Lux

Lux crept down the stairs not long after the sun rose the next morning. Grit filled her eyes and her body protested with each step, but she couldn't force herself to stay in bed any longer. Mostly because Kitty kicked in her sleep, and her hangover snores reached the underworld. Travis was no quieter. His long, gangly form was stretched across Lux's bedroom floor, and the pillow his face was smashed into did nothing to muffle his wheezing breaths.

But as she settled herself into the porch swing with a cup of coffee warming her hands, she knew sleep eluded her for other reasons. The little sleep she had managed had been filled with a strange string of alternating nightmares and dreams. New faces appeared- one the handsome Declan. The others were girls she'd never seen before with her eyes, but her heart whispered she knew them.

She raised the stoneware mug to her mouth and paused. The rich hints of caramel and vanilla wafted from the cup, but it wasn't enough to distract her from watching the two women wandering up the gravel driveway. Clouds obscured the morning sky, and raindrops dotted the concrete path to the porch. Her grandmother and mother strolled toward the house with their heads bowed to keep the drizzle out of their faces. The stern line of Mama's mouth suggested that, as usual, she was not pleased by what Memaw was saying, but Lux knew she was taking it in. Accepting it.

They hadn't spotted her yet, and she took the moment to study the two most important women in her life. They were so similar in looks and posture. She didn't know if it was because she'd never seen her grandfather to know what features her mother inherited from him, or if it was because Memaw's DNA had dominated, but her mother could have been Phoebe Godelieve thirty-seven years ago. If only their approaches to life were as similar as their looks.

Memaw looked up with a smile, as if she was expecting to find her granddaughter waiting for them. "Good morning, Lux. You're up awful early for having been out so late."

"Good morning, Memaw. I didn't expect you to be here this morning."

They walked up the steps and over to where Lux was swinging. Memaw placed a hand on her cheek before stooping down to replace her hand with her lips. "I wouldn't miss my granddaughter's seventeenth birthday."

"How are you feeling?" Mama asked, dark eyes assessing Lux carefully.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Should I not be?"

"I heard y'all stumble in this morning. I figured your head would be giving you fits."

A giggle slipped out of Lux's mouth, and she answered around a smile. "I only stumbled because I was trying to help Kitty and Travis up the stairs. I doubt we'll be seeing them before noon."

"I'm glad one of you three had the common sense to not get wasted last night," Phoebe sniffed, shooting a glare at her daughter. It figured that she'd find fault in Mama's philosophy on alcohol, despite how much she fussed about Mama being too uptight.

"Oh please. Mother, you used to pour me a glass of wine with dinner every night." Mama turned to Lux. "So you've not noticed anything unusual today?"

Twin looks of expectation crossed their faces. The sight would've been comical if Lux wasn't trying so hard to figure out what they were getting at. "Nope."

Triumph glittered in Mama's eyes; disappointment dulled Memaw's. "I'm getting coffee," Mama announced, her voice suddenly chipper. "Mother?"

"Yes, please."

The screen door clanged shut while Lux scooted over to make room for her grandmother. Memaw patted her knee, drawing attention to the odd ring on her finger.

"Is this new?" Lux asked, slipping the piece of jewelry off and scrutinizing it. The setting was antique, and the center tone was black and porous, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. She touched its surface and gasped as a gentle heat warmed the tip of her finger.

Surely not.

"Did you say something?" Lux asked, her eyes still on the ring, now admiring the diamonds surrounding the odd, opaque rock. The flashy brilliance of the gems provided a stark contrast to the centerpiece. She was no jeweler, but she had never seen diamonds with such color or clarity.

"I didn't speak," Memaw answered in a shaky voice. "No, it isn't new. I've had it since I turned seventeen. Your mother says it's ugly, so I don't wear it much around her."

I need to call Declan.

"I think it's fascinating," Lux replied, handing the ring back. "I might wait to call Declan. He may still be sleeping. Memaw? Are you alright? You just turned real pale."

"I'm fine dear. How did last night go? Did Declan enjoy himself?"

Lux folded her arms across her chest and studied her grandmother. The woman's question was innocent enough, but she felt as if she was being redirected. The screen door creaked again, and Mama stepped out with two matching mugs of steaming brew.

"He seemed to," Lux answered. "He's a little odd isn't he? He says he's only nineteen, but he acts like an eighty year old man."

Memaw burst into laughter. "He comes from a very, erm... traditional background. Old southern family. Private schools. Give him some time to adjust."

She thought back to the way his hand felt pressed against her back. She'd be more than happy to give him time to adjust. She'd be his tour guide to everyday life if he desired. From the knowing glances shared between Mama and Memaw, they knew exactly what Lux was thinking.

Clearing her throat in embarrassment, she asked, "Why is he spending his summer here? I wouldn't pick some podunk Mississippi town for my summer vacation if I was wealthy and had a chance to travel."

Memaw became serious. "He lost someone. Someone who meant a lot to him, and he needed a quiet place to get away."

Lux grimaced. An ache formed in her chest as she considered his solemn presence and the vast change a simple smile on his face had made last night. Maybe that had been his first smile in a long time. Then a streak of jealousy pierced her. Had the someone special been a girl?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried," she replied, ashamed of the strange envy.

"No worries, love."

"So what's on the agenda for today?"

She cast a worried eye toward the yard. The light drizzle built to a steady downpour. Most of the malls in Jackson were outdoor venues. Shopping might have to wait another day.

"There's a little store on the edge of town that I wanted to take you to," Mama responded. "You can pick out a piece of jewelry. It's a special tradition for your seventeenth birthday."

Lux thought about the emerald bracelet Kitty wore and her grandmother's ring. Both had been gifts for their seventeenth birthdays. "How did I not know about this tradition? What did you get Mama?"

"I-I lost it a long time ago, but it was a gold bracelet with azurite and tektite stones."

"I'd have pegged you to pick out something with diamonds or pearls," Lux joked, finding it hard to imagine her mother wearing something so unique.

"Oh trust me, that's what she thought she was getting," Memaw said cryptically "But you'll find the jewelry seems to pick the girl."

"Let me go get dressed then." Lux paused before entering the house. "What's the name of the shop? I want to see if it's where Kitty got her emerald bracelet."

"Amulets."

An hour later, Lux sat outside of the oddest jewelry store she'd ever seen. Grass choked the cracks in the parking lot's asphalt, and the painted lines had faded long ago. The little shop was in an old house, the porch sagging and shingles missing on the roof. Dirt caked the small windows so thickly that the light didn't reflect off the glass.

"This is where I'm picking out jewelry?" Lux asked. Her nose scrunched in distaste as she eyed the trash littering the parking lot. "It looks like a place to be murdered."

A fine sweat broke out across her skin as her words took flight and found truth. Someone had been murdered here. Memaw and Mama kept walking towards the entrance while she came to a complete stop. Kitty barreled into her with a loud screech, drawing the attention of the two older women.

"Really Lux," Mama snapped. She'd been irritable the entire car ride over.

"Mama, I don't want to go in there. I don't have a good feeling about it."

Memaw's gaze became raptor-like. "Do you get feelings often, Lux? Or did this start today?"

"This girl is a walking fortune cookie," Kitty replied. "If she tells me I should wear the red shirt instead of the blue one, I'm going to go with it."

"Bella, why haven't you told me about this?" Memaw snapped, swinging her attention to her daughter.

Lux interjected before her mother could offer an excuse. "She hates it. I try to keep it quiet around her. But that's neither here nor there. I am not going in there."

Kitty put her hands on Lux's shoulders and squeezed. "Lux, babe, you know I'm usually all for your feelings, but this place is legit. It's where all the girls go to get their seventeenth birthday jewelry. I got my bracelet here."

"Why the heck am I just now hearing about this tradition?" Lux demanded, allowing herself to be tugged towards the shop. Her pulse raced, but she followed.

The door swung open with a quaint jingle and cool air rushed over the women, making them sigh in unison. The light was dim, and the air smelled faintly of lavender and lemon balm, a combination which soothed the ragged edges of Lux's nerves.

Kitty gave her a reassuring smile and walked to a glass case in the center of the shop. She rapped on the glass, leaned over it, and shouted, "Hello?"

While her friend hollered for help, Lux moved around the store, picking up objects with wonder. Crystals of every color and size, books in foreign languages, and tools she didn't know the use of lined the shelves. Great care was taken with these objects, not a single speck of dust marred the surface of the items. A silver gleam caught her attention, and she reached for a knife with an intricate handle.

"That's an athame. It's used..."

"As a witch's ceremonial knife. What is this place, Memaw? And how on earth did you talk my straight laced mother into stepping foot into this store? I thought we were going to a jewelry store."

"Good lord, pipe down will you," Ruby Knox said, her voice husky as always. She leaned against the front counter while giving Kitty the stink eye. The thick choker she'd worn at the lake hugged her neck, the deep red of the stone glinting in the light from the jewelry case."

"Lux is here to pick out her channeling stone," Kitty explained.

Ruby startled, then gave Lux a lingering appraisal. "I didn't expect you to follow the Rite, Godelieve. My mother said that family line was broken."

"Someone owes me an explanation when we leave here," Lux hissed to her grandmother. She opened her mouth to answer Ruby, but the words that poured out were not the words she'd prepared in her mind. "The Godelieve family will never break. We are the First of the First Daughters."

"Where the actual eff did that come from?" Kitty questioned, looking as shaken as the other three women looking at Lux.

Ruby turned pale, an extraordinary feat given she was already alabaster. She picked up a set of keys and opened a cabinet. "Right, um, let me get the stones out. You can set them in whatever you choose."

The petite girl pulled several trays from the case and placed them on the counter. Purple velvet cushioned each stone, nearly hiding the darker stones like Memaw's. Lux noticed Ruby's hands shook as she set the last tray out, a single stone sitting in the center.

"So is there a method to this? Or do I just pick the prettiest one?" Lux asked.

Ruby's strange nervousness fled as a look of incredulity crossed her face. "Does she even know what's going on here?"

"Hush," Memaw commanded, pushing Lux forward. "Touch each stone and open your soul. The stone will choose you."

She nodded, her grandmother's words not seeming strange to her at all. One by one, she picked up each stone, testing their weight and gasping at the heat that coursed through her. Each time she set it down with a small shake of her head. She became aware of the tension filling the room as she worked her way down the line.

"The lights in that case must be ridiculously warm," she muttered, setting the pearl down.

"Why do you say that?" Mama sounded breathless.

"These stones feel like they've been sitting in an oven."

A collective gasp disrupted her concentration as she reached for a ruby. "All of them?"

"Yeah... is that odd?"

The ruby wasn't right. Last were the tektite, azurite, and opal. She thought of her mother's bracelet and a deep longing to share that with her filled her heart. She picked up the stones together, the heat far more intense than before, and she thought she imagined a glow surrounding them. Mama, tense the entire time Lux was choosing her stones, seemed to sag in relief.

"Do you choose those?" Ruby asked, looking disappointed.

"I think so," Lux answered. Immediately darkness swelled around her. She threw the stones down and drew a shuddering breath as the feeling fled. "No. I don't choose those."

"That just leaves the opal."

Lux eyed the rock. Of all them, it's look appealed the most to her. All the colors found in the other gemstones swirled within the iridescent casing. They glittered and burned as if the rock was lit from within. She could easily imagine it hanging from her neck on a silver chain surrounded by small diamonds.

"Go ahead, honey," Memaw said, pushing Lux's hand toward the opal.

Nodding, she reached for it, her hand hovering over its surface for several seconds. The girls around her pressed in, their eyes glued to the stone. No one breathed. Kitty's face was flushed, and her blue eyes burned bright with triumph. Lux let out her breath in a whoosh and scooped it up.

And felt nothing. No heat. No glow. It was just a rock. She tossed it down, turned away from the expectant faces and left the shop. Somehow, she'd just failed a rite of passage and disappointed the most important people in her world, but stranger still, she'd disappointed herself.

Sandals crunching against the pavement, she broke into a sprint, her eyes locked on the wooded area around the store. A jarring pain blossomed in her chest, stealing her breath and blurring her vision. Her nails broke against the bark of the first tree she came to as she grasped the trunk to hold herself upright. The wet scent of soil and summer flowers swirled around her, clearing her head and easing the agony coursing through her. Dropping to her knees, she dug her hands into the earth, finding strength and comfort in the soil.

"Lux!" Her mother was calling after her frantically, but unless she stepped off the porch and walked toward the car, she wouldn't see her daughter crouching on the ground. Tears slipped down her cheeks, mingling with the morning's rain. "Lux!"

The pain a dull ache now, Lux pushed herself into a standing position. Black dirt coated her finger-tips and knees, but she didn't care. She walked back to the car, standing next to the heated metal while Kitty, Memaw, and Mama approached.

"Baby," Mama said, her hands cupping Lux's cheeks.

She pushed her mother away. "Get in the car. We are going home, and y'all will explain everything to me."

Kitty looked at the older women for help. The light in her eyes was gone, triumph replaced with defeat. Lux wanted to know what was going on in her friend's mind, but there were more pressing answers she desired.

Mama nodded and shushed Memaw when the older woman tried to protest. They climbed in the car. Lux buckled her seatbelt and stared out the window. No one spoke on the long drive home.