Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
-Drew
The forest is loud as the crunch of old sticks, leaves, and bark breaks under the procession”s feet. The four of us—Lee, Sebastian, Aries, and I—guide the line behind, robed in black, blending into the night, even with the full moon overhead bleeding through the gaps in the canopy.
Bel trips next to me, and I clutch her hand tighter, keeping her upright. Her friend Elyse trails just behind her, and I can feel her weary gaze scanning over each of us as she follows.
There’s a grumbled complaint somewhere behind us. ”Shut the fuck up and keep walking,” I snap.
The person goes quiet, nothing but the sound of the forest greeting us again.
Ahead is the small clearing ringed with four-wheelers, and I stop, guiding Bel off to the side, gently pressing her against the tree trunk before kissing her softly. ”Stay here while I get them ready.”
She grins, eyes wide behind her glasses.
There’s a rush of excitement in the air, of darkness, and I clutch it tightly in my hands, letting it ripple across my skin. I can feel her eyes on me as I march back to this year”s freshman recruits. They stand in a semicircle with black bags over their head, ropes loosely looped around their wrists to connect them, leading up to Lee, who strips off the rope and drops it to the ground.
Aries, Lee, Sebastian, and I grasp two of the recruits each by the arms, lead them to the four-wheelers nearby, and shove them roughly to the sloped cart on the back of each. It lays at an angle like a surfer”s pickup sled after a wipeout. They realize what”s happening and resettle, propping their feet up on the edge so they don”t hang down.
Once the eight new mill members for the year are all secured, we each hop on a wheeler. I gesture to Bel, who comes running over, climbing on, and taking the spot beside me. Elyse slides gingerly beside Aries, who studies her closely in the soft moonlight. He looks curious and surprised while she keeps her gaze straight ahead. Her body is as stiff as a board. I remind myself that she’s not my problem. It’s not my job to babysit her. Bel wanted to bring her, and I’m fine with that, but she’s responsible for herself. I spare a quick glance at Seb and Lee to ensure they are ready
Both give me a nod, and we head through the trees. It”s several miles out to the cliffs. We used to make the new members walk out blindfolded, but things changed after a leg break from a fall.
It”s fine. They will get their dose of ceremony when we get there. Bel holds on tight to the top handle. ”Faster.”
I smile and shake my head but oblige, laughing as the recruits on the cart curse for every jolt and jostle over sticks and the uneven forest floor.
It doesn”t take too long to reach the clearing by the cliffs. A line of citronella lanterns stands in a circle, lighting the space, obscuring the edge just ahead. Let”s see if we get anyone to pussy out tonight.
Bel hops off the moment we stop, and she doesn”t bother hiding the smile of wonder on her face as she takes in the lanterns and the rock on the far side of the clearing opposite the cliff edge. The rough granite is carved and pockmarked with names from every generation of Mill members.
I raise my voice and line the new members up in a row facing the rock. ”The time has come to take your place among your brethren. Step up to the rock and carve your name. There”s no backing out now.”
I rip the hoods off their heads and nudge the first skinny kid forward. ”Step forward, carve your name, and take your place.”
The skinny bastard scrambles forward, and he falls against the rock in his eagerness to grab the pick on the ground nearby.
I shove two more, and Seb does the same on the other end of the line.
They step up, each carve their name, and once they finish, they turn back eager-eyed and grinning.
I hand the hoods back to each of them. “You can put this on if you’re going to be a pussy, but…there”s one final rite that you must complete in order to be considered a member.”
“Adios, fuckers.” Lee grins and runs toward the open space between the lanterns, disappearing in a soft mist.
The new recruits mutter among themselves, and I shove a couple of them forward. ”Go on.”
Bel leans into Elyse, her bright hair a contrast to Elyse’s dark braid that’s hanging over her shoulder. ”You don”t have to do it if you don”t want to.”
Seb wanders over, his hands shoved into his robe pockets. ”She”s here, isn”t she? She can either do it, or she’ll be stuck out here by herself.”
Elyse takes a tentative step back, and I march over and cut between them. Seb hasn”t stopped pushing her since that night in the kitchen six months ago. Lee, Aries, and I have an ongoing bet that she”s going to punch him square in the face and quit before the summer ends.
I snag Bel”s hand in mine and lead her to the edge. ”Together?”
With big, bright eyes, she peeks over the side of the ledge, then tugs her glasses off her face and hands them to me. ”Keep these safe.”
I smile, and she jumps, dragging me along by the hand.
There”s a moment of panic, of pure free fall, until my boots hit the water, and we sink below. She releases me, and I swim up to the surface. It”s not a long drop, but with the mist from the small falls nearby, no one can see the water below.
Lee swims on his back a few feet away, his robe, shirt, and shorts on the rocks nearby. ”Think we”ll have some rejects this year?”
I glance up, and with the light above and the slivers of moonlight, I spot Elyse on the edge of the cliff, scanning the water below.
Bel waves up at her, but Elyse doesn”t see her.
“He won’t really make her jump, right?” Bel asks, a hint of worry in her voice.
“Make her? I don’t know about that. If you ask me, Sebastian has it out for her for some reason. I wouldn’t be surprised if he…”
A shrill screech cuts through the night, followed by a splash.
“He pushed her!” Bel shakes her head. “What an asshole.”
I can”t help but chuckle. He”s in for a fight with that one. She hates him so much.
“I called that a mile away,” I mutter under my breath.
Elyse pops up out of the water, and I don’t need to look at her face to see how pissed off she is. I can feel it vibrating through her and into the water.
A second later, there’s another splash, and I watch Seb’s body disappear beneath the water. The only people up top now are Aries and the eight recruits. His gruff voice echoes into the valley, but I can”t make out the words.
“You okay?” Bel calls to Elyse.
“Fantastic. Never been better.” Elyse practically growls.
“Oh, don’t act like I’m the bad guy here. If I didn’t push you, you never would’ve jumped. I think, if anything, you owe me since I did you a favor technically.” He splashes water at her.
“I know where you sleep,” she mutters under her breath.
“Are you threatening me?” Seb taunts.
Jesus, these two are like fire and gasoline.
Bel swims around me in a circle and lets out a relaxed sigh. ”The water is so warm. Nothing else could make this night better unless maybe those two stopped their bickering.”
”It’s called foreplay, and that’s why we do this in the summer. I don”t want to freeze my balls off by doing it during recruiting season in the fall and winter. I’m an asshole, but even I have things I won’t do.”
She leans in and licks a drop of water off my cheek. ”We should come out here again, but next time alone.”
Lee splashes us both. ”I’m warning you now that if you two start fucking, I”m going to sit here and watch. I have zero shame.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, but if you look at Bel, I’ll have to remove your eyes from their sockets. The only one who gets to see her naked is me.”
“Whatever…” He grins.
There’s a shout, followed by a splash signifying that at least one of the new guys has enough balls to jump. Once the first one goes, it doesn’t take long for the remainder to follow. I count each splash in my head while I tread water.
Finally, all eight make it down, and Aries follows with a singsong bellow and launches far out off the cliff. We all shift out of the way so he doesn”t land on us. Fucker.
Bel clutches onto my shoulders, using me to hold herself up and out of the water. ”Have you ever checked behind the waterfall?”
I shake my head. ”Check for what?”
She shrugs, the water sloshing. My gaze strays down to her T-shirt that has molded against her shoulders and chest. ”I don”t know. Treasure, fairies, witches. Who knows what could be back there.”
The look of excitement and mischief in her gaze is intoxicating. I love seeing her like this, the happiness radiating out of her.
I snort. ”If anything is back there, it”s probably rocks.”
She swims away from me, going in the absolute wrong direction. I wait a second, then snag her ankle and drag her back, letting my hand slide up her bare leg to the hem of her shorts. She yelps, and I clutch her core in my hand.
”Oh sorry, I slipped.”
“Sure you did.” She giggles.
I release her and snag her glasses out of my robe pocket, then slide them onto her face gently. Water droplets spot the lenses but she swipes them off.
Then, with another grin, she swims off in the direction of the waterfall, leaving me to follow. Catching a glimpse of her creamy inner thigh, I can”t help it. I give chase, swimming after her. There’s a rocky ledge ahead, and I warn her.
”Be careful. It”s not as deep right there, and the rocks make it super slippery.”
“Okay, Dad.” She snorts. “Why’re you so worried?”
Like a disobedient brat, she barely listens to my warning and climbs up onto the small outcrop of rocks, her feet slipping while she tries to gain footing. My heart thunders in my chest. Fuck, she’s going to give me high blood pressure with her damn antics. She puts her hand through the rush of the falls. Water cascades over her arm in a fan as she places it through the wall of water.
With a grin, she ducks under the spray and disappears.
“Bel! I swear to god. You need to wait for me.” I growl. There might be a fucking bear or something in there. I don”t know.
I scramble up the rocks and chase her. The small chamber beyond the falls is cool, and the hush of the steaming water echoes all around us. It”s empty, but there is enough space to lay flat on your back. Puddles pool around the floor, and I crawl over to her and take the spot beside her.
”Do that again, and I’m going to spank your ass.”
She doesn’t appear fazed by my response, and that’s fine. Once we get home, I’ll teach her a lesson about patience and safety.
“Joke’s on you. I like your spankings.” She sticks her tongue out at me, and I”m tempted to bite it.
“No treasure, huh?”
She shakes her head, grinning. ”No fairies or witches either. But that”s okay. This is cool enough.”
I pull her in to rest her head against the crook of my shoulder. ”Come here, let me keep you warm.”
She settles against my chest with a heavy sigh. ”This is magic.”
Light flickers beyond the curtain of the falls where Aries is no doubt setting up more lanterns now that everyone has jumped. We brought beer, food, and music as well. Not a soul will hear us this far out. It’s a celebration after all. The recruits are officially members. I lean over and kiss Bel gently, tasting the river water on her lips. I’ll never get over the fact that she is mine. That we’re free, that I’m free.
”No, you”re magic, and I love you, my beautiful Wildflower.”