by K. K. Allen
I go through a dozen cards, reading each one out loud and stuffing the money back into their original envelopes, before giving up. I’m mystified as to why strangers are giving me their money. And it’s not just twenty dollars a card but at least hundred dollar bills per person. When I read the card from the Stone’s, I can’t help but smile as I think of Alec and how much of a relief it was to see him today.
There are a few other presents from the strangers; gift certificates for shopping and restaurants, bathing products and what looks like a hand-made quilt. When Charlotte hands me a small box that’s shiny, red, and wearing a silver bow, I grin from ear-to-ear. “It’s from Alec,” I don’t know why I say this aloud but I suppose I’m proud of my one present from an actual friend.
Charlotte and Rose watch as I gently unwrap the package. I am surprised to find a sand dollar lying in the box. Beneath it is a small handwritten note.
Summer Girl,
The night we met, I spotted this sand dollar and I knew that it should belong to you.
Happy Birthday,
Alec
Now, that was sweet. No money, no fake sentiments, but a real, genuine token of a new friendship. I have to call him to thank him for the thoughtful gift.
Charlotte has already piled everything up for me to take to my room later. I must have been so focused on the sand dollar that I wasn’t paying attention. But the gifts aren’t done. She hands me a small box, wrapped in gold paper. It’s the same wrapping paper from my dream. I shake the unnerving thought and remove the gold packaging carefully, too beautiful to be torn apart. Inside is a thin wound-up rubber rope with a combination lock. I look up, wondering what I’m supposed to make of this. “Rose, is this from you?”
She grins. “Charlotte and I thought it was appropriate. Now that you’re starting to get to know your way around town.”
“A lock?” I ask Rose directly. “What am I going to do with this?”
A thin large rubber wheel with silver spokes comes rolling in from the foyer and I laugh. It’s a white vintage classic retro beach cruiser bicycle. I remember it from the day Charlotte and I went into town. My expression hides nothing. I was worried Rose was going to buy me a car.
I take off from the couch and throw my leg over the cross bar of the bike. “It’s perfect.” I look up at Rose and Charlotte who are both beaming at me. “She’s a beauty. Thank you both.”
“She?” Charlotte is enjoying this. “Are you going to name her?”
I nod my head. “Yes!” I look below me at the sleek lines of the bike. A bike that looks nothing like the one my mom rode every day but perfect, just the same. I immediately think of a perfect name. “Grace.”
Rose is standing behind me now and she places a hand on my shoulder as a tear streaks down my cheek. “That is perfect.”
I take the bike for a ride around the subdivision, admiring the estates as I pass by them, one-by-one. I even stop at the private neighborhood beach to admire the Bay and examine my new bicycle further. It’s such a smooth ride.
I return back to Summer Estates quickly, anxious to discuss what is going on with me. As soon as my bike is parked safely in the garage, I wrap my arms around my grandmother. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Rose laughs. “You just did. I’m glad you like it. Did you wish for it?”
I think about the first time I saw the bicycle on the day in the shopping center parking lot. Charlotte and I were shopping. “I guess I did. How did you know?”
Rose winks at me. “I told you it was a day for magical things, didn’t I?”
Charlotte walks behind me to the back window. Rose’s expression becomes serious now. She leans forward. “I have one more present for you, Kat. This present is a family heirloom that you must guard with your life. It’s a family tradition that you receive this on the Summer Solstice after your 16th Birthday.”
She reaches to the right of her. Another gold wrapped package is presented before me. I take it slowly, already knowing what it holds inside. I look up at Rose, then Charlotte. Both carry expectant looks as they stare at the box I’m now holding. My vision.
A shiver races down my spine. I unwrap the gold package unable to keep my hands from shaking. Inside the jewelry box is the same green stone that I’ve seen before. And now that I’m close, I realize that it’s the same stone that I saw in Rose’s den. It’s an amethyst crystal.
“It’s beautiful.” I say breathlessly, more freaked out by the vision.
Next thing I know, Charlotte is behind me, gently placing the ancient stone around my neck. I reach for it instinctively and grab my heart necklace too. I will wear them both.
“What’s wrong, Kat?” Charlotte’s question is almost expectant. As if she knows the answer.
What overcomes me is a mixture of fear, anxiety, curiosity, the happiness of getting my dream bike, forgotten in this moment. Something strange is happening and I need answers.
Unable to suppress my emotion, a tear falls from the corner of my eyes and I swipe it away. “What is going on?” I whisper this now. “So many strange things have been happening and this day has confirmed all of it. You know something and you aren’t telling me – but you need to tell me now.”
Rose is still smiling and it’s as if I’m going to explode. How can she be smiling right now? I’m so lost and confused. Strange things are happening. My dreams are starting to come true. I try not to think of the dreams I had when I first arrived at Apollo Beach, the fire, and vase. Rose finally opens her mouth to speak. “Okay. But it will help if you tell me what’s been going on. Visions. Dreams? What else?”
Speechless at first, I stammer to begin. “W-well, the dreams started when I first got here and I’ve had about a dozen. Most of them are the variations of the same three dreams. In the first, there was a fire, and everyone around me was screaming but I couldn’t help them.” I go on to explain the other dreams, including the one with Rose in it. I watch her expression for anything to tell me that there are answers behind what I’m telling her, but she’s expressionless. “And I had a vision on the beach of you giving me this necklace. And today on the beach, I went from the patio one second to the beach – I just – appeared there. I don’t understand how any of it is possible.” I turn my eyes to the bike. I point. “And I wished for that bike. I wished for it and out of all bikes in the world, you chose that bike to give to me today. How can this all be a coincidence?”
“It’s not.” Rose speaks clearly and confidently. I listen to every word as if it decides my future. “I couldn’t have possibly prepared you for what you’re experiencing. But I’m about to explain it to you. Your visions, dreams, your heightened senses, the wishes, it’s all part of something – well – magical.”
There’s that word again, I think to myself, curiously. Rose knows that she has my attention. I haven’t moved. She shifts slightly during this brief pause as she analyzes me, then she continues. “The Summers, since the beginning of time have been empowered with an amazing gift. The Summer Solstice is what we are – it’s where we came from. And it’s the time of year that we can celebrate the enchantment in all of us. We have a lot to give. I want you to understand that, first and foremost. What we’ve been given is the power to do great things in this world.”
“Rose, I’m waiting to hear something that I can grasp. At this point, nothing makes sense.” My impatient gets the better of me.
She nods. “I know I just don’t want to blurt this out. Everything that you’ve experienced since being here has been a part of your future –.”
“And what is my future?” I cut her off impatiently. I can’t help myself. “To be burnt alive? Rose, my dreams or visions, or whatever they are – they’re terrifying. And they’re starting to come true.”
“Katrina, your future is going to be hard to process now but I want you to be open to it. It’s magical.” Rose smiles brightly. “Everything that is happening to you is directly related to your heritage and your day of bi
rth. From today on, today being your 16th birthday, you will be in full control of your powers.”
“Powers?” My eyes narrow. “What kind of powers?”
Despite my fury, Rose remains level as she answers my question. “Yes, powers. Bestowed upon you are the powers of the Solstice. The visions, the wishes, the levitation, the heightened senses, healing, they are all just part of what you are capable of.”
“Levitation?”
Rose winks, which I find inappropriate in the moment. “Your dreams. Levitating the vase is an ability you have. Try it.”
I stand up abruptly, furious with this mad woman that I have come to live with. “Stop it. This is not funny. You think just because my birthday is – today, on a day that you hold sacred, that I have magical powers?” I choke out a laugh. “Rose, I’ve been through so much lately; the dreams are all part of that. I’ve obviously got some anxiety disorder. I need to talk to someone about it. I don’t need to turn to your crazy accusations that I am magical.” I am close to tears.
Before I know what is happening next, Rose puts her hand up and with a determination I can’t understand. Something of great force slams into my chest. It reels me back into the couch. The couch moves across the floor but Charlotte has her hold on it before it’s sent across the room.
“Rose! Stop it!” Charlotte’s voice breaks through my shock and my grandmother’s intense stare. Rose shakes her head as if breaking free from a trance.
Rose is breathing deeply now. “Sorry. Power like that drains me. I didn’t mean to scare you, dear. I just need you to listen.”
My heart pounds in my chest as I come to grips with what just happened. Rose is clearly across the room. How could she have pushed me down? I look at Charlotte now. “What was that?” I ask meekly.
Rose sighs from across the room and I turn to look at her. “I did it. It’s my magic. But I’m old. I’ve lost a lot of energy over the years. And things become harder to control. I really try not to practice anymore for fear of something going horribly wrong. I’m sorry.” She seems to calm down quickly and continues. “You’ve been reading about the Solstice. You’ve read about our histories, the gods and goddesses that we have descended from.”
I nod my head. “Yes, but nowhere in those books did levitation and time travel come into play.” I ask the last words in clenched teeth.
“You won’t believe me until you witness it for yourself. You just have to try. Try to levitate something.” Rose points at the plastic cake on the table. “There.”
“Rose stop. It’s enough for today. Let Kat take some time to process what you’ve told her.” Charlotte scoots in closer to me as she speaks.
The authority in Charlotte’s voice surprises me. But their relationship is another strange factor in all of this. Since coming here, Charlotte has acted more like a friend than a caretaker to Rose. I assume it’s possible that they have grown close over time, but I don’t understand it. Then again, there is nothing about this place that I understand.
As grateful as I am to Charlotte for jumping to my defense, I can’t believe that she’s been drinking the Kool-Aid too. Charlotte obviously believes what Rose is saying.
“I think I need to be alone. Please, can I go to my room? Or are you going to stop me again?” My eyes are focused on Rose as I speak.
Charlotte turns to face me. Her smooth as silk voice helps, but it’s not enough to overcome what I’m seeing and hearing. “Rose just wants you to see what she’s been keeping from you since you got here. It’s who you are, Kat. You wanted to know why these things are happening to you. She isn’t lying. I know it all seems crazy right now, but it’s real. If you really wanted to levitate that cake you’d see it for yourself.”
I look at her, eyes wide with annoyance. I look at the cake and then back to Rose. “I refuse to give into this. I will not try to levitate a cake.”
Charlotte and Rose exchange a glance and I half-expect them to burst into a fit of laughter and tell me I passed their crazy test. But they don’t. Instead, Charlotte places a hand on my right hand and lifts it for me. “Here, you aim with your mind. Focus on what you want to do and do it. Your mind is your tool.” As gentle and instructional as Charlotte is, I cannot get past the fact that they want me to try and move an object from across the room. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Charlotte releases her hand from mine and I’m left, numbly pointing a finger at the plastic cake. I try to do as she says. I even wiggle my fingers, but I feel ridiculous doing so almost immediately and lower my hand. “See, can’t do it.” I stand. “You two are officially insane. May I be excused?”
Rose nods her head, disappointment washed over her rapidly aging features. “You’re dismissed.”
As I’m ascending the grand staircase I hear the conversation below me, clear as a bell. I’m reminded of the restaurant when I could overhear Iris, Ava, and Alec’s conversation. “She needs to see for herself, Rose. Just give her time. It’s not something she can escape.”
“That girl is so stubborn. Just like her mother.”
“Stop it!” Charlotte hisses. “She can probably hear us.”
Rose scoffs. “Why would she? She doesn’t believe in the power, so she won’t believe what she’s hearing.”
Charlotte sighs. “Give her time, Rose.”
“We don’t have much more time.” Rose’s voice is dejected in this moment and in spite of the situation now, my heart grows heavy for the old woman. Why Charlotte puts up with her stories is a mystery all in itself – but not one that I’m motivated to discover now.
Taking a step in front of my full-length mirror I reach around my neck to unclasp the green necklace that now presses weightily down on my chest. Once removed, I hold the necklace in my quivering hands as a sigh leaks through my teeth with a quiet sizzle. I catch the eye of my reflection that vaguely resembles the young girl that came to live in Apollo Beach, just three weeks ago.
Eager to escape my thoughts of magic and levitation, my eyes move away from the gold encrusted mirror just as the amethyst glows brightly in my hand. With a gasp, I release the ancient jewel, scalded by its radiance. Before it can hit the ground with a loud thud I turn away and distract myself by throwing on night pants and a tank top. I swiftly crawl into bed and cover my entire body with my comforter.
Tomorrow I will wake up and this horrible nightmare will be over. I repeat these words, over and over, before finally drifting into another vividly terrifying dream.
Chapter Seven
I try to escape the waters, using my entire strength to pull me from the darkness but the current is as resilient as an anchor. My strength exhausted. Water rushes over me, slamming me deeper and deeper down into the murky water. I know that this is my end. My lungs are empty and struggling for the littlest taste of air. My world goes black.
I’m jolted from my sleep and quickly adjust to the morning light. I shudder. Awareness of someone watching me causes my eyes to sweep to my right. My suspicions are confirmed. Someone was in my room. The French doors are wide open, allowing the hot morning breeze in from the Bay.
With a swift kick my covers are off and I sit up, senses on alert. Something tells me that the windows haven’t been open for long. It only takes me two seconds to spot the green amethyst necklace that rests on my balcony. How did it get there?
At a snail’s pace I move towards the necklace, heart pounding in my chest. I say a silent prayer that my imagination has gotten the better of me, most likely triggered from the previous day’s events.
Up close, I examine the odd shaped necklace. I know nothing about jewelry, except that this piece is stunning. It glimmers radiantly as its facets catch the sun. The imperfections in the long jagged edges are mesmerizing. Lifting the stone, allowing the gold chain to dangle, I watch it glow once more. The stone doesn’t frighten me now. And as I place the gold chain around my neck, the crystal hangs lightly upon my chest.
I rest my elbows against the balcony, reflecting on the events fr
om the previous day. Rose outdid herself. An elaborate party filled with eccentric costumes, all for the Summer Solstice? Maybe Rose is the head of a cult. The thought reassures me in a way – it’s the only thing that makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is why my visions and dreams are becoming reality. A chilling thought since two of my dreams have resulted in my death. I shudder.
And moving objects with my mind? That’s foolish. Then I remember the invisible force that pushed me back down onto the couch. Rose and Charlotte seemed to think Rose caused that. But how can that be possible? She was nowhere near me.
My thoughts are distracted by an image in the horizon. A boat sits in the Bay, two men stand with fishing poles in their hands, a line of string coming from the tip of the pole, the other line of string is lost in the water.
“Impossible.” I breathe my words. The boat has got to be two football field lengths away but my vision is weirdly – perfect. More than perfect in fact, as if everything has been magnified.
Now, I look around. Clearly, my eyes are playing tricks on me. I scan the houses down the row from me, unsure of what I’m looking for. I’m just searching. And then my eyes lock on the side of a house. The house number is blurry – at first. But as I begin to focus in on the numbers, my sight adjusts to perfection and I can read the numbers clearly.
I suck in a deep breath and remember what Rose mentioned about heightened senses. Could it be possible that all of my senses are more powerful now? My hearing has picked up conversations from impossible distances. Unsettled at the thought of this reality, I look below me onto the beach and spot an elderly couple. They appear to be in mid-discussion as they walk side-by-side at the water’s edge. The voices come to me the second I focus in on them.
Their conversation is as clear as the water sneaking onto the shore.
Their grandchildren are coming into town and staying for a few days while their parents vacation in the Hamptons. The old man wants his wife to stop at the store and get a few things before they arrive.
