Sacrifice for a Dream

Chapter 20

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of classes, hanging out with the guys and choir practice. I'd never enjoyed school as much I did at Weverland. I belonged here. No one brought up my departure date, or the sacrifice that needed to be made to free the people of Weverland. The longer I stayed here, the more I got to know the people here, the more I fell under its spell. I understood now why they didn't tell outsiders about the curse.

The day of the dance, classes were released early so that girls could get ready, and the gymnasium could be decorated.

Although there was a small restaurant in the town, it couldn't accommodate the whole town. The school, in an attempt to foster good relations between the Tribe and the school, opened its doors to the whole town and catered a dinner with the dance to be held after.

After classes, the boys drove me over to the Acorn's home to get ready. Anxiety saturated the air, it rolled off everyone in waves. No one talked, not even Luck, which was weird because he was the most lighthearted of the group, always cracking jokes and clowning around. Seeing him so serious was disheartening.

On the ride over to the Acorn's, I let Stone hold me in his lap. Thankfully he put the seatbelt over both of us. I could feel that he needed the closeness that the drive gave him. In fact, for the past two weeks, the boys had constantly touched me, either by holding my hand, kissing my forehead before they left me in Ms. Stacey's class or taking turns about who got to sleep next to me at night. For the past two weeks, I hadn't spent one night alone, and I couldn't say I hated it.

When we arrived, the boys stayed in the SUV and Phoenix walked me to the door by himself. He stopped outside of the door but didn't knock. I could see pain etched into his face, the strain in his arms, and the way his fists clenched at his sides. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He handed the box to me.

When I just stood there, he smiled and said, "Open it. It's for you."

I did as he asked and painstakingly opened the box. I gripped it tightly so I wouldn't accidently drop it. I gasped when I saw what was inside. Nestled on a bed of black velvet was a delicate silver necklace with a charm.

The charm was two small, hollow stars. On the left star there were tiny gems embedded into the points. One green, one red, one blue and two pale purple. The entire piece was mesmerizing, and I touched its surface to make sure it was real.

"The emerald is for me, the ruby for Stone, the sapphire is for Saint and the amethysts are..."

"The twins!" I interrupted in my excitement. The necklace was the most lovely and delicate piece of jewelry I had ever seen. "It's beautiful Phoenix, but it's too much I can't accept it."

"It's not worth nearly as much as you are, Little Bird," Phoenix spoke, his throat sounded tight. He took the box from me and removed the necklace from it. I turned around and lifted my hair and he opened the clasp, laying it around my throat. He fastened the clasp and then brushed a soft kiss on the back of my neck. I turned around and he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer.

"You must promise to stay with us tonight, if something were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do, what we'd do. I can live here forever, knowing that you were able to grow up, that you got to live your life. That you were happy."

"I'm happy here though, Phoenix, I don't think I want to leave," I whispered.

"No, you are going home tomorrow before the solstice. I can live here for a thousand more years or more, as long as I know you are safe, that you got to fall in love, have a family, grow old." he growled.

I tried to argue with him, but he brought his mouth down on mine, in a passionate kiss. Although I had had kissed Saint and Stone before, it was still a new and exciting experience. Phoenix's kiss was like a fire threatening to burn everything inside me. All the kisses were wonderful, and they were also all incredibly different, just as the men who gave them to me.