Page 42 of Counting Quarters

As the marker for the beginning of Summer and peak fertility—for humans, animals, and crops alike—the Fire Festival was one that our town preferred to celebrate without much attention from the outside world, given the nature of it. They danced around and celebrated the arrival of life in all its many forms. It usually ended up turning into a display that I spend many nights trying to forget the images of.

When I was younger, I took full advantage of the festival. Though, the early hours were kept appropriate for the children to still be able to enjoy. The High Priestess would light the main bonfire in the town square as she blessed our crop yields, and then she and the High Priest would make their rounds, socializing with their coven.

The high school theater put on a performance of dance and fire-play until the sky turned completely dark and the stars glistened against its inky black. They would fade into the gyrating crowd. Children were taken home for bed, and then the adults began having their fun well into the early morning hours.

As sheriff of the town, it was a nightmare of public indecency. I learned early on from my predecessor that it was best to allow my officers to patrol the streets, but to stay away from the woods or the fields unless we were called on.

Things were a little different this year, as Watchtower didn't have a High Priestess at the moment. It was a detail that they scrambled around for weeks leading up to the festival. The Forbes had betrayed the coven in an act of complete and utter dishonor. They'd served up the Quarters—one of their own children—to the Movement to be sacrificed and butchered so they could hold on to their gift. It was sad, honestly.

As the Quarters blessed with the element of fire, the festival was always a little more magnificent when they were elected. Elections weren't scheduled for another year, so the natural progression would be to have their son, Rhyse, take over, but he didn't want to. None of the Quarters did. And no one dared overstep.

So, as it stood, the coven wasn't led by a single High Priest and Priestess—it was led by all four Quarters, simultaneously.

Which was why they each stood at the base of the bonfire pit that was piled high with strategically placed logs. It was eerily similar to the pit I had found the Movement circling when they took Storie. One glance at her standing tucked into Remy's side told me she was thinking the same thing. Lux called out the ritual as he, Remy, Storie, and Enzo held unlit torches in front of Rhyse, who ignited them one by one. His magic had apparently remained active for the night, though no one seemed bothered by that.

Once the bonfire was lit, the crowd roared in excitement, and the festival began.

I quickly found my family sitting on a blanket in the middle of the field. Mille and Arthur sat side by side as their kids ran around the area with their friends. Ma and her new nurse, Doris, were perched across from them in folding chairs, mindlessly gazing out at the crowd around them.

As expected, Millie proved to be useless in the search for a nurse. I sent her a list of qualified candidates and she found something wrong with each and every one.

Too old. Too young. Not enough schooling. Lives too far.

Each excuse was more ridiculous than the last. I interviewed a few of them myself, and she refused to hear the feedback I had to share.

Every time I visited, though, I could tell she was struggling more. The bags under her eyes grew heavier and darker, her skin paler than the last time. Stuck between the life of her children and the death of our mother, she was withering away. I couldn’t stand it.

So, I took it upon myself to choose someone.

Doris Brubaker was as close to perfect as it got. She was a retired nurse from the hospital in the next town and had moved here five years ago, after a visit during Samhain that had her falling in love with Beacon Grove.

She also didn’t have any family or obligations that would interfere with the schedule we agreed on. All of that, on top of a full career of working with patients who suffered from dementia, had me offering her whatever salary she wanted to start right away.

I met her at Millie's house early the following morning, fully expecting my sister to turn the woman away at the door. But she surprised me by smiling and inviting us in, warning us not to trip over toys as she led us through the house and into the kitchen, where our mother ate her breakfast.

“Ma, this is Doris. She’s here to hang out with you,” Millie explained in a loud voice, leaning over so our mother could clearly read her lips.

Doris took the seat beside Ma and jumped right into conversation with her, leaving no room for hesitation or rejection.

I mouthed, “Thank you,” to my sister, and she motioned for me to join her in the next room.

“What changed your mind?”

“I guess I was holding on to hope that you’d help more.'' She ignored my eye roll. “But you bringing Doris here proves that isn’t going to happen. And I’m drowning, so if you’re going to pay someone to help, then so be it.”

It had been three weeks, and Doris melded into Millie’s family seamlessly. Ma trusted her, the kids respected her, and Millie was finally starting to gain some color in her cheeks again.

I lingered in the crowd for a moment, watching them all from afar before I infiltrated their family moment. I smiled at the way Ma lit up as the kids ran circles around them, sparklers in hand. She turned to Doris every now and again to comment on what was happening around her, unaware of her disability.

“I’ll admit I was wrong,” Millie said from beside me, a wide smile on her face as she took the scene in with me. She had noticed me staring and decided to come over.

“Sorry, I must not have heard you correctly. I thought you said you were wrong. Can you repeat that?” I teased. She sent a fist into my shoulder and we each chuckled.

“She’s good for Ma. Better than I was. I feel like she’s starting to turn around.”

I dropped my gaze to my sister, silently warning her not to do that. Not to get hope.

“I know, I know. But I swear, it’s true,” Millie said defensively.

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