by K. K. Allen
Trisha laughs. “I swear everyone in this town loves a good party. With all the events Rose throws, you’ll get used to it.” Her eyes are twinkling as she grabs my arm and pulls me off to the side of the tent. “So, rumor is you and Johnny Pierce have been hanging out.”
I burst out with a laugh and shake my head. “What? No. Roy just called me and asked me to help Johnny setup for your party since I couldn’t take a shift tonight.”
Trisha makes a face. “That’s weird. Johnny usually sets this stuff up on his own.” She shakes her head like she’s already over it. “You two did an amazing job.” She smiles brightly as she gazes over at the buffet table with wide eyes. “He should have you help him more often.”
Her comment about Johnny usually setting up on his own catches me off guard, but I try not to let on that I care. Instead, I try to assess her discreetly. Does she know she’s an Enchanter yet? She must. It’s well past noon, and she’s absolutely glowing. Do I ask her? Can I? Or do I wait for her to say something to me? There’s so much I still don’t know.
“I’m glad I caught you. I kind of wanted to warn you about something.” Trisha’s voice changes, and I look at her. Her face is apologetic, and I wonder if this is it. She’s going to tell me she knows I’m just like her. But when she hesitates again, I know this is about something else. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Alec and Ava. They came into the Grille during my shift yesterday asking about my party, and I felt bad that I hadn’t invited them yet.”
The sound of Alec’s and Ava’s names together in the same sentence is like someone sharpening a pencil in my stomach. I haven’t had much time to think about Alec’s betrayal, but it still hurts. I really thought Alec had something special. A friendship at the least, even if it was just for a short period.
“It’s okay, Trisha. They’re friends of yours. Of course they should be here.” And I mean this. Just because I wasn’t the chosen one for Alec doesn’t mean Trisha should let that affect her friendship with them.
She smiles at me and pulls me in for a hug. “You are such a good person, Kat. I’m so happy you moved here. It’s nice having someone to talk to.”
I smile back, feeling the same warmth about Trisha that I felt when I first met her. I can’t wait for her to realize how much we really have in common.
“So how has Johnny been with you today? Death glares? Biting remarks?”
I smile and shrug. “He hasn’t asked me what my favorite color is yet, but he’s been decent. At least we can work together without fighting the whole time. We just don’t speak that much.” I laugh.
Trisha narrows her gaze then tilts her head. “Do you like him?”
A wave of heat washes over me. “He’s hot, but no. Johnny is too…” Angry, defensive, grumpy, sexy. Fire burns my cheeks at the last thought that passes through my mind, so I say none of those words. “He’s just not my type.”
She twists her mouth and squints like she doesn’t believe me. “Well, from what I’ve heard, he’s not interested in dating anyone. Then again, I don’t know…” She taps her chin and pouts. “Complicated Johnny and mysterious Kat. That might just work out.”
A laugh bursts from my throat. “I am not mysterious. Ask me anything.”
“All right, we’re getting together this weekend and you’re telling me everything there is to know about you.”
“Deal.”
“Oh. Guess what?” she asks, her cheeks turning pink. She glances around quickly, checking to see if anyone is within hearing distance. “Brett kissed me.”
She says the words so carefully, and at first, I can’t tell how she feels about this, but then I grin. “What? When? That’s amazing.”
When we were in Weeki Wachee, it was obvious Brett liked her. He didn’t exactly hide it, but I couldn’t tell if Trisha felt the same way. They will make a great couple—except she’ll need to keep her Enchantment a secret from him.
“It was just yesterday.” She’s still whispering, but her tone is filled with excitement. “One second, we were splashing each other in the pool, and the next, he was kissing me.”
“Finally,” I say with a smile. Before I can say anything more, we’re interrupted by an unexpected face approaching. It takes me a second to recognize the short-haired blonde with beautiful chocolate-brown eyes. She’s just as pretty as I remember, with her hair framed in an angled bob. Then it hits me. “Iris. You look great.”
“Thank you. So do you.” She seems nervous, like she’s having trouble finding the words she wants to say.
Trisha hugs my side. “I’ll let you two chat. We’ll talk more in a bit.” Then she jumps back into the crowd she just left while I try to brace myself for a conversation with Iris.
“Um, so,” Iris starts awkwardly. “I want to thank you for being there for me that night.” She bows her head, almost shyly, and I swear I’m talking to a completely different person. “I’m sorry I didn’t thank you sooner. I was awful to you, and you were so nice to me…” She shakes her head.
I smile at her. “It’s fine. Really. I’m just happy you’re okay. I’m glad to see you out and about.”
She laughs. “Yeah, well, my parents were so angry when they found out I was drinking that night, they kind of encouraged me to lay low. I didn’t have the strength to fight them. Anyway,” she says with a shrug.
A loud giggle makes us both turn our heads to find Ava slinging herself on Alec as they arrive on the dance floor. My stomach turns, and I think Iris might notice, because she eyes me curiously.
“I’m sorry about Alec. I heard about him and Ava and what he did to you. I never saw that coming.”
I pinch out another smile. “It’s fine, Iris. Really.”
She frowns. “It’s not fine. It doesn’t make any sense. Alec visited me almost every day after the Fourth, and all he could talk about was you and how crazy he was about you but how hurt he was that you’d been avoiding him. And Ava was supposed to be my best friend, yet she never came around to see me.” Iris shakes her head. “I feel like I finally escaped from prison and woke up in a completely different universe.”
“Well…” I choose my words carefully, not wanting to show my own confusion. “I guess he just decided that Ava was the one for him. They seem happy together.” This is as much conviction as I can muster, and although it’s hard to say, I know I’m telling the truth as I glance over my shoulder and catch a quick glance at Alec and Ava moving together on the dance floor.
Iris doesn’t look convinced. “I don’t know how you’re being so cool about this. If I were you, I would be furious. I wondered why Alec stopped coming by.” She nods to the new couple again. “I guess I know now.” She widens her eyes on me. “You must be devastated.”
Discomfort swims through me and I frown. It’s like she’s trying to bait a response. “I’m sorry he disappeared on you. I guess disappearing is kind of his thing now.” I give her a soft smile, hoping we can both squash this. “But hey, it’s Trisha’s birthday party, so we should focus on that.”
She agrees and follows me out to the dance floor, where Trisha is shaking her booty. I join in, not stopping until the sun starts to set and I feel the rumble in my belly from hunger. I’ve been so busy today, I forgot to eat. I find the end of the buffet line and begin filling my plate with appetizers.
“Well, this is awkward.” Johnny’s voice greets me before I see his face at the end of the buffet line. “Isn’t that your man out there with that Ava chick?” His tone is questioning, but I sense that he’s in one of his moods since he’s stirring up uncomfortable conversation. Johnny knows full well that Alec stood me up. Why would he even ask that?
“And here I thought we made progress today. Back to your normal self, I see,” I mutter quietly, but I know he can hear me.
“What?” He seems genuinely unaware that what he said was insensitive. “I just asked a simple question.”
“He’s not my man,” I snap. “But you already know that.”
He glar
es back at me. “Why are you getting all flustered? You’re acting like you still like the guy after what he did to you.”
A spark ignites in my chest. “I don’t, not that it’s any of your business.” I groan in response to my own outburst and walk off toward the tables on the outside of the tent walls where the flap of material against the beach parking lot can give me a semblance of privacy. I need to be away from the crowd for just a minute.
On today of all days—with me having to face Ava and Alec for the first time, seeing Iris again, and the strange sensation that something is just off—Johnny’s grumpy nature is not appreciated. Something about this guy sets me off in a way no one else can. With him, controlling my emotions seems the hardest. I need to cool down.
When I place my food on an empty table, I realize Johnny has followed me. I glance over my shoulder. “Can I help you?”
“What’s your deal?” he shoots back, clearly not taking any hints to go away.
“You’re just a jerk. That’s all. Thanks for the reminder. I was starting to forget.”
Johnny’s brow furrows as his gaze darkens. “He’s the one who ghosted you, and now you’re mad at me? Get over it, Kat.”
“I’m already over it.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.”
His words make the blood beneath my skin rise to a simmer. Oh, no. Not this again. I clutch my green stone, but I have to brush by Johnny to escape him. While my chest scrapes his, my heart begins to race like mad, but I’m not sure if it’s from the touch or from the anger he’s causing me. Our eyes lock, and my next breath is much harder to pull in.
“Stay away from me.” My voice is shaky, my energy fleeting, and I take a step away from him in an attempt to collect myself.
“Geez, Kat. Listen to you. You’re getting worked up for no reason.”
I want to scream at him, but instead, I close my eyes and beg for my powers to calm me down. I’m afraid of what I’m going to do next. Then I hear Johnny laugh—deep laughter that shakes his gut—and something about it creeps under my skin, injecting itself into my blood.
“What are you doing?” he asks. “Why are you closing your eyes like that?”
Here I am trying to stay cool so that I don’t hurt him, and he’s laughing at me. I take another step away, but this time, he grips my arm and pulls me back toward him. There’s not much force behind it, but I’m caught off guard and falling into him until I’m pressed against his chest.
“Let me go,” I say angrily.
“Not until you talk to me. Why do you get so irritated with me?”
I balk. “Why do you provoke me?”
“Because—I’m just trying to understand you,” he says, his brows still furrowed, like his words are frustrating even to him. “The real you, not the persona that strutted into town.”
“What persona?” I’m totally and completely shocked by Johnny’s assessment of me.
His glare darkens. “The spoiled-rich-girl persona. Heir to the Summer fortune. Popular girl. You tried so hard to mold yourself into whatever everyone in this town expected you to be.” He leans down, his blue eyes blazing back at mine. “I knew you were trying to hide something. You still are. I provoke you because I want to see you, Kat. I don’t know why, but I do.”
I gasp, and when our eyes lock again, there’s an instant explosion in my chest. I don’t know why his words thrill me and terrify me in equal measure. Adrenaline races through me, and I know my powers well enough now to know that I need to get the hell away from him to take control of the beast ready to be unleashed inside me.
I place my hands on his chest and push. My force is powerful enough to send any grown man flying backward, but Johnny only takes a few steps, giving me enough space to run by him. I make it to the back of the catering van, releasing my necklace with a frustrated growl.
Why isn’t my emerald calming me? This is the second time it’s been useless with Johnny. I need to find another way to calm down. I’m pacing behind the van, contemplating going for a run despite my attire, when I hear angry footsteps round the vehicle. I spin and ball my fists while I try desperately to steady my next few breaths.
Then he’s standing in front of me, confusion on his face. “Stop walking away from me.”
“Stop following me!”
“I can’t stop.” His words catch me completely off guard.
“Can’t or won’t?” I ask.
“Maybe a little of both. I’m still trying to make sense of it myself.” His hand covers his chest, where I pushed him. He rubs it, and in horror, I realize that even though he didn’t seem to react to my strength, he still felt it. I probably pushed him a lot harder than he was expecting.
“I’m sorry I pushed you so hard. I just—”
Johnny is shaking his head. “Don’t be. It’s good to know your weaknesses.”
Heat blooms in my cheeks. “What do you know about my weaknesses?”
He tilts his head, as if accepting a challenge. “You don’t like being singled out or embarrassed.”
I make a face. “Does anybody?”
He shrugs. “Maybe not, but your reactions when anyone tries to challenge you come with a very short fuse.”
He is so incredibly confusing. “What? So, you’ve been studying me? Is that why you’re always glaring at me? Because I’m some science experiment to you?”
He closes the distance until he’s staring down at me, just inches from my face with an unreadable expression. I can’t take him standing so close. I place my hands on his chest to shove him again, but this time, he covers them with his and locks them in place with his grip.
The touch zaps me the same way our first physical connection did. This time, though, the buzz doesn’t quit. It circles my chest, taps into my veins, and spreads through my body like a wildfire. I have no hopes of resisting. But I don’t have time to understand it.
A tremor runs through the ground beneath our feet. It’s a small movement at first, but the tremble quickly turns into a full-blown wave. The ground lifts and drops us back to even land, sending us both to the ground just as a pile of large crates come tumbling toward us.
Johnny wraps his arms around me then spins us so that I’m pinned beneath him. The crates come down hard on his arms and back. He grimaces in pain. Blood soaks his shirt and slides down his arm, but there’s no time to assess the damage. The earth beneath us is still moving and tossing us, becoming more violent with every second.
Then I hear the mixture of guttural screams and cries from the direction of the party, and the familiarity of it all squeezes my chest with dread. Not again.
Johnny helps me stand, and as soon as I’m able to stabilize myself against the rocking earth, I dart toward the crowd.
“Kat, stop!” Johnny yells.
There’s no stopping me. I’m adapting to the earth’s movements as I go, determined to get to my friends and family. As I approach the tent, I’m startled by everything that’s happened in just a few seconds. The scene is devastating. Party decorations are scattered everywhere, tables are flipped over, and the dance floor is covered in complete chaos as guests try to figure out which way to run. Just then, a light fixture from the ceiling of the tent sails down and slams into the back of Brett’s head.
I gasp and go to him first. Removing the crushing light fixture from his limp body, I throw myself over him to shield him from more flying objects even though it’s almost impossible because they’re coming from all directions.
There’s a loud whoosh of wind as it rips through the tent. My eyes widen, I look up to find the large white fabric above splitting apart at its seams. Bodies and party decorations are being tossed about in every direction. It’s madness everywhere.
I squeeze my eyes shut and plead desperately over and over in my mind for the earth to be still. If this is an earthquake, then my powers would be enough to control it. When my powers have no effect whatsoever on the events occurring, I groan and look up to find Rose and Charlotte.
/> Earth be still. I try the words again with more emotion, but nothing is going to stop this ground from shaking violently.
“Kat!” Charlotte screams with relief as she drops down beside me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I shout. “Where is Rose?” I’m desperate for a quick answer.
“She’s with the other Elders. We had to get them out of here first.”
“Where are the other Enchanters?” But as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I look up to find beams of energy blasting in all directions. They can almost be mistaken for the stage lights that are currently swinging in all directions, but I know better.
“They’re doing what they can to keep everyone safe. We need to help.”
“I couldn’t stop the earthquake,” I tell her, my voice trembling.
She nods as if she already knows. “That’s because this isn’t a normal earthquake. Erebus is here.”
Another rip from the tent spikes the fear in my chest. The material is shredding by the second, and the legs holding the tent down are trembling like they’re about to fly away. A light on the other side of the tent swings down and slams into another body, rendering him unconscious.
“We need to do something about this tent.”
Charlotte looks over, and I can see fear enter her eyes as the white fabric tugs from the bending metal poles. “If this tent goes flying, it could hurt a lot of people.”
She kneels and examines our surroundings. “We need to dismantle the tent. If I steady it and lift it from the ground, can you throw it? Do you think you’re strong enough?”
I nod, knowing I am.
“Okay,” she says, standing. “Make sure to throw it as far as you can.”
I squeeze my eyes shut then open them again to focus on the top of the tent. The white fabric moves in giant waves as Charlotte uses her powers to release the four poles from the sand, and with a rip in the earth, the tent poles are removed.
This is my cue. I use every ounce of strength I can muster to push the white tent high up in the air, then I let my powers fling it out as far as I can manage. Adrenaline fuels the effort, sending the tent sailing above the beach. It soars far into the raging waves of the bay.
