When I arrived home, I expected to find peace and quiet, but as soon as I pushed open the door, I was struck by the clamor of female voices, each trying to talk over the other. It was almost enough to make me try to slip away, but Mama and her ever present intuition interfered before I could make a run for it.

"Rose, come in the dining room!" The noise faded as everyone waited for me.

With an obvious groan of irritation, I dropped my bag next to the pile of shoes on the floor and made my way to the commotion. Seven pairs of eyes in varying shades and shapes locked on me the moment I appeared. The reprieve ended and everyone began shouting at once.

"Enough," Clemmy hollered. Her hands clapped together, and the magical boom made our ears ring. "Let's hear what Rose thinks."

"Who cares what she thinks?" Harmony muttered, earning a sharp glare from our grandmother.

Caly's eyes nearly fell out of her head as she looked between the two women, and I figured my face probably matched hers. Harmony was a pill on a good day, but she never directed her sass at Clemmy. It was simple self preservation.

"Rose?" Mama prompted, reaching for my elbow and pulling me into the room.

"What are we looking at?" I glanced at the table. Swaths of fabric, all pastels, covered the scarred wooden surface.

Aunt Ophelia bounced up on her toes, her green eyes shimmering as they settled on her eldest daughter, Ivy. My cousin smiled serenely, her fingers dancing over the delicate materials. A sliver of sunlight struck the tasteful diamond atop her left ring finger, scattering rainbows around the room every time she moved.

"Stephen finally pop the question?" I asked, arching one brow and grinning like a maniac at her.

From the time they were ten years old, Ivy and Stephen told anyone who'd listen they were getting married one day. Bout gave Aunt Ophelia a heart attack when they announced they were moving in together two years ago. No rings on anyone's finger then. Part of me wondered if they'd waited as long as they did just to get under her skin.

"He did. We're thinking a May wedding," Ivy gushed.

"You and every other bride in Black Brier," Harmony said with a huff as she dropped into a chair and rubbed her eyes.

"I suppose you were hoping for your own May wedding?" I teased, the charm around my neck making me foolish, but I couldn't forget she'd not given up on ensnaring Ash. While I may not believe he could ever be mine, I knew he sure as hell didn't belong with her.

Caly looked as though she might faint. Alma held onto her rounded stomach while she snickered, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Mama bent us both over her knee, audience be damned. But it was Harmony who concerned me the most. None of the raging fire I was so accustomed to burned in her eyes. 

Instead there was ice- cold, sharp, and far more dangerous.

"We wanted to know your opinion on dress colors not your sister's love life," Clemmy snapped.

"Well, what are you leaning toward, Ivy?" I asked, ignoring my grandmother's chilling stare by angling my body so the daggers she was flinging would strike between my shoulders and not between the eyes.

"Oh, it's so hard. The robin's egg blue is beautiful, but Laura Elizabeth used those colors last year. The lavender is nice, and would go well with everyone's complexion. But I don't really like the flowers we'd have to use then."

"What about this pale rose," I asked, picking up the strip and turning it over in my hands.

Ivy bit her bottom lip and nodded. I didn't miss the nervous glance she gave my sister before she said, "I think that's my favorite too. It's so feminine and romantic. Just the kind of tone I want to set."

"I've already said I don't wear pink," Harmony snapped.

Caly folded her arms across her chest and sniffed. "And we already told you this isn't your wedding."

"It'll look good on everyone," Alma chimed in, taking the fabric and holding it up to the light. She winked at me. "We already know you can rock this color, Rose."

Silence blanketed the room, its weight making it hard to breathe. My stepmother paused in her perusal of the swatch, a frown tugging at her lips as she looked at all the somber faces in the room. I looked away, but every pair of eyes I met were filled with sympathy. Well, in all but one pair. Harmony's gleamed with triumph.

"Why does everyone look like we're planning a funeral and not a wedding?"

"Alma, it's just that, well..." Ivy started and stopped, wringing her hands as she tried to find the right words.

"I can't be in the wedding party," I said in a rush. It was more about trying to get us to move on to a different topic than to save everyone else from discomfort.

The pink cloth fluttered to the table, and Alma scowled. "And just why not?"

Harmony leaned forward. "Because it's going to be a handfasting ceremony, and the wedding party has to infuse some of their magic into the bindings. We do it as a Circle, and well, Rose would cause a broken link in it."

"That's just foolish. She can at least stand up there with the others. She can sit down when the magical part of the ceremony begins. Come on Alizon. Are you really going to do this to your daughter?"

Mama's skin blanched. "It's not my decision to make, and well, Alma, things are done differently here."

Aunt Ophelia put an arm around Mama- a sign of familial solidarity. A bond between sisters. And I felt more on the outside than ever.

"Alizon is right. Rosey knows we love her, and she understands. It's important we do things the way they're meant to be done. We can't go making exceptions for people."

"Can't you?" Alma shouted.

"It's fine," I insisted, desperate to be away from there. "I never expected to be in the wedding."

"No, it's not fine. Where I come from, it doesn't matter if you can't light a candle with magic or if you can summon the dead, family is family. It comes first."

"Well, you're in Black Brier, not some backwoods bayou in Louisiana anymore," Harmony spat.

"I'm going to my room," I said, backing away. But no one paid me any attention. They were too busy arguing among themselves.

Or at least, I thought no one was paying attention. Halfway up the stairs, I paused and looked at the women who made up most of my family. Hands and voices were raised, the bridesmaids dresses long forgotten as they debated tradition. The one person I thought would be the loudest proponent for the status quo remained quiet, her odd eyes locked on me.

I offered Clemmy a shoulder shrug, but her expression remained the same. I counted. A very long twenty seconds passed before she turned her attention to the group in front of her, allowing me to complete my escape.

My bedroom beckoned, its comforting space nearly bringing tears to my eyes when I stepped inside. Five long strides brought me to the bed, and I flung myself into its plush middle. With a hard tug on the orange knit throw beneath me, I pulled it around me and drew my knees to my chest.

The afternoon at Hastee Tastee's felt like a lifetime ago, and I desperately wished to be sitting at the cracked booth again, just a girl with her friends. Only, as I flipped my pillow to the cold side, I remembered my safe haven was being tainted by the mysterious magical drugs. That booth was an illusion. The real world had its own pitfalls, but at least out there, I was an equal.

My back pocket buzzed. A text message, but it was from the last person I'd expected.

Charlie: Enjoyed hanging with you today. Do it again sometime?

I shot up in bed, heart fumbling in my chest as I tried to steady my thumbs so I could respond. I knew he'd been flirting with me, but I'd never spent much time with Charlie in social settings. I half figured he was just the type of guy to treat every girl that way. This text meant it was something more than that. He had to have gone out of his way to get my number from Flannery.

 But I didn't know if I was ready for this. I typed out a few words, hoping it would come across casual, and hit send.

Me: Sure, you know I'd never turn down Charlie Connors as a study buddy.

Charlie: Ha. Ha. Well, you might change your mind if you saw what I made on my last test.

I remembered how tired he'd looked the day we saw him sitting alone. The way he'd rubbed his eyes. Even today, something was off.

Me: I'll never believe it. You're one of the smartest people I know.

Charlie: ;) Thanks... but btw, I'd like to do something together that didn't involve cracking books or my little sister.

Me: Are you asking me on a date?

Three dots hovered on the screen, and I held my breath. Either answer scared me.

Charlie: I'd like to get to know you better. So, yeah. I'm guessing it would be a date.

My lips quivered around my exhale.

Me: Can I think about it? The date part? I really like you, but I don't know if it's fair to lead you on when I may be interested in someone else.

Oh lord. Did I really just send that? Did I just admit to someone that my feelings for Ash were more than friendly? It's not like it was a big secret. Most people only had to spend a few minutes around us to guess there were sparks between us, but as long as I denied it, it meant there was no chance to explore whatever it was. Denial was my shield, and in one text, I'd just lowered it.

Charlie: It's that Ash, kid?

Me: Yeah... I don't know that it's going anywhere, but it wouldn't be fair to you. At least not until I deal with whatever it is...or isn't.

Charlie: How bout this? We still hang out. I'm not asking for exclusivity right away.

Me: I think I can handle that.

Charlie: Cool. I'll let you know when I'm coming back into town. Probably next time my dad is offshore again.

I hit the sleep button on the side of the phone and let it drop to my stomach. I'd just agreed to hang out with Charlie Connors. A one on one. Every cell in my body hummed with nerves, and I wanted so bad to call my sisters into my room and tell them all about it. But they wouldn't care. Oh, Caly would act interested, but impoten boys weren't very appealing to her.

A tap on my window drew me from my snug spot on the bed. Pushing back the curtains, I peered into the yard below. Two figures stood in the tree line, one with his hand pulled back to toss another rock at the window.

"Come down," Willow mouthed.

The phone in my hand felt hot as I tucked it back into my pocket, its heavy weight a reminder of the arrangement I'd just made. Charlie wanted his chance to impress me, and I'd been honest about my feelings. No one should get hurt this way.

But as I ran down the stairs, passed the dining room still filled with bickering women, and into the autumn twilight, I knew it couldn't be that simple. I just had to hope it wouldn't be my heart that ended up broken.