An hour and a half later, my cheeks hurt from laughing, and my stomach pushed uncomfortably against my pants. Our table was covered in open books, pens, and little red baskets with greasy parchment paper lining the insides. Charlie picked up his milkshake, looking into the near empty cup with sadness.

"How are you still eating?" Flannery groaned, rubbing her belly and pushing back in the booth. She flicked a fry at Charlie, but he caught it, popping it into his mouth with a wink.

"It's brain food," he insisted.

"It's a minute on the lips-"

"And a lifetime on the hips," I shouted, finishing the saying with Flannery. "Clemmy says that all the time."

"Clemmy?" Charlie asked. He pull a pencil from behind his ear and flipped open his BioChem book.

"It's what we call our grandmother. If you saw her, you'd understand she wasn't a Memaw or Mamaw type at all."

Flannery folded her arms on the table and looked at me, her eyebrows pulling into a deep v over her hooded eyes. "I think I've learned more about your family today then I have the entire time we've known each other."

"Some people are private," Charlie said, reading my body language and assuming correctly his sister's scrutiny was making me nervous. "Not everyone tells everybody all their business like you do."

"I just believe in honesty, and what you see is what you get with me."

"That's fine," he said, bopping her on the nose, "when you stick with you. The problem is when you tell other people's business."

I watched as they bickered, my lips settling into the line somewhere between a smirk and a smile. It would seem it didn't matter if you were human or supernatural, siblings were still siblings. Charlie dived to avoid Flannery's swinging hand, and she jumped up to round the table's edge to reach him better.

Without warning, he dropped below the table and popped up in the seat beside me. His large frame took up considerably more room than his sister's, and I was pinned between the window and his warm body.

"Sorry," he mouthed, both of us reaching for the milkshake glass wobbling next to my book.

Our fingers brushed against one another, and I jerked back, curling them against my chest as though they'd been burned. Smooth. Real smooth, Rose. 

Flannery paused in her attempts to maul her brother, long enough to bat her lashes suggestively at us. I blushed and ducked my head, only the resounding smack of flesh against flesh letting me know my determined friend had landed a hit.

"Damn, girl. That hurt. You best consider yourself lucky I can't hit you like that."

"Outta my spot."

When Charlie moved, the temperature dropped several degrees, and I found myself shivering, even with the late day sun beaming through the grimy window. Flannery flopped down beside me, but the soothing warmth didn't return. It was definitely all down to Charlie, and I didn't quite know what to do with that.

"So, did you decide to skip class today?" I asked, not looking him in the eye as I pretended to work an equation. The only problem was with Charlie's eyes on me, I couldn't handle more than one plus one. Ugh- math problems. 

"I only have a night class on Mondays, and the professor emailed yesterday that she had the flu. But I should get on the road soon. Don't wanna get back too late."

"And there's my brother. I was starting to wonder if he'd been abducted."

The easy going grin he wore while he teased his sister didn't fade, but something dark shuttered over Charlie's eyes. "A brother can't just want to spend time with his little sister?"

"Not when said brother always prioritized books over said sister. You went to college and became less responsible."

"Isn't that what happens to a lot of people?" I asked, swirling a fry in my malt. I wasn't an expert on impoten behavior, but I'd watch enough movies to know most kids went a little wild at college. Part of me was excited to do the same.

"But it's Charlie," Flannery said, her voice rising to a high pitched whine.

"Well on that note, I'm going to hit the road."

"Boo." Flannery pouted.

He gathered his things, sliding everything into his backpack with care. Zipping it up, he pulled the straps over his shoulders, stopping short at buckling the strap across his chest. He put his palm on his sister's forehead and pushed, making her head bounce against the vinyl booth, but she only rolled her eyes- eyes that betrayed how sad she was to see him go.

"Hey, Rosey," he said, putting his knee in the empty booth behind us and leaning over to speak into my ear, "save another dance for me?"

"S-sure thing," I stuttered, my face heating as his words recalled the memory of my back pressed against his front, his fingers seared into my hips as he guided me to the music's beat.

"Charlie and Rosey sitting in a tree," Flannery sang out as soon her brother walked outside.

"Oh my gosh are you five?"

"You don't have any room to talk," she said, sliding out and moving to the seat across from me. "You're the color of a tomato right now. Lord help you if he tries to kiss you."

"H-he wouldn't try that, would he?" I asked, slapping my hands over my hot cheeks and shutting my eyes to block out my friend's obnoxious gloating.

I'd never been kissed. Just the idea of his lips moving against mine made me feel faint, but as I closed my eyes, another's lips fought for dominance in my imagination. The idea of kissing Ash made me just as flustered- maybe even more so- as the idea of kissing Charlie.

Who was this girl taking over my thoughts and my body? A week ago, I didn't give boys a second thought. Okay, maybe Charlie had earned a few second thoughts over the years. During one of the rare times I'd been allowed to stay late in St. Augustine, I'd gone to the Connor's to work on a project. He'd walked into the kitchen after showering, his gym shorts sitting low on his hips, and his chest bare...

"Earth to Rosey."

I came back the present and scowled. Flannery was laughing so hard tears streamed down her face.

"How long were you talking to me?"

"For awhile. What were you thinking about? Better question-who?"

"None of your business," I said, sticking my tongue out. "I best go too so I'll make it home around the normal time."

"Sure, sure. Hey, we may have another party soon. You interested? Willow and Ash are welcome to come."

"I'll ask." That wasn't even a shade of truth. It was an outright lie. After the last party, those two had no business around impotens. "I'll see you tomorrow if they don't cancel school. Will you text me if you hear first?"

"Sure. Catch ya later."

I spun around to walk out, slamming hard into another person. "I'm so sorry."

"Whatever, it's fine."

"Hey," I said, looking the girl over, "you look familiar."

The girl tensed, glaring at me through strands of snarled, sandy hair. "Well, I don't know you. Can you get outta my way?"

"Allyson," Flannery called, catching my eye and shaking her head. "Come sit with me."

"I don't want to talk to you, Connor," Allyson snapped, lowering her shoulder and driving into me as she walked by.

"Rude."

"I asked you to move," she said, walking to the front counter.

"I'll try and talk to her," Flannery said, waving me on. "I'll text you."

"Alright, thanks."

I waved bye again and walked outside. While waiting for my car to reach a survivable temperature, I wondered what could cause a girl like Allyson to get into drugs and drop out of school. Had the pressure been too much? It made me worry about Charlie, whose easygoing manner had diminished since he went away.

But as I headed home, a greater concern struck me. Had Allyson been hooked on drugs of the everyday variety? Or was her addiction heightened by a little something extra. Something magical? 

And just how many more were out there?