The Summer Solstice ~ Enchanted (6 page)

We share a birthday? That’s strange. But now I know
there’s no way getting out of this one.

And that’s the end of the conversation. Charlotte
interrupts us moments later to inform Rose that she has a meeting at the
Community Center in 30 minutes.

“I’m ready whenever you are.” I say to Charlotte as
I carefully touch down at the bottom of the staircase.

Charlotte is taking me into town for our shopping
trip. After the previous day, spending time with my grandmother and learning
about the Summer family history, I’m ready to get out of the house.

In less then ten minutes, we are pulling out of the
driveway in the Escalade. I wonder if this is Charlotte’s car or my
grandmothers. I guess it doesn’t really matter but over the past few days,
living with Charlotte hasn’t been as weird as I originally thought. She is easy
to get along with, respectful of my privacy, and a perfect balance for my
whimsical grandmother.

Another dream haunted me last night but it was more
of a jumble of illusions stemming from other dreams. The sand. The smoke. The
necklace. The reflection. The cake. Charlotte was by my side again, whispering
quiet, soothing words. Her presence calmed me and allowed for a better sleep.

“Where would you like to go first? I say we get you
an outfit for the party.” Charlotte smiles at me now. She looks almost excited
to take me out of the house. I realize she probably doesn’t get to hang out
with anyone other than Rose.

I shrug. “I don’t really need a new outfit.”

Charlotte makes a noise. “Don’t let Rose hear you
say that. This is her present to you, her way of bonding with you. You should
humor her at least.”

“Then why isn’t she here?” As soon as I realize
that I’ve said this out loud, I jerk my head up towards Charlotte.

She looks as though she’s trying to find an answer
to the question. I’m about to apologize when she finally speaks. “Rose doesn’t
leave Apollo Beach.”

I make a face, more curious now than ever.
What
does that mean?
Charlotte continues. “Your mom may have never told you, but
Rose has always thought about you and wanted to be a part of your life. She
would be here today if she could.” Charlotte sighs. “I don’t want to speak on
it, it’s really not my place. But let’s try to make the best of today
okay? Find a few things to appease
your grandmother and everyone will win from it.”

Frowning, I nod, knowing she is right. “Okay, I
guess a new outfit won’t kill me.” Charlotte’s cheekbones heighten at my
surrender.

“We’ll go school shopping later. Today we’ll just
get you one nice dress for Saturday – and maybe a pair of shoes. And some
jewelry.” Charlotte continues to rattle of items excitedly and I can’t help but
laugh.
Maybe today won’t be so bad after all.

The shops in Brandon are supposed to be the best,
according to Rose. Apparently everyone in Apollo Beach goes to Brandon during
the summer, just to get away from the inter-coastal city.

Three dresses, matching shoes, two purses, and a
mini treasure chest of jewelry later, Charlotte assures me that I need a new
bathing suit, a pair of jeans, and a work out suit for my runs. How Charlotte
knows that I run is yet another mystery.

As we shove our bags in the back of the car I think
of the bookstore we passed earlier.

Charlotte slams the rear door and faces me. “I
forgot. I need to run back in to buy some makeup. Then we’ll grab lunch a bit
closer to home. You want to join me or meet up in an hour?”

Perfect.
“I’ll meet you in an hour. I’m just going to go
check out the bookstore.”

Charlotte smiles. “Sure, sure. Here.” She hands me
a wad of bills and steps away towards her cosmetics store. “Just in case. Call
me if you need me.” She points to my clutch purse that holds my new iPhone.

Last night Charlotte came home with a cell phone
for me. I was up until midnight trying to learn how to use it. I’d only ever
had a house phone with actual buttons. Almost everyone my age has one of these
things but I’ve never needed one. Given the new circumstances, living in a new
home with new guardians, I can understand the need.

Charlotte and I part ways from the car and I aim
for the bookstore. My curiosity was spiked when Rose brought up my birthday.
All this talk about the Summer Solstice intrigues me. What is the big deal with
my birthday and why does Rose feel the need to celebrate it?

I’m deep in thought as I cross the street towards
the bookstore when a sporty, red Audi slams on their breaks in front of me,
allowing a bicycle to pass by. “Sorry!” I hear a girl’s voice from the drivers
seat as her blonde hair streaks by me. Another blonde hoots beside her. I roll
my eyes but then catch sight of the bicycle.

It would be nice to have my bicycle again. Apollo
Beach would be the perfect place to ride it. The bicycle that I had back home
is still in storage, along with all other items from the apartment I shared
with my mother. I’m not ready to go through everything yet.

“I’m looking for some information on the Summer Solstice.
How cultures have celebrated the Solstice and why. Do you think you can help me
find something like that?” I ask the first sales person I see.

The man smiles and leads me to a special section
near Fiction named Mythologies. I thank him and scour the S’s for anything that
can feed my curiosity. By the time I’m done, I’ve picked out three books.

Once the books are purchased and bagged, I head for
the door. I round the first corner, meanwhile digging through my purse for my
phone to call Charlotte.

Suddenly I’m plowing headfirst into a moving
target. The blow stings, and I stumble backwards before apologizing.

“I wasn’t looking.”

“I’m sorry, that was my fault.”

“No, I should have been paying attention.” I say,
so flustered that I don’t even realize whom I’m speaking to until the apologies
are done and I’ve looked up at him. An overwhelming sense of alertness comes
over me. My pulse begins to quicken.

We smile at each other in recognition, though I’m
not sure if I’m happy to see this boy again. When we first met, it was under
such strange circumstances.

“Are we going to meet like this every time?” He
jokes with me.

I groan. “I really hope not. I am sorry though. I
was trying to find my phone…”

“It’s okay if you are doing these things on purpose
just to talk to me.” His eyes glimmer as he teases me.
He’s friendly.
My
reaction is clear as my cheeks flush over.

The silence lingers longer than I’m comfortable
with so I let out a small laugh. “You’re onto me.”

The strange boy smiles before looking down in his
hands. I follow his gaze to see that my books have landed there. Or maybe they
fell out of the bag he picked them up. Funny, I didn’t notice. “What’s the
fascination with the Solstice? Can’t be a school project, classes haven’t
started yet.”

He looks at me curiously now. I take the books from
him, stuffing them back into the bag and shrug. “It’s nothing, just bored I
guess.”

His eyes tell me he doesn’t believe me. “People
aren’t usually curious about the Solstice. At least I’ve never met anyone that
is. So you were bored, huh?”

I allow my eyes to meet his and hesitate. I don’t
know this boy at all and here I am faced with his criticism. “My birthday is on
the Summer Solstice. I don’t know what the fascination is but it means a lot to
Rose so I thought I’d do my homework. She’s into all this Greek Mythology
stuff. Maybe I’ll understand her obsession.”

He makes a face and nods. “Greek mythology?”

“What?” I ask him, curiously.

He shrugs and gives me a boyishly handsome smile
that melts me down to my toes. “I’ve always associated the Summer Solstice with
Wiccans.”

He must see my puzzled expression because he adds.
“Witchcraft.” Then he holds up a book. “Where do you think this all comes from?
It’s witchcraft. That’s scary stuff to be messing with.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow you. These books are
about celebrating nature and fictional creatures. There’s nothing in here about
witchcraft.” I let out an uncomfortable laugh.

He hands my books back to me and shrugs. “Wiccans
believe in the four elements of earth, wind, fire, water. They believe that
gods and goddesses control these elements. It’s a religion. Wiccans believe the
Summer Solstice is something celebrated as a day to give themselves to their
greater beings through sacrifice.”

“That’s crazy. I’m not – Wiccan, or whatever.
And neither is Rose.”

I don’t know why I get so defensive but I’m
grateful for the conversation to be over now.

He smiles. “I believe you.” I stare at him as he
speaks, his mouth moves so perfectly. His wide green, wondrous eyes make me slightly
dizzy.

Finally, the tension has vanished and his hand
shoots out toward mine.

“Alec Stone. We forgot this part the other day.”

I let out a breath, relieved that the uncomfortable
conversation is over. My smile is unstoppable as I return his introduction. My
cheekbones feel the strain of my perma-frown from the last few months. “Katrina
Summer. You can call me Kat though. I just moved in with my grandmother. I
guess we’re neighbors.”

He stands up straighter, a surprised look on his
face. “Oh.”

“What?” I let out a laugh, suddenly self-conscious.

He shakes his head, as if apologizing my
misinterpretation. “No, I am just surprised that’s all. I assumed you were here
visiting. I knew that Rose was your grandmother but before that I never knew
she even had grandchildren.”

“Now you know.” I probably shouldn’t say what comes
out of my mouth now but it’s out before I can stop it. “We were never close.”

“So why now? Why live with your grandmother in this
boring old town and start studying Greek Mythology?” His smile is gentle. I
know he doesn’t understand what he’s asking me, so I try not to get emotional
on him.

“I don’t have any godparents. No aunts or uncles
– that I know of anyway. So when my mom died, Rose was the one who took
me in.”

The smile on his face disappears and his apologies
are evident in his face. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have been so nosy. Kat, I
am so sorry.”

It’s my turn to shake my head. “Don’t be. I’ll have
to get used to that question.” I smile now, wanting to change the subject. “But
I don’t think Apollo is boring at all. It’s around the same size as Spring
Lake, North Carolina. That’s where I’m from. But it’s the old town-feel that
makes it charming.”

Alec doesn’t miss a beat. “So, you’re from North
Carolina?”

“I was born in Apollo, but my mom moved me to
Spring Lake when I was a baby. I’ve lived there my whole life.”

He winks at me. “You know, Rose is a pretty big
deal around this town. I guess that’s why it was a big shock when I met you.”

I respond with an amused look. “I’m gathering that.
She really cares about this place.”

Alec nods in agreement.

I hesitate to ask my next question. “Did you know
my grandfather?”

“No. I just moved here last year. My dad got a
pretty big job offer with the University. I don’t know what exactly made them
think to move to Apollo but here we are.”

A shrill voice startles me upright. “Alec, we found
you.” The girls’ singsong voice is disturbing. And to make it worse, she edges
up to Alec, as close as possible, and my heart sinks. He has a girlfriend.

She’s pretty too. Tall. Blonde. Pretty brown eyes.
Legs for days. She slings an arm over his shoulder and peers at me with
suspicious eyes. “Who’s your friend?”

Alec looks between us and shifts his feet
awkwardly. “Hey girls, this is Kat, Rose Summer’s granddaughter.”

By the expression on the girl’s faces I get the
distinct idea that they aren’t exactly thrilled by the information. The shorter
blonde makes a face. “Rose has grandchildren? I didn’t even know she had
children.”

The tall blonde ignores her friend and asks me
pointedly. “So how long are you in town?”

Again – an awkward silence fills the air. I
sigh finally. “Until I’m 18 I guess.”

I watch as her expression changes from uncaring to
annoyance. Her stance grows so she’s no longer leaning on Alec, but standing
tall and answers. “So you live here?”

What
is up with this girl?
“I
do.”

The taller blonde finally lets out a smile that
closely resembles a smirk. “Well, then welcome to Apollo Beach. I’m Iris. This
is Ava. We’ve lived here our whole lives so forgive my surprise.”

Ava smiles now, mimicking Iris. “That’s right, we
rule this place.”

Iris shoots her a glare and turns back to me. “What
Ava means to say is that since we’ve lived in this small town so long, it’s
natural that we think we know everything about the community.”

I spy a glimpse at Alec as Iris speaks to me. His
feet are shifty and his eyes wandering. He manages to take a step or two away
from Iris. Maybe they aren’t together. His eyes catch mine and he gives me a
sympathetic smile.

Iris is still talking about herself. “I’m the
captain of the cheerleading squad and head of the Events committee at school.”