Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(15)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Busy? Oh, you mean talking to Claudia. Trust me, he would have rather walked you home.” James gave me a knowing smile. “And, why not your brother?”

“Kevin? Are you crazy? He wasn’t ready to leave.”

“You know, you really don’t give the men in your life enough credit,” he said seriously.

“Whatever you say.” The words came out automatically.

“So, you want some company? It’s pretty late to be walking alone,” James offered.

“Um, sure.” I was once again relieved that it was James out there with me in the dark.

“But Charlotte, you should really text your brother or something, let him know that a friend is walking you home.”

“Sure.” I took out my phone and sent Kevin a fast text. “But I don’t think he would really care; besides, I told my friend to tell him I was leaving.”

“Yeah, but he would still want to make sure you got home all right,” James insisted.

“I guess so.”

“Trust me, he would. Did I tell you I actually had a talk with your brother earlier today?” James asked, as we walked briskly toward my house.

“Yeah? About what?” I was surprised they even knew each other.

“He wanted to make sure I knew that he was watching me and that I needed to be careful with you.” James smiled.

“He what?” I asked incredulously.

“Oh, come on. He’s your older brother, and he found out about our study date. He did what any normal brother would do,” James said, as we neared my house.

“Our study date?” I was taken aback.

“Would you prefer I call it a study session? I didn’t know you were so concerned about semantics.” He caught my eye as I opened the side gate. I thought it was odd that James would use a word like semantics, but maybe he just liked to sound smart.

I prepared to say goodbye to James, but he was still following me. I didn’t actually mind the company, so I kept walking until I reached the bench by the fountain. James sat down next to me, right where Monty had sat earlier that evening.

“So, what are we doing out here? Thinking about what wild animals wait ahead?” He gestured at the gate.

I smiled, surprised that his sarcasm was actually funny. “I don’t know why you’re sitting out here, just why I am.”

“Okay, so why are you sitting here?”

“You’ll laugh.” I really didn’t want to give James another reason to give me a hard time.

“Try me.”

“You know how I said the gate was locked?”

“Yeah,” he said, clearly eager for me to continue.

“Well, I always assumed it was welded shut or something, but I found some pictures of the gate in those library books and realized that under all that moss and ivy there’s a keyhole, so maybe that’s all it is.”

“Have you looked for the key?” he asked.

“I don’t know where to start,” I admitted.

“Sometimes the thing you want is something you already have.” James stood to leave. Of course, he was going to end the night on a cryptic note.

“What are you talking about?”

“Good night, Charlotte. Take care,” he said quietly.

“Good night,” I said, as James’s figure disappeared into the darkness. It came as no surprise that he didn’t bother to answer me.

Something I already had? What was James getting at? Though I tried to brush off his last comment, it had struck a chord with me. Even though the house had always belonged to my dad’s family, the garden had always been my mom’s place. I started to think about the few things of my mother’s that were still around and immediately remembered the jewelry box. I ran inside quickly, trying to be quiet because I didn’t know if Monty was asleep. I ran up both flights of stairs and closed the door to my room.

James’s comment had made me think of a necklace my mom used to wear. I opened the box and rummaged through the jewelry until I found it. The solid chain had two pendants, both made of an almost iridescent crystal, one in the shape of an orb, and the other a key. I knew that there was a good chance that I would break the crystal key by trying it in the lock, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Suddenly, I felt angry. Who cared if I broke it? It wasn’t like Mom was around to yell at me, and Monty and Kevin wouldn’t even notice. After clasping the necklace around my neck and throwing on a jacket, I ran downstairs and jogged down the garden path. I yanked back the vines and carefully slipped the key into the lock. Hoping it wouldn’t completely break, I tried to turn the key, but it wouldn’t budge. A wave of disappointment engulfed me. I jiggled the key gently and was finally able to turn it slightly. I put more pressure into it and was able to push the key all the way around. I hesitated a moment before trying the gate. I knew that what I was doing was clearly against the rules and, if I got caught, I would probably be in more trouble than ever, but really, if my family wanted me to stay out of it, they could at least tell me why. Besides, the key hadn’t been very hard to find. I pushed against the gate and felt it give. As I stepped through, I had a strong feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter Seven

Charlotte

It took time for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. The faint moonlight had been replaced by what looked like direct sunlight. As the gate clanged shut behind me, I panicked for a second. Once my eyes adjusted, I tried my key and, unlike the other side, I had no trouble turning the key in this lock. I breathed a sigh of relief; I could get home.

I knew that logically I should no longer be in a garden and should be at the far wall, but judging by the foliage all around me, I was still in a garden. However, this was not the manicured garden of my yard; it was wild, full of flowers with colors several shades brighter than anything I had ever seen. These flowers seemed so much more alive than any plants I had ever seen before. I was so enchanted by the colors that it took me a few minutes to question where the light was coming from.

I tore my eyes away from the flowers and looked up to see a bright blue, sun-filled sky. The air was much warmer, so I took off my jacket. When the sun touched my skin, a comforting feeling washed over me, as if I had walked into my own house. My concerns over the party disappeared. I was awestruck by several trees that made the giant redwood trees in California look small. Even when I craned my neck, I couldn’t see the tops of them. The multitude of sounds nearly overwhelmed me. It was like an entire symphony, only the instruments were birds and insects. I could imagine sitting down with my cello to join in, losing myself in the soothing melodies.