She reached beside her and handed out a small black box. “Here. It has been in our family for generations. Every female in our line gets it on the day of her eighteenth birthday.”
I took it from her and switched it from hand to hand. “So, what, is it tradition?” There it was. That word again. I hoped this tradition would be a hell of a lot better than the graveyard. A chill raced through me at that thought, while the darkness seemed to grow from it. Figures my darkness would like the graveyard.
“Basically. Go on, open it.” She looked excited and I didn't want to ruin it for her. There'd be time for that later.
My breath caught as I opened the box. It was beautiful. Antique silver gleamed in the early morning light. The amulet was oval, almost the shape and width of an egg. There was beautiful detail work all around a blood red stone that sat heavily in the middle. As I moved the amulet to get a better look, the stone caught the sun, sending red light reflecting throughout the room.
“Wow.” I whispered. My eyes caught on the stones center. I'd never seen anything that looked so delicate yet fierce.
“Yes, it is beautiful, isn't it?” she reached out to take it. I jerked my hand back and glared at her. She backed up at the look in my eyes. “It's okay, Star. I just wanted to put the ribbon on it so you can wear it.” She held up her hand, showing me where a piece of black ribbon hung from her fingers. I blew out a breath and handed it wearily over to her, not taking my eyes off of her for a second.
It was weird. I had this fierce urge to protect it, to keep it safe. Even though I knew my mother had it before me, I didn't like the thought of anyone touching it.
“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.