Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “Okay, rule number one, no books.” She blatantly looks at Charlie. Then continues listing off her party rules. “Rule number two, no leavin’ early. Rule number three, mingle. And the most important rule, have fun.” Charlie and I exchange a defeated look and decide to just agree with her. Charlie speaks up. “Okay. Okay.”

  Mack, looking pleased with Charlie's answer, turns to the sink to start the dishes. Charlie slides up onto the island next to me and claps her hands together. “So! What deliciousness are you making?” “Ice cream sandwiches,” I quickly decide, since I didn't plan on making anything. “Oh, yes! Need any help?” She kindly offers. “Sure!” I happily accept. Together we prepare the cookie dough and the oven beeps, letting us know it’s reached its desired temperature. I place the tray into the oven and return to my place at the island.

  We sit there in silence for a few minutes, until a thought occurs to me. I completely forgot to show the girls the gifts Demi got me. Without telling them where I'm going, I jump up out of my seat and run to my room. Leaving the perfume bottle and the coffee beans behind, I walk back into the kitchen with the box of gifts my sister gave me. “I forgot to show you guys the other day, but my older sister gave me these gifts for us.” I place the box on the counter, and both girls jump up to come around and peek inside. After I carefully pull out the three mugs, Charlie unexpectedly runs out of the room. She returns quickly with a shoe box full of different colored Sharpies.

  She excitedly conveys, “We can personalize each mug. When we’re done, we put it in the oven for a few minutes, and they stay forever.” Mack replies, “Hell, yes!” And I nod my head to agree, “But first, look at this.” Pulling out the fake ID, both girls drop the Sharpies. Mack grabs it out of my hand and inspects it closely. “Dear Lord, Scarlet. Your sister is the bomb!” A radiant smile is spread on Mack's face.

  Charlie, with her eyebrows raised, adds, “Can she be my sister, too?” I smile and get a little homesick thinking about Demi. “She told me to send her pictures of you two, so she can get you your own. There is one thing, though. She doesn't want us using them to get alcohol. I promised her we wouldn't.” At the same time, they both quickly agree. “Also, there’s a gift card to a restaurant a few minutes away from here.” After I finish showing them everything, I take the seat next to Charlie. Mack says, wiggling her eyebrows, “Okay. I have a plan.”

  In her syrupy southern twang, she continues, “Scar, you run out to that restaurant to get some dinner, since you have to get ice cream for the impromptu dessert you thought up. I’ll watch the cookies and take ‘em out when they're done. Charlie, you're in charge of decoratin’ Scarlet’s mug. Is that all right with you, Scar?” As I turn to leave, I say, “Definitely. I totally trust you, Charlie. I'm going to skate there. Be right back.” I run to my room to grab my board, then I throw my hair up into a bun. This is the first time I'm riding my skateboard here, and I’m so excited.

  Thankfully, so far, it’s a nice and smooth ride. I turn the corner and instantly see the white Range Rover from move in day. It’s parked in front of a cafe. But I don’t need coffee; I need food. Snapping myself to the present, I search for the restaurant. It’s directly across the street from the cafe. I pop up my skateboard on the sidewalk and skillfully jump off. I'm about two stores away, when I feel an electric wave make its way down my spine, causing an endless eruption of goose bumps all over my skin. What the hell?

  I straighten my posture and slowly turn my head, to look across the street at the cafe. Instantly I find him, sitting by himself, hunched over, with his elbows on his knees at a table outside. And he’s staring right at me. I feel the electricity take a whirl again, and instinctively I raise my hand to rub my arm. The guy beautifully squints his eyes at me and tilts his head to the side, looking as confused as I am. I bravely take one step forward in his direction and quickly stop.

  The cafe doors open, and a small group of guys and girls exit. When one of the girls throws her swanky butt on his lap, I feel my heart squeeze in pain. I knew it. He has a girlfriend. But he’s still staring at me. That’s weird. Avoiding drama before the semester even starts would be smart. So with much difficulty, I peel my eyes away from him, and turn away. At the same time, I can’t stop my shoulders from sagging a little, and I can’t help but feel devastatingly jealous. What is wrong with me? I don't even know the guy. I shouldn't be jealous.

  I can still feel his eyes on me, so I walk up to the restaurant doors and take one last peek over my shoulder. The girl is no longer on his lap. Instead she’s standing behind him with her arms crossed, looking at him like a lost puppy. I open the door to walk inside, and he pulls his eyebrows together, looking confused and let down. After I order our food, the waitress tells me it’ll be ready in 15 minutes, so I take the time to find ice cream while I wait. For my own selfish reasons, I get happy knowing that I get to get another look at him. He might have a girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I can’t admire him from afar. Walking out of the restaurant, I immediately feel the exhilarating fire on my spine and I find him staring at me again. And this time so is the girl. She says something to him and sadly walks away, when he ignores her. When she goes over to the other girls they all turn to look at me.

  I don't want to look like I'm lost, so I quickly avert my eyes to look for a store that I could buy some ice cream in. A bodega at the other end of the block catches my eye and I move quickly, so that I'm able to see him once more. The guy hasn't moved an inch and his eyes never leave me, as I slowly walk back to the restaurant. My cheeks turn red, as I come up to the restaurant doors still under his intense stare. The food was ready and, thankfully, he was still there when I walked out. With the food safely in my backpack, I smoothly jump onto my board. Giving mystery guy one last look, I try to give him the same smirk he gave me the other day. I don’t want to step on any toes, if he does have a girlfriend. But that girl wasn't it.

  He stands up with a smile, as he watches me swiftly ride my board. He looks impressed, and he definitely looks interested. But I'm not going to make our first introduction in front of ogling girls, watching us in the background. So I give him a little show to keep his interest piqued. Coming up to the sidewalk, I efficiently bend at the knees, and I pop an ollie off of the sidewalk. Effortlessly gliding down the empty street, as he watches me the entire time. The end of the street is coming up ahead, when I almost embarrassingly fall off of my board.

  The same disgusting feeling I felt at the front doors on move-in day, of murky and thick breath, is back on my neck. I lift my hand to rub it clean, but this time it doesn't go away. Regaining my balance, I look back to find nothing behind me. The hot guy is in the street, looking like he’s going to run my way, and he looks angry. Did I just do something to make him react that way? Why would he be so upset?

  I turn my head back around just in time to turn the corner. Aside from those last few seconds, the stare-off with my guy had me eager to get back to the house, to tell the girls about it. I kick my foot down to go faster and finally see our street. I burst into the townhouse, and both girls jump out of their seats. Charlie was the first to react. She stands and brings me the mug she personalized for me. And I'm almost brought to tears by the design Charlie decorated on my mug. I look up at her, and she has a knowing smile. She shrugs her shoulders and says, “It’s the first thing that came to my mind when I thought of you” “Wow, Charlie. This is magical. Thank you.”

  “It came out way better than I thought it would. I'm glad you like it.” She says as she pulls me in for a side hug. I curiously ask, “What does yours look like?” She gives me a grin and walks into the kitchen. I look down to admire it more as I wait. The entire mug is covered in feathers. It’s black on the bottom half of the feathers, burgundy in the middle, and bright red on the top, giving it a gradient effect. There are more feathers on the bottom half than the top, making it look longer than it actually is.

  Pulling me out of my trance, Mack says, “This one’s mine. If I knew Charlie was an amazin
’ artist, I would have let her do mine, too.” Mack's mug is bubbly and girly, just like her. It has pink and purple polka dots outlined in gold bubbles all around it. Charlie hands me her mug, and it’s just as beautiful as mine is. She drew an open book on the bottom, and there are blue and white swirls coming out of the book. It surrounds the entire top rim of the mug and fits her perfectly.

  I complimented her and say, “Charlie. These are incredible.” She says, “Thanks,” looking shyly down at her feet. Mack smartly suggests, “Okay, let’s get these ice cream sandwiches ready so we can eat our dinner on the balcony.” Charlie and I both happily agree. And with the three of us getting the dessert ready, we’re done in less than ten minutes. As we all excitedly make our way out to the balcony to eat, I can’t stop the smile from spreading on my face. What a day.

  Chapter 6

  Stay Busy

  During dinner, Mack started talking about boys, and that’s when I remembered I wanted to tell them about the guy from the cafe. Jumping up way more elaborate than I meant to, I almost fell over. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. When I went to get the food, I saw this guy...” Mack straightens up her back and rubs her hands together, cutting me off. “Oh, yes! This is my kinda’ story.” Through nervous giggles I relay the story. “First, I saw him on move-in day. I convinced myself he was way out of my league. But then I saw him today, and he wouldn't stop staring at me.” Mack, the guy expert, confirms, “Yep. He’s into you if he was starin’ for more than five minutes.”

  “But there was this girl who sat on his lap, and he moved her off, without taking his eyes off of me once.” I say slowly for a more dramatic effect. Charlie comments, “I don’t know much about guys or dating, but I do know that if he did that, he’s definitely into you.” Mack nods her head vigorously, and I lean back on my feet in deep thought. Could they be right? Could he really want to get to know me as much as I do him? As I was about to gush about how flawless he is, a knock at the door sounded throughout our dorm. We all look at each other and run into the living room. Charlie looks paranoid, as she glances at the clock.

  She whispers, “It’s 10 o’clock. Who could be at our door right now? Mack, are you expecting anyone?” Mack looks like she’s thinking hard but then shrugs her shoulders, “No, I'm not. But I'm ‘bout to find out.” Charlie and I stay out of sight, while Mack marches to the door. She viciously swings it open and instantly stands up straighter, when she sees who our nighttime visitor is. She runs her hands through her hair, and a big smile spreads across her face. Her hips are slightly swinging, as she starts a conversation. She looks over at us and winks. Then she steps out into the night and closes the door behind her. Charlie and I trade confused glances at each other as we hesitantly make our way back to the balcony.

  After 20 minutes the front door swings open and Mack skips out to the balcony to meet us. She immediately gushes, “Y’all, I just got a date with our totally hot neighbor for tomorrow.” “Wait. Why did he come here in the first place?” Charlie asks, dumbfounded. Mack gives us a smirk and replies, “Well, he’s our neighbor, he and his two roommates. I think he said they’re all related. Anyway, he said he heard us out here havin’ a good time, and he wanted to see if we wanted company. Totally somethin’ I would’ve done. But I told him we’re about to be hittin’ the hay cause I know y’all are too tired to have company over. So I asked him if he would want to come over tomorrow for dinner, and he said yes! But...he’s bringin’ his roommates. I told him he could. Boy, oh, boy. He’s so yummy. I would’ve pounced on him right there at the door, if y’all weren't here.”

  Rolling our eyes and laughing, Charlie confidently says, “Sounds like fun.” But I can tell she’s just as nervous as I am. Changing the subject, Charlie goes on, “I’m going to get my books for classes tomorrow. Do you guys wanna come with me? Scar, you said there’s a cafe over there, right?” I quickly answer her, “Yes. We’ll definitely go with you.” Mack agrees, as she helps us clean up and says, “Perfect. We’ll go early tomorrow. We can grab a few lattes. And I know Scarlet is goin’ to wanna cook for the guys, so we can stop at the grocery store, too.” We all agree to be up and ready by nine, so we say goodnight and head off to our rooms.

  ***

  Never in my life have I had a headache or a migraine. In fact, I’ve only ever been sick once, and that was food poisoning from bad food I had. I’ve heard rumors about how piercing migraines are. And right now, I believe them. It feels like a laser is shooting straight through my temples. The knock on my bedroom door was even worse. And when I tried to sit up, I immediately regretted it. The pressure I got in my head from sitting up so fast was excruciating. I was afraid to move, and I can hear someone come in. All I could do was lay face up with my eyes glued shut. Mackenzie gently asks me, “You okay, Scar?” I'm in so much pain, that all I could do was point to my head. I hear her feet shuffling out of my room, and comes back whispering, “Drink this. I’m givin’ you one more hour of sleep, then I'm gettin’ you up.”

  My door quietly closes, and I very slowly turn onto my side, peeking only one eye open. But it’s still too painful. I quickly close my eye and try to manage with them both closed. I slowly reach over to grab the small water bottle and two small pills. I don’t know how she expects me to drink anything right now, when I feel like I'm going to puke. But I trust her. I grab the pills and hesitantly throw them in my mouth. I take a sip and slowly roll back over. Grabbing my comforter and throwing it over my head, I quickly drift back to sleep.

  Without Mack having to wake me, I begin to stir in bed. When I sit up and realize my head doesn't feel like it’s going to explode anymore, I take a long deep breath. I still have a slight headache, but it’s bearable and not even close to the pain from before. Mack really knows her stuff. Seeking comfort, I know a shower will make me feel much better. I'm halfway to the bathroom, when the door opens and Charlie comes striding out, looking as gorgeous as ever. Her hair is up in the neatest messy bun, with a few of her waves falling out around the frame of her face. As she wraps me in a hug, she says, “Heard you had a bad morning,” With a small smile I reply, “I did, but whatever Mack gave me was magical. I feel much better. A shower and a really strong cappuccino should have me right back to normal.” She nods her head in understanding and returns my smile. “I'm glad you're feeling better. We’ll be in living room when you're ready.”

  ***

  The shower was relaxing, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time getting ready, since they both have been waiting on me. I rush to my room and pick out a comfortable but cute outfit and give myself matching French braids. Ready, I run out to meet the girls. “Let’s go.” Mack pulls me in for a side hug. “We can take my ride.” She walks towards the garage and grabs her keys, off of the cute hanging key rack. We see an all-white Volkswagen Bug in the parking space, and both Charlie and I snicker.

  Charlie teases Mack and says, “I did not peg you for a punch bug type of gal.” Mack replies, “I’ve got three other cars at home. But this one is my favorite. It’s the smallest and it keeps me out of trouble the most.” She winks at her through the rear-view mirror and begins the quick drive. Before getting there, I suggest, “Why don't you guys start at the cafe while I run into the grocery store. That way we don't have to make so many stops.”

  “Good idea.” Mack pulls over to let me out at the grocery store, just around the corner from the cafe and I just barely get my feet out of the door as she takes off, almost taking my arm with her. Shaking my head, I pick up the few ingredients I need and I'm out of the grocery store quickly, so I can get my much-needed caffeine. I eagerly walk in to the cafe and the comforting aroma of coffee smacks me in the face. Relishing in the rich fumes, I take in a deep breath. I find my girls in the corner where Mack is talking to an elderly gray-haired man who has an apron on, and Charlie is immersed in a book on a couch. I order myself a cappuccino, and it’s only then, while I’m waiting, that I actually look around and notice the cafe’s interior. It’s humongous inside.
There are big comfy couches and loveseats spread throughout the entire floor, scattered around in no particular order. And in front of each couch is a small wooden coffee table. The overhead lights are dimmed, but there are lamps everywhere. Some are on, and some are off.

  There’s a stage in the corner for performers, and one entire wall is half chalkboard half cork board. It’s covered with bulletins, words of encouragement, job listings, and tutors. There are people promoting their bands or their art. It’s a beautiful mess. The floor is dark wood with all types of different colored rugs, spread around the entire floor. There is a wall full of different sized bookshelves that are filled to the top with old and new books. I bet Charlie freaked out when she saw it. I’ve never seen anything like this place. It’s astounding and incredibly cozy. This looks like the perfect place to study.

  Once I get my cappuccino, I walk over to the side counter where there is a bar full of every single flavor or spice imaginable. I grab the sugar, the cinnamon, and one squirt of the French vanilla liquid and the first taste was absolute perfection. I’ve never had cappuccino this good before. As I continue to admire the cafe, I walk over to Charlie. While nudging her arm, I say, “This place is incredible.” She nods her head rapidly and points in the direction behind the coffee counter. “I know! You should see the bookstore connected to it.” I was so busy looking at the decor that I didn't even notice the entire half of the wall, directly behind the counter, is open. I see a replica of the counter here facing the opposite way on the other side, towards the bookstore. Even though I can’t see much, it looks just as cozy there as it does here. I sit back down, awestruck.

  Charlie nervously and excitedly babbles, “The best part is the guy Mack is talking to is the owner. She overheard him talking to his wife about them needing more help around here. So we sort of offered to take the jobs, and we sort of told him you would work here, too. It would be you and Mack here in the cafe and me behind you, in the bookstore. I hope you're not mad. I know we’ll be busy with classes, but it just felt like an opportunity we couldn't pass. Did I mention, the coffee is free to us while we’re working? And I'm allowed to read on the job! Can you believe that? Plus, extra money, of course, is a big plus. Well, for me, at least.” I nod my head in agreement. “You had me at free coffee.” She jumps up and shouts, “Yes!”