“Freaksters!” we parroted, laughing our behinds off.
“But I don’t,” I said. “I don’t think you’re a freak. I think that’s pretty amazing.”
“It started not long after my grandmother died when I was eight,” she told me. “She came back to talk to me. There was something she needed to tell me.”
“Tell her the story,” Alicia chirped.
Kendra smiled as we found our way out of the alcove of tall trees lining the hiking trail, and there was the beach, a huge bonfire already lighting up the sky. “Another time… now it’s time to get freaky.”
I lost all interest in Kendra when I spotted the beach. The sight of the party stole my breath away. Everyone was there; so many kids, or ‘freaks’, as Alicia would say. Gone were the conservative uniforms, replaced by stylish jeans, ripped at the knees, flashy shirts, little flirty skirts, platform sandals and lots of drinks and cigarettes floating around, being passed around from one to another.
The lake was beautiful in the twilight, and everyone was glowing, and full of life and energy. The chatter of conversations mixed with cheers was undecipherable. I was happy Alicia and Kendra made me over because I actually fit in. Although, I still didn’t really know anyone.
Kendra took off like a greyhound at the gate when she spotted her best friend, Sandra. I stuck to Alicia’s side like a pathetic little homeless puppy. She introduced me to a bunch of people, and I was too wired to remember their names. Their faces and auras stuck with me though.
Alicia lit up when she spotted a tall boy looking at her. He was wearing a sleek red and black short sleeved shirt, skinny dark jean, and a long silver chain, tipped with a medallion. Tall, and of Asian descent like her, he was stunning. He shot her a shy smile and I could practically see her melt. You didn’t need to be a mind reader to know that she was head over heels for him. He walked up slowly to us, his eyes fixed on her. I may as well have been invisible.
“Hi…” she said, almost a whisper.
“Hi,” he repeated.
Well, no one had to tell me twice to get the hell out of there and give them their privacy.
I headed towards the keg and decided that I would try beer for the first time. Colin, a fun-loving guy with a messy head of crazy blond hair introduced himself, and handed me a Solo cup, half-full. When I made a face, he laughed it off.
I frowned. “I’m not here to entertain you.”
“Oh really,” he teased. “Because you are. Not a fan of beer, are you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve never had it before,” I confessed.
He took my cup, and threw the contents out. “Wait here,” he said and then headed off to the cooler, pulled out a pitcher and poured me some red stuff. When he handed it to me, I hesitated. My mother always told me not to accept drinks from strangers. First it was ‘don’t talk to strangers,” then it was, ‘don’t go in cars with strangers, and then finally, ‘don’t accept drinks from strangers.’
“Uh…”
“Try it. It’s my own formula. Good stuff.”
I still wasn’t convinced, although he seemed like a guy I could trust. Unlike most, I can actually read people. If he were a secret serial killer, I’d probably know it. No, this guy had a nice yellow aura.
But still, I wanted to know what I was putting in my body. “What’s in it?”
“It’s sangria… juices, a little brandy, chopped fruit, and red wine from my family’s winery.”
“Oh wow… you have a winery. Where are you from?” I was still stalling. If I was going to get drunk, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.
“I’m from Monterey, California.”
Kendra broke in. “He’s cool. This stuff is legit, Anna.” She handed him her empty cup and he filled it. “Colin makes the best sangria.”
He poured me a glass as well, and when I hesitantly took my first sip, I was pleasantly delighted – it tasted like fruit punch. I told myself I’d only have two drinks, tops. I couldn’t do anything stupid to jeopardize my scholarship. I had to be the good girl I’d always been.
When he left, Kendra told me that Colin was a Trickster. It’s what they call someone who doesn’t really have skills but is good with magic tricks and illusions, card tricks, and the like. He was definitely not here on a scholarship, she said, his parents were loaded.
We chatted for a bit and then she left me again. I was standing by my lonesome, a Solo cup in hand, not knowing what to do with my body. I hate that feeling. So many people. So much noise. My heart was frantic, and my nerves were acting up again. I closed my eyes for a second, and sucked in a deep breath.
“Hey, Cinnamon.”
I turned at the sound of his voice, as smooth as it had been the last time I had heard it. “Oh… hi, Ace... is it?”
