Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)(3)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

My dream followed the same scene, but this time I thought I saw a figure standing at the old gate beyond the fountain, and the figure waved. I waved back through the window as though I knew who it was. The last thing I remembered before waking up was looking down and realizing I was wearing a long blue dress instead of pajamas.

I shrugged off the dream and decided to start unpacking. I only got as far as my toiletries before realizing that what I really needed was a shower. I took a fast shower, letting the hot water wash away the grime of travel and then searched for some clean clothes to wear. After pulling on jeans and a pink three-quarter-length top, I tied my wet hair back and, suddenly very aware that I hadn’t eaten in hours, started down the stairs quickly.

“I’ll be right—” The words caught in my throat as I realized that there were three people standing in the foyer—Monty, Kevin, and Liam. Wow, Liam had really changed. He was no longer the slightly awkward fifteen-year-old; he was so much taller, standing at least six-foot, and so much bigger, nothing scrawny about him.

“Charlotte? Wow, you’ve grown up!” Liam grinned, and I couldn’t help but look away.

“Yeah, you, too.” I felt self-conscious. I just wanted to disappear, but in the back of my mind, I also knew that it was better just to get it over with.

“I still can’t believe you guys are back. Things just haven’t been the same around here since you Calloway kids left.” Liam gave me an awkward hug once I reached the bottom step.

“Yeah, I bet.” I played along, even though I knew what Liam meant was that things weren’t the same without Kevin.

“So, Liam is going to join us for pizza,” Monty broke in, giving me a strange look. He must have noticed I was uncomfortable. I nodded, and we all headed into the kitchen.

Dinner was better than expected at first, as I mostly just listened to the three guys discuss the basketball team. Evidently, Monty had already broken the news to the forward who would no longer be starting. I really didn’t mind all of the basketball talk because it gave me the freedom to just sit and think without the pressure of coming up with conversation. But, that didn’t last.

Monty was the one who pulled me into the conversation. “So Charlotte, I printed out a list of all the clubs and activities at school. I know it’s tough that you’ll have to wait around after school most days until you get your license.”

“Thanks, but I could probably always get work done at the library or something.” I hoped he wouldn’t press the issue.

“Sure, and you’re welcome to use the orchestra room to practice any time, but joining something might be a great way to meet people.”

“And we all know Charlotte could benefit from meeting people,” Kevin added with a grin. Oh geez, did he really have to start in on this?

“Did I ask you, Kevin?” I snapped. Sometimes he could be so nice, but other times he could be such a jerk.

“No, but you should,” he said, challenging me to argue. “And hey, you’re the one who told me that you were nervous about starting at a new school.”

“Whatever,” I replied, because some arguments were pointless.

Kevin wasn’t going to let it go. “Speaking of Charlotte and friends, I need your help on something,” Kevin said, addressing Liam. This time I didn’t want to disappear, I needed to. This was so awful; I could hardly believe it.

“Yeah?” Liam looked over at me, clearly curious. I knew that I must be bright red, anticipating what Kevin was going to say.

“You have to help make sure Charlotte doesn’t become a total social outcast. You should have seen her in Fairbanks. Not dating, I get that; she’s too young to date.” Kevin spoke as though I wasn’t even in the room.

“Wait, excuse me?” I didn’t know what possessed me, but I just had to argue.

“Yes, Charlotte?” Kevin asked with mock surprise.

“I’m almost sixteen, and you’re not Dad!”

“Okay, well, it’s not like you wanted to date anyway. Remember when Jared asked you out? The only freshman on the team last year, and all you could say was ‘Sorry,’ with no excuse or anything. The poor kid probably still hasn’t gotten over it.” Kevin just had to make me feel sillier. I was ready to kill my brother. I thought I had known mortification, but this was something worse.

“Why do you care why I turned Jared down? It’s none of your business!” The truth was, I just hadn’t been interested in dating up in Fairbanks. The thought of having to spend an evening finding conversation terrified me. Even though Jared was cute, the date didn’t sound appealing.

“Kevin, just leave your sister alone.” Monty threw him a dirty look.

However, Kevin wasn’t listening. “Okay, forget dating. Like I said, she’s too young anyway, but that doesn’t excuse hiding in her room when I threw parties while Dad was away.”

I knew I was going to lose my temper completely, but I couldn’t stop it. “I was not hiding! I just had better things to do, and they were your friends, not mine. It’s not like I told on you, and I always helped you clean up.”

“Well, you could have invited your friends. Oh wait, you didn’t have any,” Kevin said snidely.

“Shut up! You know I had friends; you just didn’t know them,” I shot back. That was it. I couldn’t sit there any longer. I got up, pushed in my chair, and quickly rinsed my plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

“Nice seeing you, Liam. Thanks for dinner, Monty. Go to hell, Kevin.” Without a second glance at any of them, I ran upstairs to grab a sweatshirt and my iPod; I was going for a walk. As I started up the stairs, I heard Kevin yell. Monty had probably thrown something at him.

They were still talking about me when I walked out the front door, and I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. I just didn’t understand why Kevin didn’t leave me alone. Did my shyness really bother him so much? Of course, he probably didn’t understand why I cared about him talking like that in front of Liam, but somehow he should have. I got the distinct impression that Monty could tell by the way he had looked at me when he told me Liam was eating with us.

I spent a good half-hour walking around the waterfront and realizing just how much I had missed the water. Growing up in Charleston, I had always taken for granted the access to the water; it felt so nice to be near it again. In the darkness, the lights reflected off the water, and I shivered slightly as a breeze picked up carrying the salty smell of the ocean. I closed my eyes for a moment taking in the sensation of being home. When I got back to the house, they were outside playing basketball, so I went back upstairs to my room. Before I got into bed, I walked onto my balcony and looked out into the night. I thought I saw a faint light in the back of the garden, but before I could figure out where it was coming from, it disappeared. I figured it was my mind playing tricks on me because of my dream. Whether I was losing my mind or not, my first day of school did not bode well.