I start feeling pressure in my temples, and then a needle-like pain erupts behind my eyes. I squeeze them closed and lay in fetal position with my head on the floor. The next second, everything stills. The pain is gone. The dizziness gone. The bathroom is gone. It’s still cold, but I'm no longer trembling. It’s pitch black but there’s a small blue blinking light directly in front of me and I reach my hand up to touch it. When I do, I get blinded when the light expands around me.
When I'm brave enough to open my eyes, I see that I'm at a beach. It feels so serene. The wind is slightly blowing. The tropical smell of coconuts and fresh ocean water surround me. The beautiful purple and orange sunset paints itself ahead. This feels like a dream. That must be it. I'm dreaming. Yes. I must've fainted again, and I'm dreaming.
I bend down and lean back on my hands, feeling the sand caving in around my fingers, as they sink down beneath the warm surface. Breathing in the ocean air, I can actually smell the salt in the clear, blue sea. I sit back and enjoy it for a while. Until the laughter of a man breaks me out of my tropical trance. I spin around to see him sitting sideways on a long beach chair. I'm directly behind him, so all I see is his tanned back and his dark hair. He sounds familiar, but I can’t place him in my mind. I clear my throat to try and get him to turn around, but nothing happens. He doesn't acknowledge my attempted interruption.
Can he even hear me? This is my dream. I can imagine whatever I want, right? So why is he not acknowledging me? I'm convinced he doesn't know I'm here, so I start to walk towards him to see who he is.
“Scarlet?” A deep and comforting voice slurs in my head. I stop walking, unable to continue moving forward. “Love? Come back to me.” The voice beckons me with integrity. I hear it voice inside of my head, but there’s no one around me except the man on the beach. Yet, the voice sounds so familiar, so soothing. “Scarlet? Please.” I spin around and stub my toe on one of the beach chairs, in search of the voice calling to me. How can I stub my toe and actually feel the pain when this is just a dream? Where am I?
I feel the pull of the voice summoning me, yet I want to stay on the beach to learn the identity of this man who is here with me. As I struggle between the soothing voice in my head and my dream, the man turns around. Dimitri? I was about to begin walking towards him, when a woman’s hand comes down his shoulder from behind him. She runs her pointy manicured nail down his chest, and he begins to bleed. He stands there, unmoving, staring at me.
The woman was about to show her face, when that voice comes back in my head saying something in another language. Before I get pulled out of my dream, I see long, dark, wavy hair blowing in the wind behind Dimitri's back.
When I open my eyes again, I see Evan’s worried face looking down at me. I'm back on the bathroom floor with my head in his lap. “You're back,” he says, with a heavy sigh of relief. I try to sit up with Evan’s helping hand on my back. Then I slowly lean on the wall and rest my head on his shoulder. “What happened?” I say quietly. He takes my hand in his and holds it for a minute before speaking.
“Is that the first time that you have passed out like that, aside from earlier?” He asks me tenderly. I nod my head up and down slowly. “Do you remember anything, a dream?” I lift my head and turn towards him. “I remember everything. It was a very vivid dream,” I say, while worry still clouded my mind. The woman in the dream with Dimitri, I’ve seen her before. Well, her hair, at least. But from where have I seen her?
“Have you had any other dreams like that, love?” Evan asks. Just as I was about to shake my head no, I remembered the dream I had the night I met him at the dorms. Slowly I nod my head, again. “The first night we met was the first time. I’ve never really had dreams before, especially not nightmares, and these last two felt so real,” I say to him, as the dream from the other night replays in my head. I forgot how devastated I felt in it. That same feeling started in the pit of my stomach. I clutch it to try to stop the feeling from spreading.
“Scarlet? What’s wrong?” Evan says, as he puts his hand over mine. I shake my head. “I'm okay. Thinking of that nightmare again brought the feeling of dread back in my stomach.” I look up at Evan, and his face is paler than usual. Slowly, I put my hand on his cheek. “Are you okay, Evan?” He gives me a small smile as he turns so his body is facing mine. “Remember earlier when you fainted because we communicated with our minds?” I nod my head and give him a confused look. He continues, “Well, a lot of new casters pass out when there’s too much power behind a cast.” I cut him off. “But I'm not a caster. I’ve never done a cast before. I don’t even know what it feels like to do one,” I say in defense.
He shakes his head. “Scarlet, communicating through minds is a very expert cast in our world. You really have to know what you're doing to do that, and when you did it so easily in the car, it really confused me. But now you're having visions, and it’s making a little more sense.” Again, I cut him off, and I give a quick nervous chuckle. “Visions? Evan, no. There is no magic in my blood. It would've happened already if there was.” I start to get up, but he’s faster. He’s up before me and lifts me by my elbow, helping to keep me steady.
“Maybe you're just that special,” he says, as he shrugs his shoulders. I lean forward on the sink, and Evan opens the door. “I’ll give you a minute. What do you say about keeping this our secret for now?” I gladly agree. “Definitely.” He walks out and I throw cold water on my face this time. Looking at myself in the mirror, I can tell the color in my cheeks is coming back. Good. No one will notice. I was about to turn away, when I saw a sparkle-like glint in my eyes. So I search for it again as I move closer to the mirror.
There it is! It looks like a floating ribbon of melted titanium. I’ve never seen that before. I back up slowly, still staring at myself. Could Evan be right? Did I really have a vision? “Scar? You okay?” Charlie says through the door. With difficulty, I tear my eyes away from my reflection and shake my shoulders out, taking a deep breath. Whatever is happening can wait one more day. I won’t ruin this beautiful night that Demi arranged for me. I open the door to see Charlie's concerned face. “Just a little hungry,” I say, as I hook my arm in hers. She looks at me sideways, and I can tell she knows I'm hiding something. “Well, that’s why I'm here. Dinner’s ready,” she says full of skepticism. I attempt to give her a smile to prove that I'm okay, but even I knew it was unsuccessful.
***
Dimitri really outdid himself. He made all of my favorites, and all the food was gone, as soon as it hit the table. With a full heart and stuffed belly, I was ready to head back to Syracuse. When I announced that we would be leaving soon, Demi jumped up and ran inside, with Silas right behind her. Moments later I see her walking back outside with a cake and one sparkling candle. Silas takes pictures as Dimitri starts up the happy birthday song.
It’s my time to make a wish, and the first thing to pop in my head is Evan. I really want to be with Evan. As I look up at him, he gives me his swoon-worthy smirk. I blow out the candle, and he winks at me. I'm thankful it’s dark outside because I can’t stop the blushing from spreading to my cheeks. Suddenly a flash goes off, and Silas captures me in all of my red glory. He chuckles, and I stand up to punch his arm. “What? I had to! It was the perfect moment.” He teases. I nudge him again and embarrassingly return to my seat. There’s a piece of cake already there, waiting for me to dig in. Dimitri made my favorite, strawberry shortcake. I had two slices. Actually, I think everyone did. We’re all stuffed, and the sun was setting. I look over at Mack and Charlie, who are both leaning back in their chair.
“Do you guys want to help clean up, and then we’ll head home?” I suggest. Charlie lazily nodded her head and took a deep breath, then stood up. “Let’s do this,” she says, attempting to pep us up. After all that food, we were overstuffed. But I want to get back to the dorms with everyone so we can continue the celebrations. Demi followed us inside, while the guys stayed outside. We all took our positions in the kitchen and got to work. She
put on some Michael Bublé, her personal favorite, and we swayed and sang along to the music, which made the cleaning go by faster.
The guys came in, and Evan took my hand to dance with me. Quickly after, Lucas and Derek were dancing with the girls. Demi twirled around with Violet, and Silas was swinging a giggling Layla around. Dimitri was taking pictures of us with Silas’ camera, capturing this moment to always remember. I look to see my dad leaning up against the wall, watching Evan and me with a genuine smile on his face. He nods to me once, and I return it as I blush. It felt weird but at the same time it felt good that my dad is accepting my choices and supporting me through it. When I looked back into Evan’s eyes, I knew at that moment that he is it, that he is the one. He’s the perfect man for me.
He could see the declaration of devotion in my eyes because he stops us and kisses my forehead. Although I would have liked to feel his lips on mine, I understood why he did it. He’s a man of respect, and he wouldn't kiss me in front of my family without being legitimately together. I know he wants to though, I can feel it. I just don’t know what’s taking him so long to ask me to be his girlfriend. He leans down and whispers in my ear, “Soon, love.”
Wait. How did he know that’s what I was thinking, and wait, did he say soon? Maybe he’s planning something special. A weight is lifted off my shoulders, and I jump up to hug him. I could feel his chest moving up and down as he laughs. I squeeze him tighter, and he dips me down. My head is inches above the floor, and my legs are up in the air. Temporarily frozen in fear, I almost fall on my head, when Evan bends down to kiss me on the cheek. He quickly lifts me back up, and I'm back on my feet. I stand frozen as everyone laughs at my terrified reaction.
Layla comes running straight to Evan shouting, “My turn. My turn!” Without hesitation, Evan swiftly catches Layla in his arms, throws her up in the air and dips her upside down, like he just did with me a moment ago. He leans down and kisses each cheek, flips her right side up and places her on her feet. She jumps up and down, clapping and laughing. Demi sneaks up to my side and whispers, “You guys could head out, Scar. We’ll finish here.” She slips something in my hand and motions for me to be quiet. I look down to see the ID’s that she got for my roommates and smile at her, as I put them into my bag. Then I turn around to go pick up Violet, so I can start my farewells. She pulls me in giving me the tiniest tug of a hug, and it pulls at my heartstrings. My eyes get teary, knowing I'm leaving them again. But I don’t want to end this night in tears, good or bad. Pulling her in for a tighter hug, I take in a deep breath of her baby scent. “I love you, Vy.”
Saying goodbye was just as hard as saying hello, but I convinced myself to keep the waterworks at bay. I had an amazing birthday here, nothing but happiness. But it’s 7 p.m., and I want to end this birthday with a bang. We’re at the door, and I see Demi squint her eyes at me. She only does that when she’s about to do something crazy. I pull my eyebrows together, and tilt my head, trying to figure out what she’s planning before she does it.
I see her look at Evan with the same look. But he doesn't notice because Layla is having a hard time letting go of him. I look back to my sister and squint my eyes right back at her. She smirks at me as she carries on with her plan. “Scarlet, remember you promised to watch the girls on Thursday for me,” she says, louder than necessary. My eyes stay squinted at hers because I'm still trying to figure her out. Then it hit me. She wants Evan to come with me.
My eyes get wide, and before I can talk, she cuts me off, “Hey, I have an idea! Evan, why don’t you help her? Wouldn't that be fun, Layla?” Damn, she brought Layla into this. Now he can’t say no. I shake my head at her. “He probably has class or baseball practice, Demi,” I begin to answer for him but he stands up from kneeling down by Layla. “How can I say no? Look at these faces,” he says, with one hand under Layla's chin and the other under Violet’s. “Perfect.” Demi grins as she picks up Layla. “See you guys Thursday!”
We are almost to the car, when dad walks over to me. He takes my hand and pulls me to the side. “I know I just gave you a gift, and I know you told us not to get you anything today. But I couldn't resist. That money I gave you when you left is for you to be comfortable and prepared, while you're there studying. But this, this is specifically for you to have a good night for your birthday with your friends and with Evan.” He hands me an envelope and pulls me in for another hug. “Dad, I love you so much. Thank you,” I say in his arms. “I love you, too, honey. More than you'll ever know,” he says, before he lets me go. I climb in the SUV, giving my family one last wave goodbye.
As we drive down the highway, Evan looks down at my hand and points to the envelope. “Birthday gift?” he asks. “My dad said that he wants us all to spend it tonight. He wants us to finish the night with a good time.” I open the envelope, and I pull out 300 dollars. Mack's eyes grow and I heard the gasp come from Charlie. “So what would you like to do, love?” Evan says by my side. “I actually think I have the perfect plan. I'm more of a stay inside kind of girl. So…” I take one 100-dollar bill out, and I hand it to Mack.
“Mack and Derek, you guys get whatever fun thing you can get with that.” I take another 100 out, and I turn around, handing it to Charlie. “Charlie, same for you and Luke.” Then I turn to Evan, “And we’ll take care of dessert. We’ll split up when we get to the dorms, then we’ll meet back at ours. Sound good?” Everyone agrees. “One more thing,” I say, surprising them by continuing. “My sister gave me these.” I pull out their IDs and laugh as they both squeal their excitement.
Evan and I went to the grocery store and picked up ingredients for fried Oreos and peanut butter cup cookies. We’ve already changed into more comfortable clothes, and the cookies are in the oven. Charlie and Lucas got back five minutes ago with a movie, two board games, and the game Twister. They left the change on the counter, saying there’s no way they could have spent it all. But I think what they got was perfect. Luke ran next door to change, and Charlie is in her room, changing also. I'm unwrapping the peanut butter cups to prep them for when the cookies come out of the oven, and Evan is preparing the batter for the fried Oreos.
Charlie comes into the kitchen and eyes the almost ready dessert as she jumps up on the island. “I didn't think I would have any more room in my belly for more food. But being in here right now smelling those cookies definitely changed that.” The oven sings, letting me know the cookies are ready. So I grab the plate of peanut butter cups and bring them by the oven, so I can push them into the cookie fast. This way they could melt on the inside. Lucas walks through the kitchen doors and rushes over by me. “What are those?” He says over my shoulder. I snort and tell him as he turns around and walks back to Evan, raising his hand to high five him. “Hell yes! Got me feeling like it’s my birthday, too,” Luke jokes.
Once I turn around, placing four warm and melted peanut butter cookies in front of us, there is nothing but silence. Lucas immediately breaks the moment and pops his in his mouth. With his theatrics, he falls to the floor like a puppet whose strings have been cut. Charlie follows. She shoves it in her mouth and falls to the ground, on top of Lucas. Too busy laughing, I almost didn't see the euphoric look on Evan’s face, when he put his cookie in his mouth. His eyes rolled back just like they did the first time he tried my dessert. He lets out the sexiest moan, and his head falls back as he runs his hand down his face.
“God, Scarlet. Those are seriously lethal,” he says in his raspy voice. I'm smirking from pride as I pick mine up, and stuff it in my mouth. It melts on my tongue as soon as I chew. I wiggle my eyebrows at Evan, causing him to laugh. “Glad you guys like them ‘cause I made double,” I say, surprising my friends. Lucas and Charlie pop up and quickly race over to the tray of cookies. Charlie has a cookie in each hand, and Lucas looks like he put three in his. Evan grabs two for himself and two for me. And we sit there in silence as we cherish my sweet desserts. Moments pass and Charlie breaks the silence as she looks over at me. “Where the heck are Mack and
Derek? They are going to be pissed if these are all gone before they get here,” she says, through a full mouth. Chuckling, I reply to her, “Which is why I hid the other half of the cookies. But really, where are they?”
I turn to ask Evan. He shrugs his shoulders finishing his cookie. “Let’s bring this all out to the living room, and I’ll call him,” he suggests. We agree and leave the kitchen hands full of dessert. Lucas and Charlie run over by the couch and grab all the pillows to throw them all on the floor, making it even cozier. This really is the coolest birthday ever. How did I get so lucky?
Chapter 15
Birthday Wish
“More. We need more pillows,” Charlie orders Lucas, as she taps her chin. “You grab the ones on the couch in your room and I’ll grab the ones from our dorm,” Lucas says to her. Charlie salutes him and takes off to her room. But Luke doesn't move. He snaps his fingers and a large pile of pillows appear out of thin air as they fall to the ground. With wide eyes, I look at him as he just grins at me. Charlie comes running back in the room, arms full of pillows and stops in her tracks. “What the? How did you get those here so fast?” She says, as she throws the pillows down. Evan speaks up, attempting to save his cousin. “I ran over and helped him,” he says, as he throws another peanut butter cookie in his mouth.
Charlie shrugs her shoulders, thankfully not looking into it further. I place the cookies down and jump into the pile of pillows that she hasn't gotten to yet. It was so much fun that I stand up to do it again, but I freeze. Directly in front of me, Lucas is standing in position behind Charlie's back with a pillow raised above his head. Just as I was about to shout a warning, I saw in my peripheral vision something coming right for my left shoulder.
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