Sunkissed by Kasie West

Author:Kasie West [West, Kasie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2021-05-04T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The group was eerily quiet as we sat, knees touching in the circle. The water lapped against the shore behind us, where we’d left a couple canoes. Maricela had collected several people as we had made our way to the docks—Clay, Brooks, Kai, and Lucy, a girl I’d seen around but had never officially met.

There was still a marked tension between Kai and Brooks. They had come across the lake in separate canoes and now weren’t sitting by each other. Much to my disappointment, Brooks wasn’t sitting next to me either. I hoped that didn’t mean he was mad at me. I tried to catch his eye but his focus was on Maricela.

“Welcome,” she said from where she sat on my right.

Tia, on my left, giggled, then put her hand over her mouth to stop. I wondered if she was nervous. I found myself a little nervous, sitting in the dark, only a single flashlight pointing at Maricela’s face. She looked like a ghost.

She shot Tia a look, then continued. “For those of you who weren’t here last year, this is our moon circle. As you can see, there is no moon in the sky, which makes it a perfect time for renewal. Tonight is like a fresh start. Or just a time to think about what you really want and to remotivate yourself. Everyone hold hands.”

Kai was on Maricela’s right, and I watched him take her hand. I wondered if her speech had softened him. If he and Brooks would make up. Brooks was next to Tia and as I linked hands with her, so did he. I reminded myself that jealousy was not a good emotion to bring to a night of renewal.

“Now, everyone close your eyes,” Mari said, switching off the flashlight and then taking my hand.

It was so dark I almost didn’t need to close my eyes. I could barely make out my own crossed legs. But I closed them anyway.

“Let go of the things that are holding you back,” Maricela said. “And fill your mind only with the things that will take you forward.” She fell silent.

I tried to clear my mind, think about my future, college, teaching, like my mom. But all I could see was Lauren’s disappointed face when I’d said I couldn’t sing. And Brooks’s shrug when I’d said I was sorry. I tried to picture myself onstage, a microphone in hand, a crowd of people waiting, watching, and panic immediately gripped my chest.

Maricela squeezed my hand and I realized I was breathing fast. I relaxed my shoulders and shook away those thoughts. I needed to try something new tomorrow, I decided. Get back to my goal of discovering myself. Picture something new you can try, I told my brain. But I was left with only blackness. Brooks would help me think of something.

I froze.

Wait, Brooks wasn’t doing the festival anymore. I no longer needed to help him write a song. Did this mean our deal was off?

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