The Summer Solstice ~ Enchanted Read Online Free PDF

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital. I don’t think those kind of
headaches are normal.”
    I edge myself away from him and
shake my head. “Thank you but I’ll be fine. I feel fine now.” I stand
effortlessly to prove it.
    He looks unsure with my decision
but rises with me. “Can I at least walk you back to where you came from? Where did you come from?”
    What a
strange question. “I’m just next door,
almost there.” My eyes move towards Rose’s estate. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”
    “You’re Rose’s granddaughter.”
His voice changes but I can’t make out the tone. He’s confident in his
assumption. And disapproving? I shake the thought away – now is not the
time to try to understand anything.
    I nod my head. “Yes.” I turn away
slightly, but sneak a look at him from under my eyelashes. “I should go.”
    I turn toward the place I’m
forced to call home before he can argue and disappear from his sight.
    Maybe I was slightly rude to
just take off like that, but this situation is much too strange to explain to a
complete stranger – a stranger whose name I didn’t even ask. But it
didn’t matter. Something told me I would be seeing him again soon.
     

Chapter Three
    Night passes without another vision or dream to
wake me in a cold sweat. A disturbing thought. In my exhaustion from recent
events I expected the dreams to come. In a strange way, I wanted the
dreams to come. I thought if they came to me I could begin to understand them.
What struck me the most in both my vision on the beach and nightmare in front
of my vanity mirror, was my appearance. The girl in the mirror looked like me,
but different. Like a porcelain doll, with my skin so clear, eyes so bright and
hair so perfectly placed around my face. And the necklace – I don’t know
what to think about that green stone necklace, but I was wearing it in both
illusions.
    The most disturbing thought on my mind now is that
in my dreams and visions I look happy. Maybe someone is telling me something.
Maybe the dreams mean that I will find happiness in this small town. A picture
of the boy next door crosses my mind and I wave it away, knowing those thoughts
are only distractions.
    Disappointment accompanies me downstairs as I take
my seat at the breakfast table across from Rose. Her breakfast plate is clean
with the exception of a piece of toast.
    Charlotte places a hot plate in front of me and
pours a glass of milk. “Thank you,” I respond without taking my eyes off of
Rose. I realize I’m fearful of her being angry with me. The cold shoulder I got
from her when I returned from my late-night walk last night doesn’t help. “I’m
sorry I’m late for breakfast.” My eyes are turned down to avoid her
discontentment.
    “Nonsense.” My eyes shoot up. “We’ll get our
routine down soon enough. Besides, this time is troublesome, I can imagine. You
need whatever rest you can get.” Rose smiles brightly at me. I let out a breath
of air in relief.
    I wonder whether or not I should tell Rose about
the strange events of last night. Maybe she can help with whatever is going on
in my head. Maybe I need to see a shrink.
    “Did you have a nice night? Charlotte says you went
for a walk on the beach?”
    I nod, stabbing a piece of egg from my plate. My
appetite hasn’t been great lately. “My walk was nice. The beach was –
peaceful.” My answers are short, I know, but I’m still debating what to say.
    “This might sound strange,” I start again, “but
– I fell asleep on the beach last night. When I woke up it was dark, and
that’s when I finally came to dinner.” I continue to spill the rest of the
story, speaking fast, but making sure to catch every important detail in hopes
that someone will have answers.
    Rose and Charlotte catch each other’s eye and I
wonder what this silent exchange is supposed to mean. “Yes,” Rose answers. “You
were all out of sorts when you came home last night. We thought maybe you’d
gotten