Chapter 7
Birthday Girl
Aspen woke up energized after a strangely dreamless sleep. Today was her birthday! She felt excited as she dressed, and even ignored the fact that Miriam had smeared toothpaste over the bathroom faucet and hadn't bothered to clean it. After wiping the sink, she scrubbed her face, brushed her teeth, and skipped down the staircase.
"Happy birthday, sweetie." Her mom greeted her with a big grin in the kitchen and hugged her. She handed Aspen a small box wrapped in shiny paper with a silver bow.
"Mom, you shouldn't have," she exclaimed and kissed her mom's cheeks.
"It's just something small. Your dad bought it for you when you were a baby. I took it to the jeweler and got a new strap."
Aspen hastily removed the paper and ribbon and opened the box gently. A dainty silver watch lay nestled in white tissue paper. It had a mother-of-pearl face and delicate silver hands.
"It's a wind-up watch. No need for a battery," her mom explained with a smile. "It winds up as your body moves, so you can't damage it."
"It's beautiful." A tear formed in the corner of Aspen's eye, and her throat closed up. "Did Dad really get it for me?"
"Yes, honey. The strap was too small, but I've kept it all these years."
"It's perfect. Thank you!" Squeezing her mom, she added, "I have to go, I'll see you later."
Aspen ran to meet the bus and admired her watch throughout the ride to school. She was so excited about her birthday, more than she'd ever been before. Her hair hung loosely to her waist, and she wore her best thrift-store jeans and a turquoise-blue top. Today was supposed to be special-or so Sandy had told her.
She hoped that they hadn't teased her. If this was a hoax, she'd be so upset. Maybe she'd talked in her sleep and Miriam had secretly heard her and put Sandy up to trick her. That thought plagued her for a minute before she shook her head vigorously. No, today was special, and no one would spoil it for her.
Dylan and Sandy waited for Aspen in their usual spot, and she jumped from the bus to greet them.
Dylan's gaze traced over her body, then settled on her lips as she walked over. She shivered at his intense stare.
Reaching out, he ran the pads of his fingers up her throat and rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. "Happy birthday, my little Dream Walker," he whispered and kissed her on her cheek.
Aspen blushed and smiled at the same time. She was still embarrassed because she'd been so brazen the previous day, but it didn't seem to affect him at all.
Sandy grabbed her away from him and smacked her lips against Aspen's other cheek. "Happy birthday, Aspen. Welcome to our clan."
Laughing, she pulled back. "Enough, enough, guys. It's just my birthday."
"That's the point. It's the most special day of your life." Sandy grinned. "Here." She handed a small gift-wrapped box to her. "You can only open it at lunch when we're with you," she warned.
"Thank you! You didn't have to, but thanks. It means a lot to me."
"This is from me," Dylan said. He stared into Aspen's eyes as he handed her another small box.
"Thank you," she murmured, and looked up to see Miriam standing a short distance away with a scowl on her face. Her stepsister crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at Aspen. The warning was clear, and as soon as she'd made her point, she turned around and disappeared into the school building.
"Give them back to me. You can't open them until lunch anyway. I don't want you peeking before then." Sandy chuckled as she removed the two boxes from Aspen's hands.
"Oh my word, that's so mean." She laughed. "In that case, I suppose we'll have to go to class."
The thought of what could be inside the boxes made her giddy. Unfortunately Miriam had seen her, and that could only mean trouble. So, even though she was excited, she was wary as well. But this was her birthday, and Aspen was determined to let nothing ruin her day.
After she'd promised Sandy that they would join her in the cafeteria at lunchtime, Dylan followed her to their biology class.
As they neared the classroom, they saw a group of girls crowded around the bulletin board outside. Miriam and Amber were in the center of the commotion, and everyone was talking while some were laughing out loud. Amber turned as Aspen got closer.
"There she is!" She pointed her finger and the girls turned around in unison. They sniggered with laughter and clapped one another on the back. Miriam caught her eye and glared at her, but Aspen decided to ignore it on her special day.
One by one, the girls filed into the classroom, and when they were gone, she finally saw what they were laughing at. A note was stuck on the corkboard, written in big black letters on a white piece of paper.
Aspen Walker Loves Dylan Powers
Dylan tensed behind her and all the blood drained from her face. They were still staring at the note when their biology teacher stepped up to the board.
Aspen winced when she saw it was Miss Thompson. She was one of their strictest teachers, and always wore a suit to school each day. The dowdy woman lowered her tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses and stared at the note for a moment, then patted her short dark curls as she glanced back at Aspen with an expression that almost looked sympathetic. With a sharp tug, she ripped the note from the corkboard and crumpled it in her hands.
"Hurry up or you'll be late for class," she said curtly, then nodded her head toward the classroom.
Aspen was still speechless as she walked inside, but Miriam and Amber burst out laughing at the sight of her, which caused the rest of the class to join in. She walked stiffly toward her desk, knowing that Dylan was just behind her.
"Ignore them." His voice was calm and he touched her arm. Tingles shot through her body and his touch calmed her as she sank into her seat. Looking up, she saw Miriam waving a black permanent marker in the air with a smirk on her face.
Miss Thompson told the students to settle down, and then started her lesson immediately.
Dylan sat calmly behind her and as she moved back in the desk, he gathered her loose hair and twisted it into a ponytail and played with the strands. It felt so good that she relaxed and angled her head so he could get a better grip.
The teacher's voice droned on in the background, and she blocked out the snickers of the other girls and took notes.
"Watch this," Dylan said in a low voice after a few minutes.
With a cry, Miriam jumped up from her desk. "Ouch!" She looked at her seat and sat down carefully again.
"Ow!" she screamed. "Miss Thompson, this desk is shocking me."
Aspen's lips quirked as she tried to hide her smile. Dylan pointed in her stepsister's direction, and she could see tiny darts of blue fire as they flicked from his fingertips.
"Ow!" Miriam whined. "I can't sit here any longer."
"Miriam, if you're looking for attention, then perhaps the principal's office is the right place to find it." Miss Thompson glowered at the girl, her lips pressed into a tight line.
"I'm not joking-ow! That hurt," Miriam cried out again.
The other students tittered with laughter, and the entire classroom erupted into chaos as Miss Thompson fumed and pointed to the door.
"Miriam, go to the principal's office now!"
Aspen chuckled as her stepsister grumbled all the way out of the classroom.
Perhaps the day would get better after all. She glanced at her new watch, willing the time to pass quickly so she could meet Sandy for lunch.
- - -
After their morning classes were over, Dylan looped his arm through hers and guided her to the cafeteria. A powerful charge from his fingers trickled through her veins and it felt so good, both soothing and exciting at the same time.
Sandy waited for them with small pieces of iced birthday cake spread out on three paper plates. Soda fizzed in real glasses, and three small birthday party hats lay on the table for them.
"Cool, birthday hats." Dylan grinned and placed the elastic band under his chin. The tiny red hat gave him a jaunty look as
it nestled in his hair. Sandy offered a hat to Aspen, and she pulled it onto her head.
"You didn't have to do this," she said with a laugh.
"Nonsense. It's not every day that such a powerful Dream Walker can be welcomed into the clan." Sandy offered her a glass of soda.
"Me? Powerful? I don't think so." Aspen shook her head.
Sandy shoved a piece of cake into her mouth and crumbs flew as she spoke. "That's true .?.?.?," she mumbled, and took a large sip of soda. "Your father was one of our leaders. In Lanta, you're a pri-"
"Sandy." Dylan looked at her sharply. "Not now."
Looking down sheepishly, Sandy turned her attention to a thick piece of buttercream icing, and licked her fingers after she'd wiped it from the plate.
"Did you bring the presents?" Dylan asked, changing the subject suddenly.
"Ah yes, here they are." She pointed to the two boxes in her backpack, and Dylan set them down on the table.
"Guys, you shouldn't have. This is insane." Aspen beamed. "Which one should I open first?"
"Mine, mine!" Sandy exclaimed. She wiped her sticky palms along her blue jeans and almost jumped in the seat with excitement.
Aspen ripped the brightly colored paper from the larger box and opened it slowly. She felt the energy of the present before she removed it from its cover.
Dylan lifted a light brown leather strap from the box and fastened it around her wrist. It had black markings impressed on it and was tied with two leather thongs that threaded into pressed silver grommets. He held her arm out and admired the band. The static electricity that usually raced through her body calmed instantly.
"Hmm, that feels nice," she said with a smile.
"Never take it off. You won't shock anyone unless you want to now. You'll be able to control the power completely with your mind after this. We all have them." Dylan lifted his hand to indicate the strap on his wrist.
Sandy lined her arm up next to his to show her strap as well. "See, we all wear them."
"That is so cool. I've seen them before, but I've never asked about them. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome," Dylan said with a smile. "Open the next box."
Aspen pulled apart the shiny red paper carefully. Each gift was special, especially since she'd never had so many presents before.
Her mouth fell open as she removed the box's lid and found a beautiful silver ring nestled inside. The most stunning oval-shaped blue topaz set in intricate silver patterns sparkled back at her, and she inhaled sharply.
"It's so beautiful," she said. "What does this do?"
"Nothing," Dylan said softly. "It matches the color of your eyes." He placed it carefully on the ring finger of her right hand and smiled at her. Aspen's heart fluttered and her body sang as he held her carefully.
Sandy finished the last of her cake and burped gently. "Wow, that was good!" she exclaimed. "Eat up, lunchtime is nearly over."
Aspen withdrew her hand and finished the cake as soon as she could.
"Remember to go to sleep early tonight," Sandy told her. "Your coming-of-age ceremony is going to be awesome."
Aspen's face glowed with pleasure as they left the cafeteria.
Even though Stephan and Miriam didn't wish her a happy birthday when she got back home, she wasn't worried. She tried to get to bed as soon as possible and closed her eyes tightly once her mother had tucked her in and turned out the light.