Plink! The stone hit dead center. I waited to see his messy black hair appear in the window, but he didn’t come. Hearing voices in the front yard, I crept along the fence and saw someone standing in the driveway.
“Yes, mother. I’ll be home in time for the meeting.”
My heart stopped when I heard Benjamin’s voice. I was dazed for a second by his blue eyes and dimples. His hair was perfectly gelled to appear messy, though I knew he took a long time to get it that way.
I should have run, or taken cover behind the daffodils, but no, I had to stand there like an idiot for an extra second to stare at him.
“Celeste?”
I simultaneously cringed and cheered at the way he said my name, as if he were singing his favorite song. If I had my magic, I would have used any number of spells to cloak myself or disappear. Sadly, I was trapped and forced to stand there awkwardly.
“Hey, Benjamin.”
His perfect smile melted my heart and chased away the chill that had crept under my pretty but useless winter coat. He cautiously ran over to the fence to greet me, his eyes darting to both his house and mine.
“I didn’t know you were home from school yet. You should have come by.” He rubbed his hands together to keep them warm.
“I just arrived. Why don’t you have any gloves?” I shook my head at his inability to dress himself properly for the cold weather.
He looked down at his red hands and laughed. “If I had gloves, you wouldn’t have any reason to yell at me.”
I tried not to giggle, but failed. Flirting was not an option, even though I desperately wanted to grab his hands to warm them.
“Are you going somewhere?” Letting my emotions get the better of me, I realized that I was pouting. I quickly rearranged my features to display something close to disinterest.
“Only for a little while. I’ll be at the YWWA meeting later. Is it true that your mom volunteered you to be the Ambassador for your coven? Planning committees are not your thing, unless something happened while you were away at that casting school of yours.”
It killed me that Benjamin knew me better than my mother did. He understood how much I hated being in the spotlight. “Well, they need help, right? So, I figured, why not? Besides, it’ll give us time to catch up.”
“Great. I look forward to hanging out with you. I should warn you that Tamara is in charge of the dance committee this year. Is that going to be a problem?” He leaned his shoulder against the fence, making me desperate to step closer to him. I sighed when I felt his warmth fight the cold to reach me. I couldn’t stop myself from giggling again.
I was so undone by seeing him again after being away for three months that I didn’t actually process the name “Tamara” right away. Blinking a few times, I slowly let the reality of his question sink in. Tamara Hazelton. Someone, somewhere in the universe hated me. That could be the only possible reason for Tamara to be in charge.
Seeing his expectant face, I couldn’t back out. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Tamara will be so busy she won’t have time to notice me.”
I’m not sure how I sold the biggest lie of my life, but Benjamin nodded.
“Great. I’ll see you later.”
Benjamin looked over his shoulder at a limo coming up his driveway.
I turned to watch an olive skinned brunette step out of the limo in one graceful movement. I couldn’t help but gawk at her for a second. She was everything that my mother would have wanted in a daughter. She was poised, perfectly coiffed and her makeup was spot on.
“Benji! We’re going to be late.” Her Romanian accent reminded me of Professor Stoica’s.
When I realized who she was, I grit my teeth until I thought they would crack. Anika Klein. She was classically beautiful, though on the short side. Aside from the whine in her voice, there wasn’t anything to hate.
Benjamin smiled at Anika and waved. Turning back to me, he nodded. “I have to go, but we’ll see each other later, right?”
I ignored his question and stared at Anika’s light gray wool coat and matching hat. “Benji? You hate being called Benji.”
He frowned and looked back at her. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” I shook off his blatant lie and looked back at Anika.
She stomped her foot. “Benji! Hurry! Papa will be mad if we are late.”
I wanted to know where Benjamin was going with Anika more than I needed to take my next breath. Why was he going to see her father?
I opened my mouth to demand an answer, but he shrugged at me apologetically and ran off to greet her. My entire body flushed when she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his reddened cheek. Bitch!
Watching him get into the car and drive off with her, I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch something, throw something. If I could cast, I would set the snow piles around me on fire. How had this happened?
I numbly went back to the garden and sat down on the wrought iron bench where I liked to read and stared at the water fountain that had been spelled not to freeze. Had I lost him for good?
He hadn’t appeared to be overly happy to see her and he hadn’t kissed her back. I recalled my mother saying that Benjamin wasn’t falling for Anika as quickly as Mrs. Fitzroy had hoped. Maybe there was still time. Maybe I still had a chance.
Yes, I would go back inside and put on the nicest dress I owned and let my mother tell me how to wear my hair. I would go to the meeting to show Benjamin that I could not only tolerate Tamara, but also work as hard as I could to put on the best Solstice Bonanza ever.
I stood up and took a step forward to enact my plan when I tripped over something and tumbled into the gardenia bushes.
“What the…?” I looked around for whatever blasted thing I had tripped on, but I couldn’t find anything on the ground. I wasn’t that clumsy. I had worn these heels a few times, so they weren’t slippery. There was no reason for me to trip.
“Meow.”
I closed my eyes, refusing to open them. My stomach dropped and I stopped breathing.
“Oh, you. Yes, I’m home, you dreadful thing. I’m surprised that you didn’t follow me all the way to school. I know we have this love/hate relationship going on, but we really need to stop meeting like this.”
I crossed my arms and slowly pried my eyes open to glare at my furry nemesis. To my left was the black cat that apparently only I could see. He sat on the edge of the water fountain, whipping his tail back and forth.
“If I could, I swear I would pack you up and ship you to the furthest island I could find.”
“Meow.” The cat’s yellow eyes narrowed and stared at me pensively.
“You are nothing more than a physical manifestation of stress brought on by my lack of magical ability and the bullying that I receive as a result of it. Dr. Heinz says that I am to ignore you because you will only bring me more stress.” I slowly climbed out of the bushes and reached down to scratch behind its ear. “Unfortunately, as much as I wish you would leave me alone, we both know that you’re my only friend. Well, technically, you’re my only friend at home. Believe it or not, I made a friend at school.”
“Meow.”
“Fine. Don’t believe me.” I looked back at the house to make sure my mother wasn’t in the window. “If my mother finds out that you’re back, she will have me committed. She’s threatened to do so. I finally have a chance at telling Benjamin how I feel. I swear if you ruin it, I really will ship you off.” I couldn’t let ghost cat mess with my plans. This town already crossed the street to get away from me. If they knew about my black menace, they would probably run me out of town.
The cat hissed and ran off into the bushes. “Fine, be jealous.”
I took a deep breath and composed myself. I had to make it through another round with my mother before I could see Benjamin again. I needed my strength and my sanity to survive long enough to get to the planning meeting.
Chapter 3
A few hours later, my long brown hair was highlighted, my nails were light pink and polished and
I was wearing the latest winter fashion from the designer my mother had hired during the summer to create my wardrobe. Despite the new look, I still felt like a fraud.
Entering into the YWWA headquarters inside the Black Hat and Broom Society, I reminded myself not to put my head down and pretend as if I were invisible. I would not hang out along the walls to avoid people and I would not sit quietly when the unavoidable happened and someone made a snide remark. In short, I would be someone else today.
“Miss Dreger, it’s lovely to see you again.” An older woman held out her hand to greet me. For the life of me, I had no idea who she was.
My mother stepped around me and nodded to the woman. “Beatrix, thank goodness. I need to dart into my meeting. Can you please make sure that Pearl makes it to the planning meeting?” My mother didn’t wait for Beatrix to respond before rushing off into another room.
Did she think that I would run from the building as if it were on fire? Perhaps my mother knew me better than I thought.
Beatrix motioned for me to follow her down the hall past a set of offices I had played in as a child when my mother had to drag me along to a “quick meeting” or a tea where I was to be shown off like a prize cow. Little did she know that the bright and promising daughter she touted as the next best thing would turn out to be me.
Entering into the meeting room, I felt everyone’s eyes turn towards me at the same time, making my heart race. I glanced at all the unhappy faces until I found Benjamin smiling at me.
Beatrix left me with the hyenas and ran for the safety of the hallway.
I spotted a seat next to Hana Dodson, who was as much of an outcast as I was. The two of us often bonded in our disdain for Tamara and her group of followers. Hana had flawless ebony skin and short hair gelled into waves on her head. Tamara’s group mocked her because she wasn’t rail thin and flat chested like them. Her nickname was, “Have a Donut,” due to her curves.
Making it one square tile closer to the empty chair I was dashing towards, Tamara cleared her throat. “I didn’t think you would return to town after the Summer Carnival fiasco. Thankfully, vomit washes out with the right spell. It took two of my servants to clean my Miss Sunshine dress.”
Tamara picked up her wand and tapped it on the table in front of her. She was silently reminding me that she could do anything she wanted to me with that wand in her hand and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop her.
The voice inside my head told me to slink off to my seat and hang my head, but today I was Pearl Dreger, not Celeste “the broken one”.
“What does it matter, Tamara? You easily won the competition and you’ll never wear that dress again. In one week’s time, you won’t have to see me again until the next Miss Sunshine Pageant. I’m here to plan for the festival. I’m not here to be your punching bag.” I was used to hearing gasps in the room, but this was the first time I had caused them by fighting back.
Tamara’s face turned bright red and she gripped her wand as she planned the perfect curse to throw at me.
Preparing to dive under the table next to me, I flinched when Carson Rafferty burst out laughing.
“Brilliant. Bloody brilliant.” He laughed so hard that the rest of the room couldn’t help but join in the laughter.
Grateful for the distraction, I took a deep breath. As the tension left the room, I took my seat and smiled at Hana, who smiled back.
“Good to see you, Celeste.” Hana patted my hand as a sign of solidarity.
Tamara tapped her wand to get everyone’s attention. When we ignored her, she yelled for everyone to stop laughing.
“Let’s get back to business. If we are going to have a successful ball, we need people to hang decorations, someone to work with the DJ to create the playlist, people to plan the menu and of course, someone to organize the vote for Solstice Princess.” She said the last part with a smug smile since she expected to win the dumb competition for the second year.
I had no idea what made me speak up, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Why do we need a princess? It’s just another title and sash. It doesn’t mean anything. Can’t we just have fun at the dance?”
The complete and utter silence that filled the room made my ears ache and my palms sweat. I had broken protocol by railing against the norm. What was wrong with me? While I didn’t want to be my usual weird self, I definitely didn’t need this new version of me wrecking everyone’s plans.
Tamara flashed me a sarcastic smile to prove that I was the only one in the room who didn’t want her to add another sash to her collection, until Benjamin sat forward.
“I’m with Celeste. Every year, people go to crazy lengths to get nominated and get votes during the weekly events. It’s an antiquated tradition. If we are going to have a ball, then let’s just dance. Do we really need the approval of our parents so badly that we have to stab each other in the back to win a meaningless competition?”
I smiled at Benjamin, grateful for his support. I had never been so happy to have someone on my side.
“But, Benji, I was looking forward to being Solstice Princess this year. Don’t you want to be my king?”
I turned and watched Anika Klein glide into the room and head straight for Benjamin.
He stuttered and shrugged. “I mean, sure. I guess we can have the competition, if you want.”
It suddenly felt like the entire room was a thousand degrees hotter. I hung my head and sank lower into my chair. I didn’t need to see Tamara gloating, while sizing up Anika as her direct competitor. I had never felt so betrayed.
I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the meeting, except to volunteer for the decoration committee. I figured that standing on a high ladder to hang glittery silver snowflakes would keep me far away from human interaction and provide me the opportunity to jump and break my leg so that I didn’t have to attend the dance.
As everyone was gathering up their things, I plotted my exact course to the exit so that I could avoid any further humiliation. I stood up and tried to leave but Tamara stepped in my path.
“I’m not sure why you’re here, but don’t forget your place. You may have the kids at Hallowed Woods fooled with your designer clothes and your cute hair, but you’re not one of the elite. I don’t care how much money your parents have or who they killed to have a say in coven matters; you are no one. You can’t come in here and pretend that you matter. You never have and you never will.” She turned on her heel, hitting me in the face with her long blonde hair.
She waved her wand over her shoulder to throw a spell at me, knowing that I couldn’t block it. I braced myself for what sounded like a water spell muttered under her breath. I fully expected to go home soggy when Carson pointed his wand at me and said, “Împrăștia!” The splash of water headed towards my body scattered into a fine mist.
I jumped, surprised by Carson’s scatter spell. I stared at him, trying to figure out why he had intervened.
He winked at me and put away his wand. “For the record, I liked your idea about not having a princess. It’s silly and pointless, really. We all know Tamara will win. If she doesn’t, she’ll probably curse the winner and win by default. Who needs that?” Carson’s Irish brogue always made him sound sarcastic, as if he was making fun of everyone, though he was popular because of his outgoing personality.
Dumbfounded, I looked at his gorgeous face and his shaggy dark hair that hung over his eyes. His amazing smile warmed my heart. Unfortunately, he was one of them, the “elite”. He was untouchable and known to date Tamara’s second in command, Melody Piffler. Though I often daydreamed about him when he was nearby, he was out of my league and solidly on Team “We Hate Celeste,” which was why I was confused by his sudden show of support.
“Yeah. Nobody needs that.” I didn’t know what else to say since I was still pondering his kind gesture.
I tried to step around him, but he stopped me. “Did you change your hair? I mean, it’s been months since I’ve seen you, so my memory could be faulty.”
/> I looked into his warm brown eyes, trying to figure out if he was making fun of my highlights. “Yeah. I just had it done.”
He smiled and nodded. “At least I’m not losing my mind.”
I grinned awkwardly and headed for the door.
“Celeste, I’m glad that you stood up to Tamara today. It was refreshing if nothing else.” He sounded sincere, which was odd since he was technically Tamara’s friend, or was at least guilty by association.
I spun around, unable to take anymore of whatever this was. As hot as he was, I couldn’t let him mock me. “Carson, I don’t know what’s happening here, but I don’t like being the center of whatever game this is. Why are you being nice to me? Aren’t you the one who called me dogface to make everyone laugh when my hair was cut too short? Aren’t you the one who used a tripping spell and knocked me off the stage during the Miss Sunshine Pageant? We aren’t friends. We have never been friends. People like you and Tamara are the reason why I left. Why would you save me from Tamara when you’re just like her? You expect me to fail.”
All the pain and pent up frustration tumbled out of me at once. I should have felt bad for being mean to him since it wasn’t my normal way of handling things, but after seeing Benjamin cave to Anika’s demands, I felt like I only had one friend in the world and it certainly wasn’t Carson Rafferty.
He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but I ran out of the room before he could say anything. I didn’t need him to see my tears. Not today. Of all the times that Carson and people like him had upset me, I couldn’t let them see me cry today.
On my way through the corridor, I saw Tamara talking to her mother. Looking around, there was nowhere to hide to avoid detection. Tamara was blocking the only available exit and she knew it.
She glanced up as I approached and snickered at me. “Poor fără putere. If I were you, I wouldn’t bother getting out of bed in the morning. I don’t know what I would do without magic.”
She and Mrs. Hazelton laughed at the fact that I was “broken”.
“Maybe you would be a nicer person without magic.” I meant to mutter my bitter statement under my breath, but my anger made the words louder than I would have liked.
Pearl (Jewels Cafe Book 8) Page 2