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Ari stood there like a solid oak, unmoved by my falling into him. He didn’t even try to catch me. He just hit me with his usual frown. “Having some trouble?” he asked.
“I lost my footing,” I said briskly.
I righted myself, and Ari tugged his robe back into place. Behind me, Enry leaned in to ask if I was alright. It felt like everyone was staring, but the entire moment had happened in less than a few seconds and most hadn’t even noticed.
“Don’t break anything yet,” Ari said. “We’ve only just gotten started.”
The sound of a conch shell reverberating through the air cut me off before I could say anything. I couldn’t read his expression, and I didn’t know whether he was set on trying to get under my skin, or if it really was just him being him. It didn’t matter. I was embarrassed and mad, a combination that never resulted in anything good for me. All I could think about was what had happened. The ceremony continued. Grandma Payaka made a speech. Dolphins suddenly appeared outside the lagoon, and I hardly noticed them leaping through the air. Everyone cheered and applauded while I made side glances at Ari.
What had I done to earn his resentment? I couldn’t think of a single thing.
More words that I didn’t hear were said, then Kai took Visir’s hand, held it high in the air, and they both shifted into dragon forms and swam out of the circle to the shore.
“What happened?” I whispered to Enry as the crowd began to break from their formation and wade back to the beach.
He gave me a puzzled look. “The ceremony is over. Istil, are you sure that you’re alright?”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “Just trying to figure out what his problem is.”
“Who?”
I jerked my chin towards Tall, Dark, and Dickheaded leaving the water.
“Ari?” Enry said. “What’s wrong with Ari?”
“I don’t think he enjoys my presence.”
Enry smiled in his calm, reassuring way and put his hand on my arm. “I don’t think that’s true. I can see why you might think that, but that’s how he is with everyone. Give him the benefit of the doubt.”
I exhaled. “That’s what everyone tells me.”
All I could see were those cold glares he always gave me whenever I was around.
The party returned to the house. Bonfires roared sky high. Glistening chickens, succulent pork, and crackling fish lay over beds of glowing embers. Cups of the local spirit, luyu, were pressed into every palm. Platters were overflowing with fruits I’d never seen or smelled before in my life. Everything was bigger, louder, and more vibrant than what we had at Silver Mountain. There was no dense canopy to worry about catching aflame, for one. No secrecy to maintain. A dozen drums pounded their beat into my heart, and immediately I was swept into it.
One of the cousins, Pan, bounded over to me with a platter of cups. “Luyu, for our forest brother,” he said with a cheerful grin.
“Yo, Pan!” Makoa shouted. “Bring me one of those.”
“Get your own,” he said, sticking out his tongue. Then he dashed off.
“Little brat,” Makoa said, coming over to me.
“We can share if you’d like,” I said over the drums. I was trying to be flirtatious, but despite everything I’d planned, my head wasn’t in the right place anymore. Wasn’t this damn potion supposed to be doing something?
“Ah, nah, brotha,” Makoa said with a wave. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get my own. So, what do you think, eh? I told you we like to party big.”
“I love it!” I said. “It’s nothing like we have back home.”
“Excellent. Things are just getting started. Maybe you’ll…”
Makoa’s voice seemed to fade away when I saw Ari on the other side of the bonfire, a cup of luyu in his hand. He turned and looked right at me through the flames, narrowed his eyes, then took a drink and walked away.
“…be a huge dance, with fire spinning. Hey. Istil, you with me?”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. I’m very excited for it.”
Annoyed, I swallowed all of the luyu in one go. Makoa laughed.
