Lullaby (The Fable Series, Book 2)

Chapter Thirty Four

He raises his fist towards Alastaire, probably expecting a fist-bump, but Alastaire just smirks.

"Not me," he says.

"Really?" Alix says. "But it's one of you Fable guys, right?"

The conversation around the bonfire goes quiet. I notice the other guys looking covertly towards Felix, their glances uncomfortable, uncertain.

Felix, who has been sitting next to Elliot for the past hour discussing how best to release the new album online, glares at Alix across the fire. The flames dance in his eyes, and he opens his mouth to speak.

Do I want him to deny it? Or to confirm it? At least if he said it's true, I'd know for sure. 

"Birthday cake time!" Kitty shouts, jumping to her feet before Felix can speak. "Help me with the candles, Ash."

She pulls me up, leading me away from the bonfire towards the tent, where our bags are piled in a jumbled heap near the entrance.

She crouches down to the sand and turns up the flame on an old gas lamp from the cabin (packed by the ever-thoughtful Elliot, of course) and unzips a bulky black beach bag, lifting a wide cardboard box out of it. She lifts the lid to reveal a chocolate cake on a silver platter.

Nodding, she rips open a packet filled with white candles. They're not the small, thin candles you'd usually stick in a birthday cake – but regular sized candles like you'd put in a candlestick.

"Did you take these out of the chandelier at the cabin?" I ask.

"Damn straight I did," Kitty says. "It's not a birthday cake without candles."

"But why not just buy normal birthday candles when you bought the cake?" I ask, picturing the white wax dripping all over the icing.

Can eating candle wax kill you? Hmmm....

"Bought it?" Kitty says. "I baked this cake, I'll have you know. After I was certain that you'd all gone to sleep, of course. My double chocolate raspberry cream cake is my secret weapon, Ash. Prepare your taste buds."

She winks, as she plunges all five of the candles into the cake in a messy circle.

"Light 'em up, Ash," she says, tossing me the lighter.

There's the faintest hint of a breeze, so I cup my hand around each candle as I light it, wondering at the sudden flash of déjà vu.

Something about the beach, and a big fire, and candles in the dark...

"Ok, we'll start singing on three, got it?" Kitty says, walking carefully over the sand as she holds the birthday cake on its silver platter in front of her. Smiling and lit up by the soft golden glow of the candlelight, she looks more beautiful than ever.

"One, two, three..." she says, and we burst into song, joined by the others as we reach Lyall and set the cake carefully down in front of him.

"Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray!" We cheer, as Lyall blows out the candles on his first try.

"There's a knife on the platter," Kitty says. "Don't forget to make a wish."

"I bet I know what he's going to wish for," Ben says suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows and cupping his hand over Lyall's ear to whisper something, which makes Lyall's face turn bright red.

The firelight glints off the silver blade for a moment as Lyall lifts it above the cake, closing his eyes as he cuts down through the thick chocolate. When he opens his eyes, he glances at me quickly, before lowering his gaze.