“Melody, please, I can’t leave Feya alone for long.” Maisie started to stand from the outside lake table she and Melody shared behind the Convention Center. It was just off hers and Feya’s casitas. A lakeside breeze blew her curls.

        “Maisie, no.” Melody gently gripped Maisie’s hand. “Feya can care for herself. She’ll be here soon.” She had changed into a ruby-colored, one-strapped dress with hints of gold.

        Maisie tugged on her dress’s puffy sleeves and nervously tied the white bow before her breasts. “Melody, you don’t understand,” she stated, backing away. “I almost lost Feya last month. Her parents also asked me to look after her during Summit.” She grasped the railing behind the table and peered across Lago Dorado to Villa Del Lago in the center. “I lost my brother. I’m not going to lose Feya, too.” Maisie shivered and rubbed her arms. “She fell in the shower after you left. What if she hit her head and drowned?”

        Melody joined her at the railing. “She’ll get used to the prosthetic, but she can’t practice if you keep coddling her.”

        Maisie kept her distance from her. “I know, but…”

        “You’re scared. I understand. But Feya has Daisy. She’s her Service Dog for a reason.” Melody smiled friendily. “You need to let loose a little. Enjoy the College Program. It’s hard to do that when you worry constantly about Feya. You guys were lucky to have found each other. You merely have to get through this.”

        “What do you know about the College Program?” Maisie growled, crossing her arms. “It sounds to me like you left.”

        “No, not exactly,” Melody mumbled. “But… I don’t want to get reminded of it.”

        Maisie glimpsed at her. “Why?”

        Feya’s voice interrupted the awkward small talk. “Ah, there you are!”

        Maisie’s worries washed away seeing her. God, she was hot! That slate blue dress matched perfectly with her headband, but wasn’t she hot in it? Compared to Maisie and Melody, Feya’s dress was the longest.

        She steered the wheelchair herself and approached Maisie and Melody.

        “Whoa.” Maisie needed a fire extinguisher—she blushed so hard. “You look hot, Feya.” She expected her to compliment her back, but she didn’t.

        Feya huffed and looked away from Maisie. “No, Maisie, I didn’t come down here myself.”

        What was her problem? All Maisie said was that she looked pretty—like a real fairy.

        Melody came between them. “Girls, girls. Let’s try not to fight until the dinner is over. Okay? We’re proud of you, Feya. You’re slowly on the mend.”

        “Thank you, Melody.” Feya shook her hand. “That was the response I was looking for.”

        Maisie lowered her head. Some friend she was. She thought about Melody’s words on the way to Villa Del Lago. While it wasn’t clear why she left the CP, it was clear that she was wise, as if Melody was older than she appeared.

        Coronado’s boardwalk stretched from the four corners of Villa Del Lago to different resort sections, including one that led to the Dig Site, Coronado’s main pool. Maisie hoped to convince Feya to go there instead of Veracruz after dinner. She didn’t care what she said. Ghosts weren’t real, and that was final.

***

        It was beautiful that Maisie thought Feya was hot, but that wasn’t her goal for the dinner. Her goal was to convince her to give her leeway and take her to Veracruz afterward. Something told Feya Maisie had something else in mind, but she would not let her push her around. It was her leg, and she was the one who had to get used to it.

        One of Villa Del Lago’s servers escorted Feya, Maisie, and Melody to the Summit-reserved section of the restaurant. It was in an open area, away from the bar and across from Gran Destino Tower on the lakefront—the perfect location for the sunset.

        Feya shifted from her wheelchair to her seat and folded it, propping it against the gate.

        A few Summit members and couples waved, but Maisie and Feya responded by folding their arms.

        “Melody,” Maisie said, facing her, “how about we switch seats so I don’t have to look at Feya?”

        Well, excuse her!

        “You know, Maisie,” Feya argued, “you could’ve said ‘Great job, Feya!’ instead of saying I’m hot. That would’ve hit harder.”

        “Melody, switch seats with me,” Maisie snarled. “That’s not a request.”

        “Sorry, girls, but y’all need to make up.” Melody rested her arms on the table. “Why don’t we discuss what we will do after dinner? There’s lots of fun stuff around Coronado.”

        The lightning only flashed brighter between Maisie and Feya.

        A waiter, Antonio, approached their table, pen and pad in hand. “Welcome to Villa Del Lago, ladies, the perfect place for dinner on the lake. I’m Antonio, and I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?”

        “Let’s start with water for all of us,” Melody said, smiling nervously. “Maisie and Feya need to cool down a little.”

        “All right.” Antonio scribbled on his pad. “I’ll be right back. Feel free to ask if you want something else to drink when I return.”

        “We will,” Melody mused.

        Once Antonio left, Feya explained, “I’m not making up with her, Melody, until she gives me leeway.”

        “Hey!” Maisie punched the table. “You’d be dead if I didn’t constantly watch you! Must I remind you that you were in the hospital last month?”

        “Girls.” Melody reached for them. “Let’s just have a nice dinner, and we’ll discuss this later.” She released her bun on top of her head, and her hair flopped over the rest of it down her back. “I showed myself to help y’all. I only do that when I need to.”

        While Feya understood what Melody said, she was looking for a fight. “Maisie, you told me last month that you didn’t see me as a freak, but now I think you do.”

        Antonio soon brought their water glasses and set one in front of each girl. “Do you ladies want anything else to drink?”

        “I think we still need a few minutes,” Melody admitted. “We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

        “Very well. Shall I tell you tonight’s specials, though?”

        “In just a little bit.” Melody shooed him away, and he moved to the following table. “Come on, Maisie and Feya. You’re at Summit to help one another. You need to cool down.”

        “You know, you’re right, Melody.” Maisie grabbed her water glass and stood. “I don’t care what you say, Feya. We’re not going to Veracruz after dinner but to the Dig Site. You’re nineteen years old. It’s time you grew up.”

        Feya also stood. “Spirits are real, Maisie!”

        “All right—that’s it!” Maisie chucked the water out of her glass. It splashed onto Feya’s dress and left a dark stain behind. Maisie left her chair and shoved Feya’s chest, knocking her onto the wooden floor. “There is no such thing as the Veracruz Ghost!”

        “Maisie!” Melody yelled.

        A few heads turned. People watched the confrontation with confused looks.

        Daisy barked and lunged for Maisie, but Feya pulled her back. A safe dropped onto her heart, locking it and Feya inside. Why would Maisie push her? She thought she loved her, or was everything Maisie said last month a lie?

        Feya sniffed and wiped her nose. She struggled to her feet and pushed Maisie’s shoulder, heading for the boardwalk.

        “Feya!” Maisie shouted, her voice slightly hurt. “Feya, I’m sorry!”

        Feya tripped and crashed onto her front. Her wrist scraped the wood. A wave of pain shot up her forearm, and Feya clutched it.

        Whimpering, she shakily got up and sped-walked away from Daisy, Maisie, and Melody toward Coronado’s abyss.

        How would she survive Summit 2023 now?

End of Act One: The Bronze Age!

Current Word Count: 6,000