The Equinox (33 page)

Rose purses her lips. “The important
thing is that Johnny is not the Equinox, and you’ve got your pendant back.”

“Are you going to tell me how you know
that?” I’m exhausted now and it’s evident in my voice. I give up asking the
same questions over and over.

“Wait until Arabella gets back dear. She
knows more about this than we do.”

“What now?” I ask lifting my arms. “If
Johnny isn’t the Equinox then who is? What is he waiting for? How many people
will he kill before we find him?” The answers are endless but I stop there. No
need to drag it on. We are all fully aware of what we don’t know.

“Then tell me more about energy sourcing.
How can we possibly give back to the earth when the human race takes so much?”
My tone is wobbly and louder than I mean for it to be.

Rose puts her head down for just a moment
and then looks at me. “I keep certain things from you for your protection.
Because if—and dear, I pray this never happens to you, but if Erebus were
to get close to you—it’s just too dangerous.”

I shake my head. If Rose only knew how
painful these secrets are to me. Sometimes it all just feels like too much.

“Our energy sourcing provides more good
for this world than Erebus can stand. Only he doesn’t know how we do it—and
we need to keep it that way or he could destroy everything we’ve built.”

“Well what happens when you’re not here
anymore?” I ask this gently, knowing it’s not the most polite question, but
it’s reality.

Rose just stares at me blankly. “There’s
a plan. Part of that plan is for you to never know what we’re hiding.”

“You’re going to keep this secret from me
forever?”

Rose nods. “Unless Erebus dies, you will
be protected from this information.”

The front door opens what feels like
centuries later and Arabella walks into the room with a frown on her face.
“He’s not at the marina. The guard says he handed his keys in a few hours ago.”

“He’s gone?” My insides quiver and I want
to explode with tears of frustration and sadness all at once. I should have
stayed to listen to him. What was I doing? Why would I run away from him? I
accused him of lying. I abandoned him.

Arabella sighs. “I have to find him. I’m
going back out to look. Kat, do you know anywhere else he might be?”

I quickly go over our encounter with the
dolphins about an hour away and then of the sanctuary not too far from that.

“But wait, is someone going to tell me
why you’re looking for him? If he’s not the Equinox then why do you care?”

Arabella leans against Rose’s chair and
nods. “Do you remember what I told you about the lone descendant of the sea? He
travels with no home. His friends and family have become the sea.”

Memories of Johnny’s scent, his comfort
with mammals, his knowledge of marine biology, and even his stories of his
parents flood my mind. The recent conversation I had with Rose swarms my head.
Why did I not make the connection before?

“The descendant of Poseidon?” I ask, but
I already know. “It makes so much sense.”

Arabella’s eyes are raised. “So it’s
true!”

I shake my head, trying to quickly form
the pieces in my mind, but the puzzle pieces fit. “There are definitely
connections.” A jumble of frustration twist like angry vines, creating a knot
in my chest. “But why would he steal my pendant?” And why did he have so much
hate for me?

Charlotte is the first to stand.
“Tomorrow is the carnival’s grand opening. I think we need to get some rest.
Tomorrow we concentrate on finding the Equinox.

“What do I do with this? Now that I have
it back.”

“Here,” Arabella takes a gold chain from
her pocket and I recognize it as the one we found at the marina. She takes the
pendant from me and does a quick maneuver before placing it around my wrist. I
feel a tingle and slight tug as it forms to my skin. “There, it’s bound to you
now. No one can rip it from you. You can only lose it again if
you
take it off.”

I’m staring at my wrist now as the dull
gold chain appears to be painted on, the heart pendant shakes slightly with my
movements. “What does this protect me from exactly? Death?”

Arabella shakes her head. “This pendant
protects you from something worse.”

What could be worse than death?

“Erebus can only possess Equinox descendants,
and since you are an Equinox descendant…” Arabella sighs and the room is dead
with silence. “The pendant protects you from being possessed by Erebus.”

* *
*

Everyone retreats to their rooms. I’m tired,
but I can’t sleep just yet. It’s not that I didn’t make the connection
before—I knew that possession was a possibility. I
didn’t
know that my mom’s pendant protected me from Erebus taking
me over. Knowing this now gives me some relief, but just because Erebus can’t
possess me doesn’t mean that he will stop hurting other people.

Johnny’s gone and my heart hurts; guilt
riddles me. I should have never left him. I could have listened to him.

As I walk toward my balcony, I muster up
a gust of wind that opens the French doors, revealing an eerily calm night sky.
Placing my hands upon the balcony ledge, I stare out as far as my eyes can adjust,
but there’s no sign of Johnny. He’s gone—and I don’t know if he’s ever
coming back.

Frantically, I pull out my phone and call
him. No answer. I call again. No answer. So I text him.

Johnny, please call me. I’m sorry I got
scared. You’re not what I thought you were…come back…

I put my phone down and then pick it up
again.

But why did you have my pendant?

Where will he go now? This is his home.
He has to come back.

The
lone descendant of Poseidon.
He said his parents died when he was almost
sixteen—murdered, rather. Does he even know why he has powers? Does he
know who he is?

I’m thankful to have Rose and Charlotte
to show me the ropes. As my sixteenth birthday was approaching I knew there was
something different about me. I knew I was changing. I tried to make excuses
for what was going on with me but whatever was brewing was so powerful that
eventually it would come out, without having to try. Charlotte tells me that’s
why my visions and dreams were so strong—because my power was growing at
a rapid rate, it was ready to burst out of me whether or not I was ready.

And when I first used my powers…I close
my eyes, remembering how good it felt; like a release of every tense sensation
my body had ever held.

It’s easy to let that feeling carry you
away, which is why there are laws to help us control our use. Like a battery,
we only have so many cycles until our power dies and we’re unable to give back
to the earth, and when our power dies—we die. A cold chill spreads
through my body creating a shiver that reverberates every inch of my skin.

Again, I glance down at my phone but
there’s no message from Johnny. One thing hounds my mind, now that I’ve come to
terms that Johnny is the descendant of Poseidon and not the Equinox. The
Equinox is still out there, whoever he is, and he must be found and killed.

I didn’t ask for this life. To finally
have the one thing in this world worth living for and then be forced to give it
up is unbearable. He is forbidden to me, a temptation above any red fruit. He
stands before me, yet out of my grasp.

His
eyes stare back at me with a look that breaks my heart. A pained expression
tells me that I have hurt him. This look is far more powerful than the tears
that threaten to surface, and I must will them away. To reveal before him my
own pain would only complicate things, this I know for sure—this is how
things are destined to be.

Forcing
my eyes away from his is my only hope in this moment, but even without my eyes
on his beautiful face, I feel him searching me for any signs of hope. I feel
his love for me and a hole begins to burn straight through my core.

* *
*

Not even my amethyst could
stop this nightmare from entering the limited minutes of slumber I had last
night. I dreamt of a reenactment of my power struggle with Johnny—only
this time—I killed him.

As I awake, I know it’s
not Johnny that needs to die. There’s someone out there possessed by the
Equinox, and they will stop at nothing to terrorize the people of this
town—to feel powerful because they are weak. Rose told me that by Erebus
possessing a living body, he weakens their true form until they die. A body
only has a couple of weeks to be released from his invasion—who knows how
long he’s been possessing his current body, whoever it is.

Needless to say, I wake with a sickness
in my stomach, a tense knot in my gut, and an unsettled pain in my chest. Today’s
the big day—the Island Carnival’s Grand Opening. All proceeds go to Save
the Manatee® Club and a foundation that Rose started called Nurture Nature.

I’m still not sure how the organization
helps nature; something about providing resources so that Enchanters can give
back in the biggest way possible. It’s all a part of the big secret that Rose
demands I speak nothing of—go figure.

Rose insists that the carnival go on as
scheduled, despite recent events and the knowledge that if the Equinox is going
to strike hard, it’s going to be tonight. The Equinox has always had an
obsession with two things: the need for power and for attention.

A knock on my door causes me to jump.
It’s only Charlotte. I can tell by the light sound of her small knuckles
hitting the wood.

“Are you dressed? We need to leave in
five minutes.” Charlotte doesn’t enter as usual. She must be in a hurry to
dress herself. We were all up late last night, and I imagine we’re all
suffering from lack of sleep.

“Almost ready. I’ll be down in a minute,”
I call back dryly.

I throw on the first thing I see in my
closet; a black dress that just reaches the top of my knees and gold sandals,
but it could be a paper bag for all I care.

I head outside toward the already running
Escalade, and slide in beside Arabella. “What’s the hurry?” I grumble. “The carnival
doesn’t start until nine.”

“We’ve called an impromptu Solstice
meeting,” Rose turns but not enough so that I can see her eyes. Her tone is level,
yet there’s an intensity that I’ve never quite heard in her before. Rose means
business.

By the time we enter the meeting center
the hall is packed with Enchanters, other descendants, and Followers. Everyone
is making their way into the main ballroom; no one stops to chat or catch up; everyone
here is ready to listen to whatever Rose has to say.

Rose takes center stage and immediately begins
adjusting the microphone. Charlotte leads Arabella and me to a row of long tables
on the stage where the Elders usually sit. I guess we’re joining them today.

Darla French takes the seat beside me but
she doesn’t smile or say a word. My heart swells for the woman. The pain of
losing someone is the most vulnerable pain—one that can never be resolved.
For a moment, I forget my own pain as I reach over and squeeze her hand. She
squeezes back as a sign of her appreciation.

A loud tapping comes through the speaker
system and I can see that Rose is calling everyone’s attention by thumping on
the microphone. The room settles into complete silence and waits.

“On the Fourth of July there was an event
that signaled the first sign of the Equinox’s arrival. At the time, we didn’t
know what we were dealing with, but after a loss of one of our Elders, an
earthquake that injured many and killed two, and a violent act to wound a
manatee, we’re seeing early signs of what the Equinox is capable of. Unfortunately,
this is only the beginning.”

I wince at her words.

“At the time of the Fourth of July
bonfire, my dear granddaughter used her powers singlehandedly to create a wave
that ultimately rescued party guests from countless more injuries and deaths.
In doing so, she almost died, but she was saved by an undisclosed figure. This figure
ripped her pendant from her neck—but not just any pendant. This ornament
was given to Kat by her mother before she passed.”

Rose pauses and looks around the room in
dramatic pause. My mood darkens and I begin to stand. What will people say if
they know that my mother was an Equinox? I gulp—and that Equinox blood
was passed down to me.

Arabella, who must sense my attempt to
stop Rose from telling the entire community, places a strong hand on my knee to
stop me. She shakes her head. “It will be okay,” she assures me.

But what does Arabella know? I glare at
her. If this community knows that Rose’s granddaughter has Equinox blood, who
knows what they’ll do to me. No one trusts anyone right now, and I don’t want
their eyes on me.

“Kat’s mother,” Rose continues, “was an
Equinox.”

Gasps sound throughout the room and I
don’t have to look to know that everyone’s horrified faces have turned to burn
holes through me from every angle.

“Let me be clear,” Rose continues. “The
Equinox community wouldn’t be the evil that they are if it weren’t for Erebus’s
leadership. He has been abusing his powers for centuries by possessing the bodies
of Equinox descendants—once he possesses them, he uses them to carry out
his evil acts while his Followers commit other acts of violence, according to
his wishes. The pendant that Kat now wears around her wrist provides her with
protection to shield the Equinox from occupying her body.”

I still don’t know why Rose is telling
everyone this. Is it really their business what my mom was, and what I am? It’s
not like anything changes, but I sigh a breath of relief as I stare down at the
gold heart pendant knowing that the Equinox cannot possess me. The thought of
being possessed by something so evil—of killing someone with my bare
hands—is gut wrenching.

Rose turns and gestures for Arabella to
join her.

Arabella is on her feet instantly and approaches
the microphone beside Rose. “The person who took the pendant is Johnny Pierce. He
was born here but lived at sea with his parents until he was nearly sixteen,
after his parents’ tragic death. He’s been back in town for the last two years
and has been working at the Island Grille.” Arabella takes a deep breath before
continuing. “Why he took the pendant from Kat is still a mystery, but it is our
belief that he is the long lost descendant of Poseidon.”

There are more gasps throughout the crowd
but I just clutch the table, waiting for someone to come forward with his whereabouts.
Maybe Johnny is back in town. He can’t just disappear…I look around with wide
eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone who has anything to say. Nothing.

“Johnny can’t be found, but if anyone
sees him, please let him know that he is safe, but he
must
come to us. We need him. Our mission is much bigger than stopping
the Equinox from killing Elders. The Equinox has already gone to great lengths
to pollute our water. Plants, fish, and other forms of sea life are dying rapidly.
If the pollution continues, it will affect the Triton community, just like it
did a decade ago. But it’s not just about us. By polluting our ocean, our
rivers, it then pollutes our drinking water and vegetation. The Equinox is on a
mission to not just kill Solstice and Triton descendants, but all of humankind.”

Arabella gestures to me now. I’m not as
confident as Arabella that my approach to the microphone will be met with such
acceptance.

“Look,” she tells the room as she holds
up my left hand and opens my heart shaped pendant. “The pendant, when
opened—”

Suddenly shimmering white and silver
lights pour out from the pendant in a narrow beam that widens until it hits the
back of the ballroom wall.

“It emits Solstice energy—light stolen
by an Equinox centuries ago to protect their bodies from Erebus. Its light
regenerates just as we, do creating an energy that’s beyond anything that the
Equinox can handle.”

I’ve pretty much had it to the brim of
what I can take with all of this magic and good versus evil stuff. I just want
to find the Equinox, kill him, and then find Johnny.

Once the shock has settled in with the
crowd Arabella closes the pendant. I almost forget that there’s an entire ballroom
beneath us, staring.

Rose addresses the room again. “We have a
strong feeling that the Equinox will be at the carnival tonight. Simply enough,
he likes crowds—he likes attention. Tonight will be the biggest gathering
that this city has seen in a very long time. So everyone should be careful, and
should be on the lookout for anything suspicious. I urge you to travel in
groups. We’ll organize a buddy system, so that if there’s a strange occurrence
we can spread the word like wildfire and bring Erebus down once and for
all—together.”

The meeting ends but I can’t move. I’m
not sure how to process everything. What next? How am I supposed to go to a
carnival tonight after everything that’s happened? And how exactly are we going
to
take Erebus down
?

“Katrina,” Rose calls for me gently from
behind me.

I turn and approach her angrily. “Was it
necessary to tell everyone about my mom? About me? They didn’t need to know
what—who—they don’t need to know any of it.”

My words hit something in her because her
expression goes from gentle but stern to hurt and stricken. Her mouth hangs,
her brow furrows, and her eyes show regret. “I didn’t mean to upset you.
There’s nothing wrong with what you are—or your mother. You didn’t do any
of these horrible things, and everyone here knows that, but we’re a community,
Kat. It’s important that we’re all there for each other, to help each other.
Besides, if anyone here got wind of
what
this
pendant is—and they would have—then they’d be suspicious as to why
you
have it and how
you
got it.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “Sometimes, I too, believe
in transparency.”

It clicks; I get it, and I know that Rose
didn’t mean anything by her confession, but I still wonder how I’m going to be
viewed in the community now that my mother’s secret has been revealed. It’s not
that I care what people think of me, I just don’t want anyone to be afraid of
me.