Free The Equinox by K.K. Allen

said that a Solstice may only love another Solstice
descendant, but Rose told me that rule has changed as the Solstice community
has evolved and cohabitated with Normals over the years. Now, it’s accepted for
an Enchanter to love a Normal, just as my father loved my mother—but look
what good that did everyone.
    My
thoughts are bitter toward my father, I know, but after everything that’s
happened; my mother dying, my move to Apollo Beach, my Enchantment, and the
accident—any of these things would make a caring father come running, no
matter how absent he’d been for sixteen years. Right? But I haven’t worried
about him for sixteen years, I’m certainly not going to start now.
    A
warm hand lands on my knee again. Alec. It’s like he knows exactly when to
distract me from my thoughts. It doesn’t take much when it involves looking at
him.
    “Over
here,” he leans in closer to me to look over my shoulder; so close that our
faces almost touch. I’m reminded of the bubbly sensation I got the last time we
were this close; side-by-side in the sand dune—right before Ava and Iris
showed up with the water balloons, setting off a terrifying chain of events.
    With
a look down into the water I see a mermaid swimming upstream toward the boat
and I smile, wondering if this is part of the park’s entertainment. I can only
see that she’s blonde but since her face is down I’m uncertain if it’s
Marabella or possibly another mermaid that I’ve never met.
    “If
you look to your right you’ll see a heron standing in a tree. See where the
canoes are downstream? Now look up. Right there.” The tour guide continues to
point out wildlife and the unique trees on our right, but my eyes are fixed on
the mermaid to my left.
    Something
else catches my eye now because it’s staring at me with chilling black eyes
attached to the large body of a black snake. I’ve never seen a snake up close
but I didn’t realize how large and terrifying they were. His tongue strikes the
air in a quick motion then turns its body, locking his eyes on me.
    He
glares at me with an evil strangeness and hisses loudly—as if he knows me
and has something to say. I shiver.
    The
mermaid swims in closer and panic fills the open spaces around my heart. Why
would she be swimming out here? I reach out and wave, trying to catch her
attention. Her hair flows around her head, face buried into the water with no
intent of coming up for air, so it seems. I look back at the snake who turns
his eyes from me to the mermaid and hisses again, growing taller above the
water, as if ready to attack.
    The
snake’s tongue darts out of his mouth again before gliding forward through the
river. It’s like watching a ticking clock as the seconds pass by; slow and
hypnotic.
    With
a deep breath I swipe at the snake with my mind, forcing him off his intended
path. It works. His long, thick body tilts slightly, distracting him from his
attack, but I’m not sure that was the smartest move now. Somehow he knows it
was me.
    He
whips his head up from the water and stares at me with those eyes—dark
and angry. He hisses again. I glare back, but his attention is on the mermaid who
swims directly in front of him, unaware of the danger that lurks above her. He
moves toward her slowly, stealthily.
    With
all of the power I can muster in a short amount of time, I stand and throw my
hands out, causing the snake to create a heavy splash in the water. It’s enough
time for the mermaid to get by without him attacking but I continue to watch for
his next move.
    He
could easily go after her and strike, only this time he lifts his head and
stares at me with a silent threat. The boat continues to move downriver and I
can feel a hole as the snake’s eyes burn into the back of my head.
    There
is laughter behind me and I flip around to see where it’s coming from. Alec,
Brent, Trisha, and Matt are all laughing—at me.
    “What
were you doing?” Ava looks disgusted.
    Alec
wraps an arm around