Mesmerized

downstairs."
    Jake laughed and snatched the pillow in the air. He stood up and extended his hand.
    Her parents were sitting at the marble kitchen table looking somber. Uh oh, now what? Her mom looked up and patted the table for Lily to sit next to her. 
    Her father cleared his throat. "Lily, we want you to have as normal of a childhood as possible. You've been through a lot in a short amount of time. We have debated homeschooling you. It would probably be the safest for everyone involved.”
    Sandra turned in her seat and touched Lily's arm. "We've decided to let you go back to school, if you want to. You shouldn't be locked away because of who you are. However, you are going to have to take extra precautions."
    Lily's eyes lit up. She never thought she would miss school, but she had started to like Emerson Academy. Mainly, she missed Hannah. "Can I go back to the boarding school?"
    Her parents glanced at each other. “Do you really want to?”
    “Yes.”
    "You seemed happier there than any others. So, if that is what you want, we can smooth things over with the school for the time missed."
    "What about Jake?" She felt panic rise in her chest at the thought of being separated from him.
    "That's up to him. I don't see a problem with him going back either. You only have one more year so his age won't be noticeable." 
    Lily clapped her hands together and smiled at Jake. Then she threw her arms around her mother. "Thank you! I promise I won't let you down." 
    "I know you won’t. Camille left you this." Sandra held out a multi-colored stone bracelet. “She said if you wear this, your powers would be greatly dampened. It will almost be like you are a human. Of course you are attractive so you will always attract attention. It will just stop boys from turning into complete fools around you. You won’t be able to compel anyone if you have this on."
    Lily grabbed the bracelet and ran her fingers over it. It was beautiful. Almost normal. She had longed to be normal. A small part of her couldn't help but be worried if she put it on Jake would no longer be attracted to her. Maybe it really was her powers that he was drawn to. 
    Later that night, she lay in bed thinking about the bracelet and Jake. What if he wanted nothing more to do with her when she put it on? What if she became just an ordinary girl? Ordinary. No guys tripping over their own feet anymore. No boys fumbling over opening something for her. No one trying to kiss her when she didn’t want to. 
    Her thoughts wandered back to Jake. Would wearing the bracelet be worth it? There was only one way to find out. She’d have to put it on and see what happened. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take it off if she hated it. Would she want to be with Jake if she found out it was only her power he was drawn to?
    She picked it up off her nightstand and slipped it on her wrist. Then she waited. “Ridiculous,” she muttered to herself. What was she waiting for? She didn’t feel any different. It wasn’t like some switch had been turned off. Rolling over, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
     
    She got up early the next morning and made a cup of cocoa, which she took with her to the back patio. It was a nice morning, chilly, but the sun shone on her face and kept her warm. 
    “Lily?” Jake’s voice was soft.
    This was the moment of truth. Very slowly she turned around and faced him. He was standing at the doorway looking out at her. Her eyes met his and she tried to read him, but she just couldn’t tell how he felt. Did he still feel the same way about her? Or was the connection gone when she wore the bracelet?
    “Morning, Jake,” she said sweetly and took a step towards him.
    Jake closed the distance between them with a couple of steps. He was standing right in front of her staring into her eyes. He smiled that perfect, heart-melting, lopsided grin of his, and Lily swayed.
    Jake grabbed her by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah. You?”
    “Yup.” Without another word, he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her. His warm lips touched her soft, cocoa-tasting ones. She reached up and put her free arm around his neck. Running her hand through the back of his hair, she smiled inside. She could feel his body respond to her touch and she even felt her body tingle at the thought of being with him. The connection was still there. 
    When they pulled apart, she asked, “You still love me?”
    “Of course I do. Why?”
    She looked down at