The Equinox (28 page)

Johnny reaches for my bike before I can
get to it and he walks it next to his left side. I’m on his right. “How are you
feeling?”

As I look up at him I see concern
flooding his face. I am weak for him. I smile. “Never better.”

“Really?” But it’s not a question. He’s
pleased.

I boldly reach for his hand and let it
linger for a second, our palms and fingertips touching. What if he doesn’t want
to hold my hand? In a way, it feels more intimate than a kiss, but he doesn’t
leave me lingering long. He winds his fingers into mine, his grip is my safety
net.

“I’m happy you don’t hate me anymore,” I
tease.

He chuckles. “Me too.” He winks at me. “Trust
me, if I knew then what I know now I never would have been a jerk.”

I accept his apology—I had accepted
it before he even said anything. “What is it you know now?”

Johnny’s body tenses as he prepares to
answer this question. Did I make him nervous? “It’s hard to explain really.
Something happened to me a while ago, after my parents’ death, and it’s gotten
hard for me to read people. I guess I’m overly suspicious.”

As he speaks my stomach tightens and I want
to wrap my arms around him but I also want to hear what he’s about to tell me.
I’m patient as I wait for his words.

“Everyone was talking about you when you
moved here. I knew about you before I saw you in the restaurant.”

“Before I elbowed you?” I can’t help
myself.

He chuckles and squeezes my hand. “Yes,
before that. I never understood Rose’s position in this town. My parents always
talked about her and they didn’t understand why she was the main voice of
everyone in Apollo Beach. So naturally, I felt the same way. Then you came to
town—and elbowed me,” he smirks again. “But then you got the job and I
saw you and Alec together…”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know why I
got so angry when I saw you two
together
.”

Johnny doesn’t have to say the word
kissing
for me to know that’s what he
really means.

“Now that I look back on it I think I might
have been a little jealous, but I also couldn’t stand his crowd. Those girls he
hangs around, Ava and Iris, I just don’t like them, and he was always coming
into the restaurant with them…” He shrugs. “Since you were hanging out with
them too I made a negative association between all of you.”

His distaste for Iris and Ava are
understandable; I felt the exact same way, but his reasons for discrediting me
so immediately is still hard to swallow.

“You were so angry at me all of the
time.” I frown at the thought now, remembering the glares from across the room,
the scoldings, and the rude remarks. It seems like a lifetime ago.

Johnny shrugged. “I’m sorry Kat. You
didn’t deserve any of that.”

“Well, I’m glad you came to your senses.”
I grin now, not wanting to harbor on the subject any longer. I’m ready to move
forward.

When I look over at him, we’re smiling at
each other, but then I see how close we are to my house.
No,
my mind pouts. We make our way up the steps in silence. At the
door I turn to him. His eyes are bright. His thick lips are moist. Will he kiss
me again?

Wisps of his hair blow into the night and
then return lightly to his head. The thoughtful expression on his face tells me
he has more to say.

“Can I take you somewhere tomorrow? There’s
something I want to show you.”

I don’t hesitate, though I know in the
back of my mind this may cause an argument with Rose. “Yes. Where?”

“Just meet me at the marina at nine.
We’ll take my boat out.” Why does he look nervous?

“Okay.” I stand there awkwardly. Not
knowing whether to hug him or kiss him. He seems detached, as if he’s
completely forgotten about our amazing kiss.

“Good night,” I say with a smile, hoping
to break him from his jail of thoughts.

It works. He reaches for my hands and
pulls me into his arms, then snakes them around my waist. “Good night.” He says
this while looking deeply into my eyes. I could crumble under his gaze. Why
have I no control with him?

He chuckles lightly and leans in. I close
my eyes, expecting his lips to meet mine, but they miss my lips and graze my
cheek. The hair on my arms rise to attention and all of my nerve endings are
alight from the simple touch. I breathe in his lovely sea breeze fragrance
mixed with the powerful scent of orange blossoms coming in from the bay.

His lips kiss my cheek and I exhale
softly, never wanting him to let me go.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispers in my ear before
retreating down the steps, two at a time. When he pauses at the end of the
driveway and turns to glance at me from over his shoulder, my breath catches in
my throat and a chill runs through me. Johnny likes me…and I am totally and
utterly breathless for him.

My body is weightless as I move through
Summer Estates the next morning, filled with elation and anticipation for the
day’s events. Just the thought of spending another day with Johnny gives me goose
pimples all over.

Rose is nowhere to be found when I
approach the dining room which is strange. I can count on Rose sitting in the
same place at certain times in the day, and this is one of them.

Charlotte must see the strange expression
on my face because I hear her laugh and look up. “She’s in her den. She had to
take a call. We’re just having cereal this morning. I hope that’s okay. I
didn’t go to the store yesterday. Things have been so hectic and I’ve been
accompanying Rose more than usual.” I’ve never heard Charlotte sound so tense.

I frown. “Should I be more involved with
everything? Work keeps calling me to help since Trisha has been out of
commission with everything going on…”
And
Johnny’s become my only diversion from all of this evil.

Charlotte waves her hand in the air.
“Don’t worry about it. Rose is happy that you’re keeping busy, but we will need
to talk soon. Are you able to come with us today?”

She places a bowl of milk and a dispenser
of three types of cereals in front of me. I turn the knob on the Cheerios and
shake my head. “I can’t today.” I’ll only elaborate if I’m asked. “Where are
you going?”

Charlotte sits down across from me and
sighs. “Isaac and Rose need to talk, but Isaac doesn’t want to leave his
settlement because of everything going on—and you know how stubborn Rose
is about leaving Apollo Beach.”

My jaw drops at some point during
Charlotte speaking. “But she
is
going
to leave?” This is new.

Charlotte gives me a knowing smirk. “Yup,
and I’m driving her. She’s frantic, Kat.”

I sigh. “Maybe I should stay around town
then.” I cringe. I don’t want to give up my day with Johnny, but for
this—maybe it’s what I have to do.

Charlotte cocks an eyebrow at me and I
sink into myself knowing that I’ve put my foot in my mouth. “Planning to leave
town, are you?”

My face feels hot as I concentrate on my
food. “I’ve been invited on a boat. With a co-worker.” I look up, certain my
cheeks are blazing a pinkish color that Charlotte will certainly read
effortlessly.

I hold my breath as she narrows her eyes
at me. She’s going to ask me to stay back.
Please,
no.

“You know you’re a terrible liar, right?
Who will you be going on this boat with? Johnny?” Her eyebrows raise as her
voice peaks.

I nod, my head feels heavy with guilt.

“Uh huh. I see.” Charlotte is holding
back a smile; I can tell this by the way her tight lips press together and her
eyes twinkle. “Well, I don’t think you should stay here, to be perfectly
honest. I’d rather you come with us but—maybe this boat idea isn’t so
bad.” She winks at me now, and I’m grateful to her for being so open minded.

“Thanks Charlotte.” I sigh in relief and smile
at her but her eyes grow wide as she shakes her head.

“Oh no, don’t thank me. Rose will think I
had something to do with it. Just please talk to Rose before we leave and make
sure she’s okay with it.”

I’m washed with disappointment. I knew it
was too good to be true. “Are you sure she’s okay to leave? I mean, isn’t there
a better way to do this so she doesn’t have to leave Apollo Beach? Skype? FaceTime?”

Charlotte is tickled with laughter for a
short time before answering me. “Can you imagine Rose using the computer?”
Charlotte laughs again and I join her.

I can’t picture Rose using the computer
either, and certainly not to video conference with
Isaac
. It was a ridiculous suggestion.

“Your grandmother always stayed to
protect the magic on Summer Island. She feared that if she left, the magic would
leave with her—but now that we know there is no magic to keep our Island
safe
, there’s no harm in her leaving. Between
you and me, I think she’s excited.”

Rose getting excited about something
other than magic puts a smile on my cheeks.

“What are you going to see Isaac for?”

Charlotte puts on a more serious
expression that reveals the small lines that run across her forehead. She sits
back in her chair and chews on her bottom lip before answering. “Rose has been
doing some research on the pollution issues that are concerning Isaac and his people.
It seems Isaac has some information on someone that can help.”

I don’t need to ask my next question,
Charlotte can see my face and knows me well enough. Charlotte adjusts herself in
her seat. “Isaac believes that there may be a Poseidon descendant living in
Apollo Beach. We need to find him because he might just be our key in helping
Isaac protect the Sea.”

“There’s a Poseidon descendant?” I guess
I’m not surprised. I think of the white bearded man at the energy plant and
wonder if he has anything to do with this. He looks like a Poseidon. “What does
this Poseidon descendant do? How can he help?”

“He protects the sea and all its
inhabitants, along with Triton descendants. As Enchanters, we protect what we
can above the water, and we are also gifted with the ability to control all
elements. That’s why we come together at times like these. In whole, we call
ourselves the descendants. Together, our powers are much stronger than we are
individually.”

“You speak as if there’s just one Poseidon
descendant,” I say curiously. “Aren’t there more?” There’s still so much I
don’t know.

Charlotte nods. “Poseidon’s descendants
are rare but not completely extinct. Bumping into one is close to impossible.
They usually keep to themselves, but because of the work they do, they encounter
more danger than any other god. Isaac suggests that there is one that remains
close by. It’s important that we find him. With Rose’s detective skills and
Isaac’s knowledge of this lone descendant they will find out where he’s
hiding—and hopefully then we’ll be closer to extracting the pollution
from the bay.”

A question that has been nagging me for
quite some time now springs to mind. I’m having good luck with Charlotte today,
as she’s being very obliging with information, unlike my grandmother. “Why do
you think The Equinox waited ten years to begin terrorizing the town again? Why
wait so long?”

Charlotte shakes her head and frowns. “I
don’t know, Kat. There’s a lot that goes on outside of this town that we are
sheltered from. The Equinox’s mark is just now showing up in our settlement.
Something drew him here. I assume he’s discovered many of our locations, but
why he’s choosing us now is not something I can answer. There’s no telling
where he’ll be at any given time.”

Now my head is spinning. The more I
learn, the more questions I have. Is there really more to this story of the
Equinox that goes on outside of Apollo Beach? Could there be more Enchanter
murders that we don’t even know about?

I finish my bowl of cereal before seeking
out Rose in her den. When I arrive at her door I stop in my tracks. I can hear
her speaking in quiet anger. She’s obviously on the phone but it doesn’t sound
like she’s talking to Isaac. No, this is different. It reminds me of the phone
call she took in the car, on the way to my first Enchanter meeting.

Ignoring the fact that I’m interrupting,
I knock twice before she calls for me to enter. As I take a seat her ear is
still to her phone. “Hey, I’ve got to go—” She lets out an exuberant sigh
and shakes her head. “We’ll have to pick this up later. I’m sorry. I really
have to go.” Rose looks up at me and smiles. “Okay,” are her final words before
she presses the end button on her phone.

“Sorry about that,” she says to me,
gesturing for me to sit. I ignore her and stand opposite her, gripping the top
of the chair.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Charlotte
just told me that you’ll be going to visit Isaac. I wanted to wish you a nice
trip.”

Rose softens twenty shades from her
conversation with the mystery person on the phone. “Thank you, dear, but won’t
you come with us?”

I shake my head. “I’m going to stay here.
I made plans with a co-worker.”

Surprisingly Rose doesn’t probe. She
seems distracted—exhausted even. I hope her leaving is the right thing to
do. “We should be home by dinner. If not, you’re on your own tonight.”

I nod. “Okay.”

Secretly, I’m doing somersaults. An
entire day and night with Johnny with no distractions or interruptions is
exactly what I dreamt of. I’ll even do my best to tune out the Equinox, but only
for today.

“Rose,” I have one more question for her,
though I feel a bit guilty prying in this moment, but I’m not sure there will
be a better time to ask.

She raises her eyebrows, letting me know
it’s okay to ask.

“I was at the energy plant the other
day—”

“What?” Rose’s voice cuts me off as it
raises decibels. I reel back three steps in shock. I freeze. “What were you
doing there, Kat?”

I am so confused by her reaction. “I was
at the Manatee Viewing Center—”

Her color seems to return but she sags
into her chair. “Oh, and you saw that it was closed.”

How do I respond to this? “No. I went in.
There were a few manatees there, but that’s not what I want to talk to you
about.” I sigh, hoping she’ll let me finish before interrupting and scaring the
living daylights out of me again. “I ran into the Operations Manager there. He
said he knew you. Robert, he said his name was.”

Rose’s jaw moves and I see her shoulders
quiver slightly. “Yes, I know Robert.”

“He thought maybe you sent me there. I
told him you didn’t, so he didn’t reveal to me what he would have, but
Rose—there was something in the room near the turbines—I got a good
glimpse of it, but I couldn’t make out what it was. It was well protected.”

The entire time I speak I watch Rose for
a reaction, but she’s good at remaining aloof. I know this much; no reaction
means that something is up. Rose knows exactly what is behind that door.

“Rose? What is going on at the plant? Is
it something I should know about?”

“No!” She shouts this and my hair is sent
flying off my shoulders in response. My heart rate quickens as I watch Rose
lose it. She grips the edge of her desk now and closes her eyes. I just
watch—unable to comprehend the emotions that this conversation brought on
her.

A few minutes go by, maybe more, maybe
less. Eventually, Rose finds her calm and opens her eyes to me. “I’m sorry
about that Kat, but you must never talk about the plant again.”