The Bewitching - Midsummer Aine - Book 2

Chapter 22 - Stalking Shadows

The small, hidden portion of the beach was lit in the dancing light of the fire that burned upon the sand. The tips of the blaze danced against the night sky causing an almost hypnotic feeling among those looking on. Elyssa stood beside the fire, the black book clasped gently in her hands. Several feet behind her were Annette and her mom, scowls worn upon their faces. Tobias sat between them, releasing soft whimpers, and torn between who to go to.

Alicia and Annette had been visibly upset since finding out about Elyssa’s secret. It only got worse the more Elyssa shared with them what had happened, and then blew up when Aine’s part in the whole ordeal had been revealed. The only thing she didn’t talk much about was the moment of clarity she had about what needed to be done. It was something they likely wouldn’t understand, let alone be on board with. The voice had been very clear on what needed to happen for everything to work out, and Elyssa didn’t want to chance making things worse. It may not have been a fairy tale ending, but it was the closest all of them would get if things went according to plan.

After the long explanation about the book, along with some yelling and screaming, they made the trip out to the beach. It had been a long and tense ride that Elyssa thought would never end. During the trip she couldn’t help but wonder how long the silent treatment would last, or if it was destined to get worse before things could return to normal. The only one who didn’t seem to hate her was Tobias, who took a seat lying beside her during the car ride. Although, now that they were on the beach he was torn between the two sides, not wanting to anger Annette and her mom, but also not wanting Elyssa to feel completely abandoned.

Elyssa wondered what Dantes would have felt if he had been here. Would he have been angry with her for hiding the book, or more forgiving knowing her reasons for doing so? Knowing Dantes, she could only assume he’d be as angry as they were. He may have had a dark side and fully capable of being a jerk, but that never seemed to stop him from doing what was right when it was needed.

As she glanced back one more time to see the look on the face’s of Annette and Alicia, she thought that maybe it was better if she didn’t know. As it was, this was likely going to take a long time to undo the damage she had done with just them alone.

Slowly she lifted the book out over the fire. She could feel the heat from the flames as they licked at her hands. Her fingers loosened just enough for the book to fall from her grasp and into the blaze, which crackled as it greedily ate at the old pages held within. Elyssa, along with the others, watched in silence until it had been fully devoured.

“Can we go now?” Elyssa asked almost hesitantly, and with a bit of timidness in her voice. Alicia nodded, though she still seemed unwilling to speak. Elyssa could almost see the disappointment in Alicia’s eyes as she turned away and started back to the car with Annette not far behind. The only one to linger was Tobias, who waited for Elyssa and then ran alongside her as they walked through the sand. She could already tell the ride home was going to be as long, if not longer, than the ride getting here.

Her prediction proved to almost be true, with most of the car ride home filled with the same tension and silence she had experienced during the trip to the beach. At least Tobias continued to sit beside her, which made her feel a little better. Normally, she wouldn’t have minded the silence. She had actually grown quite accustomed to it after the stress of dealing with everything else. It gave her time to escape all of the craziness that was now a part of her life.

This was different though. Silence was one thing, silence when it involved the anger of others was a completely different story. For Elyssa, it had the complete opposite of a calming effect, instead putting her on edge. It made the car feel like a prison, one that she couldn’t wait to escape from. It wasn’t until they were a few minutes from home that Annette finally spoke to her.