The Bright Effect

by Autumn Doughton

“That’s good, Amelia.”

  “I… I saw his face, Sebastian. He was mad and he’s completely smashed and—Oh God, I’m not sure what to do because we got a ride here and now we’re stuck. I know it’s a lot to ask, but our parents aren’t home and, even if they were, I don’t know what I would say to them. And Audra’s got a whole party full of people here and… I wasn’t sure who else to call.”

  “You did the right thing,” I tell her, rubbing at my forehead and trying to get my erratic heartbeat under control.

  “What’s going on?” Seth whispers.

  “Amelia’s in trouble. Or her sister is,” I answer him. “I don’t really know. And—” I glance down the hall to where Carter is sleeping. Damnit. I can’t just leave him while I help Amelia.

  Seth seems to understand my dilemma because he says, “Go. I’ll stay here with Carter.”

  “Sebastian? Are you still there?” Amelia asks, panic making her voice shake a little. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

  I’m already reaching for my keys when I confirm with Seth, “You sure?”

  He nods. “Yes. Go.”

  I turn back to the phone. “Amelia?”

  She exhales, relieved. “I’m here!”

  “Where are you?”

  “Daphne and I are out in front of the club near the tennis courts.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes. You and Daphne just stay where you are and whatever you do—don’t try to deal with Spencer. You got that?”

  “I got it,” she answers obediently. “And Sebastian?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you. Just… thank you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Amelia

  I wait, shivering as the wet chill of the night sinks into my bones. The muffled sounds of the party trickle past the lobby of the club and the paned glass windows to my ears.

  Audra texts me again. Where are you? And, again, I ignore it. I really don’t want to ruin her big night if I don’t have to. It will be easier for us to leave the party and deal with the fallout tomorrow.

  “We could just go back inside,” Daphne squeaks from behind me. She’s bouncing around on her toes and rubbing the tops of her arms. That strapless dress might look good on her, but it’s not doing much to block out the cool November air.

  “I told Sebastian we would wait until he got here.”

  “And I told you that you’re probably overreacting. Spencer was acting nuts, yeah, but I’m sure he’s passed out in some corner by now.”

  “God, Daphne—we’re not going over this again,” I complain. “We’re going to wait right where we are and then we’re going home. End of discussion.”

  “I know… I swear that I’ve never seen him like that, Amelia.”

  “But you finally agree with me that Spencer is bad news?”

  She closes her eyes. “I agree that I don’t want to deal with it anymore.”

  “Good. Then we stay outside and wait.”

  “Even if that means we end up with frostbite?”

  I roll my eyes. “We’re not going to get frostbite.”

  The glow of headlights bumping down the long gravel drive that leads up to the club captures my attention. I hold my breath watching the truck clear the last turn.

  It’s him! My heart lifts as I race down the steps to meet him.

  Sebastian doesn’t look for a real parking spot. Instead, he just stops the Bronco in the circular drive that loops by the tennis courts and jumps out.

  The steely look in his eyes brings me up short. “Are you okay?” he asks me, his voice hard as stone as his gaze bounces between Daphne and me.

  “We’re fine,” she answers. “Just a little shaken up.”

  He turns to me. “Amelia?”

  “I’m sorry,” I say hastily. “Earlier, I was scared. But I know you have Carter to worry about and you don’t need me to pile on even more...”

  He grabs hold of my shoulders and looks me up and down slowly like he’s making sure that I actually am okay. “You stayed out here and waited for me?”

  God, how is it that I’m so much calmer just having him touch me like this?

  Giving into the sensation, I rest my head against the hollow point between his chest and neck and wrap my arms across his middle. Slowly, I press my lips to his skin where his pulse thrums. “I told you we would,” I say, breathing out.

  “Good girl.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say again.

  Sebastian backs away and ducks so that we’re the same level. Then he touches my face, rubbing the heels of his hands over my cheeks. “Shit, don’t be sorry for anything. I was so worried…” A single muscle ticks in his jaw. “But it’s going to be all right now. I’m going to make sure of it.”

  “But—” I begin.

  “Shhhh…” With a tender kiss to my forehead, he whispers, “And I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, Amelia. I can promise you that.”

  ***

  The house is dark and empty when we walk in. I fumble along the wall, searching for the light switch.

  “Where are your parents?” Sebastian asks in a hushed tone.

  “Daddy has a hunting camp just north of Waccamaw. They won’t be home until Monday.”

  I finally find the switch and the foyer is diffused with balmy orange light. Daphne walks in behind Sebastian and blinks at me.

  “Do you want me to get you something?” I ask her.

  She shakes her head. She hasn’t said much since we left Audra’s party.

  “You sure?”

  This time, she nods in answer.

  “Not even a mug of hot chocolate?” I push. When we were younger, even if it was in the heat of summer, hot chocolate was always the go-to panacea for every ailment. It wasn’t necessarily about the drink. It was more about the ritual of Nancy setting us up on the bar stools in the kitchen and talking to us while she made it.

  “Come on, Daphne,” I coax, remembering how we’d make our stepmother count out the marshmallows in each mug so that we could be sure we had the exact same amount. “It will make you feel better.”

  And we can talk, is what I don’t say out loud.

  “Hot chocolate sounds good to me,” Sebastian says, catching on that I want to get Daphne comfortable and talking.

  “See?” I turn and look at Daphne.

  “Okay,” she relents with the smallest hint of a smile. “But I want ten of those tiny marshmallows.”

  Despite how I’m feeling, I chuckle. “Of course you do.”

  A couple of minutes later, I set down three steaming mugs of hot chocolate onto the counter that separates the kitchen from the breakfast nook. Daphne picks up one of the mugs and counts all ten marshmallows—making sure I didn’t gyp her—before taking a sip.

  “Daphne, we need to talk,” I say lightly.

  Sebastian meets my gaze and an understanding passes between us. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  I point him in the right direction.

  “There’s not much to talk about, is there?” Daphne says as soon as Sebastian excuses himself.

  “Tonight with Spencer—”

  “Spencer and I are done,” she says over me.

  “You’ve said that before,” I argue. “You told me he was with another girl and that he was into drugs and you didn’t want anything to do with him. And then I turn around and you’re talking to him and acting like you might want to get back together.”

  Daphne winces, chastised, as she pokes her fingers at the marshmallows in her cup. “I know.”

  “So what am I supposed to believe? What is going on with you?”

  “I wish you could understand,” she murmurs before taking a tentative sip of the hot chocolate.

  “Maybe I will if you tell me.”

  “Okay.” She sucks in a big breath and continues, “Spencer might be a jerk, but people pay attention to him.”

  “He’s popular,” I surmise. “Which, I already knew. And, God, you’re popular, Daphne.”

  She sha
kes her head. “Not like him. I’ve always had to work at it, but Spencer is golden. He’s doesn’t even have to think to make people notice him. He’s like... like a god.”

  I lift an eyebrow in skepticism. “A god?”

  “You know what I mean. He could have anyone… any girl,” she says, getting a desperate look in her eyes. “And he still chose me. Do you know how that feels?”

  I think of Sebastian and how it feels to know that I’m the one he chose to share a part of himself that no one else gets to see. “I guess I do.”

  She manages a faint smile. “It’s addictive—being admired like that. It makes you feel special. And having Spencer think about me and look at me like he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to... I’ve been afraid to lose that. What if there isn’t anybody else after him? What if he’s all there is?”

  “We’re seventeen, Daphne,” I remind her.

  She tucks a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear. “I know, but nothing is a certainty, you know? After this year everyone is going to spread out and things are going to change. You’ll leave Green Cove for college, but what about me?”

  “If you’re afraid then come with me.”

  “You know that I’d never get into the schools that you’re going to get into.”

  “You might.”

  “Amelia,” she says simply.

  “I don’t even know where I’m going yet and you’ve got the road trip with Audra,” I remind her.

  “I know.” She shrugs and then takes another sip of hot chocolate. “And I’m excited about it, but I think part of me is planning such a different future from you because deep down, I know that I can’t compete.”

  “What are you talking about, Daphne? We’re not in a competition.”

  “But sometimes it feels like that. Even Daddy and Nancy don’t take me seriously. They’re always pushing and encouraging you to work harder. But me? They think all I can do is pick out clothes and paint my nails like a pro.”

  “They don’t think that.”

  Again, she shrugs. “Maybe—maybe not. But, Amelia, you’re special and I… well, I don’t want to be the one left behind.”

  “I’m not going to leave you behind,” I tell her.

  My sister drops her face and in a very small voice, says, “But you are.”

  Tears pool in my eyes but I refuse to let myself cry. Daphne needs me to stay strong. She needs me to take charge and fix this. It’s what I do. It’s who I am.

  “Daphne, look at me.”

  She picks her head up. Her brown eyes are dark and shiny with emotion.

  “I’m not going to go off and forget about you, okay? I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “Thanks, Amelia. And for tonight.” She tilts her head and smirks. “Considering all things, you might not believe this, but it really is over with Spencer.”

  “For good?” I question.

  “Yes,” she says on a sigh. “Tonight was different. Tonight was kind of scary.”

  I close my fingers around the warm ceramic handle of my mug. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, Daphne, but I think we should tell Nancy and Daddy.”

  “But tell them what? Spencer just yelled at me a lot. He’s jealous, but I don’t think he’s actually dangerous.”

  “I disagree,” I say, shaking my head. “He threatened you.”

  “I don’t think he meant anything by it, Amelia. He was just drunk and acting like a fool.”

  I cross my arms across my chest. “I’d still feel better if you told them about what happened.”

  “I don’t know—it might be weird, “ she contends. “Daddy knows his father through work and Nancy still thinks that Spencer is perfect.”

  “Because you haven’t told her what he’s really like.”

  “Maybe you’re right but I can’t do anything about it tonight, can I? I’ll talk to them on Monday after they get back from their trip.”

  “You will?”

  “Yes,” she says adamantly enough that I believe her.

  Coming in from the hallway, Sebastian clears his throat and asks, “Am I interrupting?”

  “No,” Daphne and I say at the same time and laugh.

  “Jinx. Owe me a Coke.”

  I roll my eyes. “Tomorrow, you’re on.”

  She drains the last of her hot chocolate and slams down the empty mug. “I’m actually going to go to bed.”

  Sebastian shifts his weight. “You don’t have to go because of me.”

  She flaps a hand and opens her mouth in a lazy yawn. “No, I’m zonked. You two… do what you do,” she says, sliding off the bar stool and smoothing down her wrinkled dress. “You certainly don’t need an audience while you get all mushy.”

  Good grief, Daphne. I roll my eyes at her retreating back. “Night,” I tell her. “Love you.”

  “Love you more!”

  When we can hear Daphne’s steps on the staircase I let go of a long breath.

  Sebastian walks all the way into the kitchen and asks me, “Everything good with her?”

  “I think so. And, by the way, thanks for giving us a chance to talk.”

  “Of course,” he says, looking at me. Even now, after this crazy night, I could get lost inside those eyes. “Are you guys going to be okay tonight?”

  His hot chocolate is probably cold by now, but I pick up the mug and hand it to him anyway. “We’ll be fine.”

  He takes a sip then says, “Because I’ll stay if you need me to. I can always call Seth and see if he’ll spend the rest of the night with Carter.”

  My skin heats just from thinking about him staying over. Where would he sleep? Oh God, would we even sleep?

  “No, it’s okay. I know that you have to work tomorrow—” I glance at the clock above the stove and see that it’s after midnight. “Actually, in a few hours I guess. God, Sebastian, I’m so sorry about all of this.”

  “Don’t be sorry for calling me,” he replies, stepping closer. “I want to be the one that you call.”

  “Right. I’m sure you loved having your Saturday night interrupted with the whole damsel in distress routine,” I joke.

  He places the mug of hot chocolate on the counter and then he turns so that we’re facing each other.

  “Amelia, you can do the damsel in distress thing with me anytime you want. Hell, you can call me if you need someone to open a jar of mayonnaise for you.”

  I smile. “Thanks, but I can usually handle jars on my own.”

  He rolls his shoulders. “How about spiders? Can you handle spiders on your own?”

  “They aren’t so bad,” I say, laughing softly.

  “Thunder and lightning?”

  I roll my eyes, but my smile remains in place. “Are you kidding? I love storms.”

  His dark eyebrows compress. “Snakes?”

  “Okay, you win. Snakes are the worst.”

  “So you’ll call me if you stumble upon a pit of vipers?” He strokes his knuckles down the side of my face.

  “I’ll call,” I whisper.

  We’re quiet for a long moment, each of us staring intently. Finally, Sebastian drops his head against mine and says, “I was worried tonight.”

  “I know.”

  His gaze darts to my lips and my breathing grows shallow. Kiss me, I silently beg.

  “Before, I thought that I had all that I could handle and that worrying about someone else would be unneeded stress.”

  “Oh..?” I murmur, backing up until I can feel the edge of the granite counter bumping my spine.

  “Let me finish, Amelia,” he says with a shuddering breath. “I used to think that because another person meant another thing that I couldn’t control. Another thing that owned me. But now…” He leans in, caging me in with his arms. “I want to have that with you. I need to feel that.”

  “That I own you?”

  I’d said it to tease him, but Sebastian’s face remains serious, like he’s jus
t confessed his deepest, darkest secret to me.

  Oh. My heart is slamming against my chest.

  “It goes both ways,” I whisper. “That feeling.”

  Sebastian swallows.

  I lick my lips.

  The air around us is charged with everything we’ve said and everything that we haven’t said.

  “Amelia, I think…”

  Fingers touch my face. Breath brushes my skin. And the taste of him—warm and chocolatey and perfect—fills my head.

  I break away, just barely. “Sebastian, about tonight—”

  “Yeah?” His voice is strangled.

  I press even closer, feeling the delicious hardness of his hipbones against my stomach. “If you want to stay, and Seth is okay with Carter, then—”

  A heavy banging sound thunders throughout the house.

  Sebastian’s head jerks toward the front door. “What the hell?”

  “Daphne!”

  “It’s Spencer!” I bite out, scrambling beneath Sebastian’s arms.

  More banging. “Daphne! Daphne I’m sorry!”

  I run into the foyer and see that Daphne is already at the top of the stairs.

  “Just go back to your room!” I yell at her.

  She stops, uncertain. “But—”

  “Amelia is right,” Sebastian says, coming up behind me. “Stay upstairs.”

  Bracing my palm against the cool wood of the front door, I peer through the long, thin entrance window. Spencer, catching sight of me, pounds on the door again, this time so hard that the walls on either side of the frame shake.

  “Don’t answer it, Amelia,” Sebastian warns, seizing my arm and dragging me back.

  “I wasn’t going to.”

  “Daphne! Talk to me!”

  Daphne skitters down the stairs. “If we don’t answer it then eventually someone is going to hear him yelling and call the police.”

  Sebastian’s hard gaze cuts to her. “Good. He could use a night in a jail cell.”

  I shake my head. “No one is going to hear him. The nearest house is a half a mile away.”

  “Amelia, it doesn’t matter. We can’t let this go on all night. Just let me talk to him and he’ll go away. I know it,” Daphne says, reaching for the door knob.

  “Stop—”