a turtle design on it, and it makes me wonder what kind of familiar she will get one day. A turtle would actually be a cool familiar for her, and I haven’t seen that many. Though our mum has a cat, and her sisters have wolves. So who knows?
We get to the front of the queue, and I choose a yellow fake horse to climb on. Alex jumps on the one next to me, and the girls quickly claim the ones in front. Poor Mason and Liam get stuck on the small horses a few back, and they look so funny I can’t help but giggle.
“Not funny!” Mason shouts, and we all burst into more fits of laughter. The ride starts blasting the music it gives off before moving, and the horse slowly goes up and down under me. It’s more fun to ride Shadow, but hearing the girls giggling in front of me, knowing my guys are all with me, this is perfect.
The ride goes round and round, and I end up looking over the crowd. I freeze, my blood turning cold when I spot Bethany in the crowd, just standing there. Her blonde hair whips around her shoulders, a black cloak tied to her neck. She smiles like nothing is wrong. Without thinking, I jump off the horse and run off the ride.
“Ana!” Alex roars after me, but I don’t stop. I push the gate open, rushing through the crowd who move out of the way for me. I run all the way to where she is, coming to a halt as I spin around, looking for her, but no one is in a cloak. I spin around and around until I suck in a deep breath, stopping as my heart beats fast in my chest. Alex runs right to me, staring into my eyes, asking what the hell happened.
“Bethany. I’m sure I saw her in the crowd,” I say, shaking my head. “I saw her, I know I did.”
“Ana...,” Alex softly says, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Bethany couldn’t have been here. You might have been looking for her in the crowd and just—”
“No, I saw her,” I firmly say, but even as I think about it, the more I wonder if I’ve gone completely insane. “Or at least I think I did. I haven’t been sleeping because of my dreams, maybe I’m just going mad.”
“You’re not going mad at all,” he soothes me. “The dreams, the magic that goes with them must be showing you something. Maybe warning you. But I don’t believe for a second that you are going crazy.”
Liam and Mason come running over, Phoebe and Skye with them. “Are you alright?” Liam asks, sounding worried.
“Yes, I will explain later,” I say, my eyes fixing on Phoebe. “I think I’m going to walk away from the party a little and get some fresh air. I’m not feeling a hundred percent.”
“I will go with her. Why don’t you take the girls on the rides?” Alex suggests.
“Are you sure?” Mason asks, looking in my eyes. I nod, walking to him and cuddling him for a second. I kiss Skye and Phoebe on their heads, and Liam wraps me in his arms for a long moment.
“I still want that kiss on the Ferris wheel,” he whispers to me. “I won’t forget.”
“I promise you’ll get one,” I tell him, kissing his cheek and stepping back. Alex links his fingers with mine as we walk out of the crowds and onto the beach. It’s well-lit for a little bit until only the moonlight guides us as we walk down the sand and onto a rockier part of the beach a good half an hour away from the party. Alex finds us a flat rock, well hidden by others and big enough for us both to lie on. He takes off his coat, laying it down before sitting on it and leaving room for me. I sit next to him, wrapping my arms around my knees the best I can with my bump as I look over the sea.
“I miss Bethany. So much,” I admit. “How messed up is that? I miss the sister who tried to kill me.”
“It’s not messed up. In every way, Bethany was a sister and mum to you for a big part of your life. Even now, when she has done evil things, it doesn’t mean that is an automatic cut off for your love for her,” he replies and somehow makes it all