Free The Equinox by K.K. Allen Page A

me but he’s laughing too. “What were you doing?”
    “I-I
thought the mermaid was going to get attacked by that snake. Didn’t you see it?
It was huge.”
    Ava
glares at me now. “Interesting. What were you going to do about it?” Her
challenging eyes look as venomous as that snake probably was.
    I
just shake my head, unsure of how to answer that question. “I was trying to
warn the mer—the girl. That’s why I was waving my arms.”
    A
feeling of relief washes over me as I’ve figured out how to cover up my
actions, but Brent, who sits directly behind us is still laughing hysterically.
Alec smacks his arm and puts his arms back around me. “Okay, okay, you guys,”
he says pointedly at Brent. “It’s not that funny.”
    Although
Alec is being sweet and standing up for me, I’m embarrassed. I’m sure I looked
ridiculous using my magic to control that snake—like a lunatic waving her
hands around and accomplishing nothing. They don’t know that I potentially
saved that mermaid’s life.
    I
can’t wait for the riverboat ride to be over. I tune out everything the guide
is saying. At least the rest of my group is having a good time.
    They
point out colorful birds and animated turtles. A smaller snake appears on the
shore and Brent doesn’t miss a beat. Every few minutes he’s got a snake or
mermaid joke for me and I sink even further into myself.
    “So
what do you guys think?” Alec asks as we wait for the riverboat to park. “Canoe
ride or tube ride?”
    “Tube
ride!” Everyone agrees. My humiliation is finally beginning to wear off, thank
goodness. I want to enjoy this day as much as possible.
    Trisha
hops onto the platform next to me and grins, her small dimples popping through
her round cheeks. I can’t help but wonder again how she’ll do as an Enchanter. I
don’t picture how she’ll react to the threat of the Equinox. She’s just too
sweet.
    “Ignore
Brent. Reactions only fuel his antics.” She hooks arms with me as we march the
rest of the way to the store to rent our tubes.
    Alec
insists on purchasing my tube, so I let him, but as I wait my thoughts are on
the thick black snake and his threatening hisses. Why did it seem like he wanted me to see what he was planning to
do to that mermaid? Why was he looking at me?
    “Hey,
shake it off, Summer Girl. We’ve got some tubing to do.” Alec hands me my tube with
a grin. He’s right.
    The
moment we’re in the water, safely planted in our tubes, Brent decides to crack
a joke. “Kat, help! A snake!” And he bursts into laughter. Everyone else giggles
and chuckles around him, and I want to dump him into the water. If he isn’t
careful, I just might. I begin to laugh too, an admission that what happened on
the riverboat was ridiculous.
    “Okay,
okay. So I thought she was going to get attacked by a snake.” I shake my head.
Shouldn’t they be impressed that I was trying to save that mermaid’s life?
    Alec’s
eyes connect with mine and when he smiles I forget that I’m the butt of every
joke. Instead, I wonder when Alec and I will get a real chance to talk, and
this time, I wonder if I’ll be able to come up with anything interesting to
talk about.
    When
I arrived in Apollo Beach and met Alec, he was someone I wanted to get to know.
I found him attractive, sweet, and refreshing. He was like a light in a day I’d
never seen. Living so many years alone with my mother, with no one to really
call my friend, Alec gave me something I’d never had before—friendship.
    We
bonded even more during our runs. I miss our runs.
    Perhaps
for him I was a dose of something different too. After spending most of his
early summer with Ava and Iris, he probably liked having a new female around,
one who didn’t beckon for attention at every moment.
    Now
that some time has passed since the wildfire and we’ve gotten over the initial awkward
encounters, I can see more friendships blossoming, and not just with Alec, but
with everyone. I sneak a glance at