, expecting to drown the bright light with darkness, but it lingers. Just as panic sets in, an electric shock jolts my insides, like a spark igniting every nerve in my body. It’s… exhilarating… I think. There’s nothing painful about it this time. Nor is there a headache that accompanies the light. All I can feel is the sun infusing me with a heat that reaches my bones.
I try again, slowly opening and closing my eyes as dizziness overcomes me. My head feels foggy, and it’s too much to hold on anymore. And then I’m plummeting forward into a deep white cloud of nothingness.
The world is moving in slow motion. I open my eyes, but the blinding white light persists, sending me into a panic. My breathing becomes shallow as I try to make sense of my surroundings.
Where am I?
There’s sand between my toes, heat is kissing my cheeks, and the faint sounds of a party start to trigger my memory. Then my sight slowly begins to return.
“What the…” I gasp and whirl around. I’m on the beach in front of Summer Manor. The party seems to still be in full swing, but…
How did I get here? I was just sitting by the pool with Alec. Confused and disoriented, I fall to my knees just as a shadow of someone approaching appears on the sand. Using my hands to block the sunlight from my eyes, I spot Rose.
She watches me, waiting for me to react as if this is some sort of science experiment and she knows what just happened.
“What was that?” I know my tone is accusatory, but she knows something, and I’m starting to run out of patience.
“How do you feel?”
I look at her, incredulous. “How do I feel? I was just sitting by the pool with Alec. There was a bright light, then I was falling. Now I’m here. How do I feel? I feel crazy. Do you know what’s happening to me? I’m scared, Rose. Something is wrong with me.” My voice is shaking.
Rose smiles, which is not at all what I was expecting. “Hush, dear. You’re perfectly fine. Alec thinks you wanted some fresh air, so he went inside to wait for you. Now, tell me. Are you feeling okay?”
I want to blurt out that I’m not. How could I feel okay after what just happened? But that’s the craziest part of all. I am fine. I’m better than fine. Every nerve ending in my body is buzzing with electricity. My heartbeat is strong and steady within the confines of my ribcage, and I just feel strong—physically and mentally.
“It’s beginning.” Pure happiness spreads across Rose’s face as she mutters those two words that send chills straight up my spine.
“What’s beginning?
Rose places her hands on my cheeks. “Welcome to your Enchantment.”
Huh? “My what?”
“Your Enchantment. Your becoming. Your… awakening.”
No matter how many versions Rose comes up with, I still don’t understand.
“It’s a wonderful thing, Katrina, I promise you. Don’t be afraid of what you’re feeling. Embrace it.” Rose drops her hands from my face and smiles. “Come with me. We’ll cut the cake. When everyone leaves, we’ll have a chat.”
“Wait. You want the party to be over?”
Rose nods. “We hav
e a lot to talk about. Just don’t make a wish when you blow out the candles.”
My jaw drops. “This is my birthday party, Rose. That’s what people do when they blow out their candles. They make wishes.”
“Just trust me, Katrina. All will become clear soon.”
Not knowing what else to do, I follow her up the back stairs, past the pool and patio, and through the back entrance of the house. All the guests are now drifting from the room, greeting me as I pass them. I try to smile back.
I spot Alec standing off to one side of the room with his parents. I’m desperate to know what he thinks of all this. Did I really tell him I needed some fresh air? I don’t remember that at all. But he looks perfectly happy. When he catches me staring, he smiles back at me with a boyish grin.
I go through the motions for the rest of the party, watching as a three-tiered cake with white frosting and green trim is wheeled into the room. Everyone sings, I blow out the candles, then thunderous applause ensues. For the next hour, the guests start to thin out. Alec is one of the last to leave.
“Thanks for stopping by, Alec. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk much.”
He shoves his hands in his pockets and shrugs. “We have plenty of time for that, right? Or do you still plan on leaving Apollo Beach?”
I think about what happened outside. “I think I’ll be around for a bit longer than I thought.”
His megawatt grin makes me smile too. “Good.” He leans forward to hug me, brushing my cheek with his lips before breaking away. “Happy birthday, Summer Girl.”
Rose and Charlotte are huddled together, sharing a giggle, when I walk back into the great room.
“What the hell is going on?”
Their heads snap toward me, and they freeze while shock lights up their faces. It’s not like me to speak that way, but I’ve been going crazy trying to understand what’s going on with me.
Rose’s face relaxes, and she gestures to the couch. “Have a seat, Katrina. All will be discussed. But first,” she says with a clap of her hands, “presents.”
I burst into an incredulous laugh. “What? No. I’m not opening presents. You’re going to tell me what’s going on.” I look at Charlotte, whose eyes are on Rose like she doesn’t want to get involved. My eyes narrow at her. “Does she know what’s happening too?”
