By seven PM, Marcelline had completely forgotten about Grandma Yenna's serious talk.
The entire day had been a blur of laughter, presents, and the kind of reckless fun that came with officially being an adult.
Now she found herself at the Clearing, an open space on the outskirts of Millbrook that bordered the dense woods, where all the local teens and twenty-somethings came to party when they wanted to avoid prying adult eyes.
Someone had strung fairy lights between the trees, casting everything in a warm, magical glow.
A makeshift bar had been set up on a folding table, complete with red solo cups and way too much alcohol for a group of barely-legal kids. Music pumped from a portable speaker, competing with the sound of laughter and conversation.
Marcelline raised her cup high, the cheap beer sloshing slightly as she grinned at her friends. "To being twenty and legally drunk!"
"To Marcie finally catching up to the rest of us!" Maya laughed, clinking her cup against Marcelline's. Maya Chen was Marcelline's best friend since middle school, petite and fierce with straight black hair that she constantly dyed different colors. This month it was electric blue at the tips, which somehow perfectly matched her personality.
Josh Martinez joined the toast with his trademark lazy grin, his dark hair falling into his eyes in that effortlessly messy way that drove half the girls in Millbrook crazy. "To surviving another year in this boring-ass town!"
"Hey!" Chloe protested, bumping Josh with her shoulder. She was the group's resident optimist, all blonde curls and sunshine smiles, the kind of person who saw the best in everyone. "Millbrook isn't boring. It's... cozy."
"Chloe, babe, the most exciting thing that happened here last month was when Mrs. Patterson's cat got stuck in a tree," Maya said, taking a long sip of her drink.
Marcelline giggled, feeling the alcohol warm her stomach and loosen her muscles. They'd been going hard all day, starting with mimosas at brunch, then day drinking at the lake, and now this. She felt light and happy and gloriously free, like she could do anything.
"Okay, okay," she said, swaying slightly on her feet. "Gift time! I demand presents!"
Her friends exchanged grins and suddenly she was being showered with small wrapped packages. Chloe had gotten her a delicate silver bracelet that caught the fairy lights beautifully. Josh's gift was a leather journal with "Adventures Await" embossed on the cover, perfect for college.
But it was Maya's gift that made everyone go quiet.
"So," Maya said, pulling out a thick book with a dark cover, "I know you're gonna think I'm crazy, but hear me out."
Marcelline squinted at the title. "Legends and Lore of Supernatural Creatures?" She looked up at Maya with raised eyebrows. "Seriously?"
"Listen!" Maya said, holding up her hands defensively. "I've been researching, okay? There's so much weird stuff that happens around here. Animals acting strange, people going missing in the woods, sightings of things that definitely aren't normal wildlife."
Josh rolled his eyes dramatically. "Maya, girl, when is this werewolf obsession gonna end? You've been talking about this stuff since we were kids."
"It's not just werewolves!" Maya protested. "There are vampires too, and—"
"And unicorns and fairies and Santa Claus," Chloe teased, though her tone was gentle. "Maya, honey, you know we love your conspiracy theories, but—"
"They're not theories!" Maya's voice rose slightly, and Marcelline could see the frustration in her friend's eyes. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but there are patterns. The full moon is tonight, and I bet you anything weird shit is gonna happen."
Maya had always been into the supernatural, ghost stories, urban legends, anything unexplained. It was just who she was.
"Thanks, Maya," Marcelline said, accepting the book with a smile. "I promise I'll read it. Maybe it'll help with my nightmares."
The conversation moved on to lighter topics after that, but Marcelline noticed Maya watching the tree line with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. They played drinking games, danced badly to pop music, and took a million selfies that would probably embarrass them all later.
As the night wore on, couples started pairing off and disappearing into the shadows. Ethan appeared at Marcelline's side, his arm sliding around her waist with familiar ease.
"Hey, birthday girl," he murmured against her ear, his breath warm and smelling faintly of beer. "Want to get out of here? Go somewhere we can actually hear each other think?"
Marcelline nodded eagerly. She loved her friends, but she'd been wanting alone time with Ethan all day. "My favorite spot?"
"Already read your mind," he said with that crooked smile that made her knees weak.
They said their goodbyes, promising to text when they got home safely, and headed deeper into the woods along a familiar path. Marcelline's favorite place in all of Millbrook was a small pedestrian bridge that crossed over Crystal Creek, where you could see the most beautiful waterfall cascading down into a natural pool below.
Tonight, with the full moon hanging heavy and bright in the sky, it looked absolutely magical. Moonlight turned the water silver, and the sound of the falls created a peaceful rhythm that drowned out the distant party sounds.
"God, it's gorgeous tonight," Marcelline breathed, leaning against the bridge railing.
Ethan came up behind her, his arms encircling her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Not as gorgeous as you," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
"That's the cheesiest line ever," she laughed, but she leaned back against his chest anyway.
"Hey, it's your birthday. You get all my cheesy lines tonight." He turned her around in his arms so she was facing him, and his expression grew more serious. "Did you have a good day, sweetheart? I know turning twenty is kind of a big deal."
Marcelline studied his face in the moonlight, the sharp line of his jaw, the way his green eyes seemed to glow in the silvery light, the soft curve of his mouth that she'd kissed a thousand times but somehow never got tired of.
"The best," she whispered honestly. "Thank you for making it perfect."
"Anything for you," he said softly, and then he was kissing her.
It started gentle, sweet, the kind of kiss they'd shared hundreds of times before. But something was different tonight. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the magic of the full moon, or just the significance of the day, but when Ethan's lips moved against hers, Marcelline felt something ignite deep in her chest.
She kissed him back harder, her hands fisting in his shirt as she pulled him closer. He tasted like beer and mint gum. His hands tangled in her hair, tilting her head back so he could deepen the kiss, and Marcelline felt her entire body come alive.
But then something strange happened.
A heat bloomed in her chest, spreading outward through her veins. It was intense and overwhelming and completely unfamiliar. At the same time, she felt a sharp, sudden pain shoot through her right leg, like something had snapped inside the bone.
"Ow!" she gasped, pulling away from Ethan and stumbling backward. "Fuck, that hurt!"
"What?" Ethan's eyes were wide with concern. "What's wrong? What hurts?"
But Marcelline couldn't answer. The pain in her leg was getting worse, and the heat in her chest was spreading, making her feel like she was burning from the inside out.