Summer Wishes (Desire #1.5)

by Kailin Gow

  Summer Wishes

  Desire #1.5

  Kailin Gow

  Summer Wishes (Desire #1.5)

  Published by THE EDGE

  THE EDGE is an imprint of Sparklesoup LLC

  Copyright © 2011 Kailin Gow

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Please respect the hard work of the author and do not resell, post, or share on the internet in part or whole.

  For information, please contact:

  THE EDGE at Sparklesoup

  14252 Culver Dr., A-732

  Irvine, CA 92604

  First Edition.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  DEDICATION

  This dedication is for my teachers and professors for teaching me to be an independent thinker.

  This dedication is for my husband who encourages me to be me every step of the way.

  Prologue

  Arcadia, Earth – Year 3010

  Takes Place on the night before the end of DESIRE, Book 1, but Summer Wishes can be read before DESIRE…

  Jocelyn wove her fingers together, pulled both her hands behind her head and leaned back into the headrest of her bed. Already bored with their summer school science homework they’d promised to work on, she eyed Matthew with open curiosity, her eyes lovingly roaming his curly brown mop of hair, his brown eyes, and earnest smile, her mind on anything but science. How could she think of science with it being summer, and Matthew sitting so close to her.

  “What are you staring at?” he asked, tucking a strand of her brown wispy thin hair behind her head, before letting his fingers trail along her fragile heart-shaped face.

  It made her smile how her constant gaze could make him squirm so adorably. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “Okay then,” he said with a wry grin. “Why are you staring? You're creeping me out.”

  “I was just thinking,” she went on. “You're going to be eighteen next week.” She tried to keep her tone upbeat, tried to be cheerful at the notion of his impending entry into adulthood. It was all she could do these days not to tear up every time she thought of it.

  He grew solemn. “I know. You, too.”

  Yeah, she thought reluctantly. She would be turning eighteen just days after he did. Then what? “Have you thought of the Life’s Plan you might get?”

  “You know I have. It’s all I’ve been thinking of. I mean, after what happened to Kama… it’s been freaking me out.”

  Jocelyn turned her focus to the ceiling fan, watching the blades go round and round, as if the constant circular motion held some answer.

  “She was so close to Liam,” Matt went on. “They were so in love, such soul mates, so meant to be… and yet. I can’t believe the Life’s Plan she got. If anyone deserved to get what she wanted, it was her.”

  “I know,” Jocelyn said, her eyes clouding as she thought of the little girl she’d grown up with.

  The blue eyed adorable blond had quickly captivated the heart of every five year old boy in kindergarten, and every little girl, including Jocelyn, had envied her porcelain doll perfection and golden locks. Kama had won everyone over before she’d even said a word, and had gone on to cement her reputation as the good girl who was always quick to lend a hand, always ready to listen and always loyal to her friends.

  “You would have thought Liam’s dad would have done something to help them.” Matthew chewed on his inner lip as he lamented Kama’s fate.

  “He tried, Matt, but just because he’s governor doesn’t give him the power to override the Committee’s decision.”

  “So I gathered.”

  “And that means you’ll have no power to change your Life’s Plan.”

  “You’re being prematurely pessimistic.”

  “You ever get the impression everyone in the Ruby District gets the short end of the stick?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from the fan to concentrate on a broken nail.

  “I don’t really think it’s only the Ruby District.”

  “Really? You just said it yourself… Liam’s father is the governor of Arcadia. Here you have the most popular and well-liked girl in all of Arcadia dating the single most powerful young guy in town.”

  “Yeah, she even got to hang out at the Governor’s Mansion. How cool must that be?”

  Jocelyn rolled her eyes back to the ceiling, once again feeling the sense of frustration, envy and jealousy she’d had as she’d watched her friend leave the dowdy Ruby District to spend her afternoons in the grand home of the governor in the Diamond District. “It wasn’t fair,” she mumbled, “but she had to admit, she could not blame Kama for her good fortune. Kama was an outstanding friend and one of the nicest people in Arcadia.

  “And wasn’t she often babysat by Liam’s nanny when they were little?”

  “Why are you rubbing it in?”

  Matthew smiled, that charming and warm smile that always made her feel tingly all over.

  “You’re just so adorable when you pout like a petulant little girl. Besides, I’m not rubbing it in, I’m trying to make a point.”

  “The point being?”

  “Liam is from the Diamond District, the Governor’s son, complete with nanny, silver spoon, the whole thing, and he didn’t get the Life’s Plan he wanted either.”

  She knew Matthew was right. For all of Liam’s high connections, nothing could save him for the Life’s Plan he got either.

  “Yeah, well her mother, Janice, also caught the eye of Governor Pim Seer as well.”

  Convinced he was deliberately trying to rile her up, Jocelyn grabbed a throw pillow from the bed and threw it, catching Matthew smack in the face.

  Laughing, he hopped off his chair and lunged at her, tickling her until she cried out.

  His touch excited her, thrilled her, but also brought a wave of chagrin. “I remember Janice when she was younger, when I first met Kama. She was breathtakingly beautiful. I mean, she still looks great now, but, wow… I didn’t think moms could look so good.”

  “I’m sure your mom will be very happy to hear that.”

  “Ah.” She slapped his arm. “You know what I mean. Everyone said it was no wonder she’d caught Pim Seer’s eye.”

  “Have you ever wondered about that?”

  “About what?”

  “All these years, Janice never let Pim really get close to her.”

  “Yeah, I noticed.”

  “Because…” he prompted.

  “Because?” She couldn’t figure out where he wanted to go with this.

  “Because,” he leaned in to whisper, “she’s still in love with Kama’s real dad.”

  Jocelyn creased her brow. Kama’s dad had always been a mystery, a mystery Kama had hated as a girl and had come to find frustratingly intriguing with time.

  School kids had speculated and Jocelyn had even spent hours inventing the possible characteristics of Kama’s absent father.

  “So, what are you getting at?” she finally asked.

  “Maybe Kama got a blank Life’s Plan because her father is unknown.”

  “You're grasping at straws, Matt.” She pushed her fingers through his hair, enjoying the sensation of his fine, soft locks. “You’re looking for excuses to Kama’s Life Plan when the truth is Ruby District residents don’t get what they want.”

  “They get what the Committee wants,” Matt droned.

  Fearful of what his upcoming Life’s Plan would say, Jocelyn had halted her heart, put i
t on hold and had tried to imagine her life without him. It was heartbreaking, and they’d not even received their Life’s Plan yet.

  Matthew reached for her hand. She knew his heart was in the same painful vice as hers, too filled with love, too frightened of the future and too afraid to let go.

  “We can do like Jacob,” he offered.

  Jocelyn shook her head, twisting out of his hold and standing away from him. “My brother was always a risk taker,” she said. “He’s also strong, bull-headed… he never did like being told what to do.”

  “It’s easy when you know what you really want. He and Melanie loved each other more than anything, and I’m sure they still do.”

  “We don’t know that, Matt. They were banished. They didn’t just leave on a holiday… on a honeymoon. They chose one another over the Life Plan given to them by the Committee and they were banished from Arcadia. This isn’t just some minor offense. They can’t come back. Have you really given this enough thought?”

  “Haven’t you always wondered what’s outside Arcadia anyway?”

  She picked up the pillow she’d tossed at him and hugged it to her chest. She longed to return to the comfort of her bed, to the warmth of his embrace. She wanted to lose herself in his kiss. Pragmatism won over and she remained where she was. “Wondered, yes. Eager to run out and find out, not so much. I mean, besides exploring the great unknown, you’d never see your family again. I can’t let you do that. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I’d put you through all that.”

  “How long have we known each other, Jocelyn? Ten years?”

  “Eleven.”

  “How long have we known we wanted to be together?”

  “Matt, we only sort of started dating a few months ago.”

  “Yeah, but we sort of grew close, knew each other better than any two people can know each other, and we still want to be together… all… the… time.”

  He stood, his eyes filled with that hunger that always shot a thrill through her. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her temple. “It may have taken me a long time to finally admit how strongly I’ve always felt for you. It may have taken me a while to get the courage to get that much closer to you, but we both know it’s always been there; that attachment, the connection, the hunger to be together.”

  She looked him squarely in the eyes. “What are the chances we’ll be a part of each other’s Life’s Plan?”

  “Virtually nil.”

  “Everyone, including the Committee sees us as just friends. They would not put us together in a shared Life’s Plan.”

  Chapter 1

  With only days left before her eighteenth birthday, Jocelyn felt heavy, sluggish and old as she approached the front door of the house she shared with her parents and little sister, Jade.

  “Why don’t we just make one big party for both of us,” Matt was saying, his head filled with party favors and cake.

  In no mood to discuss party plans, Jocelyn reached under the doormat to grab the key, but her fingers wrapped around a small piece of paper instead. “What’s this?” she muttered, irritated by the notion someone may have discovered their hidden key.

  She opened the note and gasped.

  “What is it?” Matt came to look over her shoulder.

  The small square of paper had only a small blue heart inked on it; the same small blue heart Jacob had insisted she have tattooed on her inner wrist.

  Matt grasped her shoulders and squeezed her tight. “He’s alive,” he whispered.

  A tear trickled down her cheek as a rare moment of pure joy filled her heart. Jacob had come back.

  Doing her best to look natural all while excitedly anticipating the sight of Jacob, Jocelyn glanced around for other clues of his visit. Hopefully the neighbor would just think she’d misplaced something. Above all, she didn’t want to make them suspicious.

  Seeing nothing else out of the ordinary, she reached under the mat for the key and unlocked the door.

  “What could this mean?” she asked once she’d closed the door behind them.

  “Are you going to report him?” Barely audible, Matt’s voice was a faint whisper, as if saying the words aloud were an offense.

  “Report what?” She held back the note of anger. How can he even suggest such a thing?

  “You know how strict the laws are regarding banished family members. You have no idea who may be watching you. What if someone saw him? I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

  “But Matt, I didn’t see Jacob. This little scrap of paper could mean anything. The Committee can’t very well fault me for not putting two and two together. There’s no way I could know my brother left this behind… and it may not even be him. As far as I know someone else might know the significance of the blue heart and simply want to toy with my emotions, want to play with my mind.”

  “Yeah, but you know that’s not what really happened… and you know what a bad liar you are.”

  “Then I simply have to avoid any questioning. Besides, it wouldn’t really be a lie. I did not see him. So there.”

  “The Committee knows just as well as I do that you’d do anything to protect him, too.”

  Matt followed her into the living room and sat beside her on the couch, leaving barely an inch between them.

  “Aside from the laws and everything, you know what this means?” His eyes were wide with optimism.

  Jocelyn ventured a tentative smile. “He’s out there,” she whispered, hardly daring to believe it could be true. “And he’s alive.”

  “Yeah. And that means we have a shot at making it on the outside as well.”

  The thought was so frightening, yet the mere notion of living a life without Matt, living with someone else… She shuddered.

  “Maybe he came back because life was so impossible out there. Who knows how tortured and painful his life has been since leaving Arcadia? He could have come back to ask the Committee for mercy.”

  Or what if…? Jocelyn didn’t even want to entertain the thought, but it crept in with a will of its own. What if the Committee had been right all along? What if living with Melanie had proven disastrous? What if he was meant to love another?

  And could she be?

  No. She knew in her heart of hearts that Matthew was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

  “Have you considered the possibility that your big brother simply slipped back into town to be there for his little sister’s birthday… maybe even to give you advice should you receive an unfavorable Plan.”

  “Maybe.”

  Matt cupped her cheeks, his gaze loving and filled with longing.

  “Yes, I want to be with you,” Jocelyn said in response to his unasked question.

  But did she truly have the courage to go through with such a risky and bold move?

  For all her bravado and devil-may-care attitude, she knew deep inside how badly she wanted to fit in, to live a normal life.

  Petite and thin to the point of looking continuously frail, she knew she had an internal strength, a strong spirit that few would ever suspect. Her heart-shaped face, wide eyes and thin wispy brown hair gave her an air of innocence and naiveté she’d never truly felt.

  “You're a fighter and you know it,” Matt whispered.

  He kissed her, soft, gentle and sweet. “Whatever our Life’s Plan throws at us, we’ll fight it.”

  He covered her mouth with his, at once filling her with longing and desire, yet enveloping her in that same sense of chagrin that came up every time he got too close.

  “You're right,” she said, pulling away and straightening her hair.

  Matt looked hopefully at her and she knew he wanted her to divulge her eternal love to him, something she’d yet to do.

  “Jacob came for my birthday.”

  Chapter 2

  “Why are you changing the subject?” Matt’s eyes hardened as he pulled away.

  “Because the subject is too complicated. You talk of disobeying the Committee as if it w
ere child’s play.”

  She turned to him, morose and suddenly filled with dread. “What if Jacob tells us how impossible things are out there. Do you still want to leave Arcadia? Do you still want to leave the only home you’ve ever known? Can you really leave everything behind?”

  “Yes, yes and yes,” Matthew said without a moment’s hesitation.

  Touched by his unwavering faith in their bond, she smiled. “When did you become such a romantic?”

  He reached for her hand. “When I realized just how much I love you.”

  Squeezing his hand she shook her head, her heart still filled with too many fears and doubts. “My mother would be devastated.”

  “Changing the subject again,” he said in a dry tone.

  “My parents have already lost one child to banishment. How heartless of me to run off, how completely selfish.”

  “I know my parents wouldn’t be too thrilled by this either, but I’m sure they all want to see us happy. Who knows? Maybe they’d come with us.”

  “I doubt that, Matt. I mean, we may not live in the Diamond District, but my parents are pretty happy with the lives they’ve built for themselves here in Arcadia. They enjoy their standing in the community. Everyone here respects them and thinks highly of them.”

  “And they’re smart and loving parents who want what’s best for their kids.”

  Jocelyn looked down at their clasped hands, her mind going over and over the possible consequences of her actions.

  “Look,” Matt said. “If you really want to stay and risk losing what we have, I’ll respect that, but if you’re ready to go out there, find Jacob and forge our own destiny…” He squeezed her hands. “Come with me,” he whispered.

  He touched her heart like no other guy possibly could. Smiling, she brought his hands to her lips and gently kissed his fingers, then released him to turn away.

  Her heart wanted to follow him to the ends of the earth, but…