Chapter Five
Last year – June
As a student, you spend all your waking days waiting for the moment summer arrives and you’re finally free.
But when I’d said goodbye to Raven, who was spending the holidays with her grandparents in Rose Glenn – another magical town like ours – it hit me just how bleak the next two months were going to be.
Still, she’d left me with some sage advice: your summer is only going to suck if you let it. So, don’t let it suck.
That’s why I dragged myself to the first party of the summer. I’d gone with the intention of having a good time, hanging out with a few of my classmates and maybe – just maybe – getting closer to Silas. In my wildest fantasy, I even talked to Silas without completely embarrassing myself.
I just needed to find him.
‘Maya, are you looking for someone?’ Holly, a pixie with bright-purple eyes, asked.
‘Huh?’ I said, my head turning back to her. ‘Uh – no – just – looking around to see who’s here. Seems like a few people are missing.’
‘Oh.’ Holly stretched out her hand and levitated over a glass of punch. ‘Yeah, I think as soon as school broke up, some folks launched straight into their vacation plans. Obviously, Raven isn’t here. I think Celine in the year above us is also out of town. And Silas!’
‘Silas?’ I asked, trying to not to sound too interested.
‘Yeah,’ Holly said, off-handedly. ‘I saw the whole Moon pack heading to leave through the clock tower on my way here.’
‘Oh,’ I said, hope deflating inside of me. ‘That’s nice.’
‘Holly!’ a voice called from the crowd of people who were now sitting cross-legged on the sand a little away from us. ‘Come on, we’re playing Truth or Spell!’
Holly shouted something back before turning to me. ‘You coming, Maya?’
There was no way I was going to go over and play Truth or Spell. The game was riddled with enchantments and there were too many possibilities of something going catastrophically wrong.
‘I’m good,’ I said, and then lifted a shoulder. ‘I think I’m going to just take a walk along the beach.’
That’s how I found myself walking along the water’s edge, the sky darkened by night, the party getting smaller and smaller behind me.
When I felt I was far away enough, I sat down in the sand, fingers digging for golden shells.
That was the charm of Golden Shell Beach; buried between the grains of the vibrant purple sand were shells that, when you pressed them against your ear, relayed sounds from different parts of the ocean.
You could catch the most entertaining conversations between mermaids and mermen; Raven and I used to spend our summers collecting our favourite ones.
‘You’re in my spot.’
I jolted slightly, knees still tucked up to my chest, and turned my head to find Orion Hawthorne looking down at me.
I rolled my eyes, turning back to glare at the water in front of me. ‘I’m not in the mood, Hawthorne.’
I expected him to walk away, but of course, nothing seemed to be going my way that day. Instead, he plopped down beside me, long legs stretching out, leaning back on his elbows. I scrunched myself up tighter, resting my chin on my knees. I knew I looked pitiful, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
‘Come on, Reverie, Raven will be back before you know it,’ Orion remarked, quietly.
‘Shouldn’t you be at the party?’ I asked, annoyed that he’d read me so well. ‘It’s your last summer before MAC; every party this summer will be a celebration for you, no?’
Orion snorted, the sound so sharp it forced me to look at him.
‘As if there’s anything to celebrate,’ he grumbled, a muscle in his jaw jumping.
‘I’m not going to stroke your ego and tell you how smart you are for getting into MAC,’ I warned him.
‘Good, I don’t want to hear about MAC at all, actually,’ Orion retorted.
‘You know, Hawthorne, you almost sound like you don’t want to go,’ I said, looking at him more closely.
He looked right back, eyebrow raised. Replacing the usual irritation was a spark of amusement in his eyes. ‘Asking for me to confide in you, Reverie?’
‘It would put me out of my bad mood,’ I offered, leadingly. ‘Which would be a great, noble service worthy of a dragon.’
He tipped his head back to huff out a laugh, and I felt my own smile curling at my mouth.
‘Sorry,’ Orion said. ‘But my secrets are mine.’
‘For now,’ I taunted, and he rolled his eyes.
I turned my attention away from him to the party that was a smudge behind us.
I wasn’t going back, I knew that much. The only other place was to return home now.
A thought that didn’t bring me much joy.
Mum would still be at the office and Rani wasn’t due back from MAC for another week.
It would just be me and Jinx. But, an empty house and, more importantly, a kitchen I could bake something in, was better than sitting on the beach depressing myself.
I sighed and then stood, gazing down at Orion.
‘All right, Hawthorne. As fun as this little conversation was, I should be getting back.’
‘How are you getting home?’
‘Bike.’
‘You’re going to cycle back this late?’ Orion asked, with something dangerously close to concern in his voice.
I laughed. ‘It’s Maple Falls – what’s the worst that could happen?’
‘You are way too reckless, Maya,’ Orion said and pushed himself up. A soft shiver ran down my spine at the sound of my name on his lips. ‘I’m dropping you off. Put your bike in my trunk.’
‘Do I get a say in this?’ I asked, eyebrow raised.
Orion sighed. ‘You could argue, but I don’t think it’ll do you much good.’
‘I’m pretty sure this counts as kidnapping. You were right, I should be afraid of being alone at night,’ I pointed out, sarcastically, trying to hide how shy I suddenly felt. Since when did Orion and I tease each other? ‘Fine, lead the way.’
That’s how I found myself, on the first day of summer, riding in the front seat of my best friend’s brother’s car. I thought the journey would be filled with the inevitable silence that came from two people who had drifted apart since childhood. But surprisingly, it wasn’t.
The dragon shifter asked about my classes, the Wishing Well, my summer plans; he asked questions like he actually wanted to hear my answers, and I didn’t hate the attention.
‘Thanks for the ride, Hawthorne,’ I said, once we reached my house and stepped outside the car. He had the window rolled down, so I bent down a little to smile at him.
‘Anytime, Reverie,’ Orion said, as he leaned forward. ‘Seriously, if you need a lift anywhere this summer, just give me a call. I’ll come and get you.’
Something warm flared in my chest.
‘So, you’re offering to be my getaway car?’ A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
His eyes narrowed but there was no heat in them. ‘Don’t go looking for trouble, Reverie.’
I laughed as I turned around and unlocked my front door.