The Equinox

by K. K. Allen

  In the balcony above, amused onlookers watch us like we are their circus entertainers. Followers. I identify them immediately as descendants of our Ancient Greek ancestors who do not possess magic. They are bound to secrecy by the Laws of Enchantment, just as we are.

  Rose leads us down the center aisle, and Enchanters create a path for us to walk; each one of them smiling respectfully as we pass.

  A tingle of energy races through my body and enters my chest with a jolt. This is how I feel when I’m energy sourcing. Could the mere presence of other Enchanters give me greater power?

  We reach the stage and climb the few steps to the top. A long table of Enchanters sit to the right of the podium. The privileged smiling faces of the group include Darla French and her husband Darryl. I recognize the other faces from my party; Rose calls this elite group, the Elders.

  A gentle touch on my shoulder causes me to look back to Charlotte who gestures toward a smaller table on the other side of the stage.

  “Why are we up here?” I ask Charlotte as I look around the room.

  The chaos has already faded to a simmer as Rose approaches the microphone.

  Charlotte leans in so close that I get a whiff of the cooled peppermint dissolving in her mouth. She speaks quietly. “Rose wants to announce you. We do it for all of the new Solstice members. I’m just keeping you company.”

  I’m always grateful to Charlotte for her support. I imagine that without her I would feel much more alone than I do now.

  My heel taps the worn vinyl stage rapidly and my eyes dart aimlessly around the room, landing on the table of Valli sisters. They sit apart from the others but do not look out of place. In fact, they look quite comfortable in their skin as they wait courteously for Rose to speak. Could I ever be that confident? I’ve come a long way since moving to Apollo Beach, but I still struggle in social situations. A lifetime of being constrained, with just my mother and me, makes it difficult to adjust, no matter how enchanted I am.

  There’s an ache in my chest now, nerves getting the better of me. I move my eyes and force them to focus on something—anything else. I could focus on Rose but I find it more interesting to watch the crowd as acknowledgements are given and soft shushes echo around the room, signaling for all to turn their attention on her.

  Rose simply stands there for a mere two seconds as the room quiets; the only sound now, comes from the buzzing of electricity from the fixtures above. A light zap sounds through the air just before Rose raises her arms and the entire Ballroom stands in response. Charlotte rises to her feet too, and I follow her lead.

  Rose is a well-respected leader and has earned the undivided attention that she is given. Her smile reveals the pride for her people—her Solstice community.

  “Welcome Enchanters—and a very special welcome to our friends that have come to support us this evening.” Rose’s voice buoyantly carries through the room. “You have honored us with your presence and we are delighted to have you join us today as we discuss recent events.”

  The ballroom guests explode with applause and cheers. I laugh in response to the madness. Charlotte is laughing too and clapping her hands beside me. It’s full out pandemonium but it gets the energy pumping through me, like a rush of adrenaline from one of my nightly runs under the moonlight.

  I’m into it now and I’m clapping along with everyone else as my attention roams around the room. Suddenly, it’s like someone has just kicked me in the gut and stolen all the air from my body. I drop my hands like dead weight. My mouth falls open and Charlotte turns toward me in response.

  “Kat, what is it?” Her darting eyes flicker from me to the crowd and then back to my stunned face.

  I stare at her, wondering how long she’s known that Alec’s parents are Enchanters too. “Alec’s parents are here,” I whisper, feeling the blood slowly drain from my face.

  Charlotte hears me and visibly relaxes, though her expression remains twisted.

  “We just found out. I didn’t even think to warn you.” She’s whispering but I know now is not the right time to discuss this.

  Leading up to my birthday, Alec and I became fast friends, our rendezvous filled with late night runs and playful banter, buzzing with the possibility of more. I was first introduced to Alec’s parents at my sixteenth birthday party. Their home is near Summer Estates so they were naturally invited, but something about their presence seemed out of place, as if they were uncomfortable in their own skin. Alec later told me that he was adopted, which is why they look nothing alike.

  After the magical revelations that occurred on my sixteenth birthday, my relationship with Alec became strained and distant. I buried myself in the Solstice Law book to help me understand the power bestowed upon me. Rose and Charlotte taught me the basics in power usage and energy sourcing, but the rest was up to me to learn. It was all so much that adding a relationship with Alec to the mix just felt complicated. Besides, Enchanter Law forbids us to reveal our true selves to others, so instead of lying to Alec, it was easier to stay away.

  Alec’s parents must have been resistant to reveal themselves at first, but here they are—Enchanters—and Alec is not, which means that I’m not the only one keeping a huge secret from him.

  We face front again and I release a deep sigh. I realize that I’ve completely tuned out Rose. I refocus, pushing all thoughts of Alec and his parents to the back of my mind—for now.

  “It’s a trying time in Solstice history, a time that reminds me all too well of how it was almost a decade ago. Some of you in this room were witness to such destruction and it almost tore this community apart. My late husband George and I couldn’t bear to see a settlement that our ancestors worked so hard to build, destroyed because of the Equinox. We refused to let their evil sabotage us, and once again, we refuse.”

  A burst of applause sounds from the crowd but it dies down quickly. Rose is only getting started.

  “For those of you who aren’t aware, I’ll tell you the story now. The more information we all have will only make us stronger. This—I’ve learned from our newest Enchanter—my granddaughter.”

  More applause. She turns and I catch her smile. My entire body sinks with a hint of embarrassment at being called out like that. My cheeks grow warm, but I feel something else bubbling inside me too—delight. Maybe Rose does listen to me.

  “Almost ten years ago our community was bustling, healthy, and flourishing among the Normals, much like it is today. It was the first time in our history that the Solstice community could successfully report inhabiting land in a community with greater Normal ratios than Enchanters and Followers combined. Over time our numbers have proved to work well. We have been able to keep our secret from the outside world while still using magic to keep others safe.

  At the time, George worked for the energy plant and they started to get reports of toxins from unidentifiable pollution coming from the bay. The energy plant was blamed for the pollution, but we knew better; it was as if someone was purposefully dumping massive amounts of toxins. Sea inhabitants were dying rapidly, but that’s not all. Mysterious deaths began to occur within our community. Tragic, awful deaths of Elders. Then there was vandalism, arson…”

  As Rose’s voice trails off I wonder if the arson she’s referring to has to do with the Summer Estates fire. Just the thought of it feels like someone grabs hold of my insides and squeezes.

  “The Equinox invaded our land. We know it was them because they left their mark after nearly every destruction.”

  The room goes dark and there’s a flicker of bright white light in the back of the room. The light thins out in my direction and I turn to see where it leads. I hadn’t noticed the large projection screen before, but I see it now as an image illuminates from the screen. It’s just a white background with a black infinity symbol, except when I look closer at the details of the infinity I see a much more disturbing picture.

  The air around me runs cold, and I hear the whispering begin. I grip the fabric at the skirt of my
dress, unable to pull my eyes away from the image. The texture of the infinity is formed by scales of a snake. At the center of the infinity are beady, evil eyes, and the snake’s mouth is wide as it stuffs its own tail in its mouth. I look away—but it’s too late, the image is already seared into my mind.

  “The symbol of the serpent represents dual meaning, good and evil. Every god and goddess is given great power with good intention. Human nature, however, strikes us all. Even as deities we feel jealousy, anger, hate; we are far from perfect—but it’s up to us how we choose to express those emotions and how we choose to use the magic that’s been graciously passed down to us.

  Descendants from the Equinox lean toward the poison from the serpent rather than its healing powers. Their nature is evil, which is why they commit evil acts. You see, just as our ancestors passed down their genes and powers of Enchantment to us, the Equinox did the same.

  In today’s world, descendants of the Equinox have learned how to blend in with Solstice communities well. A decade ago, we were blinded by those we loved and trusted because it’s not our natural instinct to be suspicious or expect danger. It was all in an attempt to thin out our population and take the only things they’ve wanted from us since the original Goddess of Enchantment, Astina Somer’s birth: power and revenge. We were warned that the harm they caused us then was only a taste of what was to come. I think the Equinox has made it clear that the time is now.”

  I’m sure the question on my mind now is also on everyone else’s. How did they defeat the Equinox ten years ago? To defeat them, we must first identify them, but if they’ve only gotten better at blending in, then how does one accomplish that?

  “George worked with fellow Enchanters to build what is now known as Summer Island. The magic of this island protects us from what could invade us again. Although the Equinox may walk among us, their evil is dead on this Island.

  Back then we held elaborate events on the Island, events that would draw in large groups of town members. We knew the Equinox would attempt to harm us at some point, believing that we were vulnerable to their strength. They hit us where it really hurt when it came to our own—but we were like soldiers, fighting to protect our entire community of Enchanters, Followers, and Normals. We protect Normals because they have done nothing to deserve to be victims of the Equinox’s evil.

  There were more of them than we realized, but they were unmasked during the Grand Island Ball of 2004, the first ceremony that this room ever held. When the Equinox realized they couldn’t use their magic to terrorize us on protected ground, it was pandemonium. We didn’t expect their evil to result in acts of violence but that’s exactly what happened.

  What we found was that when an Equinox loses control, they cannot help but reveal themselves. Their bodies shake with anger and they glow blue in color. That’s when we were able to kill them.

  But there was one Equinox who stood out when he transformed into his true self—a serpent. He was big, and dark black. The rims of his scales were gold in color as if proving his ancient royalty to us. He identified himself as Erebus, the God of Darkness. As you know from the ancient books, it was he who defeated Astina Somer when she was weak. He did this by possessing an Equinox descendant.”

  As I listen to her words, my heart feels as if it’s beating too fast, effected by too much oxygen racing around my body. There is so much to be terrified of in this moment, yet my grandparents have always looked out for this town. They didn’t give up on the Solstice community when it was threatened to the extent of death among its members. They kept fighting. Now…history is repeating itself—but why?

  “We gather here today as a result of my late husband’s solution to create a safe house in the form of a Community Island. Since then we’ve restored the peace of our town, and we will not let that destruction occur again.”

  Everyone is on their feet, including me. We grin, and there are tears. This is the first moment I’ve truly understood the demanding role that Rose plays in this community. It’s not just about power and societal rankings, it’s about the strength of the community and everything that Rose has done to protect Apollo Beach from ruin.

  Rose allows the applause and the sidebar conversations to take place for the next few minutes. People take this time to come forward to give Rose and the other Elders a hug. I wonder now if all of the Elders lived through the last invasion of the Equinox.

  A hush rushes over the crowd as Rose returns to the podium. She smiles and thanks everyone for quieting. “Now, moving on to some better news.” She laughs, infecting all of us.

  “As you have all heard by now, a new Solstice has recently joined our community.” Oh. “I am pleased to present her to you today. Please give a warm welcome into the community for my darling granddaughter, Katrina Summer.”

  My face colors at the introduction, but I walk toward my grandmother who wraps an arm around my waist. “It’s just Kat,” I correct her into the microphone.

  The crowd welcomes me with hoots and hollers and applause. I feel very welcome and grateful to her for not making me speak as she did on my sixteenth birthday. Instead, she holds my hands as she finishes my introduction.

  “I hope you all get a chance to meet Kat today.” Hearing Rose call me by my nickname sounds strange. Even the way it comes out tells me it’s not her preferred way of addressing me.

  “And please, tell her your Enchantment stories. Show her how we welcome our newest members—with open arms. Although we are blessed, we all know how intimidating it can be to enter this world for the first time.”

  She embraces me once more, her fragile appearance masking the enormous strength that she really has. Her hold is rock solid.

  That was easy. I am relieved for the brief spotlight announcement and the quick return to my seat.

  “Now, down to business.” Rose continues. “In spite of what is going on, we are still planning our annual carnival which is set to open on the second week of August. That’s five weeks from today, giving us more than enough time to plan. Everyone in this room is invited to attend, and please, feel free to invite others. All profit made from the event will be donated to my charity, Nurture Nature, and the Save the Manatee® Club.”

  High pitched cheers and applause come from the audience. The six Valli beauties must love the manatees because they are standing and applauding at the news. I don’t quite understand the roar of excitement but I follow suit, clapping along with everyone else.

  “I know you girls are excited about that.” Rose’s voice is light with laughter. “But before we can start inviting guests and making money, we need volunteers, and not just Enchanters. Ask your friends, your relatives, anyone who you think may want to volunteer some of their time toward setup, or to working some hours at the carnival. Darla has been kind enough to put together a list of volunteer roles, categorized so that you may pick anything that interests you. We’ll pass the lists around now.”

  With a flick of her arm, Darla propels a stack of papers in the direction of the audience. They scatter around the room, landing in different hands. Tinkles of laughter sprinkle the room like raindrops on metal during the mad rush to contribute.

  Rose approaches me holding a single piece of paper and puts it down in front of me. “Since you will be working at the Grille,” she grins, “would you mind working with Roy to order and schedule the food?”

  “Sure,” I say. “I haven’t been hired yet, but I have an audition. To be honest, I’m not sure I want to work there anymore.” I don’t know why saying this causes me embarrassment. Perhaps because Roy gave me such a hard time. Or maybe because Johnny clearly does not want me to work there.

  She makes a face. “Roy giving you a hard time?”

  I shrug. “He’s harmless. I just don’t know if I’ll like the people.”

  Rose’s eyes widen. “Trisha works there. Trisha Sparks?”

  I nod my head, wondering what that has to do with anything. Rose’s eyes sparkle as she points at the audience. It tak
es just a few seconds to gauge where her finger is directing me—on a petite blonde haired couple with bright smiles as they sign the volunteer sheets. I register what Rose is about to tell me.

  “Trisha is one of us?” I just knew there was something I liked about her.

  “Yes, but not yet,” Rose adds quickly. “Her birthday is at the end of this month. You should introduce yourself to her parents. I’m sure they will be grateful to know that Trisha will have a friend in all of this.”

  I hurry down the steps, careful not to trip over my heels. Sometimes I forget how much more control I have over my body now that I’m an Enchanter. I’m lighter on my feet, faster, and stronger. The chances of tripping and falling all over myself like I did before is unlikely. My insecurities haven’t vanished completely but they’ve improved greatly.

  The Stones cut me off once I reach the center aisle. They glance at each other before looking back at me, hesitant in their approach. I’m reminded of the first time I laid eyes on them at my party, awkward—uncomfortable, and I remember thinking how odd they looked compared to Alec. I wondered then if he might be adopted and I was right. So it makes sense that they are Enchanters and he is not.

  My throat feels heavy, hard to swallow. I try to find the words to say, but I’m rendered speechless in this moment. I still haven’t had time to think about what all of this means. I’m part of the same secret club as Alec’s parents and he is an outsider.

  I’m saved because Mr. Stone speaks first. I notice now that his eyes are wide, searching mine, and there’s something almost fearful in his expression. “Kat. We wanted to welcome you to the community. We only recently announced ourselves…”

  I look to Mrs. Stone, and she has the same look in her eye as she searches my face. I wonder if they’re worried that I’ll tell Alec about this. Don’t they know the rules? I am sworn to secrecy just as they are. If anyone has the choice to tell him, it’s them, but I get the sneaking suspicion that they have no intention of telling Alec.