Chapter 3
Maya
Ican’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something important.
Everyone seems nice enough, well, except for Cassie, but there's an undercurrent I can't quite identify, like the whole school is in on some inside joke that I haven't been let in on yet.
My phone buzzes with a text as I'm walking home from school. It's from Bolton. How did he get my number?
Bonfire tomorrow night. You coming?
I stare at the message, unsure how to respond. I barely know the guy, but there's something about him that makes my skin tingle whenever he's around. I pocket my phone without replying, deciding to figure it out later.
When I walk through the front door, Mom is in the kitchen chopping vegetables with more force than necessary. That's never a good sign.
"Hey," I say, dropping my backpack on a chair. "Everything okay?"
Mom looks up, her dark hair falling out of its messy bun. She forces a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "Fine. Just prepping dinner. How was school?"
"Fine." I grab an apple from the fruit bowl. "So, there's apparently some bonfire tomorrow night. Everyone from school is going."
The knife in Mom's hand stills. "The full moon bonfire?"
"Yeah. Is that a big deal or something?"
She resumes chopping, but slower now, more deliberate."It's just a Stone Mountain tradition."
"So you knew about it?" I take a bite of my apple, watching her carefully. "It sounds like fun."
"I grew up here, remember?" Mom says, her voice tight. "Of course I know about the bonfires."
"Great, so I can go?"
Mom sets the knife down and turns to face me fully. "I don't think that's a good idea, Maya."
I blink, surprised by her reaction. "Why not? It's a school function. Everyone's going."
"Not everyone needs to do what everyone else is doing." She turns back to her vegetables, scraping them into a pot with more force than necessary.
"Mom, come on. I'm new here. I'm trying to make friends, fit in. Isn't that what you wanted when we moved here?"
Her shoulders tense. "We moved here because it was the right decision for both of us after..." She trails off, but I know she means after Dad died.
"I know," I say softly. "But now that we're here, don't you want me to be part of things?"
"There are other ways to be part of things besides attending some bonfire in the woods." Her tone has an edge I rarely hear.
"What's the real problem here?" I ask, setting my half-eaten apple on the counter. "It's just a bonfire."
Mom wipes her hands on a dishtowel and faces me again. There's something in her expression I can't quite read, worry, yes, but something else too. Fear? "Stone Mountain has traditions that go back generations. The full moon bonfires are part of that. I just don't think you're ready."
"Ready for what? It's not like it's some crazy ritual sacrifice or something." I laugh, but Mom doesn't even smile.
"Maya," she says, her voice low and serious. "There are things about this town, about these people..."
My phone buzzes again. Another text from Bolton: You should come.
I look up at Mom, whose eyes are now fixed on my phone. “It’s Bolton,” I say.
Her hands still on the dish towel. “Bolton?”
“Sharpe,” I answer.
Mom goes quiet—too quiet. Then she turns slowly to face me, her expression hard to read. “I know the Sharpes.”
“You do?” I ask, surprised.
She nods once, carefully. “I told you, I grew up here. Their family’s been on this mountain for generations.”
“You say that like it’s a warning.”
“It is.”
“He just asked if I’m going to the bonfire,” I reply, slipping the phone back into my pocket.
Mom goes quiet, her gaze turning inward.
Then, after a long second, she says softly, “I don’t want you to go.”
I cross my arms, leaning against the counter. “Why not?"
"That boy, his family comes with history. Complications."
"You mean, like, rich and popular complications? Welcome to high school."
She exhales, rubbing her temples. "It’s not that simple, Maya. The Sharpes aren’t just popular. They’re tied to things you don’t understand, things I hoped wouldn’t touch you."
"Like what? Because every time I ask, you shut me down. You act like this town has some massive secret, and I’m the only one who didn’t get the memo."
"You don’t know what’s out there."
"And you’re not telling me!" My voice raises in frustration. "All I want is to go to one stupid bonfire. And suddenly you’re acting like I’ll be swallowed whole by ancient evil or something."
She steps forward, her expression pinched. Her voice lowers."Maya, please. Just trust me on this. Stay home tomorrow night. We can order pizza, watch that old musical you like, the one with the dancing ghosts."
"Ghostbusters isn’t a musical," I mumble, trying not to smile.
Despite the tension, her lips twitch upward for half a second. "You know what I mean."
"Mom..." My tone softens. "You always say you want me to have a normal life. But the second something feels even close to normal, friends, parties, you pull me away."
"Because normal isn’t safe. Not for us." Her eyes shine with something I can’t quite decipher, like grief and guilt wrapped in steel.
"You’re talking in riddles again."
"I'm trying to protect you."
"From what?" I whisper.
She opens her mouth, then closes it again. Shakes her head. "Please. Just this once. Stay home. Say no to Bolton Sharpe."
I look down at my phone. The screen is still lit with his second text. You should come.
The more we argue, the more I want to go tomorrow night. What is she worried about?
"There are things you don't understand—"
"Then help me understand!" I interrupt. "Ever since we moved here, you've been acting weird. You grew up here, but you never talk about it. You brought us back, but you seem scared of everything. What am I missing?"
For a moment, I think she might actually tell me something real. Her eyes, so like mine, fill with conflict. But then she closes off, that familiar wall coming back up.
"You're not going to the bonfire, and that's final." She turns back to the stove, effectively ending the conversation.
I stand there for a moment, seething with frustration, before grabbing my backpack and heading to my room. Once there, I pull out my notebook and write:
Rule #9: When your mother forbids you from going somewhere for no good reason, that's exactly where you need to be.
I stare at Bolton's text for a long minute before typing back:
I'll be there.
Whatever secrets Stone Mountain is hiding, whatever secrets my mother is hiding, I'm going to find out what they are, starting with that bonfire tomorrow night.