Gwen's head was woozy and light. She blinked hard to clear her swimming mind. A strange wave of complacency quickly enveloped the shores of her panic, leaving only a lingering sense of unease around the edges. She stared at Aidan, trying hard to focus. His hair glowed in the flicker of the bonfire, the light dancing and making his whole head seem aflame. His eyes, normally a bright and merry green, were growing dark and shadowed in the dim. Only glints in the firelight let Gwen know that he still looked at her, waiting for an answer. She swallowed, trying to fight the calm. It seemed a ridiculous thing to do, now. She wondered why she bothered.
“Once, when I was seven,” she said dreamily, “I cut a worm in half.” She was half appalled that she was talking, and half entranced by Aidan’s left eyebrow. “I showed a girl at school. She thought it was gross, so I put it together and brought it back to life. She screamed and ran for the teacher. Not that anyone believed her. Idiot,” she added with disdain.
She focused on Aidan as he stared at her, his body completely still. He wore an odd expression of disbelief—and hope.
“What else?” He breathed out the words so softly that she had to lean closer to hear. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. She could feel the heat of his body, and the tenseness in his shoulder. She whispered in his ear, horrified at her blabbing mouth, powerless to stop it. It was oddly satisfying, though. She hadn’t expected that. To share her strangeness, her secret, with another person was almost exhilarating.
“I’ve exploded pillows and watermelons. I’ve made plates fly around the room. Once I made our houseplant sprout until it burst through the ceiling. I don’t know what the matter with me is. When my emotions are strong, when I lose control, weird things happen.”
Gwen leaned back to gauge the effect of her words on Aidan, hand still firmly on his shoulder. He seemed dazed, eyes searching hers. He swayed and blinked, the drink clearly taking hold.
“For real? You’re not messing with me?”
The fire drew her in. Silhouettes leaped around it, dancing to the drum throbbing like a heartbeat. She had a wild need to jump and run and twirl, join hands with the others and soar over the flames like a phoenix.
“It’s all true. Why do you think I never drink?” She ran her hand down the length of his arm, feeling gratified as he shuddered. “I’m tired of talking. Come dance with me.”
“Do you know how?” He let himself be drawn up by her as she stood.
“Let’s figure it out.” Gwen suddenly pulled him close and grazed her lips against his, softly, like a feather floating on water. Astonished by her daring, heart pumping faster than the drum, she twirled away.
She ran toward the dancers, her dress fluttering around her legs. She felt free and wild, the same way she felt walking in a windstorm, energized and alive. As she approached the ring of dancers, they parted to draw her in. She was whisked into the arms of a man with a crown of leaves and white teeth glinting in the firelight. He was bare to the waist, and the golden skin of his left shoulder sported an intricate tattoo of vines and leaves. They twirled and leaped, and Gwen knew exactly what to do. A small part of her was astonished that she knew, but that part was very quiet in the roar of energy that filled her.
She was unsurprised when Aidan joined the dance a few minutes or hours later, she wasn’t sure. Time had ceased to have meaning. She let the dance sweep her away.
Hours or minutes later, she found herself partnered with Aidan. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright. They danced without speaking, Aidan’s eyes fixed on hers. She found herself trying to extend her moves to have her hands lingering on his body. Her breath came faster than her exertions warranted, and a dizziness took over that had nothing to do with the whirling of the dance. The drums pulsed from the edge of the firelight.
A great cry erupted from the dancers on the far side of the fire. Momentarily distracted, Gwen looked over. Some were clapping and shouting, while others continued dancing around them. A couple broke away from the group, held hands, and ran straight toward the fire.
Gwen gasped. Were they going to burn themselves? At the last moment the pair leaped high and soared above the crackling roar of the bonfire. They landed gracefully on the other side as the others cheered, and joined the dance again. Another pair prepared to jump.
Gwen turned to Aidan with excitement and met his shining eyes. They danced closer to the cheering group as the drums beat faster.
In no time at all they found themselves at the jumping point. A laughing woman dipped her fingers in a small clay pot and swirled berry juice in twists on Gwen’s cheek, and in broad stripes on Aidan’s. Aidan grasped her hand tightly.
“You ready?” he whispered in her ear. She shivered as his warm breath brushed her cheek. She squeezed his hand in reply and they turned to face the fire.
The flames roared high, the tallest reaching into the air far past Aidan’s head. Gwen stared up at the stars, brighter than she’d ever seen, and then at Aidan. They ran as one to the fire and leaped.
They soared straight across, higher than Gwen would have thought possible. She looked down midway into the blazing heart of the fire and had a moment’s fear, but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
They landed hard on the other side to cheers from the crowd. Gwen couldn’t keep her balance, and they stumbled haphazardly out of the ring of dancers. Aidan tripped as they laughed uncontrollably and they both went down, rolling together in a muddle. They stopped, still laughing, Aidan sprawled on top of Gwen.
Gwen gave a few more chuckles, but those soon died. She was suddenly, intensely aware of Aidan’s body, the whole length of it pressed against hers. Her breathing was shallow. Half of his face was in shadow, the other half gazing at her intently. There was no laughter from him anymore, and he wore an expression of vulnerability and longing. Without thinking, Gwen leaned her head forward and kissed him hard on the mouth. Her eyes closed.
He responded slowly at first, then with a sudden eagerness, pressing her to the ground with his intensity. Gwen’s world shrunk until nothing remained but the two of them, here, now.
The fire died with a hiss, and everything went dark.
“Once, when I was seven,” she said dreamily, “I cut a worm in half.” She was half appalled that she was talking, and half entranced by Aidan’s left eyebrow. “I showed a girl at school. She thought it was gross, so I put it together and brought it back to life. She screamed and ran for the teacher. Not that anyone believed her. Idiot,” she added with disdain.
She focused on Aidan as he stared at her, his body completely still. He wore an odd expression of disbelief—and hope.
“What else?” He breathed out the words so softly that she had to lean closer to hear. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. She could feel the heat of his body, and the tenseness in his shoulder. She whispered in his ear, horrified at her blabbing mouth, powerless to stop it. It was oddly satisfying, though. She hadn’t expected that. To share her strangeness, her secret, with another person was almost exhilarating.
“I’ve exploded pillows and watermelons. I’ve made plates fly around the room. Once I made our houseplant sprout until it burst through the ceiling. I don’t know what the matter with me is. When my emotions are strong, when I lose control, weird things happen.”
Gwen leaned back to gauge the effect of her words on Aidan, hand still firmly on his shoulder. He seemed dazed, eyes searching hers. He swayed and blinked, the drink clearly taking hold.
“For real? You’re not messing with me?”
The fire drew her in. Silhouettes leaped around it, dancing to the drum throbbing like a heartbeat. She had a wild need to jump and run and twirl, join hands with the others and soar over the flames like a phoenix.
“It’s all true. Why do you think I never drink?” She ran her hand down the length of his arm, feeling gratified as he shuddered. “I’m tired of talking. Come dance with me.”
“Do you know how?” He let himself be drawn up by her as she stood.
“Let’s figure it out.” Gwen suddenly pulled him close and grazed her lips against his, softly, like a feather floating on water. Astonished by her daring, heart pumping faster than the drum, she twirled away.
She ran toward the dancers, her dress fluttering around her legs. She felt free and wild, the same way she felt walking in a windstorm, energized and alive. As she approached the ring of dancers, they parted to draw her in. She was whisked into the arms of a man with a crown of leaves and white teeth glinting in the firelight. He was bare to the waist, and the golden skin of his left shoulder sported an intricate tattoo of vines and leaves. They twirled and leaped, and Gwen knew exactly what to do. A small part of her was astonished that she knew, but that part was very quiet in the roar of energy that filled her.
She was unsurprised when Aidan joined the dance a few minutes or hours later, she wasn’t sure. Time had ceased to have meaning. She let the dance sweep her away.
Hours or minutes later, she found herself partnered with Aidan. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright. They danced without speaking, Aidan’s eyes fixed on hers. She found herself trying to extend her moves to have her hands lingering on his body. Her breath came faster than her exertions warranted, and a dizziness took over that had nothing to do with the whirling of the dance. The drums pulsed from the edge of the firelight.
A great cry erupted from the dancers on the far side of the fire. Momentarily distracted, Gwen looked over. Some were clapping and shouting, while others continued dancing around them. A couple broke away from the group, held hands, and ran straight toward the fire.
Gwen gasped. Were they going to burn themselves? At the last moment the pair leaped high and soared above the crackling roar of the bonfire. They landed gracefully on the other side as the others cheered, and joined the dance again. Another pair prepared to jump.
Gwen turned to Aidan with excitement and met his shining eyes. They danced closer to the cheering group as the drums beat faster.
In no time at all they found themselves at the jumping point. A laughing woman dipped her fingers in a small clay pot and swirled berry juice in twists on Gwen’s cheek, and in broad stripes on Aidan’s. Aidan grasped her hand tightly.
“You ready?” he whispered in her ear. She shivered as his warm breath brushed her cheek. She squeezed his hand in reply and they turned to face the fire.
The flames roared high, the tallest reaching into the air far past Aidan’s head. Gwen stared up at the stars, brighter than she’d ever seen, and then at Aidan. They ran as one to the fire and leaped.
They soared straight across, higher than Gwen would have thought possible. She looked down midway into the blazing heart of the fire and had a moment’s fear, but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
They landed hard on the other side to cheers from the crowd. Gwen couldn’t keep her balance, and they stumbled haphazardly out of the ring of dancers. Aidan tripped as they laughed uncontrollably and they both went down, rolling together in a muddle. They stopped, still laughing, Aidan sprawled on top of Gwen.
Gwen gave a few more chuckles, but those soon died. She was suddenly, intensely aware of Aidan’s body, the whole length of it pressed against hers. Her breathing was shallow. Half of his face was in shadow, the other half gazing at her intently. There was no laughter from him anymore, and he wore an expression of vulnerability and longing. Without thinking, Gwen leaned her head forward and kissed him hard on the mouth. Her eyes closed.
He responded slowly at first, then with a sudden eagerness, pressing her to the ground with his intensity. Gwen’s world shrunk until nothing remained but the two of them, here, now.
The fire died with a hiss, and everything went dark.