“Thanks. See you later.” Sandy grabbed her arm again and tugged her forward.
Even though they were out of earshot, Aspen could still feel his eyes on her. She couldn’t help but exaggerate the swing of her hips, knowing he was watching.
“Wow, he is so cute,” Ginny exclaimed.
“Who, Dylan?” A surge of jealousy rose so quickly that Aspen missed a step and almost tripped.
“Who else?” Ginny sighed. “He’s so dreamy.”
“He’s okay, if you like that kind of guy.” Aspen spoke before she could stop herself.
Ginny looked at her in disbelief. “Don’t you think he’s hot?”
“She does. Trust me, Gin, she’s told him to his face already.” Sandy grinned broadly.
“Shut up. I didn’t!” Aspen swatted Sandy’s arm and then grabbed her sleeve as her friend continued to tease her.
“Forget about him, Gin, he’s a marked man.” She raised her voice while Aspen tugged on her sweatshirt. The two girls laughed as Aspen tried to hold her back. Sandy slipped out of her grip and ran ahead of her.
“I’m so sorry, I . . . I didn’t mean anything by it,” Ginny stuttered.
“Don’t be an ass, Sandy. He doesn’t belong to me.”
Aspen stopped chasing Sandy and her friend shouted back at her, “Trust me. You’re going to get a lot of interest very soon. He’d better stake his claim.” Dodging a soccer ball that bounced nearby, Sandy ran to kick it back to a small group of children, and they cheered her on.
“Goal!” she shouted triumphantly, and then dashed back to her sister and Aspen.
“Are all the people at the lake clan members?” Aspen asked.
“Yes, and a lot more are on their way. We have about four hundred members, so we’d better hurry.”
Once they reached Dylan’s house, Ginny opened the front door. Molly greeted them with a bow and then led them to a room that could only be his.
Aspen stood still and scanned the room, taking in his personal space. The room was dominated with a large bed that was neatly covered with a gray-and-white quilt. His fresh fragrance seemed to hang in the air, and she reached out and lifted a pillowcase to her nose to inhale his scent.
The curtains matched the bedding, and the floor was made of pine and polished until it gleamed. A lacrosse stick and several footballs were placed neatly in a red box behind his door, and a damp towel hung from a hook above it. A small bathroom adjoined his room, and she could see beads of water as they clung to the glass door of the shower.
He’d just bathed! The thought of Dylan in the shower made her breathing hitch, and Aspen turned around in a hurry.
She cried out in surprise when she saw a beautiful lacy dress embroidered in the palest gold hanging from the closet door. Tiny onyx beads dotted the undulating ribbons, and the material sparkled in the light.
“This is so beautiful.” Touching the material softly, she sighed. “Is this for me?”
“Just for you,” Sandy said with a smile. “It’s your coming-of-age outfit.”
“I thought you said jeans would do.”
Sandy grinned and pinched her arm. “Hurry up, everyone will be here soon.”
Aspen removed the clothes she was wearing and carefully lifted the delicate dress over her head. The fit was perfect, and Ginny zipped the back closed. Then she stepped into a pair of strappy gold shoes that sat on the floor next to the dress, and twirled in front of a narrow mirror on the wall. The outfit was incredible, and she looked even more dainty and fragile than before.
Ginny grabbed a brush with nylon bristles and pulled it through Aspen’s long hair in even strokes until it shone.
“You look so pretty,” she said as she dropped the brush on the bed.
“Thank you. The dress is lovely.”
“Here, use this lip gloss. It’s all you’ll need.” Sandy handed her a cylinder of gloss.
Aspen ran the shiny finish over her lips and as she did, the room darkened and she glanced out the window at the sky. “Oh no, it’s Lavendula. We need to hide.”
Ginny walked over to where she stood. “Don’t worry. The houses and the lake are safe zones.”
Aspen raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“It’s true. Our elders created potent spells centuries ago, and they’ve been sheltering our houses and the lake from invasion ever since. We’re not scared of Lavendula unless we leave those areas.”
“What about the river? I was attacked by spiders there, and it wasn’t safe at all. ”
“Nope, that’s not included in the spell.”
Aspen moved to the window and glanced at the ominous sky.
“We’ll wait here until it passes,” Sandy told her, “and then we can go back to the lake. Everyone should be there by then.”
Aspen waited patiently by the window for Lemona to begin. Ginny and Sandy dressed themselves in white clothing and high heels while she stared at the scenery outside.