Wander Dust - Book 1

Chapter 1 - The Lady in Black

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The Lady in Black

Sixteen candles sparkle in front of me. Guests around the restaurant join in singing “Happy Birthday” with our waiter. As the end of the song climbs into a finale, I reposition myself in my chair, grab the table’s edge and lean in, preparing to inhale. Right before I blow, the air around me stirs, suffocating the flames. Each light sputters and then vanishes into darkness. 

Shocked, I jerk back in my seat, staring at the cake. No wish? 

Everyone breaks into rowdy applause. Perplexed, I glance around at the unfamiliar smiles and cheering faces. I realize, no one but me noticed the flames extinguishing on their own. 

This has to be a bad omen. 

There’s no way my dad, Ray, noticed the candles because he’s too busy flirting with Maddi, his über-annoying girlfriend. He probably hadn’t even bothered to sing, and I hadn’t bothered to check. With Maddi constantly at his side, he’s had even less time for me. 

I want to be jealous of Maddi, but mostly she just annoys me with her plastic looks and superficial personality. The first conversation the woman ever initiated with me was about lip gloss. Then she blew me away with her follow-up discussion about her collection of yard gnomes. 

Maddi lifts her hand and traces her long, fluorescent pink fingernail down Ray’s shoulder. Charmed by her attention, he giggles with his entire body. The movement causes his glasses to slip from his nose. He pushes the wire rims back up with a single finger. Then he spins and grabs her bronze hand, planting a sloppy kiss on the back. 

When he’s around Maddi, his rigid facade softens to an irritating mush. But when we’re alone, I only see his reserved side, the steel-layered version; the one that only notices me when I do something unacceptable—which in his eyes, is almost all the time. 

Disgusted, I look away from them and shake my head, hoping to dislodge the image of adult foreplay. The inappropriateness of this whole scenario isn’t something he’s caught on to quite yet. 

Returning to my isolation, I block them out and focus my attention on my cake. Slowly, I pluck off each candle, one by one, and lick the sugary globs of frosting off the ends. 

For the final candle, I drag the end through the cream cheese icing, revealing the red velvet cake underneath. When I flip the end of the candle toward my mouth, the wick’s flame suddenly flickers back to life. The small blaze burns my hand. 

Startled, I drop it. It lands in my lap and I jump up, pushing my seat away from the table. The burning candle tumbles off my skirt and drops to the floor. I stomp on the small flame, smothering it beneath my shoe. 

My heart pounds in my chest at the excitement, but I’m not hurt, just stunned. Without another thought, I pick up the pile of candles on my plate and drop them into my glass of water—just in case. The water splashes out of the glass, over the tabletop, and onto my skirt. 

When I look down at myself, I’m not only soaked, but I find a large singe mark on my hem. Great. 

Ray is too enthralled with Maddi’s flirting to have noticed my small dramatic event. If the flames had spread, engulfing me, would he have noticed? Of course not. If I’d set the fire myself, the answer would be yes. But in that event, I would have received a lengthy lecture, followed by yet another grounding. I huff in annoyance.

“I’m going to the ladies’ room,” I announce, leaning onto the table. 

Neither responds. Neither flickers the slightest glance in my direction. I’m invisible to them. I roll my eyes and walk away.