“The women in our family are very special.” Mom started while working the ribbon onto the amulet. “We're never alike personably and never look alike except for the eyes. We all have the same violet eyes.” She smiled up at me. I kept watching her hands. “Some people say that we have certain ‘gifts’. This amulet seems to have a strange effect on our family. Makes us calmer, keeps us safe.”
She looked pointedly at me. I knew I was supposed to be piecing the puzzle together, but I was consumed by thoughts of the amulet. I needed it back. Now. “You must always wear this, Starlette. Never take it off, even for a moment. You're stronger than the rest of us and I think I did more harm than good by keeping this from you for so long.”
“I can't keep it on all the time, Mom. Swim class instead of regular gym, remember?” I held out my hand and greedily snatched it back, moving the ribbon around my neck and tying it in a small knot.
“Yes, I guess not. Just don't keep it off for longer than needed, okay?” she was looking at me with such an intensity that I stopped ignoring her words. This was important to her and I had no idea why.
“Mom, why does it matter so much?” I felt like I was on the brink of something, but I didn't know what.
She thought for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “Star, there's something I—”
“Knock, knock birthday girl!” I looked up at the sound of Brandon's voice. He was standing in the doorway, a half smile on his face and a temperamental Rose behind him. She wasn't smiling. She didn't look like she wanted to be there at all.
“Hey guys.”
“I'll talk to you about it later.” Mom said with a soft smile right before she walked out of the room.
”So are you ready for your big day?”
I shook my head and scooted over to make room for them. “It's just another day, right?”
“Oh yeah, becoming legally responsible for yourself is totally no big deal.” She rolled her eyes at me as Brandon forced her to sit down. This was becoming a great morning.
“Whatever. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Of course we stopped by, what are friends for? Right Rose?” She remained stubbornly silent, staring holes into my wall. “Right?” he asked again, his voice sharper this time. She sent a baleful look his way.
“Yeah, sure. Friends.”
“Well, this is all rather fascinating, but don't we have school today?” I rose from the bed, hoping I could get them out fast without damaging anything.
“Yup, we do. But we wanted to take you out tonight.”
“What? To McDonald's or something?” I dug through my closet, looking for anything that was clean and weather appropriate.
“No, you idiot. We have more here than coffee and fast food.”
“Rose! Would you just—”
“It's all good, Brandon. Don't waste your breath.” I shrugged and moved toward the bathroom, clothes in hand. “So you guys want to go out? Fine. We'll go. But this is the last time I'm doing crap like this.”
“Crap like what? Hanging with your friends? Yes, I can tell that being a massive bitch has taken over your schedule.”
“Like you're the one to talk!”
“At least when I make friends, I don't stab them in the back!”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Girls, let’s just—”
“Shut up Brandon!” Rose and I shouted at the same time. We glared him into silence. He held his hands up and backed away, looking toward the ground. I threw my clothes onto the bed and faced Rose.
“What is your issue, Rose?” I demanded, in no mood for any of her games.
“You know damn well what I'm talking about! When were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what? Everyone apparently knows something except for me! What the fuck do you guys want?” I was beyond lost. Mom kept hinting at things. Andrei said he knows ‘what’ I am, and the new teacher apparently knew something too. Now Rose. Everyone but me. I wondered how many people had been lying to me about things.
“Did you ever find the journal?” I looked at her for a moment, confused.
“Yeah. How did you know about that?”
“Have you read it yet?” she was getting nervous now. My confusion grew.
“Some, but there wasn't anything useful in it. Just stuff about nature and 'being one with the light'. Shit like that. I think it’s some sort of religious book or something.”
She rolled her eyes and stormed toward the door. “You're coming out with us tonight. You'll want to finish that journal.” I watched as she walked away. A migraine began to form as everything she said pounded through my head. It didn't make any sense. What did a bunch of trees have to do with anything?
I sank onto the bed and put my hand in my head. I felt the bed shift as Brandon sat down next to me.
“Happy Birthday to me, right?”
He wrapped his arm around me and held me in silence until it was time to get ready for school. At least I didn't have to worry about Brandon ever abandoning me. I doubt anything I ever said could chase away his friendship.
Chapter Thirty-Three
I sat in my car, staring at the school while biting my nails. This sucked. Why do birthdays have to fall on school days? The darkness was just waiting in the back of my mind, watching. I reached up and rubbed my fingers along the shape of the amulet. The smooth facets and coolness of the silver comforted me, easing the energy within. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. This would be a long day and I knew Jenni had to be up to something. She wouldn't take yesterday with a grain of sand.
“Ah, Miss McKinley. So nice of you to show up on time today.” I threw a look toward Ms. Beckingdale. She still looked as gorgeous as she did yesterday, so I hadn't imagined it. It looked like I didn't imagine her hatred of me either. Great.
“What can I say? I aim to please.” Her eyes narrowed. She waved me to my seat and watched me the whole way. I sat down behind Gabe and tried my best to ignore him. I'd already decided that I would never be good for him. With Jenni being the hag that she was, I didn't want to step into any more trouble than I already was.
“Happy Birthday.” I was tempted to look up at him, oh so tempted. I bit my lip and stared down at the desk, gripping the edges so hard that my knuckles turned white. “Hey, are you mad at me?”
I held my breath as my anxiety started increasing. My hand shot up, interrupting Ms. Beckingdale's lecture.
“Is there something else you wanted to add to our discussion, Miss McKinley?”
I was starting to feel sick. The darkness for once was staying put, but it felt like something else was starting to take over. “May I go to the Nurse?” I asked in a rush, already rising from my seat and grabbing my things.
“No, you may no—”
I stormed passed her, the door swinging shut behind me.
“Star!” I turned to see Gabe following me. I shook my head at him and kept going. My pace picking up until I was practically running. “Star! Stop!”
I made it to my car and was fumbling with the handle when I felt his body ram into me. “Jesus H!” I grabbed his shoulders, the momentum almost knocking me to the ground. Breathless, I looked up into his amber eyes.
“Why do you keep running away from me?”
