The Equinox (18 page)

Arabella reaches over and rubs Rose’s
arms. Such an intimate gesture, but it seems natural for them. I can see how
Rose is fond of Arabella, and vice versa.

“Rose,” Arabella reassures her. “I
cloaked the liquid. As much as possible before it spread too far, but we were
lucky to see this. Who knows how long this has been happening or where else
they are dumping.”

I don’t completely comprehend what they
are discussing but I think I make out enough of it to begin to understand.

Rose stands up straighter now, though she
looks like she might fall over. Has this conversation taken a toll on her?

“I need to see Isaac. Can you set it up?
Have him come here, please.”

Arabella nods. “Of course, but you’ll
need to meet with him in private. He may allow you to bring along the Elders,
but he’s done with public politics.”

Rose’s expression is a mix of
understanding and impatience. “Okay. Just let me know what time will work for
him. It’s obvious we’ll need to work together if we have a chance to survive
this again.”

Carnival
preparations are a positive diversions from the evil that lurks around every
corner. The entire town, not just the Solstice community, is on edge.

I busy myself helping Rose any way I can.
She tells me that it’s important to carry on as we would normally, and to not
attract attention to our worries. I agree with this, however, I’m certain the
tension of the town could be shattered with a simple tap of a fingernail.

Rose has me stocking inventory of all
prizes for the game booths. She asks me to do this without magic, which is
frustrating because I’d be done by now, but I’m smart enough to obey.

My shift is close to over as I hold up a
gray stuffed toy manatee and examine him with curious eyes. The pug-nosed
creature in my hands is oddly cute. Before moving to Apollo Beach I had never
heard of a manatee, but their species is adored and protected by the city;
there are signs everywhere, warning boaters and beach guests to be aware of the
endangered mammals.

Without a second thought I stick the
stuffed animal in the back of my jean shorts while tearing down the last box, and
that’s it; four game booths stocked and ready to go.

I grab my bicycle, and head for the
Island Grille. I wasn’t scheduled to work today but Roy sounded desperate. Tonight
we celebrate Trisha’s sixteenth birthday at the community beach. Her parents
ordered an abundance of food through the Grille’s catering services and since
I’m not available to work during the party, I’m to help Johnny set everything
up.

I pull my bike into the back entrance of
the Grille where the catering van is parked behind an open set of double doors.
Johnny must be inside.

The fact that I’m working with Johnny is
unsettling, to put it mildly, so I’ve decided to ignore him as much as
possible. I’ll definitely be avoiding all eye contact as it’s the safest plan.

As if on cue, Johnny walks through the propped-open
back entrance of the restaurant. I turn to stone at the sight of him, unsure of
how I will manage this day.

With my hands securely trapped inside of
my jean shorts pockets, I rock back on my feet, hoping to give off an air of
casualness, while my blood pulses loudly through my veins.

He spots me immediately and his eyes
locked on mine. Darn it. Why did I look directly at him? But he doesn’t glare
so I let out a relieved breath and chew on the inside of my lip; it’s the only
distraction I have from the tan, tall, healthy guy in front of me. In spite of
his rudeness and obvious dislike for me, I can still admit that he’s attractive,
but it doesn’t matter. His bad attitude is enough to turn me off of his
potential charms.

The scowl I expect from him never comes.
Instead, he speaks. “Thanks for coming to help.” He says this as he tosses a
box into the back of the van.

To say I’m shocked by his greeting is an
understatement.

My eyes widen but dim quickly. “S-sure.
Just tell me what you need.”

He looks toward the storage room. “There
are some party tubs in the back that we need to load. Let me know if they’re
too heavy to push onto the hand pulley.”

I nod and pass by him on my way into the
building, too distracted by my thoughts to really listen. As I edge around him
I’m careful not to touch or make eye contact with him again.

The tubs in the back aren’t heavy at all,
so I carry them two at a time to the back of the van and place them in.

“What are you doing?” Johnny’s voice is loud
and anxious as he runs up behind me.

I swivel around, eyes up at him, brows
semi-furrowed. “Huh? What? You wanted those bins right?”

“Geez, Kat. Those bins are heavy. I told
you to use the hand pulley, not carry them. You trying to kill yourself?” He
stares at the bins and then shakes his head before walking away.

I stare back into the van, trying to
understand what the big deal is and then I can feel my insides shrinking. I
forgot about my abnormal strength. I shouldn’t have carried them both.

Instinctively, I reach for my back and
moan in fake agony. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.” I rub it a bit and
hope that he’s witnessing my amazing acting skills but he’s already walking
away.

When I’ve reached the storage room again
Johnny’s already placed the next set of bins on the pulley for me. “There, use
this.”

I take it from him and roll the pulley to
the van and rest, allowing my muscles in my shoulders and neck to relax. Johnny
appears beside me and silently picks up the bins one by one and places them in
the van.

I think of saying something smart to him;
something to let him know I’m not the weak girl he thinks I am. Instead, I
choose to bite my tongue. I won’t let him know he’s gotten the better of me. I
just want to get through my shift.

“What’s next?” I ask him once the bins
are all loaded.

He gives me a sideways glance but doesn’t
turn toward me fully. Maybe he doesn’t want to make eye contact with me either.
“That’s it. I just have to grab some papers. Hop in and start her up.”

He tosses me a set of keys and they land
in my left hand.

I climb into the van, taking in the smell
of heated leather mixed with a dusty vanilla scent, probably from the air
freshener that hangs from the rearview mirror.

The weather has only gotten muggier since
moving here, and though the breeze coming in from the water helps a little,
it’s still hot.

I’ve almost forgotten about the stuffed
manatee tucked into the back of my jeans until I’m pressed back against the
seat. A squishy lump digs into me and I yank it out and place it on the dash.

“There you go, buddy.” I smile.

I place the van key in the ignition and
turn it. When the engine purrs and then finally roars to life I’m blasted by hot
air blowing through the dash vents. I reach over to close the ones in front of
me just as Johnny hops in the driver’s seat.

He must get blasted too because he groans
and turns his face away. Then he pounds on the dash a few times and cranks the
AC level all the way left.

“Geez,” he mutters. “This might take a
while to cool down.”

My eyes linger on him, longer than they
should. His eyes flit briefly toward mine and I look away embarrassed. By the time
my head turns back toward the front windshield I’ve already memorized him
without meaning to.

He wears tan khakis with frays at the
bottom and a solid light blue t-shirt that clings to his body perfectly. The
light stubble around his mouth and lower part of his face make him appear older
than I think he really is, but we haven’t exactly had a conversation revolving
around our birth dates yet.

It’s strange how boys develop into men;
the way their gangly arms and legs become swollen the harder they strive to
prove that they are tough, growing, and independent. Johnny appears to have a
lot to prove. His muscles swell in a healthy way; not too much, and his sturdy jaw
reveals that he’s stronger and older than the high school boys I’ve been around.
Why am I comparing him to other guys? This is ridiculous. I frown and feel a
flash of heat in my cheeks.

The silence between us carries a thick
tension.

I watch Johnny reach for the AC knob again
and bang on it again. “Stupid van. You’d think Roy would get us a new vehicle
by now.”

I say nothing. In a way I’m enjoying his
discomfort, which is why I make no move to fix the temperature with my powers.
Instead, I smile and crank the knob on my door, releasing the pane of glass
that separates me from the fresh bay breeze. I lean into the wind.

It’s not the heat that bothers me, though
the humid air clogs my lungs like tree tar. It’s the feeling of being boxed in
with Johnny. Trapped next to someone who so obviously despises me is not how I
want to spend my day.

A cooler filled with ice and drinks for
us to share sits between us. I reach in and pull out a water. The cold contents
run refreshingly down the back of my throat.

It’s not until I place the water bottle
in the cup holder to my left that I see Johnny staring at me, deep thought.

Why is he watching me? “Do you want one?”
I ask him. Our eyes are frozen together for a split second before he pulls away
to focus on the road.

“Nah, I’ll grab one when we get there.
Thanks.” Why do I get the feeling that he’s saying no simply because I’m the
one who asked?

I’ve successfully managed life just fine
without Johnny around to give me a bad time. So much has gone on since Darryl’s
death that distractions have become a way of life. The entire community has put
all their energy into preparations for the carnival, in honor of Darryl. It’s
as if our time spent organizing and creating is somehow going to replace the
bad that’s happened. At least the volunteer work has been a way to cope with the
fear that we all have in the back of our minds.

“What’s that?” He asks.

I have to look at his eyes to see what
he’s referring to. I smile and pick up the stuffed animal, tossing it between
my hands. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”

It would be far-fetched to call the lift
of Johnny’s cheeks a smile, but his reaction is a positive one. “Where did he
come from?”

“The carnival,” I say as I touch the nose
of the manatee’s to mine, playfully. “Rose had me stocking inventory this
morning so I snatched him.”

“You stole from your grandmother?” Johnny
is laughing now.

I roll my eyes. Of course Johnny would
turn this into a negative. “They aren’t
hers
.
I volunteer my time. She won’t mind if one of these guys goes missing. If she
does, I’ll just put him back and win him anyway.”

Johnny laughs again. I’m happy to see him
like this, although his laughter is at my expense. It doesn’t matter. Maybe we
will get through this day.

We turn into the parking lot of the
community beach. As we haul boxes onto the sand I try to remember how weak I’m
supposed to seem. This will get old quick.

The buffet tables are already set up and
decorated beautifully. Silver and coral embellishments are brilliantly placed
around the venue.

Most of the party will take place under a
large white tent. The circular tables have already been placed, their centerpieces
made up of round metal plates that hold both large and miniature candles; rose
petals are scattered around them.