by Rue Volley
“Echo.” I looked up and Miss. Hull had my paper in her hand. She placed it on my desk, and I saw the C on it in red. I narrowed my eyes, and the bell rang. I stood up as the rest of the class rushed out ahead of me. I lingered behind on purpose.
I approached her desk and laid my paper down on the edge of it. Her eyes skirted over it and back to her stack of papers lying before her.
“Yes?” she asked, adjusting her glasses when she finally decided to look up at me. She didn’t seem very interested in me. I swallowed hard. “I was just wondering why I received such a low grade.”
She removed her glasses and set them down on her desk. “Technically it’s perfect.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Okay, then why a C? I mean, I’ve never received a C in my life.”
She sighed. “Because it was average and average effort deserves average grading.”
“Average?” I asked, picking it up and looking at it. “I included every key reference on it.”
“I know that.”
I pushed it toward her. “Then why?”
She leaned back in her chair. “Because you lack passion, Echo.”
I laughed. “This is Biology.”
She intertwined her fingers and tapped the side of her balled hands on top of her stacked papers. “Yes, it is.”
“Science,” I added.
She tilted her head. “Do you remember what I asked for?”
I bit my lip. “You wanted a paper on action and reaction.”
She shook her head. “No, I asked for something on what sparks life.”
“I included everything about the atom bomb. I mean you could practically build your own from what I provided.”
She grinned and then picked up her glasses. “You wrote a solid explanation about the one thing that can kill all life as we know it.”
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Can I do something to make this up?” I asked.
She tapped her desk with her index finger and then paused. “I will give you one more chance to write something that doesn’t involve destroying everything on the planet.”
I nodded to her. “Okay, I’ll have it ready tomorrow.”
“No.”
I leaned forward. “No?”
She looked back up at me. “You can turn it in at the end of the year.”
I retrieved my paper and shoved it into my folder. “Fine.”
She nodded to me, and I left her room trying to understand exactly what she wanted from me.
I walked down the hallway, in a daze as I mulled over what I could write about that would give me an A. The students parted like the red sea. I stopped dead as my hair flew forward into my face and then rested on my shoulders. I spotted him, standing about twenty feet down the hall with his hands shoved into his pockets, and his sea blue eyes locked onto me. I swallowed hard and stood my ground, the thought of veering off to the right did occur to me but it would take me away from my locker and wouldn’t make any sense.
My mind said run, but my heart held me in place.
I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as well as my slow and steady breathing. He started to walk toward me as everything went into slow motion.
Two steps, then four, he kept coming.
A smiling face suddenly stepped between us and I had to refocus on some familiar eyes. Daniel Fitzpatrick stood there grinning, and the strange spell was immediately broken.
“Miss. Echo Navarri.” He spoke with jubilation.
I blinked a few times and returned the favor by mustering up a halfhearted grin. He noticed and his smile started to fade. I shut my mouth, sucking my bottom lip inside and then releasing it.
“Hey,” I said giving an awkward nod and trying to see past him.
“Guess who just transferred?” he asked.
I blinked a couple more times, not responding quick enough for him so he answered his own question. “Me.” Mattie leaned in and gave me a wink. “And me.” She nudged him from the side, and I genuinely smiled at her. “Mattie,” I said with more enthusiasm than I had for Daniel. I couldn’t help it.
“Hey, you. Check this out!” she twirled around, and I watched her skirt flare up and almost expose her underwear. She laughed and paused with her feet twisted.
“Well, that skirt fits you much better than it does me.”
She looked down and laughed. She pointed at my legs. “Those socks are the bomb, where did you get them?” She stepped up and interlocked her arm into mine. Daniel pulled his books to his chest as she started to pull me along. I looked back at him and raised my eyebrows. He waved. “I’ll catch you later.” I nodded and allowed Mattie to chat away at my side.
“So, tell me everything. I need to know who is dating who, who wants to date who and who is available to date me.”
I laughed and stopped at my locker. The number 113 stared back at me. I eyed it and then her.
“I don’t know,” I said. She leaned her back against the locker next to mine and sighed. “I have dreamed about coming here like forever. Do you know how long forever is? Well, you can take all the years you’ve ever known and multiply them by a million, and you’re still not even close.”
I messed with my lock, and it clicked open on the first try. That was new. I had been struggling with it for days. Maybe Mattie was helping me not overthink because overthinking is a curse that I have.
“Very accurate.” I chuckled.
I opened my locker and placed my books inside. I paused and stared at the picture I had held in place with a black star magnet. It was the one of my family that I had decided to bring along with me. She popped her head out, and I eyed her.
“Who are you crushing on?”
I closed my locker and grinned. “Me? No one, no one at all.” I swallowed hard when I spotted Thorn walking by the long window. He glanced over at me, and I felt the heat rise in my face. She turned, and her eyebrow shot up.
“Oh, now who is that?”
She took a step forward and watched him go by. She gave him a wave, and he ignored her. His gaze was set on me. She turned and narrowed her eyes then wagged her finger as she approached me. “You, fess up, now.”
“I, honestly, I don’t know what you mean.” I stammered.
“Okay, now I’m really interested.” She thumbed behind her. “Who is that brooding hottie?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Just a boy.”
She laughed. “Just a boy? Uh huh. Come on.” She reached out and took my hand, intertwining her fingers in mine. It reminded me of Midnight. She often held my hand without much thought. I missed that, along with so many things. I glanced over at Mattie, and she walked along with her blonde curls bobbing on her shoulders. Her black headband held it off of her porcelain doll-like face. She was beautiful, flawless, and brave. I wasn’t sure if my connection to her was caused by my loss or need to fill it. Either way, I welcomed her back into my life.
We stepped outside, and she stared up at the sky. “What the H is up with all the rain here? I mean seriously, cheer up sky.”
I hid my smile. “Okay, fess up.” She said, and I glanced around me. “Fine, but not now. We can talk at lunch, alright?”
She winked at me. “Cool, hey, there’s a coffee shop like two blocks from here, we should check it out.”
Of course, I knew what she was talking about. That coffee shop was the whole reason I was in this mess with Thorn, to begin with.
“Alright.”
She pointed at me. “And I want it all; I mean every dirty little detail.”
I looked everywhere but her. She snapped her fingers at me, and I gave her a nod.
Her eyes lit up. “Good.”
13
We stood in front of the building and grinned. My eyes lifted, and I noticed the white and black awning and all of the wrough
t iron table and chairs placed in front of it. The Red Rose Emporium stared back at us in white script on the door.
“This is the coffee shop?” I asked.
She smiled. “Well, it’s a coffee shop and a store. A witchy one.”
“A what?”
“Come on; you’ll love it.”
She pulled me inside, and the silver bell rang above the door. I looked up and watched it slow down, and the vibration ceased along with the sound. I scanned the room and could see a few people seated to the left. There were only five tables, and then I spotted a booth toward the back, along the wall with a dim lantern-like light hanging over it. The smell of sage filled my nostrils, and I could see it smoldering in a black bowl on the counter to my right. Rows of small glass containers lined the wall behind the counter with white labels. I read a few of them as we passed it by…witch hazel, anise, basil, bloodroot, sandalwood... the shelves were filled. I knew the herbs, at least some of them, they were used in casting spells.
We made our way to the booth and Mattie slid in, and I sat down across from her. A woman immediately stepped up and placed her hand on the table. I looked down and studied her rings. She had one on each finger, some in silver and some adorned with stones. My eyes lingered on the large amethyst until she spoke.
“How can I help you today?”
Mattie shot me a smile and then looked up at her. “Two lattes, vanilla with extra cream.” She looked at me. “Is that okay?” I nodded.
“Anything else?” the woman asked.
Mattie laughed. “Do you have anything for a love spell, my friend here is…” I interrupted her. “Just the drinks, thank you.” The woman winked at me as she leaned in. “I’m sure you don’t need a spell, not with those beautiful eyes.”
I looked down from embarrassment, and she walked away. I rubbed the tops of my thighs and removed a little bit of the nervous moisture building on my palms.
“So.”
I studied Mattie’s blue eyes. They looked even prettier in the light above our table.
“So,” I repeated, not willing to elaborate on anything. She cupped her chin in her hand while resting her elbow on the table.
“Tell me about that boy.” She spoke softly, which I appreciated.
I leaned back and cleared my throat. “Which one?”
She scoffed. “Seriously, come on. The boy, that blonde that walked by the window.”
“He’s just a boy who lives here.”
“Okay, I get it.”
I tilted my head. “Get what?”
She leaned forward and eyed me as the edge of her full lip curled. The expression on her face reminded me of Midnight. “You don’t want to share; it’s fine. I don’t want him; I was just curious as to why you looked at him like he was the only thing in the world.”
I quickly responded as my voice cracked. “I didn’t…I mean, he isn’t. I barely know him.”
The woman returned to the table, and I had to sit back and collect myself. Mattie’s intuition was scary. She was spot on, but I wasn’t ready to admit anything about Thorn Vega, not yet.
She set our drinks down, and Mattie picked hers up, blowing on it and taking a sip. She was clearly impressed. “Oh my God, drink.” She blurted out in excitement. I complied, and she was right, the latte was fantastic. I could taste hints of cinnamon after the bursts of vanilla bean washed over my tongue. I set it down and turned the cup in my hand.
“His name is Thorn Vega.”
Her voice got louder. “The Thorn Vega?”
The wrinkle between my eyes deepened. “The?”
She placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. “He’s only the richest guy in the world.”
I laughed. “The world is pretty big.”
“So is his dad’s bank account!”
I glanced to the right as a man in a black suit looked over at us. I cleared my throat and tucked my hair behind my ear. “I know his family is well off, but I don’t care about money.”
She nodded to me as she bit into her lip. “I see.”
“See what?” I asked.
“You’re falling for him, hard.”
I placed my hand on the table and leaned forward. “No, there is no falling going on at all.”
She tapped the table with her fingers. “Then what is it?”
I blinked a couple of times. What was it, then? Her question was valid and made me search my mind for an answer that made sense to not only her but to me.
“Curiosity.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Curiosity is for the devil and fairytales.”
The bell rang at the door, and we both looked over. “Speaking of which.” She whispered.
Thorn stepped in and immediately spotted me. He closed the door behind him and walked to the counter. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, quickly handing it to the woman and she reached beneath the counter and pulled out a black bag with small handles on it. She nodded to him, and he took it without handing her any money. He turned, but before he walked out, he let his eyes take me in. My breathing stopped, and I had to fight the urge to get up and walk after him. Then he looked down and out the door he went without saying a word to me. I took a short breath and turned back. Mattie was sitting there with her mouth open; then she shut it.
“Okay then.” She took a drink, and I drank mine.
She spoke up when I did. “Port Royal is nice,” I said as she spoke over me. “Port Royal seems nice.” We both laughed, and she set her drink down.
“Listen, Echo. You talk about whatever you wanna talk about, but when you’re ready to share the skinny on that hottie I’ll be right here, k?”
I nodded to her. I was so glad that she had stepped back and stopped pressuring me about Thorn. Nothing would make me happier than to talk about him, but how could I talk about it when I wasn’t even sure what ‘it’ was?
We finished our drinks and headed to the door. Lunch was about over, and all I wanted to do was get back to school and finish the day and then go home.
We walked by the counter, and I glanced over and noticed that the woman was staring at me. She reached down and placed a small satchel in front of me. “Here, take this.”
I stopped and stared at the small black bag wrapped at the top with a red ribbon. “What is it?”
She picked it up and held it out to me in her open palm. “Place it under your pillow; it will calm your dreams and give you good sleep.”
I listened to her accent; it was definitely Greek. I took it from her hand after she nodded at the bag and winked at me. I placed it in my pocket and rushed to meet up with Mattie, who was already at the door and heading out into the foggy mist. The whole town was blanketed once again, stealing the sunlight, but not my excitement about Mattie’s arrival. She may have made me uncomfortable with her questioning, but her presence calmed me like nothing had since I arrived in Port Royal, amongst the rain and churning clouds in the sky.
She was a welcome interruption.
14
I bit the tip of my pen and stared at the book on the table before me. My last class, if you want to call it that, was study hall in the library. I was happy to end the day this way, but it allowed my mind to wander. I heard the voice and noticed the large black and white chucks before I looked up and grinned. Daniel held his hand out, and I nodded to him. He pulled the chair out and took a seat across from me. I leaned forward, removing the pen from my teeth and tapped it on the open face of my book.
“So, you lucked out with this, too?” I asked.
He scanned the library and let his eyes land on me. “I guess it’s only for the remainder of the week. They’re trying to place me at the beginning of lessons and not in the middle. I think…” he pulled out a piece of paper and stared at it. “Yep, Advanced English. I guess starting next week that’s where I’ll be at this time
.”
“I have that third period, it’s a good class, you’ll enjoy it…I mean, if you enjoy reading.”
“Aye, that I do.” He said without pausing.
“Good, me too,” I said. I was so happy that he wasn’t acting strangely after this afternoon. I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down when he stepped in between me and Thorn.
Daniel moved his chair, and it scraped across the wood. A quick shush was shot in our direction from the tight-lipped woman who manned the desk across the room. Daniel sighed and adjusted on the chair followed by a little laughter.
“I’m glad to see you here,” I said. He perked up. “Oh, yeah?”
My eyebrow rose. “Of course, you and Mattie. I don’t really know anyone here, and I’m not great at making friends, so seeing the two of you, made everything a little less awkward.”
“Oh.” He looked down, and I moved my chair, making that terrible noise, and got the shush from the librarian. He laughed and lifted his green eyes. Just being here with him made me calm and filled me with happiness. He wasn’t so unlike Mattie in that way; it must be a strong trait in their family.
“So, why did you transfer here?” I asked. He bit his lip and placed his hands on the table between us intertwining his fingers. “I asked, and my mom said yes. This school isn’t exactly cheap; I was going to a public school, but…”
I grinned. “It’s nice,” I murmured.
“You,” he said without hesitation, and I had to catch my breath. I leaned back and had to look down at my book. “I…I’m not sure what I should say.”
He took a breath and let it out. “Yes?”
I looked up at him. “Yes to what?”
“A date?”
I narrowed my eyes. “A date?”
He laughed and leaned back in his chair. “A date, Echo, with me.” He fingered at the wooden table, and I had to take it all in. This was the first time I had been asked out by anyone, funny that it came after the first kiss.
