Chapter 5

"Brunch is ready," Teddy said. Since Dawn of course could not see more than a fuzzy blur. Teddy and Buffy did most of the cooking. Something both Danielle and Joyce were thankful for. They had heard from their Aunt Buffy what kind of concoctions their mother favored when she was younger.

Joyce's mouth watered. She slid into her chair and reached for the juice pitcher.

Danielle sat down across from her. "I invited the Grays to the pool, Dad."

Joyce glared over the top of her juice glass.

"Joyce is so happy about it, too." Danielle winked and popped a bite of cantaloupe into her mouth.

Teddy grabbed a spatula for the cinnamon rolls, eyes darting between both girls. "What's the matter with inviting the Grays?"

"It's bad enough she has to skate with me," Joyce said. "I'm just not crazy about her living down the street and hanging out with us at the pool, okay?"

"Her brother seems cool," Danielle said.

Joyce squirmed in her seat, the tips of her ears growing warm.

Buffy and Dawn came in and took their places at the table.

"How are the neighborhood pets, girls?" Dawn asked.

"All good." Danielle said. "The bearded dragons ate four crickets. Crazy, right?"

Joyce cringed. "Gross."

"We stopped by the Grays," Danielle said. "Though Joy thinks there is something more adorbs than the puppy."

"Shut it," Joyce growled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Buffy's eyes twinkled. "Something cute live there besides the puppy?"

"Joyce thinks Dylan Gray is nice to look at." Danielle giggled.

"You two are so lame." Joyce took a bite of cantaloupe and pretended not to care about her family's good-natured ribbing.

"Isn't that ironic?" Buffy said. "Your toughest competition comes with an adorable twin brother?"

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Joyce spread her beach towel across the deck chair next to the pool. She stripped her cover-up off and tossed it into her bag, carefully adjusting the straps on her bikini. The sun was warm on her skin and she was glad she remembered to put sunscreen on before she left the house.

"Hey, Joyce. Can I sit here?" Joyce lifted her sunglasses and glanced at Delaney Wheeler, one of her neighbors and classmates since Kindergarten.

"Hey, Delaney. Go ahead. Danielle's in the pool with Katelyn."

"Thanks." Delaney shimmied out of her own cover-up to reveal an emerald green bikini.

"I love your suit," Joyce wondered. "Where'd you get it?"

"Nordstrom. Does it look okay?" Delaney hesitated.

"You look great," Joyce reassured her. "I haven't seen you this summer. What have you been up to?"

"I made the cheerleading squad; did I tell you that?" Delaney smiled proudly.

"I saw it on Facebook. Congratulations."

"Thanks. We work out a lot, do fundraisers and stuff. We just went to camp a few weeks ago. It's been crazy."

"I bet. When's the first home football game?" Joyce asked.

"I think—whoa. Who the heck is that?" Delaney's hand froze in mid-air, her mouth falling open.

Joyce looked across the pool to where the Gray family was making an entrance. Sydney led the way, wearing quite possibly the smallest bikini Joyce had ever seen. Dylan followed behind her. "That would be the Gray family. Our new neighbors."

"Could that bikini get any smaller?" Delaney whispered.

"I don't know. I'm distracted by her twin brother. That's Dylan, by the way."

"Are they going to our school?"

"As far as I know." Joyce pretended to study her magazine but watched from the corner of her eye as the Grays picked out four chairs together at the far end of the pool. Sydney dragged her chair under the nearest umbrella.

"Is he trying out for football?" Delaney continued to pepper her with questions.

"He's into soccer. She's a figure skater."

"She's so … lean. And tall. I didn't know skaters could be so tall." Delaney sprayed sunscreen all over her legs and arms.

Joyce felt her perfect afternoon slipping away. She did not want to sit here and talk about Sydney all afternoon.

Maybe they could just look at Dylan instead.

"Look, here comes Hannah. Is it true she's moving?" Delaney asked.

Hannah crossed the pool deck and stopped in front of Joyce's chair, casting a shadow across the magazine in her cousin's lap.

"Joyce?" Hannah shifted her tote bag from one shoulder to the other. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Joyce shrugged. "I guess so."

"I think I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes." Delaney scooted off her chair and went toward the snack stand.

Hannah sank down on the empty seat to Joyce's left. "Say something. Please."

Joyce's stomach clenched. "What do you want me to say, Hannah? You're moving away. All because of some coach who is not as great as Aunt Buffy."

"I know," Hannah said with a sigh as she looked over towards her mother, Dawn and Teddy. "It's a good opportunity. And I will miss mom, you, Danni, Aunt Dawn and Uncle Teddy."

"Then why don't you stay?" Hot tears pricked her eyelids. Joyce hated that her voice quavered.

"I wish I could. Dad really wants me to go. I don't want to let him down."

"You're the one who has to skate, not Uncle Thomas."

"I know," Hannah said as she looked at her cousin. "It's only for a year, Joyce. I intend to come home. I intend for mom to continue to train me. I know why Dad wants me out of here. He's …"

"Afraid you will be called like me," Joyce said as Hannah nodded. "You and I both know you won't be. Remember when I was called Mom and Aunt Buffy called Aunt Willow to come do her Potential tracking spell."

"And she said I wasn't a Potential," Hannah said with a nod. "I know, Joyce. But Dad, he's worried. At least he's letting me decide after the year if I want to come home. It's only for a year, Joyce."

Joyce sighed. "I know. But don't pretend this isn't hard on me. You're not only my cousin but my best friend, Hannah. And it feels like I am losing my best friend."

"You're not," Hannah replied. "I promise."

"Let's change the subject okay?" Joyce asked as Hannah nodded in agreement. "Have you heard about the girl that Aunt Buffy and Mom is considering let train in your now vacant spot."

"No, who?" Hannah wondered.

Hannah crisscrossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand. "So, who tried out? One of the girls from that new rink across town?"

"Nope." Joyce leaned closer. "Sydney Gray?"

Hannah's brown eyes were wide as saucers. "The Sydney Gray? From skate camp?"

"Yes, and keep your voice down because she's sitting right over there. Don't look; she's watching us right now."

Hannah froze. "What do you mean 'don't look'? She's seriously right behind me?"

"Why? Were you going to ask for her autograph?" Joyce asked.

"No way. She wouldn't speak to me at camp. I don't know why today would be any different. Is mom going to accept her for the spot I left open?"

"Probably. She blew us all out of the water yesterday." Joyce gnawed on her lower lip. "What am I going to do, Hannah?"

"You're going to keep being the awesome skater that you are. Don't worry about her. Besides, I watched her at camp, she looks like she's sick or something," Hannah whispered.

"I know, right? We stopped by to say hello to her this morning and she was on a two-hour run. Aunt Buffy would flip if she knew that. You know how she always wants us to have a life outside training."

"I know," Hannah said. "I don't want to turn around and stare at her but maybe she's anorexic or something?"

Joyce saw Dylan coming straight toward them. "Shh. Here comes her twin brother."

"Hey, Joyce." Dylan stopped near the end of her chair, hands on his hips.

"Dylan, this is my cousin, Hannah. Hannah, this is Dylan Gray."

"Nice to meet you," he waved to Hannah and then looked back at Joyce. "Danielle and I are going to ride the lazy river. Want to join us?"

"Sure. Want to come, Hannah?" Joyce got to her feet, suddenly very self-conscious in her swimsuit in front of Dylan.

Hannah smiled. "Sounds like fun. I can't pass up a chance to harass Danni."

They followed Dylan over to the line for the lazy river.

"Sydney doesn't want to come along?" Joyce asked.

Dylan shrugged. "I offered. She's too busy messing with her phone and reading her magazines."

Danielle joined them in line.

"So, are you guys pretty good friends?" Dylan asked as he let Danielle climb into the first inner tube, then secured one for himself.

"We've been best-friends practically since we were born. We've skated together and everything. I'm sad she's leaving, but I get it." Joyce sank into the bright yellow tube, letting her arms and legs hang over the edge. She trailed her fingers through the cool water as she started to float slowly down the man-made river.

"Moving sucks." Dylan's leg brushed against hers as his inner tube collided gently with hers. Joyce felt a tingle of excitement shoot down her spine.

"Millbrook is pretty cool. What was your favorite thing about Colorado?"

"The weather. We had a lot more sunshine than Connecticut does. I'm not looking forward to this winter." Dylan nudged the wall with his toe, sending his inner tube into a slow spin.

Hannah and Danielle floated up beside them and they rafted their inner tubes, floating the rest of the way down the river in a cluster. Joyce tipped her head back and let the sun warm her face. She could definitely get used to this.

When they got to the end of the ride, the lifeguard asked them to give up their tubes because a long line had formed. Joyce climbed out and almost collided with Sydney, who was waiting next to the lifeguard tower.

"Hey, Syd." Dylan hoisted himself out of the water, little droplets falling off of him and landing on the concrete. "What's up?"

"There's a volleyball game getting started over on the sand courts. Will you play with me?"

"Just you and me or what?" Dylan tipped his head toward Joyce, Danielle and Hannah.

"If I find one more, we could play three on three," Dannielle suggested.

Joyce wanted to kick her sister. Who wanted to ruin a perfectly awesome afternoon with a game of volleyball? Yuck.

Sydney narrowed her eyes, considering Danielle's suggestion. "I'll be on your team. Can you find a third? We could play against Dylan, Joyce and her friend."

Despite the warm sunshine, Joyce felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Was everything a competition with Sydney?

"I don't know," Hannah said. "If I get hurt playing volleyball, my—"

"We'll go easy on you, Hannah," Danielle said. "Promise."

While Danielle grabbed one of her friends from the pool to come and play, the rest of them walked over to the volleyball court. The net rippled in the light breeze. Sydney scooped up the volleyball lying in the sand and bumped it to her twin. Dylan set it into the air just above the net where Sydney swooped down and spiked it into the sand on the other side.

"Nice hit, Syd." Dylan ducked under the net and jogged over to retrieve the ball. Sydney tossed her long black ponytail over her shoulder and stretched her arm muscles.

Danielle came back to the court with Delaney trailing behind. "Hey, Sydney and Dylan, this is Delaney. She's a friend of Joyce's and a cheerleader."

"Hi, guys," Delaney grinned and gave a cute little wave.

"Nice to meet you," Dylan said.

"Hi," Sydney said, pulling her left foot backward to stretch her quadriceps.

"I think you're on their team, Delaney."

"Cool." Delaney shrugged and took her place on the other side of the net with Sydney and Danielle.

Dylan, Joyce and Hannah formed a tight triangle in the back court. "Watch out for Sydney. She likes to drop her serve right over the edge of the net. It's hard to return."

"Looks like spiking's her thing, too," Hannah whispered.

"Don't worry about that, I can probably block it." Dylan put his hand palm down in the middle of their mini-huddle. "On three, we yell 'teamwork' okay?"

Joyce put her hand on top of his, enjoying the contact, even if it was only for a second. Hannah piled both of her hands on top.

"One, two, three …"

"Teamwork!" They yelled and broke apart.

"You guys can serve first," Sydney said.

"Can't argue with that." Dylan jogged to the end of the court and stepped over the yellow ribbon staked in the sand and marked the boundaries. He tossed the ball in the air and fired a serve deep into the other side of the court. Delaney bumped it to Danielle, who set it to Sydney.

Joyce knew from the minute the ball left her sister's fingertips that she was in trouble. The gleam in Sydney's eye mixed with her vertical jump when she left the sand should have been the warning signs she needed to defend herself. Before she could put her hands up in defense, the ball hurled straight at her, hitting Joyce in the eye with a sickening smack.

Hannah gasped as she and Dylan rushed over to Joyce who had fallen to the sand, clutching her face.

Dylan kneeled beside Joyce in the sand. He touched her shoulder. "Joyce? Are you okay?"

Joyce shook her head not wanting them to see that she was actually alright thanks to her Slayer healing.

"Delaney went to get some ice from the snack bar. Can you see anything, Joy?" Danielle was at her side now.

Joyce went through the motions and pulled her hands away and blinked several times. She looked directly at Hannah who nodded in understanding. "I-I think so."

"Wow," Dylan said, studying her closely. "I bet that hurt."

"Yeah," Joyce whispered.

"Syd? You have anything you want to say?"

Sydney stood on the other side of the net, hands on her hips. She shrugged. "Sorry."

Dylan's expression hardened. He looked at Joyce again, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Don't worry about her. She takes everything a little too seriously."

"I heard that." Sydney kicked sand at her twin brother. "It's our serve, by the way. One nothing. You guys need a sub?"

A surge of anger coursed through Joyce's veins and she could feel the Slayer within her itching for a fight.