Charlotte nods. “I trust that you’re correct. Even still, there are things you can do to protect yourself.”
I frown. “So you think I did those things? You think I pushed Steve out of a window?” Just talking about the events from back in Silver Lake makes me want to cry. I look up to find the grump’s accusing eyes pinned on me. I didn’t think I was talking that loud. I’m quick to turn my gaze away. “I didn’t touch him,” I say in a quieter voice.
Charlotte nods again. “Of course you didn’t. But there are moments when our emotions can get the better of us. Sometimes, it’s not what we do or don’t do, but how we react. There’s a power within all of us, Kat. For people like you and me, that power can become so intense, it feels like we might implode. Am I right?”
I can feel my bones shaking with her words. Somehow, Charlotte just explained it perfectly. “Yes.” It’s just a whisper, but I can tell by her slow inhale that she heard it.
“You can learn to control that energy, Kat. I can help you.”
“How?”
Charlotte smiles, altering the mood from intense to relaxed in one single beat. “For starters, you can change your mindset. It’s you who chooses the energy you accept and release, not the other way around. You should only take in what you know you can control.”
I think about her words. The concept seems so simple, but I have no idea where to start when it comes to applying the thought process to myself. So when the grump returns to drop off our ice waters, I flash him the biggest smile I can muster and say, “Thank you,” as if there’s never been a problem at all. “You don’t happen to be hiring, do you?” I bat my eyes up at him.
When shock registers on his face, I want to laugh.
“Um, no. We’re not.” That’s all he gives me before he’s walking away again.
Trisha must have overheard him as she’s walking by, because she twists her face up at his back and stops at our table. “Don’t mind Johnny. He’s always like that. Most of us just ignore him. We actually are hiring.” Her blue eyes sparkle with the sun at her back. “Do you want me to get you an application?”
I flash her an appreciative smile. “I would love one, but—” I chew on my bottom lip as my insecurities rise to the surface. “I don’t have any work experience or anything.”
Trisha shrugs. “We all have to start somewhere.” Then she sticks out her hand. “I’m Trisha, by the way.”
We shake. “I’m Kat.”
“Welcome to Apollo Beach, Kat. You should call me if you ever get stir-crazy. It’s a small town, but there’s plenty to do. I’d be happy to be your guide, anytime.”
My chest warms. “Thank you.”
Charlotte reaches out and squeezes the girl’s arm. “I’m sure Kat would love that. Thank you, Trisha.”
“No problem. Let me go grab you that application.”
She hurries off, and I’m already feeling a hundred times better than I was minutes ago. Between broody Johnny and the catty crew a few tables over, I was sure my stay here was going downhill fast. But maybe I actually stand a chance of surviving this place for the short term.
Night passes without another vision or dream to wake me in a cold sweat. I expected the dreams to come. In a strange way, I wanted them to come. As haunting as they are, I can't help but feel like they’re trying to tell me something important. Maybe the dreams are a warning. Or maybe they’re telling me the opposite—that I’ll find happiness in this small town.
Alec’s face crosses my mind, and I wave it away, knowing those thoughts are only distractions. There’s no point in getting comfortable here, not when I’m planning to leave in a month. It’s a good thing too. If the confrontation with Ava and Iris is any indication of what I can expect, then I don’t want it.
An image of Trisha pops into my mind next, as if my subconscious wants to remind me that not everyone here is a complete asshole. She handed me that job application like she wanted me to return it too. I promised her I would while simultaneously ignoring the glare Johnny shot me from the other side of the room. The rebel in me wants the job even more now that I know it would bother him.
I’m still thinking about the events from yesterday when I’m at breakfast with Rose.
She’s already finished with her meal, and now she’s watching me push food around my plate. “How was your shopping trip yesterday?”
“Good. I picked out a dress for the party. I promise to repay you.”
“Don’t be foolish. You don’t need to repay me.” Rose’s insistent tone tells me she’s not up for arguing.
Sighing, I look up at her. “Okay, but I’m still going to get a job.”
Rose nods. “I can see that it’s important to you. I saw the application for Island Grille. I can put in a good word with the manager.”
Anger flares in my chest. I hate that this is my reaction, and I’m not exactly sure where it comes from exactly. But I don’t want any of Rose’s handouts. “I’d like to try to get the job on my own, if that’s okay.”
Rose looks slightly taken aback, but she nods. “Okay, dear. Then I wish you all the luck in the world.”
“Thank you.”
Her face relaxes into a smile, and her shoulders seem to fall slightly too. “Of course,” she starts, catching me off guard. “You’ll be busy soon with… other things, so perhaps you should hold off on submitting that application for now.”
“What? Why?”
Rose shrugs. “You’ll see.”
There it is again. The secrets. The mystery. The deep sense that there’s a bigger plan for me. Anger sweeps through me again. “I don’t understand. What is it that you think I’ll be busy with?”
A small smile pushes up her cheeks. “Oh, all sorts of things.”
I force my next breath to be a slow one as I try to steady the rush of heat swirling through me. That’s it. I can’t wait to tell her anymore. Rose thinks I have a future in this place, when the opposite is true. While I feel like I owe her nothing, my conscience tells me differently. “I plan to leave after my eighteenth birthday.”
Rose gasps. “What? You most certainly will not.”
I ignore her and continue. “While I appreciate you taking me in and giving me a home and food and clothes, I will not overstay my welcome.”
“Overstay your welcome? But this is your home, Katrina. You must stay.” She leans forward, her expressive eyes firm on me.
“No offense, Rose, but we haven’t had a relationship my entire life, and now you want me to make this my permanent home? I can’t. I won’t.”
“You must.”
“Why?” I demand. “And don’t give me a vague answer and tell me I’ll understand in time, because I want to understand right now. Why must I stay?”
“Because this is your home. It’s where your parents met. It’s where you were born. You belong here, Katrina.”
My jaw drops. “I don’t know where I belong, but it’s not here.”
“It is.” Her tone is firm, almost scolding. “I understand your frustration, but this isn’t something I can elaborate on at this moment.”