On one level I envied it since I'm comfortable with only a small group of people, my good friends. In fact, my two closest friends, Bree and Robbie, I've known since we were babies and our families lived on the same block. That was before Bree's family moved into a huge modern house with a view of the river and long before we'd split up into different cliques. Bree and I were two of the only people at our school who managed to be close despite belonging to different groups.

Cal was…universal, in a way. And even though I was nervous, I wanted to go to that party.

CHAPTER 3 The Circle

I am casting the net. Pray for my success, that I may increase our number and find those for whom I search.

The porch light cast a shadow across our lawn. Before me, on the crunchy, dried-out autumn grass, a small, darker me walked to my car.

"What's wrong with Breezy?" I asked.

"She's making a weird pinging noise," Bree said.

I rolled my eyes, hoping she could see me. Bree's expensive, sensitive car was always doing one thing or another. So much for fancy engineering.

I opened the driver's side door and eased onto the cool vinyl seat of Das Boot, my beautiful white 71 Chrysler valiant. My dad likes to joke that my car weighs more than a submarine, so we named it Das Boot, the German word for boat and the title of my dad's all-time favorite movie, Bree climbed in the other side, and we waved good-bye to my dad, who was putting out the trash.

"Drive carefully, sweetheart," he called.

I started the engine and glanced out my window at the sky. The waning moon was a thin, sharp crescent. A wisp of a dark cloud drifted across it, blotting it from the sky and making the stars pop into prominence.

"Are you going to tell me where Chris is?" I asked as I turned onto Riverdale Drive.

Bree sighed, "I told him I promised to go with you," she said.

"Oh, jeez, don't tell me," I groaned. "I'm afraid of driving by myself at night; is that it?"

Bree rubbed he forehead. "Sorry," she muttered. "He's gotten so possessive. Why do guys always do that? You go out with them for a while, and suddenly they own you." She shivered, though it was barely chilly. "Turn right on Westwood."

Westwood headed right out of town, northward.

Bree waved the piece of paper that had the directions. "I wonder what this will be like. Cal is really…different, isn't he?"

"Uh-huh." I took a swig of seltzer, letting the conversation die. I was reluctant to talk to Bree about Cal, but I wasn't sure why.

"Okay, okay!" Bree said excitedly a few minutes later. "This is it! Stop here!" She was already scrambling out of her seat belt, grabbing her macramé purse.

"Bree," I said politely, looking around. "We're in the middle of freaking nowhere."

Technically, of course, you're always somewhere. But this deserted road on the out skirts of town didn't feel like it. To the left were acres of cornfields, tall and awaiting harvest. To the right was a wide strip of unmowed field edged by think woods that led back toward town in a large, ragged vee.

"It says to park under that tree," Bree instructed me. "Come on."

I eased Das Boot off the side of the road and glided heavily to a stop beneath a huge willow oak. That was when I saw moonlight glinting off at least seven other cars that hadn't been visible from the road.

Robbie's distinctive red VW Beetle sat glowing darkly like a giant lady bug under the tree, and I saw Matt Adler's white pickup, Sharon's SUV, and Tamara's dad's station wagon edged up neatly next to them. Parked in a sloppy circle around them were Raven Meltzer's battered black wreck, a gold Explorer that I recognized as Cal's, and a green minivan that I thought belonged to Beth Nielson, Raven's best friend. I didn't see any people, but there was a somewhat trampled path though the tall, dried grass toward the woods.

"I guess we're supposed to go there," Bree said, sounding uncharacteristically unsure. I was glad she was here with me and that Chris wasn't. If I'd had to come by myself, I might not have had the nerve to show.

We followed the path of beaten grass, the cool evening breeze filtering though my hair. When we reached the edge of the woods, Bree pointed. I could barely make out the pale gleam of her fingers in the forest darkness. Looking ahead, I saw it: a small clearing and shadowed shapes standing around a low fire ringed with stone. I heard a low laughter and smelled the delicious sent of wood smoke coiling though the newly crisp air. Suddenly an out door party seemed like a brilliant idea.

We stepped carefully though the woods toward the fire. I heard Bree swearing under her breath—her chunky platform sandals weren't the best shoes for nighttime hiking. My own clogs were cheerfully crunching twigs underfoot. I heard a crashing sound behind us and startled, then saw it was Ethan Sharp and Alessandra Spotford, lurching through the forest after us.

"Watch it!" Alessandra hissed at Ethan. "That branch hit me right in the eye."

Bree and I emerged into the clearing. I saw Tamara and Robbie and even Ben Reggio from my Latin class. I went over to join the three of them as Bree split off from me to stand by Sharon, Suzanne, Jenna, and Matt. The firelight cast a soft golden glow on everyone's faces, making the girls look prettier than usual and the guys looked older and mysterious.

"Where's Cal?" Bree asked, and Chris Holly straightened up from where he was crouched by an ice chest, a beer in his hand.

"Why do you want to know?" he said unpleasantly.

She ran her fingers though her hair. "He's our host."

Cal appeared almost silently from the edge of the clearing. He was carrying a large wicker hamper, which he set down next to the fire. "Hi," he said, looking around at us and smiling. "Thanks for coming. I hope the fire will keep you warm."

I pictured myself snuggling up to him, his arm around my shoulders, feeling the heat of his skin slowly seep though my fleece vest. I blinked quickly, and the image was gone.

"I brought some stuff to eat and drink," Cal said, kneeling and opening his basket. "There's food in here—nuts, chips, corn bread. There's stuff to drink in the coolers."

"I should have brought some wine," Bree said, and I blinked in surprise to see her standing right there. Cal smiled at her, and I wondered if he thought she was beautiful.

For the next half hour we hung out and talked, sitting around the fire, maybe twenty of us altogether. Cal had brought some delicious apple cider spiced with cinnamon for people who didn't want beer, which included me.

Chris sat next to Bree, his arm around her shoulders. She wasn't looking at him but sent me irritated glances from time to time. Tamara and Ben and I sat with our knees touching. One of my arms was almost too warm from the fire, and the other was pleasantly chilly. From time to time Cal's voice flowed over me like the night air.

"I'm glad you all came tonight," Cal said, coming over to kneel next to me. He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "My mom knew people here before we moved, so she has a bunch of friends already, but I thought I'd have to celebrate Mabon by myself."

Bree smiled and leaned forward. "What's Mabon?"

"Tonight is Mabon," Cal said. "It's one of the Wiccan sabbats. Kind of an important day if you practice Wicca. It's the autumnal equinox."

You could have heard a leaf land at that moment. We were all looking at him, his face golden and flame colored, like a mask. Nobody said anything.