“Are you better?” Sophie asked after I’d splashed some cold water on my face.
I nodded. “Yeah…it was just a passing thing. It’s over.”
Lily stood beside me and smoothed her long, sable hair as she spoke to my reflection in the mirror. “It’s troubling how sensitive you are these days. Maybe you shouldn’t be around people right now. What if you pick up on someone who is feeling psychotic or something? Between that and your—” she glanced around to make sure we were still alone, “—magic powers,” she whispered, “you could do some real damage if you’re not careful.”
I frowned at her. “I’m not going to go psycho, Lily. And I’m not sensitive to everyone. For the most part I’m fine. I’m protected.” I held up my wrist with the flower bracelet. “It’s just sometimes a few people manage to slip through. But it’s no big deal. I can handle it.”
“Who—?” Sophie started, but was cut off by the blare of the warning bell.
“C’mon, let’s go.” I grabbed my bag off the counter and headed out. Lily had a class in the opposite direction, so Sophie and I headed to English together. Fortunately it was only a few doors down the hall, so she didn’t have a chance to drill me on the way. But that didn’t stop her from trying once we were sitting down, and Mr. Bowers started talking about Pride and Prejudice.
“Who do you think you were feeling?” Sophie asked silently from her seat beside me. I pretended to be reading and gave her a small scowl. Usually we didn’t do our Trinity Talk during classes, only because we didn’t want to get all caught up in a secret conversation and be called on and look like idiots. But Mr. Bowers was reading aloud from the book and writing on the board. Looked like we were in for one of his long monologues. We were probably safe.
“It really could’ve been almost anyone,” I replied vaguely. I didn’t know why I hesitated to tell her it was Savannah. Maybe it was because I felt a little sorry for her. She was obviously in love with Justin, and him blowing her off, and now his unexplained disappearance, was tearing her up inside. She was in a lot of pain. More than I or anyone else ever would’ve guessed.
“Just stay strong. If it happens again and we’re not with you, call for us right away, okay?”
“I will.” I pretended to start taking notes and hoped she’d let it drop. But she had other ideas.
“So what happened with Ana last night? I am so dying for all the details! You didn’t tell us anything, other than she was going to let you see Nicholas… how’d you pull THAT off?”
She didn’t notice the look I gave her out of the corner of my eye. “Long story. I’ll tell you later when Lily’s here, too—”
“Oh, I’m right here and I’m dying to know,” Lily’s voice broke in. “What exactly went down last night? Did you tell her about seeing your mom?”
I sighed, and the girl in front of me gave an amused giggle under her breath. I shut my eyes and brought my book up in front of my face.
“Now’s not the time. We’ll talk after school, when we’re alone and…” I glanced up and saw Mr. Bowers looking right at me. He gave a nod.
“Calista, what do you think? Do you think it was an example of the social structure of the times, or was it simply a case of misguided misogyny?”
I groaned to myself and silently cursed them both.
*****
Lily, Sophie and I sat down on the planters to eat our lunches, and again I noticed Savannah staring in my direction. I didn’t feel the overwhelming sadness of before. Maybe because this time she was further away. She was across the quad leaning against a tree, with her friends Mia and Zoe sitting on the grass at her feet. For once she wasn’t giving me a dirty look, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
I didn’t have long to dwell on it. Nicholas sauntered over with Roman and Brady looking even cuter than ever, if that were possible. His cheeks had a rosy glow through his tanned complexion, and his easy-going smile and relaxed posture was a refreshing change. I liked seeing him like this—in a casual social situation, with us behaving like normal people. Not caught up in life and death magical drama that involved curses and spells and worldwide travel to African voodoo doctors and Australian sorceresses. Just a few teenage kids hanging out, eating our lunch at school, and enjoying the sunny, albeit chilly, day.
Nicholas sat beside me, Brady parked himself next to Sophie, and Roman by Lily. I glanced down at the grass and tried to hide my smile. What a wonderful feeling this was… sitting with friends who all cared about one another. The affection and acceptance from our new group felt like sunlight on my heart. Only one person was missing that would’ve made this moment perfect.
I made a silent prayer that wherever he was, he was okay.
Nicholas rested his arm behind my back, and I leaned into him and ate my turkey sandwich. Brady was cracking jokes about his Algebra teacher, and Roman had grabbed a skateboard from someone and was doing some pretty impressive tricks. It felt so good being with everyone, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Yet something was bothering me. I could still see Savannah across the courtyard, and I had a weird feeling about the whole situation… like I was tuning into her for a reason. I didn’t know what that reason was, but the last time I’d felt her this strongly, Justin and I had arrived just in time to prevent her from being assaulted. Was I supposed to help her now, too? How could I possibly? She hadn’t been openly hostile since the night of the bonfire party, but she hadn’t exactly been friendly either, which was fine by me. I was sure I was the last person she’d want to talk to, no matter what she was going through.
But try as I might, I couldn’t stop thinking of her. I found myself almost constantly glancing over in her direction, and more than once, I caught her looking at me as well. Finally, I had enough.
“I gotta go do something real quick. Be back in a few.” I stood up and gathered my things.
“Where’re you going?” Lily and Sophie asked in unison, then looked at each other and chuckled.
I thought fast. “Actually I need to talk to Mia and see if I missed anything important in math yesterday. Mr. Robinson can be a real pain sometimes.” My flimsy excuse apparently worked, and they all just nodded and returned to whatever they were doing. I gave Nicholas’s hand a light squeeze and balled up my trash and dumped it in the bin.
I felt Nicholas’s eyes on me as I walked away, and Savannah’s as I approached. I braced myself for any onslaught of emotion that would turn me into a blubbering mess, or, as Lily feared, a psychopath.
I took several deeps breaths and tried to reassure myself that I was okay. If things got too intense, I could always turn and walk away. No big deal. No harm, no foul. Everything would be fine.
Instead of taking the direct route, I casually strolled around the cluster of trees and approached Savannah and her crew from the back side, hoping my friends couldn’t see me from that angle if they happened to be looking. I didn’t want anyone to notice that I was talking to her, not Mia.
Savannah’s piercing blue gaze fixed on me like a hawk, guarded and alert. Her hair was perfectly polished, a shiny golden ponytail without a single strand out of place. Her makeup was flawless, and her nails looked as if she’d just stepped out of a salon. The diamonds in her earlobes and around her wrists sparkled brighter than the midday sun, and her skirt and blouse were immaculately pressed.
But I knew what a complete and utter mess she was.
“Are you lost, swamp donkey? Redneck hicks sit on the other side of the quad,” Zoe said when she saw me standing there.
“So do red-haired whores,” Mia added with a snicker.
Savannah’s expression remained stoic.
“If you’ve come looking for scraps, you’ll have to wait your turn,” Zoe continued.
“Yeah, we know how you just love other people’s sloppy seconds—”
“Shut up!” Savannah snapped. I almost laughed at Mia and Zoe’s comical expressions as their faces froze in shock. But I was feeling Savannah’s torment too strongly rig
ht now. I had to focus all my energy on keeping it together.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” I asked Savannah, then glanced down at her friends. “Alone?”
She shrugged. “Yeah… whatever. We can go back over there.” She nodded toward the benches on the other side of the fountains.
I was relieved at her suggestion, because it assured we’d stay out of the view of curious eyes. I didn’t want to have to explain myself to anyone just yet and cause them to question my sanity any more than they already did.
Mia and Zoe looked bewildered, but stayed silent. Savannah picked up her purse and started walking. A few students glanced disinterestedly in our direction, but no one seemed to notice, or even care, that we were together. Like this wasn’t the oddest thing ever—me and Savannah heading off somewhere to have a little chat. Like we were buds.
We continued across the lawn in silence. I still felt the storm of her tumultuous emotions, but they no longer totally overpowered me. It was as if I was gathering them all up and putting them in a tight ball that stayed in one place. Now I just hoped said ball wouldn’t explode throughout my whole body and kill me.
“Here’s good.” Savannah pointed to an empty bench, and we sat down on opposite ends, neither one of us looking at the other. “This is about Justin, isn’t it…” she started, her voice low. “There’s something really wrong with him, isn’t there?”
I gulped, and paused. “Yeah, there was. But he’s going to be fine. Better than new.”
She inhaled sharply, and I could feel her tense up. “What happened?” She still focused her gaze straight ahead, over the fields and to the distant mountains, but for the first time her voice carried no trace of hostility. It was frail and wobbly. Scared.
“He… he was really sick. And it was kind of a rare thing. At first no one really knew how to fix it. But now they do. He had to go somewhere special for treatment, and he’s under the very best care. His dad didn’t want anyone to worry, so he made up stories. And I wasn’t sure what to say, either. You know Justin—he wouldn’t want people making a big deal over this.” Even though what I’d said was dancing around the truth, I felt immediately better for telling her.
“I thought I knew him,” she said under her breath. “But I didn’t at all.” Her mouth twisted into a frown and she stared vacantly at the ground. “So he’s really going to be fine? You sure?”
I nodded, then said with all the force I could muster, “Yes, he’s going to be better than fine. And he’ll be back any day now. Everything will be okay, I promise.”
I felt her heart lighten at my words, and a sense of relief flooded through her. She pursed her lips and nodded. “Good. That’s good. I’m probably a total idiot for caring anyways, but I can’t help it—” She paused and looked over at me, almost shyly. “Thank you for telling me this. I know you didn’t have to.”
“I knew you were worried. And you’re the only one I’m telling about his condition. It needs to stay a secret for now.”
She nodded again. “I… I…” She rested her elbows on her knees and covered the sides of her head with her hands. “I know I haven’t always been very nice to you. And I guess I’m sorry for that.”
Whoa. Didn’t see that coming. “Um… it’s okay.”
She glanced up to the sky and was quiet for a moment. Then she shook her head, almost in disbelief. “So, I gotta know… You’ve been out here, what, all of four, five months? How do you do it? What’s your secret?”
“Huh? What secret… do what?”
She started to roll her eyes, but stopped herself. I could tell she was making an effort to be civil. “How do you get the guys to fall for you? First Justin, now Nicholas Mancini? How do you do it? Is it the accent? Do you have love spells in your back pocket?”
I let out an involuntary cough and laughed nervously to cover it up. That was a little too close to home.
“I mean, Nicholas Mancini… you do know who his mother is, right?” Her blue eyes narrowed. “He’s been in magazines! He’s been photographed with some of the most famous people in the world, and every ‘It’ girl from LA to Manhattan has been dying to take a crack at him. How’d you manage to land him?”
Funny how something that was obviously so important to Savannah had never remotely crossed my mind as being even the tiniest bit relevant to my feelings for Nicholas.
“Yes, his mother is an actress. But for the record, there was never anything between me and Justin. We’ve always just been friends, nothing more. My heart has belonged to Nicholas for months.”
Her eyes widened, and she looked at me in genuine surprise. “Months?”
I nodded. It was true. From the first moment I saw him on the beach the day I arrived in Crystal Cove, my heart was firmly in his possession. If I was being really honest with her I would’ve said years, but I didn’t want to push my luck.
I smiled instead. “Nicholas is the one I love. Justin is just a good friend. A dear friend. I really care about him, but he knows my feelings for Nicholas, and he’s accepted it.”
Her face fell a bit at this. “But he did want you… you guys went to the dance together.”
“Only because Nicholas was unavailable. And we only went as friends.” Oh and by the way, he tried to kill me that night…bashed my head in, choked me senseless, broke my ankle… still jealous?
“Yeah, but he had feelings for you,” she murmured.
I shrugged. It’s not like I could deny it. Savannah was many things, but she wasn’t stupid.
“I think he had a little crush on me for a bit there,” I admitted. “But I’m sure he’s totally over it now. In fact, he’s friends with Nicholas, too. He knows how things are.”
This may have been stretching the truth a little, as I knew that Justin still harbored secret feelings for me. Not as strong as before, but they were definitely there… or at least they were before the Council got a hold of him. But right now I was trying to make Savannah feel better. She didn’t need to hear the whole brutal truth.
She studied me for a moment, and I could tell what I said had appeased her somewhat. She shrugged and smoothed her hair. “I guess it doesn’t matter anyways. If it wasn’t you, it would’ve been someone else. I don’t know why—” She broke off and looked away, clearly uncomfortable. But it sort of seemed like she wanted to talk about it.
This was getting weirder and weirder. Now we were acting like girlfriends? Talking about boy problems? Well, it wasn’t like crazier things hadn’t happened to me since arriving in this town.
I leaned forward. “What happened with you guys? It’s obvious you really care about him. Why did you break up?”
She glanced up at me, her blue eyes vulnerable and sad. She shook her head. “I don’t know how or why we broke up. I don’t think we were even officially together. I just thought maybe…” She pressed her mouth closed and looked back down.
For some strange reason, I had the overwhelming urge to reach over and give her a hug. Like she desperately needed some affection. But surely that couldn’t be right… Savannah Banyan, rich princess of Crystal Cove and queen of everything couldn’t possibly be wanting for anything.
“You don’t care about this. You probably think I’m the world’s biggest bitch who got what I deserved,” she mumbled.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think that at all! I mean, sure, it’s not as if you exactly rolled out the welcome mat for me, but I’m over it. I don’t know what happened with you guys. If you want to talk to me about it, I’m happy to listen. Maybe I can even try and help.”
She shrugged and looked away. “I really don’t know how you can help. I mean, you can’t make someone love someone.”
“True. But I can listen.”
She chewed her bottom lip. I could still feel her internal conflict, but it was much more contained now. She actually trusted me; she was relieved to hear about Justin and was grateful I’d told her what was going on. She felt like I’d shown her respect, and now she wanted to confide in m
e.
“It was over the summer, right after the Fourth of July,” she started, her voice low. “Daddy had to go out of town on business, and my mom went with him. That’s not all that unusual, they do it a lot. I get stuck at home with the servants. But this time was different. This time they left and totally forgot about my birthday. A girl only turns sixteen once, you know? And they totally forgot.”
She let out a disgusted laugh. “I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. I thought this year they’d take time out of their busy lives and make it about me for once. I was even stupid enough to think they were planning something special for my Sweet Sixteenth. But Dad had to sign some important papers, and Mom wanted to shop on Fifth Avenue and see Broadway shows. Sometimes I wonder why they even bothered to have a child…”
She drifted off and gave me a look. “I know what you’re thinking.‘Oh, poor little rich girl, cry me a river’.”
“That’s not what I was thinking. That totally sucks that they forgot. I’d have felt terrible.”
“Yeah, well, I did. Actually, it was worse than that. I felt worse that day than I could ever remember feeling in my whole life. I felt like…” She paused before continuing. “I felt like I would never feel happy ever again. Like if my own parents didn’t love me, who possibly would?”
“Savannah, that’s not true. You are so beautiful and someday—”
“That’s not the point of where I’m going with this,” she cut me off. “It’s just on that particular day, I felt worse than I ever thought I could ever possibly feel. It hurt so bad, I didn’t want to feel anything ever again.” She took a deep breath. “So I grabbed a bottle of my mom’s pain meds from her medicine cabinet and swiped the most expensive bottle of wine from the cellar.”