The Summer Solstice ~ Enchanted (16 page)

At this point, I’m done playing the game. I hold my
sparkler to the side as Alec takes his turn. As I watch his masculine movements
I pay close attention to the words. I look at him with amused eyes when he’s
finished. “Beautiful?”

Alec throws a quick look to his right where Iris
and Ava have stepped away from us as they wave their sticks unenthusiastically.
He motions with his head for me to follow him. “Where are we going?” I whisper.
He motions for me to be quiet.

Alec winks at me. “That was for you, by the way.
You look beautiful tonight.”

Luckily, the darkness disguises my blush. I don’t
say a word to Alec as he throws a quick look over his shoulder, takes my
sparkler from me, dunks it in the water bucket and to my surprise, interlaces
his fingers in mine and pulls me down the beach in the other direction. As I
notice how perfectly my hand fits inside his, I have to force myself to breathe
correctly. It is so hard to be calm around him when he touches me like this. I
like it, but I think I like it a little too much. As I peek at him out of the
corner of my eye, I wonder if Alec could really like me. He is the sweet,
charming, great looking, boy-next-door that all the girls seem to be crushing
on.
Why me?

He leads me to a large group of teens our age now.
“Hey guys” Alec greets them. There are two girls and two guys. I wonder if each
pair is dating. “I want you to meet a new friend of mine. She just moved here
from North Carolina. This is Kat.”

The word
friend
leaves me disheartened but
I’m distracted quickly by the group of teens who acknowledge me with friendly,
outgoing smiles. “Welcome to Apollo Beach,” one says. “Nice to meet you,” says
another. Alec introduces them all to me as Trisha, Natalie, Matt, and Brent.

I smile at everyone but my eyes go back to Trisha.
“Trisha. You work at the Island Grille.” I recognize her blue eyes, petite
figure, and long, wavy, blonde hair.

Trisha gives me a bubbly smile back. “Yeah I
remember you. You were with Charlotte May.” I think this is the first time I’ve
heard Charlotte’s last name.
Charlotte May
. That has a nice ring to it.
I guess I never thought to ask.

“Who is that guy you work with? The broody waiter?”
His crappy mood still lingers in my mind.

Trisha smirks. “That’s Johnny. He’s always like
that. Hot – but way too many layers if you ask me. Who wants to date an
onion?” Her eyes widen in recognition. “You’re the girl who punched him that
night.”

I throw my head back and laugh, mortified. “No! It
was an accident. Oh – he was so mad.” Trisha is laughing now too.

I briefly meet everyone in the circle and there’s
some small talk, but I mostly chat with Trisha. She has a bubbly personality
that makes others around her smile and laugh with ease. She is the first person
I’ve met who is familiar with Spring Lake too, so I know already that we’ll
have some things in common. Matt and Brent seem like easy-going guys too. They
are friends with Alec through football and it seems to be the hot topic of
conversation.

Just as I’m starting to get comfortable with
everyone Alec drags me away. “Sorry guys, I’m going to steal Kat.” He winks at
the group. The guys begin to howl which makes me laugh.

I wave at the group as Alec drags me down the beach
and yells back at the group. “Sign us up for the next volleyball game.”

To my surprise Alec doesn’t take me to meet anyone
else. Instead, we find a spot on top of a sand dune farther back from the
party, wrapped up in our own bubble of conversation once again.

I find comfort in asking him more questions about
Rose. I’m curious of other’s opinion of her and how the people of the town
really view her. I don’t know why this matters to me but deep down I think of
how we share a birthday on the birth of the Solstice. Could Rose’s present life
be my future?

Alec shares with me what he knows. “I don’t think I
know too much more than you. Your grandmother pretty much owns this town. She’s
lived here her whole life and is in charge of two of the biggest committees.
She’s helped the city through a lot of trouble over the years so the town
respects her. There isn’t an important decision made around here without your
grandmother’s involvement. She’s a very powerful lady.”

“She’s helped the city through trouble?” I ask now.
This information is new.

Alec nods his head. “It’s funny, actually.” He
tilts his head, a strange expression playing on his face. “And I never really
thought about it until now. But we learn about the story of Apollo Beach in
History class around here. Last year there was an entire two weeks of the
curriculum dedicated to this town. Rose and George Summer were at the forefront
of it all. It’s actually really fascinating. I think that alone makes your
grandmother a celebrity in our small town. Back about a decade ago Rose and
George stopped a lot of crime and violence. That was the time that your
grandparents pushed for the community center and ultimately funded it.”

This is news to me but interesting. I want to know
more. “Do you still have your history book?” I can’t recall seeing anything
like that in the Summer Library.

He shakes his head. “We have to give them back but
you can go to the school’s library and they’ll let you borrow one.”

The next few moments are silent. The breeze moves
gently between us as we stare out into the moonlit water. It’s a beautiful
night. The Bay is calm. The stars are twinkling bright upon us. And soft,
distant laughter coming from the party is a perfect soundtrack to the night.

Without even thinking about it I twirl the sand in
front of me with my mind. It’s such a subtle movement that Alec doesn’t notice.
If he did, he’d just think it was the wind. A hint of a smile plays on my face
and I make the wind stronger so it swirls a bit more, creating a small crater.
The more I practice, the easier my powers become. It’s intoxicating.

I watch the wind grow more powerful and become a
miniature tornado before us. I see Alec react and my heart races, in panic.
Oh
no
. And then I remember something my grandmother told me the night of our
pizza party.
The moment you begin to lose yourself in your magic hold your
necklace tight. It will protect you. It will keep you from using your magic
beyond your limits.
I heed her warning and grab my necklace, holding it
tight within my hands. I close my eyes and will the wind to calm. I don’t need
to open my eyes to know that the mini tornado is back to sand on the beach.

“That was strange.” Alec says beside me.

I turn to look at him, hoping he doesn’t see
through me and out me as a witch to all of his friends. “What’s that?”

“You didn’t see that? A gust of wind created a
small tornado right there.” His expression is one of fascination and he gets up
to examine what was once my magical masterpiece. If Rose finds out about this
she will be furious.

I shrug. “I didn’t see anything.” I don’t know what
else to say. I’ve never been the best liar. My mom would always tell me she
could see right through me.

Alec soon forgets about the sand creation and looks
at me. “Do you mind if I ask how you’ve been – since your mom has passed?
I’m sorry if that’s too personal.”

I pat the spot next to me that he was once sitting
in, trying to ease his discomfort. “It’s okay. Really.” I smile at him to
reassure him.

He sits beside me and I realize that it’s
refreshing that someone asks the forbidden question. Most are afraid to ask in
fear that I’ll burst into tears. There may have been a time when that would
have happened, but I can talk about it now. She was the most important part of
my life. I want to talk about her. And I want people to know how amazing she
was.

“It’s harder some days. It’s especially hard at
night. For some reason that’s when I think about her the most. And I miss her a
lot. It’s one of those things that I don’t think I’ll ever heal completely
from. But Charlotte has been amazing. She’s helped me through a lot of sadness,
without even knowing it, just by being there and being what I need without
being overbearing. And Rose is warming up, slowly.” I smile softly at the
thought of my controlling grandmother. “I guess all of these changes have put
my mind to good use, rather than sitting in my room, sad. Moving to Apollo has
been really good for me.”

Alec’s warm smile appears on his face. I look up at
him just as his arm snakes around my shoulders.

In the short time I’ve known Alec, I’ve grown to be
comfortable with him and I love how I feel in his presence. But the guilt of
the lies I have to tell him at times are already beginning to weigh on me. I
force the thoughts away, not wanting to ruin this moment.

“Everyone seems so nice. You’ve been great. And
your friends, I mean – most of them.” I have to catch myself. Iris and
Ava have not exactly sought out my friendship.

“That’s usually how people in small towns are.”
Alec tells me. “Iris and Ava are the exception to the rule. They’ve never had
competition before.”

“Competition?” The word surprises me. I never
thought of it that way. I’ve never been anyone’s competition before.
But for
what?
I wonder.

“They saw your picture in the paper.” As he answers
me he stops and picks up a seashell that he’s spotted at his feet. He brushes
it off gently. “They practically had seizures reading that article written
about your birthday party.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes as he says this. As
if he wants to get a rise out of the two girls who have treated me so poorly.
“You wouldn’t believe how furious they were at me because I was there.” He
hands me the seashell. I smile.

I remember that photo in the paper of Rose and me.
Alec was standing next to me, unaware that his picture was being taken.

He tells me more. “In their eyes, you are a threat
to the status they’ve earned. And their parents have strong opinions of how
this town should be run. Iris’s father is a contractor, looking to make some
big money here by creating a tourist town. He doesn’t have much support but he
says he’s got big plans.”

I let out an annoyed groan. “Great. And here I
thought you were the reason they hated me.”

He chuckles. “Well, that doesn’t help.” He waves a
hand in front of his face, gesturing that it’s not big deal. “Don’t worry about
it.”

I wish I could be as sure of myself as Alec seemed
to be but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is just the start for Iris and
Ava.

Alec isn’t thinking about Iris and Ava anymore. I
know this because he’s inched closer to me and he begins to play with a strand
of my hair that’s fallen down, hanging over my eye. He pulls something from my
hair and I quickly recognize an ash from the fire. I meet his eyes and smile.
“Thank you.”

“You’re very polite,” he says softly as his hand
leaves my hair, making its way to my neck, gently stroking it with his thumb.
My heart is going crazy; its erratic beating consumes all space in my chest. As
he brings his head closer to mine my heart is about to burst through my chest.
I shut my eyes and completely give in to this new feeling of – I can’t
even think.

Everything is perfect. Fireworks are whizzing
through the night, lighting up the sky like colored popcorn. Laughter fills
space all around us. A crowd cheers in response to the end of the band’s last
song. Alec’s eyes are searching mine now, as if asking me if he can kiss me. I
close my eyes in response.

As soon as his lips touch mine I taste a hint of
salt. I’m thankful that we are sitting now because my knees turn to Jell-O. His
lips move slowly but firmly as he presses his mouth on mine. A rush passes
through me and I don’t know what to do next. But Alec’s hand is on my face,
stroking my cheek as he kisses me again. I sink my lips into his.

I’m disappointed as our lips part a few seconds
later. Our faces part and I’m left with a tingle on my lips. I smile. I can
tell he’s coming in for seconds when something smacks my left cheek, leaving a
sting as a burst of water cascades down around me. A blue rubber casing falls
into my lap – a water balloon.

It doesn’t take me two seconds to guess where the
attack came from but I’m too shocked to move.

I hear the penetrating giggles of Iris and Ava as
they approach. Their annoying voices get louder.

“I am so sorry, Kat. We were just playing around.
We didn’t see you there!” Ava’s voice is high pitched and riddled with fake
sympathy for my water balloon bath.

I remain silent, anger bubbling inside me again. I
grab my necklace, knowing that I can’t let my anger get out of control.

I look over at Alec who seems just as shocked. The
burst of the balloon’s residue dampened his shirt. He’s looking at me, assessing
the damage. His eyes sweep briefly over my black romper. When his eyes turn
towards Iris and Ava he’s furious.

“It was just an accident,” Iris says this
defensively though she’s still laughing.

“You two are behaving like second graders,” he
says, exasperated. “Maybe you both should leave.”

I look between him and the girls and they look
mortified by what Alec’s saying to them. Seriously, what is their deal? “Alec,
c’mon, it was just an accident and we apologized.” Ava is begging in her whiny
voice.