by K. K. Allen
“But, but how can you be sure she was one of them when she came to you with no memories?”
Isaac’s face softens. “That bracelet she carried told us all we needed to know.”
Shock still radiating through me, I struggle to construct my next question. “Who would just leave her out there like that to die?”
Isaac shrugs. “We have no idea who stripped her memory or who left her for dead. Rose and I searched for answers for years, but to no avail. All we know is that it’s a miracle she survived—and that you were born.”
I stand there for a few seconds, soaking in shock, internally and externally. It’s as if I’m drowning all over again. “So Rose knew that my mom was an Equinox?”
“She’s going to kill me for saying any of this, but yes. She and I were the only ones who made the connection. Rose raised her as her own. She loved Grace. The fact that she used to be an Equinox never seemed to matter, but when your parents married and she came to learn of the Solstice secret, your mom acted like she was terrified of something—but she never revealed what it was. Rose and I have theories that marrying into the secret broke her memory spell and that she began to remember things about her past. Maybe that’s why she took you away, but we don’t know that for certain.”
There’s so much more to discuss, but a ringing phone distracts us. Arabella shuffles forward, concern in her eyes as she looks at the caller ID of her phone. “It’s Rose. This must be for you.”
She hands me the phone, and I take it, not sure I can speak with the lump currently climbing up my throat.
“Katrina?” I’m still flooded with shock from Isaac’s news before I realize Rose’s voice is filled with panic. “You need to get home now. There’s been a murder.”
It’s just approaching ten o’clock when Alec pulls into Summer Estates. Immediately, I’m aware of the eerie nature of the scene before me. There are cars parked all along the street from the gated entrance to Summer Manor.
“Is your grandma having a party or something?” Alec asks as he pulls into my driveway.
Or something, I almost say. Instead, I give him a small shrug and a pinched smile I hope he doesn’t read anything into. “She mentioned a few people came over. I guess she was being modest.”
Alec chuckles. “I’ll say.”
I’m happy to see he’s oblivious to what’s actually going on. I didn’t tell my friends about the mysterious phone call from Rose. By the time I left Arabella and King Isaac, everyone was ready to leave anyway, so I didn’t have to rush a thing. But for the entire ride home, I was silenced by my thoughts. It was killing me to not know the entirety of the situation. Who died? Why? How? I just had to get home. Whoever died, this death seems to have affected a lot of people. I’m sure Alec’s parents are inside my house, too, but I say nothing to him about that.
I say goodbye to my friends, thank Alec for the ride, and give him a quick kiss that barely brushes his lips. I practically jog up the stairs to my house. A chandelier spills bright light over the foyer, and voices are coming from the great room. Multiple conversations are going on, and someone is crying harder than the rest. My heart leaps into my throat, and my stomach is in knots. I don’t understand what happened, but tears are already springing to my eyes.
Around the corner, Charlotte greets me with a strong embrace. Over her shoulder, I see Darla French sobbing into her hands, Enchanters flanking her on each side. I clutch Charlotte’s shoulders and look around desperately for Darryl. He’s nowhere to be seen.
“No.” It’s all I say before the tears really start pouring from my eyes. No. “What happened?” I really don’t want to know the answer to my question. I’m scared of the truth—the truth of how an Elder was murdered and why.
Rose joins us then and wraps her arms around me too. Her tiny frame is light against me, but her grip is strong. Her voice comes out hushed but heavy with emotion. “Darryl was the last to leave a meeting in the garden tonight, and he was attacked. Herkle found him facedown in the fountain. The way he was lying there—it appears that someone forced him under.”
The words clutch my chest, and my eyes brim with fresh tears. The image of Darryl’s violent death is too much to bear. I don’t want to be part of this life if the result is murder.
“Why?” I ask. How can there be something so evil out there, hurting innocent people?
“We think it may have been another warning.”
My chest squeezes. “From him?” I don’t even want to say his name, or the name of his people, especially after what I learned tonight.
“Yes, dear.” Rose is telling me this calmly, but I hear her voice shake. I hold on to her tightly, trying to squeeze back my tears. I have so many questions, but right now, they just don’t seem as important as finding out who hurt Darryl.
Charlotte and I stand behind the couch as Rose gently asks for everyone’s attention. Even Darla manages to quiet her sobs, but her sadness looms over the room like a dark cloud.
“Friends,” Rose begins somberly. “Tonight, we mourn the loss of an Elder. A wonderful husband to our dear Darla and a brave, kind gentleman who sought to give back to our community in every way that he could. Tonight, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he saw a tragic death that was marked as an act of the Equinox.”
I look at Charlotte, confused, but don’t want to interrupt Rose. Charlotte leans in to my ear. “Just as they did at the Fourth of July bonfire, and two decades ago, the Equinox branded their symbol into the scene.” Then she pulls out her phone and shows me a photo of an image engraved into the side of the fountain—the same serpent Rose showed everyone at the Enchanters meeting.
“Why come after us now, after two decades of silence?” A man named Gregory is the one to speak this time.
Rose glances at me, and my chest tightens, but she plays it off by sweeping her eyes around the room. She knows that Isaac told me, and she doesn’t want anyone else to know.
“Perhaps there are more of us now, and that’s why he’s back,” Rose finally answers.
“Wait,” I say as a thought comes to me. “How can this be an act of the Equinox?” I shake my head. Something isn’t right. “Summer Island is protected. I thought that meant that Erebus and the Equinox’s evil is dead on the island.”
They must have already discussed this same idea, because the only people who react simply look away.
Rose frowns deeply. “That is the big question today. It’s clear that whatever magic kept the Equinox out before no longer exists. We need to find out why and fix it immediately. My fear is that once George passed away, his magic faded. I don’t know why I never thought about it before.”
“How can we find out?” asks another member. She’s an Elder. I recognize her as Marcia. She sits to the right of Darla and squeezes her hand.
“I have Detective Tori running tests at the island right now. She’s with Detectives Xavier and Daniel. They’re investigating the murder so they can report to the Normals. Obviously, the Normals will never know what really happened tonight, and that’s for their protection.”
While I gather that Xavier and Daniel are Normals who are detectives with Apollo Beach PD and that Tori is one of us, Rose commands the room’s attention.
“From now on,” Rose says. “While our best defense against Erebus is to show him that he’s not in control, and that his actions will not inject fear in us, you are all to be on high alert. Elders should no longer be on the island unaccompanied—or anywhere, for that matter. And you are all safer in groups, especially at night.” Rose is stern now, raking her eyes over all of us, laying down the law.
Everyone chatters heatedly among themselves for a few minutes. I stay quiet, processing it all.
“Everyone should return to their own homes,” Rose says as she stands. “We’ll meet again as soon as we have more information. Until then, we must take tonight’s events as a warning. I believe there is something much bigger coming, and we need to be ready for it.”
The
crowd disperses, and I’m left sitting beside Charlotte on the couch. Rose is across from us, sipping her tea. I take a sip of tea myself. I’ve never really liked the stuff, but Rose’s obsession with it has rubbed off on me. The hot lavender-flavored liquid passing between my lips and down my throat has a soothing effect.
“Rose, I met King Isaac today.”
Just as I suspected, she nods. “I know,” she says, not sounding at all surprised. “Isaac called me to find out why you ran out of there. He told me about everything, including your run-in with that snake.”
I frown. “There was something strange about that thing. I swear it was being controlled.”
Rose frowns. “Perhaps it was. I’m just thankful none of you were hurt. And I’m glad you and Isaac met. He’s the reason you exist today.”
I want desperately to fast forward past this part. It’s not what I want to understand. “He told me he was the one who found my mom, and that you healed her, then you took her in.” I steady my gaze. “You knew she was an Equinox.”
Rose searches my eyes with hers then nods. “I did. And while I should have been the one to tell you, I’m relieved that you know.”
My mouth drops open. “You’re happy that I know I’m an Equinox?”
Rose narrows her gaze and shakes her head. “You are not one of them, Katrina. Do you hear me. Your Solstice blood is far more powerful than that of an Equinox.”
“How do you know?” I feel a lump growing in my throat, and I try to shove it down before the tears spill from my eyes. I’m hurt, I’m confused, and I’m so afraid. How can I have lived eighteen years and not know who I am deep inside?
“Because I know your mother. I know what your parents shared. And I know your heart, Katrina. You were born out of pure love. Evil simply does not exist inside of you.” Rose shudders like this conversation is taking a toll on her. “I would never have let Grace live with my family if she showed any signs of knowing what she possessed. It was very clear that someone stripped your mom of her memory and left her to die at sea. It’s a miracle that Isaac found her when he did.”
Relief fills my veins. The possibility that my mother was protected from the knowledge of her bloodline, at least at first, helps me process some of this.
“Maybe all of this is true, but its blood still courses through my veins. What does that mean for me?”
In the longest silence of the night, Rose stares back at me intensely. “You are an unusual descendant, Katrina. Your blood comes from the direct line of Astina Summer, the most powerful Solstice of all, and that is where you get your power. But there is another part of you—the part of you that comes from your mother—”
“I know all of that already, Rose. What does it mean?” I ask again, this time more forcefully.
“After we took your mother in, I did what I do for all people who come to me. I wanted to help her find her family so that she could regain her memory. I thought for sure that we would find someone—anyone—who was missing her. After all, she was just a young girl. Isaac helped me for the longest time too, but we couldn’t find any trace of her family. It was like they just vanished into thin air.”
I see tears in Rose’s eyes now. I shiver.
“The only possession your mom carried with her from wherever she came from was that bracelet. I recognized the engraved Equinox symbol immediately. But there was something about this particular use of the symbol that caught my eye. The fact that it was branded into a heart locket was my first clue that it was different than all the rest. You have to remember, Katrina, the Equinox was not originally created to choose evil. It was the God of Darkness, Erebus, who killed the primordial Equinox gods and then, through fear, led the Equinox into that darkness. He threatened to destroy all those who refused to enter his dark world.”
“So you’re saying an Equinox doesn’t have to choose evil?”
Rose takes in a deep breath. “One would believe after all this time that evil is inherent. An Equinox simply knows no other way. But that locket your mom carried proves that protection against Erebus’s dark magic does exist. Without it…” She can’t even finish her sentence.
I swallow, thinking of Isaac’s words. “I become vulnerable to him, and he can possess me.”
“Yes.” A chill sweeps through the air. “Erebus has the power to take prisoner any Equinox’s body he comes into contact with.”
I lift my hand to my wrist, where my locket once rested, and I shake my head. The thought of an evil murderer possessing my body haunts my mind. “You both talk about an engraving on the locket, but I never saw one.”
Rose sighs. “You wouldn’t have seen it until after your Enchanting, and at that point, I think you were preoccupied with other things. You just didn’t notice it.”
I frown. “If my mom lost her memory, then how would she know to give that bracelet to me?”
“That is one of the unsolved mysteries, I suppose. There are restrictions to protection powers that don’t vary much. You may only pass protection on to a descendant or to a Fated lover.”
“A Fated lover?” My heart is beating fast.
Rose nods. “We are only given one true love in this lifetime, Katrina. They are known as your Fated, the one whose soul is tied to yours in both life and death in all its reincarnates. I found my Fated mate in your grandfather, George. And my son, Paul, found his in your mother.”
Tears well back up in my eyes. “You truly believe that?”
Rose nods without an ounce of hesitation. “Oh, yes, Katrina. I know it.”
“How did you know with George?”
Rose’s smile is soft, her eyes misty, like she’s remembering the moment when she first felt that connection with my grandfather. “We grew up together, we played together, and he was my very best friend. I think I would have been devastated if it turned out to not be him. But the moment he kissed me solidified what I already knew…” She gives a dreamy sigh. “The way our energy worked together, it was like yin and yang. We just fit. He completed me, and I completed him.”
I blink back more tears, swiping away one that falls down my cheek. “Did my dad, um, Paul know about my mother?”
“After your parents married, your mother had an Enchanting, just like the one you had. Your mother didn’t take to Solstice life the way we all hoped, but she did try. Something held her back, and I always feared it had something to do with her past life buried in her suppressed memories. Your father was devastated, to say the least, but like her, he tried. And then they learned Grace was pregnant. Katrina, when I tell you your parents were overjoyed to know they were having a baby, would be a total understatement. It was cause for celebration, and it was one of the main reasons I hosted the Grand Ball.”
Rose shudders and I sense this is where her story takes a turn. My body is racked with chills and my breaths turn shallow.
“The Grand Ball was the event that started what’s known now as the Devastation, or the Equinox War. The pollution had already been destroying our sealife, but it wasn’t until that night of the ball that we put two-and-two together and realized Erebus was to blame. From there, Grace began pulling away from your father, from us. Our lifestyle just seemed to be too much for her, and she felt afraid for her unborn child. But still, they fought to be together. Your mother knew that Paul takes his role as an Enchanter very seriously.”
Takes. The present tense of the word has more meaning than I think Rose realizes, but I keep this thought to myself.
“Once you were born, and after Grace had enough knowledge about Solstice life, her fears only deepened. Your date of birth held so much significance and she didn’t feel it was fair for you to be born into so much responsibility. She wanted you to have a choice, but your father was strongly opposed to such a thing. As Enchanters, we simply are not given a choice. After Paul refused to see things her way, she took you far away, threatening to expose our family if we went near you.”
This is the first time I allow sad thoughts of my father to consume me.
There is so much love, loss, and heartbreak in that story.
“But he still isn’t around.” Tears come to my eyes, and I stand up. “Even after she died—even after I came to live with you—he still hasn’t come around.”
Angry now, I walk toward the stairs. This whole night has been too much, but our final conversation leaves me frustrated and angry. I’ve never felt such anger toward my father, but now it’s coming on strong. I feel guilty for letting myself think angry thoughts about my mother too. She’s dead. She can’t defend herself, but how could she have kept me away from my family for all these years?
And perhaps I can understand why she pushed my father away long ago, but he has no excuse now. The Equinox threat looms thick and heavy over Apollo Beach, but he isn’t here for his family. Or for his fellow Enchanters.
I remain silent as I head to my room. I climb into bed then let the tears fall freely—for my mom, for Darryl, and for the first time in my life, for my father.
The morning is almost as awful as the night before. My eyes are swollen, my body aches, and I’m groggy from lack of sleep. Of all days to start my job at Island Grille, it had to be today. I’m overwhelmed with information, emotionally exhausted, and haunted with questions that don’t stop coming.
When I finally roll out of bed, I don’t try hard to get ready. I throw on a jean skirt and a tank top, brush my teeth, and pull my hair up in a ponytail. I don’t normally wear makeup, so I rely on magic to wipe away my puffy eyes, and thankfully, my skin is already glowing after spending the previous day outside. After a quick look in the mirror, I head for the door.
Rose insists that Charlotte drive me to work, so I hop in the passenger seat and stare numbly out the window during the entire ride. Charlotte doesn’t try to start a conversation, either, and I’m appreciative for the quiet.
“You sure you have a ride home?” Charlotte asks before I close the door to the SUV.
“Yup. Alec will bring me home tonight.”
Charlotte frowns but nods. I know she’s worried, just as we all are. But Rose was insistent that we all maintain our normal lives as much as possible while remaining on high alert. I wave a quick goodbye and hop out of the car then head to the entrance.