away from her.
“Are you all right?” she asked, taking a step closer. She gave off a sticky sweet fragrance almost like cotton candy and it made me dizzy. She took the glass from my hand and sniffed it, then raised her eyebrows. “Where’d you get this?”
“One of the waitresses,” I told her, my words slurring.
She laughed. “Somebody spiked your drink, sweetcakes. Wish I coulda had one of these. Bet it was good.”
I shrugged, then tried to move away from her. But all my movements were exaggerated and awkward. I accidentally pivoted on my heel and stumbled, slammed my back against the railing. For a moment I teetered and wondered if I might fall. I saw a flash of swirling water far below me, heard the distant roar of waves. But Riley grabbed me and pulled me away from the edge of the balcony.
“Careful, there, little Townie Princess.”
“S’nothing,” I said with a flip of my hand. “Go back t’ your party.”
“Actually, I was heading to a different party.” She cocked her head and studied me. The she lowered her voice, “The girls and I are going for a midnight swim. Wanna come?”
I licked my lips, imagined the salty bite of ocean water on my skin. Right now, nothing in the world sounded better.
“It’s too hot up here for my taste,” she murmured, fanning herself with one hand.
Either she was right or she had just conjured a dead calm. The wind stopped blowing and, within a heartbeat, the air hung thick with sudden heat and humidity. Swarms of gnats and mosquitoes churned through the night air, rising up from the ocean. A moth fluttered against the bank of windows, eager to get inside the house, hungry for the light.
I glanced down at the ocean, watched the never ending procession of foaming, curling waves, water wrapping itself around the rocks and then retreating, returning with a fury a moment later. I felt like that moth, hungry for the ocean, ignorant of danger.
“Wanna come with us?” Riley asked again, her voice sultry.
I nodded, then whispered, “Yes,” never taking my eyes off the dance of sea and shore.
“Come on, then.” She grabbed my hand, led me down the stairway at the edge of the balcony. I latched onto the railing with my other hand, but my feet didn’t feel like they were attached to my body. Is this what it felt like to be drunk? I pulled my hand away from hers.
“Sure you’re steady enough on your own?” She stopped and grinned at me, her face sometimes blurring and doubling.
Honestly, I wasn’t. But I didn’t want her help. Couldn’t let her think I was weak.
“Riley, come on, hurry up!” Two other girls called from the base of the steps. When I got close enough to see them, I realized that they were stripping down to their underwear, leaving their clothes draped on the railing. I glanced back up at the house and the balcony. This would be an open invitation for any of the guys up there to join us. Maybe that was what these girls were hoping for.
I was finally at the last step, sand grinding its way between my toes. Already my sandals were off, but I couldn’t remember unhooking the straps.
“Need help with that zipper?” Riley asked.
I shook my head. I slipped out of my dress, then tossed it over the railing. It missed and pooled on the ground.
Then I followed them as we all ran across the beach, screaming and yipping and diving into water that refused to take away the heat that burned my flesh.
Chapter 19
Caleb:
I watched with sadness as my sister retreated into a back bedroom alone and closed the door. Part of me had hoped that meeting Kira face-to-face would have lifted her spirits. After all, just like me, Lynn had begged our mother to tell us Kira’s legend over and over when we were children. Unfortunately, all the teen hormones surging throughout the house must have stirred the Burning within her. Her countenance darkened when one of the local teenage boys flirted with her. Shortly after that, she left the
“Are you all right?” she asked, taking a step closer. She gave off a sticky sweet fragrance almost like cotton candy and it made me dizzy. She took the glass from my hand and sniffed it, then raised her eyebrows. “Where’d you get this?”
“One of the waitresses,” I told her, my words slurring.
She laughed. “Somebody spiked your drink, sweetcakes. Wish I coulda had one of these. Bet it was good.”
I shrugged, then tried to move away from her. But all my movements were exaggerated and awkward. I accidentally pivoted on my heel and stumbled, slammed my back against the railing. For a moment I teetered and wondered if I might fall. I saw a flash of swirling water far below me, heard the distant roar of waves. But Riley grabbed me and pulled me away from the edge of the balcony.
“Careful, there, little Townie Princess.”
“S’nothing,” I said with a flip of my hand. “Go back t’ your party.”
“Actually, I was heading to a different party.” She cocked her head and studied me. The she lowered her voice, “The girls and I are going for a midnight swim. Wanna come?”
I licked my lips, imagined the salty bite of ocean water on my skin. Right now, nothing in the world sounded better.
“It’s too hot up here for my taste,” she murmured, fanning herself with one hand.
Either she was right or she had just conjured a dead calm. The wind stopped blowing and, within a heartbeat, the air hung thick with sudden heat and humidity. Swarms of gnats and mosquitoes churned through the night air, rising up from the ocean. A moth fluttered against the bank of windows, eager to get inside the house, hungry for the light.
I glanced down at the ocean, watched the never ending procession of foaming, curling waves, water wrapping itself around the rocks and then retreating, returning with a fury a moment later. I felt like that moth, hungry for the ocean, ignorant of danger.
“Wanna come with us?” Riley asked again, her voice sultry.
I nodded, then whispered, “Yes,” never taking my eyes off the dance of sea and shore.
“Come on, then.” She grabbed my hand, led me down the stairway at the edge of the balcony. I latched onto the railing with my other hand, but my feet didn’t feel like they were attached to my body. Is this what it felt like to be drunk? I pulled my hand away from hers.
“Sure you’re steady enough on your own?” She stopped and grinned at me, her face sometimes blurring and doubling.
Honestly, I wasn’t. But I didn’t want her help. Couldn’t let her think I was weak.
“Riley, come on, hurry up!” Two other girls called from the base of the steps. When I got close enough to see them, I realized that they were stripping down to their underwear, leaving their clothes draped on the railing. I glanced back up at the house and the balcony. This would be an open invitation for any of the guys up there to join us. Maybe that was what these girls were hoping for.
I was finally at the last step, sand grinding its way between my toes. Already my sandals were off, but I couldn’t remember unhooking the straps.
“Need help with that zipper?” Riley asked.
I shook my head. I slipped out of my dress, then tossed it over the railing. It missed and pooled on the ground.
Then I followed them as we all ran across the beach, screaming and yipping and diving into water that refused to take away the heat that burned my flesh.
Chapter 19
Caleb:
I watched with sadness as my sister retreated into a back bedroom alone and closed the door. Part of me had hoped that meeting Kira face-to-face would have lifted her spirits. After all, just like me, Lynn had begged our mother to tell us Kira’s legend over and over when we were children. Unfortunately, all the teen hormones surging throughout the house must have stirred the Burning within her. Her countenance darkened when one of the local teenage boys flirted with her. Shortly after that, she left the
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