“We’re going to the bike shop.” Price’s eyes lit up. “I haven't been in months. Come on.”

He pulled her down the street, turning a corner and stopping in front of a store with a bike tire hanging from the front, spinning in the wind. The name rippled on the awning. It took Kylee a few seconds to make out the words, “North End Cyclery.”

“I didn’t know you ride,” Kylee said, squinting up at the flashing spokes. “I didn’t know you have a bike.”

“I do. I just haven’t ridden it since we moved.”

“Why?”

“The tires are all wrong. I’ll show you.” He opened the door with a whoosh as the air conditioner sucked them inside.

“Be right with you!” a voice yelled from somewhere in the store.

“I’m good!” Price yelled back. He took her to a rack of tires. “Back in Chesapeake, all I needed were these.” He fingered some smooth, floppy rubber tires. “Road wheels. Made for concrete. The problem with that being?” He quirked his lip at her.

She thought about it. “We don’t have a paved street.” She looked at the smooth rubber tire and imagined it bumping over the small pebbles and gravel that made up the street in front of their houses. “You’d get a hole in it.”

“And it would be difficult to steer, to keep it straight.”

“That’s a bummer. So do you have to buy a new bike?”

“Nope.” He tilted his neck back and looked up, and Kylee followed suit. More floppy rubber tires dangled above them, but these were covered in thick treads and little poky things. “That’s the beauty of these.” He lifted his hand above his head and ran his finger over one. “All I have to do is switch out the tire, and I can ride the bike off-road.” He smirked at her. “Which is what our road is considered.”

“Nice.” She watched as Price examined each one before selecting two. “What’s special about those two?”

“They fit my bike.” He took them to the register in the back of the store.

A large man wearing a greasy apron came out of the back room. “Price! Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“No, sir.” Price shifted his feet and pushed the tires toward the man. “Been busy since the move.”

The man rang up the tires. “How’s your dad, son?”

“Getting by. We’re all getting by.” He plopped a wad of cash down on the counter.

“Well, good to see you. Pass along my regards.” The man pushed the empty tires into a large plastic bag.

“I will. Thanks.” Price turned around, his eyes searching out Kylee. His cheeks were a bit flushed. Maybe he was afraid the owner thought she was his girlfriend.

She made sure to keep her distance as they walked out. Price relaxed as soon as they stepped outside.

“This is great,” he said, the plastic bag crinkling as he opened it up to peer inside. “My life just got a lot better.”

“Am I going to see you out riding your bike all the time now?”

“Probably.”

He kept talking, but Kylee was distracted by a shop across the street. A wood plaque with the silhouette of a hand holding a goblet bumped against the doorframe, blowing in the wind. Something about it intrigued her. She stepped closer, but didn’t see the name of the store.

“Kylee? Where are you going?”

“Hmm?” She turned her head in Price’s direction without taking her eyes from the store. She didn’t realize she’d crossed the street until the door was right in front of her. She reached a hand out to it.

Price grabbed her arm. “Kylee. Are you okay?”

“I want to go into this store.”

The words had already left her mouth before she realized what she’d said. But the instant she heard them, she knew it was true. She had to get inside that store.

“Okay.” Price squinted up at the sign. “I don’t know what store it is. I’ve never been in here.”

“First time for everything.” She grinned at him before pushing open the door.

A bell tied to the top of the door jingled when they walked in. The smoky scent of incense filled Kylee’s nostrils, and Price coughed behind her. Kylee paused inside, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark interior.

Shelves filled the entire store like an old library. One had books, but the others had spice jars and herbs and jewelry.

“What kind of store is this?” Price murmured, fingering a rock tied to a black cord on the countertop next to the cash register.

“Hello!” A woman wearing a colorful billowing skirt and a scarf around her head greeted them. She flowed down the aisle between bookshelves, a huge smile pasted on her lips. “I’m Madame Humphrey. Welcome to my shop! Can I help you find something?”

“Um.” Kylee glanced at Price and echoed his question. “I’m not sure. What kind of shop is this?”

“This is a spiritual shop, my dear.”

“What?” Price jerked backward, hitting his ribs on the corner of the glass countertop.

“What do you mean?” Kylee asked. “Like, religion?” Price’s eyes were wide. “Or, like, the occult?”

Madame Humphrey laughed. “Not the occult. Spiritualism is a gathering of all beliefs. All the good that can be found in religions around the world.”

“This is too weird,” Price said, shaking his head. “Kylee, let’s go.”

She hesitated. She didn’t want to do anything to alienate Price, not now. But something had drawn her into this store. She couldn’t leave yet. “Just give me a second, Price.”

“I’ll be outside.” He fled the store, the bell jangling as he slammed the door behind him.

Kylee faced Madame Humphrey, not sure what to say after Price’s hasty exit. “Yeah. I’ve never seen him act that way before.”

Madame Humphrey went behind the glass counter and opened a drawer. “What’s your name, dear?”

“Kylee.” Kylee watched her with mild interest. Madame Humphrey poured something from a small packet into a cup, then added hot water.

“Kylee. What a lovely name.” She took a sip from the cup as a tangy, herbal smell filled the air. “Where are you staying?”

“Oh, I'm not a tourist. I live at home. With my mom and stepdad.”

Madame Humphrey put her cup down and lowered her eyes to stare directly into Kylee’s. “That young man out there. He’s your friend?”

“Yeah.” Her only friend. But she didn't add that.

“He’s very special.”

Kylee felt her face burn. “Thanks.”

“How close are you?”

“Oh, um. Just friends. I mean, we hold hands.” Her tongue felt awkward in her mouth, and Kylee shut up.

“When was the first time?”

“That we held hands?” Kylee blinked, not sure why they were having this conversation. “Today, I guess.”

“Ah.” The skin around Madame Humphrey’s eyes softened. “Let me see.” She opened another drawer and fished around in it. “I might have something—ah, yes. Here.” Smiling, she held her hand out to Kylee. A silver ring with a clear round stone in the setting nestled against her palm.

Kylee stared at it. What did the woman want her to do?

“For you,” Madame Humphrey said, pressing her hand closer to Kylee’s face. “Take it.”

“Oh. It’s nice. But I didn’t bring any money,” Kylee said, beginning to wish she’d left with Price.

Madame Humphrey’s warm hand closed around Kylee’s wrist, and she dumped the ring into her hand. “It’s a gift. A mood ring.”

“Thanks,” Kylee said. She turned it over, admiring the scrollwork around the stone. A flash of blue spiraled in the clear globe. “What does the color mean?”

“The brighter the color, the more alive you feel.” She leaned forward, close enough that Kylee saw the gold specks in her greenish eyes. “But if it starts to turn black, Kylee, you need to come back and see me. Right away.”

Kylee saw the seriousness on this woman’s face. She backed away, holding the ring out. “I can’t promise I can do that.”

“Shh.” Madame Humphrey waved her hand. “You just do your best. What I’m saying won’t make much sense to you. Yet. But things are about to change. You hold onto that ring. And if that light goes out,” she pointed to the ground next to her, “you get back here.”

Goosebumps popped up on Kylee’s neck. A sensation like a spider crawling up her spine made her shudder. Part of her wanted to toss the ring back at the woman, but the other part of her had already closed her hand over it, squeezing it possessively. “I better go now.”

“Go.” Madame Humphrey straightened and smoothed her skirt. “I’ll be here when you come back. Make sure you bring him.”

She paused with her hand on the door. “Him?”

“The boy. And Kylee? Don’t have sex with him.”