Six by Rachel Robinson

small red, heart-shaped gemstone. I have never seen anything so beautiful. It reminds me of something, and I know I have seen it before. My heart starts hammering as the confusion sets in. Unable to place the familiarity, I look at Lana’s neck and see her small black stone pendant. As comprehension dawns I remember all the female darklings wear the black onyx. I never thought anything of it before.
    “It helps keep our dark side repressed. We all have one. I’ve had mine since I was a baby,” she says as she watches me examine mine more carefully.
    It is ironic that in this moment, I feel more human than ever before. I feel no need for the black stone…still I lace the chain through my fingers as if it were easily broken. It is precious.
    “I didn’t think there were anymore left. Especially like this,” she says. I let her take it from my hands to examine it. She unclasps the golden chain and clips it around my neck.
    “I have never had anything so gorgeous before,” I tell her in a soft whisper. I twist the pendants between my fingers and think it is one of the best feelings in the world—to have something so precious you could not bear to lose it. It still reminds me of something else, but I cannot pin down exactly what. Lana shakes her head and arches a brow in confusion. She points to the tiny scrap of paper with my name printed on it.
    “Emma…that’s Finn’s handwriting.”
    And I thought the necklace was precious before.

Chapter Fourteen
    July 17th, Midday
    The weight of the pendant at my throat keeps me awake. I pulsate with a warm, tingling sensation that stems from inside of me. The feeling has nothing to do with my magic. I cannot stop smiling. The stone is meant to dull my dark side, but I do not expect it to cause such a surge of longing for Finn. This is a gift from him. A very considerate gift from him.
    Lana looked worried as we walked back to the circle hours before. She would not tell me why and though her mood was sullen, mine still soars high in the hazy, perfect sky. I throw the thin blanket off my body and walk to my window. Sleep will not come and the need to speak with Finn is all-encompassing. I want to know what the necklace means. I want to see his lazy smile. I want the rigidity of his shoulders gone. I want the female darkling that eases this to release him to me—to where he belongs.
    I quickly peek at Lana, snoring loudly without a care in the world. I smile as emotions flood my body. I feel the emptiness filling, the void being bridged, and the fluttering of my heart connecting the mangled pieces that form Emmalina Weaver–the person, not the empty vessel for magic.
    I run to the lagoon. I relish in the feeling of the pendants bouncing off my chest in rhythm with my feet pounding ashy ground. Clothing still on, I run directly into the water, sink below the inky liquid, and open my senses. Noise is gone and I only hear my heart hammering in my chest. When I surface, I behold the sight I so desperately crave. My stomach twists and I recognize the feeling…the desire.
    It is Finn.
    His gaze fixates on my chest, staring at my newly acquired pendants. When Finn meets my gaze I see so many things. I am sure he has always looked at me like this, but I never had the ability to see the emotions behind it. He looks at me with approval, with desire, pride, and honesty—I almost combust with emotion. I smile. He smiles. I push forward to close the distance between us.
    “You are back. I missed you,” I say. Finn just stares at me as if he has never seen me before. He has not seen me like this, I think. His gaze traces every curve of my body until he decides to study my face. Lips parting, small breaths pushing through his lips, his grin widens. I grab my necklace and tilt my head to the side. “I got a gift. I am not sure who it is from and I had to battle a savage for it,” I admit, my tone teasing. He moves closer to me in the water as I speak.
    “That is a pretty impressive