The Equinox

by K. K. Allen

  * * *

  It’s silly that I ever doubted Alec’s affection for me. Circumstances are not ideal and the secrets are painful to keep from him, but our feelings for each other are real.

  To have a relationship with someone based on him thinking I’m normal is upsetting, but others do it. My dad dated my mom and he thought she was normal. Although that relationship didn’t end well, and she wasn’t exactly normal, they were still in love.

  The life of an Enchanter is full of secrets. This is something that I’ll learn to deal with if I want to lead a regular life.

  My shift isn’t over fast enough. From the moment Alec left with Ava, I worked faster and harder just to get through the rest of my shift. I tried to ignore the growing irritation that Brent and Matt stayed behind to play pool.

  Now that my shift is ending, my steps feel lighter, my laughter comes easier, and my senses are sharper than ever. Not only do I get to go on my first date, but I get to go on it with Alec.

  It’s four o’clock and I rush to the break room to clock out and throw on my change of clothes, a jean skirt and sleeveless blue blouse. After a quick glance in the mirror I instantly wish that I’d brought some lipstick.

  With a deep, calming breath I turn on my heel and head for the door. The kitchen is bustling. Things have really picked up in the last half hour. I dart out the door quickly, praying that Roy wouldn’t stop me and ask me to stay longer. He hinted at it earlier but I just acted aloof. There is no way I am going to miss this date.

  Alec is nowhere to be found yet so I lean up against one of the wood posts at the front of the restaurant and look out at the scene around the Island. I imagine him searching for the perfect outfit before leaving his house. The thought brings a warm smile to my face.

  From where I stand, I can see a good portion of the Island. The crowds at the pool, the tennis courts, and couples taking early evening strolls on the track.

  The happiness I see all around the Island brings forward disturbing thoughts of Johnny. What is the purpose of being so grumpy? Really. I’m a pleasant person to be around. I don’t smell bad. I release my ponytail and sniff the wafting green apple shampoo scent. I smell quite good actually.

  I check the time. Four thirty. Maybe Alec isn’t the punctual type. I take out my phone and flick through the apps before pressing on the photo gallery. The latest photos brings an immediate smile to my face. Alec took this one of us together on the bus. I save it to my phone’s wallpaper.

  When he’s still not here I press on the text app and send him a message.

  Hey, where are you? I’m out front of the Grille.

  A figure moves past me without acknowledgement and I don’t have to look to know that it’s Johnny from his aftershave which has a light trace of exotic fruit. I watch him walk away; his posture tense as always, but purposeful. I just don’t know what that purpose is.

  Five o’clock comes and that’s when my optimism begins to grow dark. Not once in the past hour did I think Alec would stand me up; not until this moment.

  As I give up on waiting and slip my phone in my back pocket, the sky decides to open up and pour. Of course. It’s as if the brilliantly hot sun just couldn’t take it anymore.

  I don’t mind getting drenched from the downpour. The rain drowns out my thoughts and prevents the sadness of Alec’s no-show to take hold.

  Have I ignored all of the signs that led to this? He has been acting different lately—more eager and aggressive than what I remember from when we first met. Nevertheless, he seemed pretty into me at Weeki Wachee and then again today at the restaurant, so even if he has been acting different, why stand me up?

  Water soaks my clothes and presses against my skin like plastic wrap. I don’t walk faster. I don’t run. Instead, I let the water bathe me, hoping to feel something—anything, but I’m numb to it all as I drag myself home. Part of me doesn’t want to accept the fact that Alec hurt me. Alec, of all people. Is he okay? I’m too humiliated to ask.

  I walk into Summer Estates and move blindly past Rose and Charlotte. I take the steps two at a time and close the door as soon as I’m safe in my room.

  It’s not until I’ve washed up and I’m in my running clothes that I begin to really think about what just happened. A tear surfaces and I don’t brush it away. It feels good to cry. I continue to let the tears fall, allowing the painful release to heal me.

  There’s a knock on my door and I quickly brush the tears away before standing, not wanting anyone to see me like this.

  Charlotte stands there, her face already knowing and full of sympathy. It crushes me. “Do you want some dinner? I can bring it up.”

  I groan. I haven’t eaten a thing all day, but I have no energy to go downstairs and socialize with Rose. “Okay.”

  Her arms wrap around me just as a tray of food flies through the door and lands on the bed. I can’t help but laugh. Charlotte and her use of her powers always entertains me. Even at a moment like this, she can make me smile.

  She leaves me to my food and I munch on it lazily as I come up with all the possible excuses Alec would have for standing me up. It doesn’t make sense. I just saw him and he seemed to be completely smitten with me. Am I that naïve to believe that Alec could actually like me when he never really did? But he’s the one who asked me out. These were his plans that he didn’t show up for.

  My phone distracts me with a loud buzz and my stomach moves to my throat in less than a second. I reach for my back pocket and give my phone a yank. When I see Alec’s name on my screen I sigh with relief. Then I see his message.

  Kat, sorry about tonight. Something came up.

  I stare at the screen until it dims and then darkens completely. That’s it? That’s all I get after waiting for him like an idiot for an hour? He tells me something came up? He obviously doesn’t want to reschedule either. Fine. Tears sting the back of my eyes but I force them back.

  With an angry flip of my wrist, my phone flies to the other side of the bed. I put on my tennis shoes and take a running leap off my balcony and land on the back patio harder than expected. A stabbing pain runs up my leg but as soon as the sensation dissipates I’m off.

  I have no destination in mind. No goal. I vaguely remember Rose saying something about not going out alone in the dark, but all I know is that I need to release this energy in me somehow, before I explode. I run down the length of the coast and across the community beach. I tear down the dimly lit streets until I reach the other side of town. I’ve never seen the north side of Apollo Beach before. There’s been no reason to go this way. Even Alec always turned right before we ran down this far.

  What catches my attention first are the homes; they look like they were once beauties, but have since been abandoned. Lawns are the color of dried mustard and are full of sprouting prickly weeds. Building exteriors are crumbling, notwithstanding the frequent storms.

  My legs are stronger than ever now and I can feel the flex of every muscle, large and small, expand and contract with every motion. The newness of everything around me triggers my senses to kick into overdrive as I continue to run. The end of the road leads to a community beach, much like the one near Summer Estates, except this one is set up like a park. I see a sign for a nature trail as I push forward.

  That’s strange. It’s as if Apollo Beach is split into two. North and South. New and old. Even the sand in the volleyball area appears to be abandoned as the weeds grow between its shallow grains.

  A couple sits under the gazebo gazing at each other as a guy strums a string of notes on his guitar. They look to be about my age but I don’t recognize them. The sight of their obvious love toward one another makes my stomach feel heavy.

  I continue down the concrete path as I approach the edge of the park. I stop for a second to look down into the water which beats against a set of stairs. I’m surprised to see the stairs lead directly into the crashing waters of the bay.

  It’s amazing, the sights I can see from this part of town are complet
ely different than my endless ocean view from Summer Estates.

  For almost two months now I’ve lived in Apollo Beach and have never seen any of what I’m seeing now. Clearly my eyes have been focused on other things—a million other things. So much has happened since my arrival here. I shake my thoughts away and stare out across the water. Directly across from Apollo Beach is a strip of land that forms St. Petersburg.

  I look right to view the large building with the smokestacks that I remember seeing upon my arrival to Apollo Beach.

  With little effort I push away from the fence and continue down the concrete path until it turns to dirt and rocks. Tropical wild life begins to spring from the ground on either side of me and I know I’m on the nature trail now.

  I cross over tidal creeks where mangroves grow providing a habitat for large coastal birds, oysters, crabs, and fish. As I move up a small hill, round a corner, and then back down to an empty, semi-enclosed beach front. On the path past the beach, the walkway narrows so that the exotic leaves and flowers are brushing my arms on either side.

  When I finally reach a clearing at the top of the trail I get a better view of the energy plant as it looms before me, smoke stacks stand tall and dark, overlooking the water, with fenced-in walkways surrounding all sides of the building.

  My mom had once mentioned that my father worked at an energy plant after high school. This must be the one. The thought creates a heaviness in my chest—an unwelcome weight that I was trying to release during my run.

  With a deep breath and a sigh, I turn back to the trail and pick my legs up to carry me faster than before.

  I speed past the old town and back down the main road until I reach the marina. I turn in naturally. This run is familiar to me. It’s the path I always ran with Alec. Every now and then we’d stop at the tiki bar to grab a water and watch the boats come and go from the docks. On the nights we’d catch the sun lowering and turning a beautiful mixture of orange and pink were some of my best memories.

  Tonight I stand in the parking lot watching the color in the sky fade to a dark night. All around me is eerie silence but it’s a flicker of light through the windows of the boat house that alert my senses. Just then I hear a latch of a door click and I watch two figures, illuminated from the tall light post, talk animatedly as they walk toward the dock entrance.

  A gasp escapes me as I recognize the figures as Alec and Ava. I muffle my own sounds quickly and duck behind a car before they see me.

  Is this what came up? Alec and Ava are hanging out. How can that be more important than our first date? Maybe Trisha was onto something yesterday. Maybe Alec and Ava do have something going on and I was too blind to see it.

  I’m numb as I peer out at them and see enough to conclude that Alec and Ava like each other.

  They’re having an intense conversation now—their bodies as close as two can get without kissing. Their words are drowned out by my emotions but it doesn’t take a genius to understand that they have grown close. Now I’m boiling. None of this makes any sense. Alec was just kissing me earlier today. I can’t watch this anymore.

  My escape back to Summer Estates can’t come quick enough. I’ve seen all I need to see for my legs to push me hard and fast back to the house and up to my room.

  After I’ve had a chance to bury myself under my covers and throw my head into my pillow, I let the tears fall freely.

  Chapter Nine

  Given the events from the last couple of days, it’s a struggle to get moving and face another day. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. Not only does my new job force me to work with a complete and utter jerk, but Alec stood me up last night to spend his time with Ava, of all people. Ava.

  With narrowed eyes and a shake of my head I ready myself for new events. I somehow manage a run-in with Rose, who I know, will be furious when she finds out that I went running after dark. Then again, she has other important things to deal with.

  Today, the Solstice community will face the recent murder of Darryl French at the Island Meeting Center. We’re going to spend the day remembering him and discussing the evil that must be dealt with. There’s now a murderer on the loose in Apollo Beach with all signs pointing to the Equinox.

  All of this talk of the Equinox and the horrible things they have done throughout the centuries has spiked my curiosity—and I need to find a way to fill my time before the meeting, so I head to the library after breakfast. Charlotte tells me that the Equinox books are in the room that’s hidden behind the bookshelf, so that’s where I go.

  The library has become my favorite room in the entire house. It’s warm, ancient, and filled with history that not only unlocks my past, but hidden truths that are kept from the world.

  I’m no longer afraid of what I am, but why does Erebus, the God of Darkness get to decide that now is the time to wreak havoc among our town and community? What do we have that he wants? Rose has already answered a lot of my questions, but there are so many more gaps to all of this, and I’m determined to find out all that I can. Besides, Rose has yet to explain how to defeat the evil that is the Equinox. How are we to defeat them if we are faced against their darkness? We can’t defend ourselves if we don’t know their weaknesses.

  In the hidden den there’s a bookshelf filled with ancient—mostly handwritten—journals from the early Enchanters. The writing can be difficult to make out some of the text, but Rose and my grandfather were able to preserve it all fairly well.

  There’s a binding laying on the couch and it’s open so I have to close it to read the title, Lurking Evil. Someone has already been looking into the Equinox’s past.

  I sink into the rose patterned couch and pull open the pages to how the mark of the Equinox was born.

  Just as Adam and Eve betrayed their Father and plucked the red fruit from the tree, there once was an Autumnal Equinox who chose a similar poison. This Equinox was tempted by power and high societal rankings, and vied for Astina’s affection, only to be rejected, enraging him to the core.

  With a new mission for revenge, and in hopes of overthrowing Astina’s chosen love to claim his spot beside her, he abused his powers and used them to murder Astina’s husband, the first god of Enchantment. Astina’s heart was broken and she sent men to kill the god of darkness, but as his body died, his soul refused to see death and instead, used his magic to give himself eternal life as a possessor. It was at this same time that Astina learned that she was carrying the baby of her late husband.

  It says here that the first being the Equinox chose to possess was that of a snake. His mission was to wrap around the neck of Astina and kill her, but her light was too bright. She eternalized the god of darkness into his serpent form for all to see the evil he truly possessed, unaware that he was still able to possess others.

  Four decades later, Astina had successfully built the foundation for Enchanters. She had three children total, from two marriages, eight grandchildren, and her first great-grandchild was about to enter the world—a baby girl named Elisa. On the night following the baby’s birth, the Equinox took the form of one of his dozen Followers—a servant that wanted to prove his loyalty—and went to Astina’s home where she lived alone. He snuck into the bedroom, knowing that she was older and weaker, and this time he was successful as he wrapped his serpent body around her neck and strangled her to death.

  This is how the Equinox knows to go after Elders. Because they are weaker than those who are new to their magic.

  And that’s it. With a shudder, something just clicks. The importance of our power isn’t just to manipulate the Earth’s Elements, but to protect ourselves and those around us by our light. The light Astina Somer carried was too bright and powerful to be killed by the Equinox—until she reached the age of an Elder, that is. What does that mean?

  I set the book in my lap and wrap my arms around myself as a form of comfort—it doesn’t help.

  The Equinox lurks in the shadows of their own darkness, and they can only attack Enchanters
when they are weak and lacking nature’s power. Elders naturally grow weaker over time, but can the Equinox attack a weak Enchanter at any age?

  I tremble at the thought of growing so weak that my vulnerability is enough to be killed by the Equinox. Like Fourth of July. I remember being tossed around in the bay, waiting for the darkness to finally take hold of me. I was certain I was done. My powers were gone and it was like someone had drained my battery entirely.

  Could that be what the figure on the boat was doing that night? Could that have been the Equinox, trying to take advantage of my weakness—and then kill me?

  * * *

  When I arrive at the Meeting Center the halls are bare except for a few sulking bodies. No one wants to smile or use their magic at a time like this. It’s almost as if the entire Solstice community has been transformed into Normals.

  Rose stands at the entrance to the Grand Ballroom, her eyes dim, expression revealing her sadness. A pang hits me. I’ve been so consumed with Alec and work, that I haven’t paid any attention to my family. Rose is hurting right now. She’s just lost someone that she’s known for a very long time. It could have been her locking up the Meeting Center that night. No. I can’t think like that.

  As I approach I can’t help but feel that my presence gives her some happiness. She smiles softly at me and wraps an arm around my waist in a sideways hug. I smile too—happy to be of any relief to her grief.

  Minutes later I take my spot next to Charlotte, but this time, we sit below the stage. The Elders have the front row with Darla at the center of their comforting arms. Rose stands at the podium in silence as she waits to have everyone’s attention. It doesn’t take long until the room is hers.

  “Friends.” Moments of silence pass after her first word is spoken. Already, a cry goes out in the crowd. So much sadness. Charlotte clutches my hand and I clutch hers back. This meeting isn’t going to end without tears.