Chapter Eleven
Luck-enchanted macaroons. Red-coloured and dusted with the gold that reminded me of Silas’s eyes when he shifted into his werewolf form.
Filled with a charmed spiced-apple buttercream.
They were so perfect, each delicate shell crisp and just ready for a crunch.
I made them yesterday, after my third shift at the Treasure Trove.
‘You’re going to crush them,’ Sofia reprimanded, nudging me with her elbow. I looked down at the box I was holding, and I was indeed crushing the sides of it.
‘I’m nervous,’ I murmured, teeth chattering.
One could say it was because of the fact that we were sitting in the front-row bleachers of Maple Falls High’s stadium in the freezing cold, wrapped in our school-coloured scarves.
But it was probably more because I somehow had to get Silas to eat one of the macaroons I brought.
‘I didn’t think you were such a rugby fan,’ Sofia remarked, dubiously.
I had texted her to join Raven and me, and we’d all met at Charmed everyone was screaming, hollering or truly invested in the game. Sofia giggled beside me and nudged my shoulder again.
‘He’s cute, I get it,’ Sofia said, and then looked down at the macaroons. ‘Are those for him?’
I nodded, feeling my cheeks warm when Sofia gave me a look that said you’re just too sweet.
‘How are you going to give them to him?’ Sofia questioned. ‘Do you two know each other already?’
‘Well,’ I stretched out the word, unsure of how to respond. ‘We do know each other a little. We’ve just never, you know, really had a full conversation. Ever.’
Sofia blinked. ‘So, you need to get his attention.’
I groaned softly and then leaned back against the uncomfortable bleacher seat. ‘Yes, but look at him. He’s winning like crazy – right?’ I checked with Raven, who nodded. ‘So, there’s not really a reason for him to eat my luck-infused macaroons.’
‘Yeah, he’s on a streak,’ Sofia said sympathetically, and then pressed her arm against mine sweetly. ‘But you know, the tides could change.’
They didn’t. By half-time, I was sure they wouldn’t and Orion’s plan of having me sit in the front row was stupid.
I wanted to text him and tell him that, but I was too engrossed by the half-time entertainment.
Aka, Diya Jaan snatching the microphone from the commentator box to read a poem about her love for the rugby captain.
‘Silas Moon,’ Diya cried into the microphone, and my heart plummeted.
‘Oh no,’ I murmured, wanting to crawl under the bleachers and hide. As someone who consistently embarrassed herself, I felt unbearably guilty at the thought of being the cause of someone else’s humiliation.
‘I love you to the moon and back,’ Diya continued, holding the microphone with an ironclad grip. ‘If I could, I would climb to the sky and find every star and bring it back – get off me, Dane!’
We watched as Diya’s brother wrestled the microphone out of her hands, the scuffle vibrating through the speakers.
I tore my gaze from the pair to look at Silas, who was standing on the field, cheeks flushed red, blonde hair plastered to his forehead.
He must’ve felt my stare because, quick as a flash, our gazes collided.
I watched recognition light up his irises, and he looked like he was about to say something, but the coach cut into his line of vision. My heart was thrumming in my throat and I felt shaky inside. I was pathetic, wasn’t I?
The game started again, and I settled in for another forty minutes of nothing interesting.
Except then things suddenly started going wrong. It started small – a fumble with the ball from Silas, another player tripping on the shifting grass. And then, before we knew it, the glowing red scoreboard was showing that the opposing team had caught up.
When a time out was finally called, I watched as Silas stalked to his bench, looking bewildered by the turn of events.
‘What happened?’ I asked Sofia and Raven, my mouth agape. ‘Literally, what happened?’
Sofia shrugged. ‘The tide changed.’
Raven sat up and then sighed. ‘The tide, unfortunately, didn’t change. He just happened to be here.’
I followed Raven’s line of vision to over our shoulders and to the top of the bleachers.
And there he was – Orion. Not wearing even one of the school colours, his mouth covered by a chunky scarf like his sister.
But I could tell he was casting spells, from the way his silver eyes gleamed brightly in the night.
Orion Hawthorne was cheating.
Our eyes met, and I waited for him to look sheepish, embarrassed, anything. But one annoying corner of his mouth lifted, and he gave me a little five-fingered wave before turning his attention back to the game.
I stood up automatically, affronted and disbelieving, but Raven yanked me back down. Sofia looked beyond amused by the entire exchange, which told me how she felt about this.
‘He’s helping you,’ Raven said, in a rare show of agreement with her brother. ‘And now you need to help you. Go offer Silas a macaroon before the game restarts.’
‘We can come with you,’ Sofia offered, and then laced her arm in mine after sharing a look with Raven.
Raven also linked her arm with mine, and then the two practically marched me down the field. Dew-dappled grass made the hem of my jeans wet, the air was cold and Silas’s form was coming closer and closer.
I wanted to dig my heels into the ground and force them to stop.
‘Stop right there.’ Trent, the vampire who’d bullied me all those years ago, stood in our way. ‘No speaking to the captain.’
‘He’s not a celebrity,’ Raven shot back, looking around Trent’s large form. ‘He doesn’t need a bodyguard.’
The vampire huffed, and his eyes narrowed on us.
‘Trent,’ Silas said, standing behind him. ‘What have I said about doing this overprotective schtick? It’s embarrassing, dude.’
Trent blanched and then stepped out of the way. ‘Sorry, it’s just, it’s – you know. It’s the girl –’
‘Maya,’ Silas interrupted. ‘Her name is Maya.’ Then he turned away from his teammate to face me. This close I could see the sweat clinging to the blonde strands of his hair, and the gold rings around his blue irises.
‘I – uh –’ my mouth was filled with ash; my body was wound tight. This was my nightmare and my daydreams coming to life before my eyes.
‘Maya baked good-luck macaroons. You’re losing badly; I would suggest eating one,’ Raven interrupted, and thrust forward the box in my hands.
‘You baked these for me?’ Silas asked, taking the box delicately from my hands.
‘Yes,’ I said, softly. I swallowed tightly, forcing myself to speak.
To grow a spine. To remind myself that Silas was just a boy.
Who I liked a lot. But a boy, nonetheless.
‘They’re apple flavoured. And they’re spelled for good luck.
It won’t – won’t change the whole game, but they sharpen intuition and remove obstacles.
It won’t last forever though, just for a few hours. ’
‘Is eating them cheating?’ Silas questioned, eyebrows crinkling together. ‘I don’t use things to enhance my performance.’
‘There’s foul play in this game,’ Raven said, with a tone so matter of fact, she could’ve told us that the moon was actually the sun and we would’ve believed her. ‘Can’t say who, can’t say what. So, it’s not enhancing the performance, it’s levelling the playing field.’
‘If you’re worried about whether I’ve baked them wrong …’ I started, feeling panic thicken under my skin.
Silas’s brow lifted and then his gaze slid back to me. ‘I know how good you are, Maya.’
If he said my name one more time, I was sure I was going to burst into flames. I didn’t trust myself to speak again, so I nodded. Silas held my gaze, flipped open the box and pulled out one of the macaroons and bit into it.
‘Players!’ The referee shouted, before either of us could say another word. ‘Back to the game!’
The girls and I went back to our seats, and when I’d settled back down, I finally glanced over my shoulder to see Orion was gone. I should’ve felt relieved, but there was a sting of concern biting against my skin. But it wasn’t my place to worry about Orion, not any more.
So, I focused on the game. I cheered when Silas made every catch and nailed every throw; I celebrated when Maple Falls High was announced as the winner. And when a cheerleader came over asking if we’d like to come to the after-party at Golden Shell Beach, I said yes.