Moon Child

by Gaby Triana

  “What are you looking at.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I’m worried about you, Crow.”

  “I can say the same about you. Where did you go today?”

  “I told you, I had to deal with personal issues.”

  “You told authorities we were here, didn’t you?”

  “What? No. I swore I wouldn’t.”

  “It’s a matter of time, Valentina. You brought your friend, you brought your sister. I know your sister, by the way. Yeehaw Springs is a small town. She works for the state. Any moment now, code enforcers will arrive.”

  “She’s not going to do that, Crow.”

  “We’ll see.”

  His skin had taken on a wrinkled appearance like crepe paper in the rain. He seemed taller somehow, his purple hair looked slicker, shinier, gelled with some slimy product. Citana’s warning echoed through my mind. “Crow, I’m sorry to tell you this, but this building is falling apart. As we speak.”

  “It isn’t. It’s just water. Water dries. The sun comes out.”

  He wasn’t making any sense. I shook my head. “No, Crow. It’s over. The basement is flooded. Chunks of ceiling are falling. One nearly hit Mori, Fae, and me.”

  “We only have to keep it open long enough for the historical society to approve a restoration budget. We only have to—”

  “No, Crow.” It’s not going to happen, I wanted to say, but felt Crow’s cold, dead stare, like a fish after it’s stopped gasping for water on the deck of a boat. His feet were bare and red, almost scaly. He lifted one foot and used the toenails to scratch the top of the other.

  A beast becoming flesh.

  “Okay, we’ll talk about it later,” I said in the hopes of appeasing him temporarily. I held out my hand. “I need the shovel, please.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need the rope instead?” He gestured to my other hand holding the coil of rope. A wet cough bubbled up in his chest and exited his mouth as frothy foam.

  My nostrils flared. He was making fun of my father. “That’s not funny.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t like my father-daughter joke?” He laughed so low and long, he coughed again. I prayed he would choke on his spit.

  “Don’t fuck with me. I’ve been through too much today.”

  “Only today? Try a lifetime,” he sneered.

  I wasn’t about to have a pissing contest over whose life was worse. We both knew it’d be his. I’d been lied to repeatedly, but I wasn’t about to let it turn me into a hateful asshole.

  The thought of charging at him and pummeling his face into a pulp ran through my mind, but I knew it was what he wanted—for me to fall apart at the seams, let my rage get the best of me. It wasn’t him underneath the exterior. It was half him, half someone else, Crow on emotional steroids. Crow…infected.

  “Give it to me.” I reached out to snatch the shovel.

  He pulled it into his chest. “Come and get it.”

  “Put it there against the wall.” I pointed behind him. “And then walk away.”

  He laughed. “You don’t trust me?”

  “No.”

  “The feeling is mutual.”

  “Crow, we don’t have time for this. The building is not safe.”

  “You keep saying that, Valentina,” he hissed. “As if I don’t know. As if I’m new here and just seeing the deterioration for the first time. As if I haven’t dedicated the last year of my life,” he yelled, “to studying this building. Of course, it’s not fucking safe here!”

  “Then come with us.”

  “I can’t do that!” His eyelids fluttered.

  “Why not?”

  “I live here.”

  “You can leave, Crow.”

  “I’ve lived here forever.”

  I stared into his seafoam green yes, no longer blue. Someone new was talking to me, someone not Crow. I backed away slowly. “She’s just using you to get what she wants.”

  “God, I hope so,” he chuckled. A flash of craving in his smile reminded me of Antoni, of the lecherous sneer he’d worn in my dreams. “What do you think my Lady wants?”

  “To be alive again. To find beauty and youth. That’s what Citana Rose said.”

  “Citana Rose doesn’t understand the complexities of necromancy.”

  “Necromancy?” I recoiled.

  “Communication with the dead.”

  “I know what necromancy is. And we all communicate with the dead here.”

  “Not my way, you don’t. I don’t ‘see’ visions like you guys do.” His nostrils flared. His handsome smile was back. “I raise the dead from their hallowed ground to ask them important questions about the afterlife.”

  Wilky and Mori were out in the driving rain waiting for the shovel, so we could dig up God knows what, close a door behind us, and get out of here. It was clear I wasn’t going to be able to get Crow to do the same. “Just give me the shovel,” I said.

  “So demanding. Trade you for the rope.” He laughed, extending his arm, and held the tool out to me. I threw the rope at him and snatched the shovel. No lightning bolts shot from his hands, no unintelligible phrases poured from his lips.

  I turned on my heels without uttering as much as a thanks and ran without stopping to look back until I’d almost reached the Devil’s Tree. By then, Mori and Wilky had managed to dig another food of depth. Forearms caked with dirt, they looked up at me with rivers of water cutting through the grime on their faces and scrambled, devoid of energy, to their feet.

  I handed Wilky the shovel.

  Necromancy. Black magic. Raising the dead.

  Maybe opening the portal had served us in some other way. Revealing truths in each other, exposing the colony of ants simmering underneath the surface.

  We took turns with the shovel for the next forty minutes. I still had no idea what we were digging for, but each time my fingers plunged into the muddy soil, I caught a flash of the past. A boot here, a cigarette filter there, a dark-skinned cheek being rammed into the earth.

  Laughter.

  Struggles for power.

  Fear of losing it.

  I hated this spot, this tree, I even hated the fine root system that had snaked its way through the earth, making it difficult for us to get the job done. I hated when the shovel’s tip cracked into something hard and bony. I hated the way Wilky’s fingers curled into the mud to scoop it out. I hated the pain in his eyes when he cradled it to his chest, and I hated seeing the bullet hole in the forehead.

  Most of all, I hated that Wilky had to go digging by the Devil’s Tree to find a truth he already knew existed, that he’d unearthed his answer, and that he did not seem any more or less satisfied for having uncovered it.

  He sat on the ground a long time, cradling the skull, whispering to it. And the rain fell from a gunmetal sky for a long time, washing away his tears.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  “Where do you think she went?”

  Fae had left the veranda but wasn’t in the ballroom. We needed to find her so I could drive the three of them away from the Sunlake Springs. I would try to convince Crow to leave, too, but that would be harder. Regardless of who came with me, I had to go. I’d promised Macy.

  “Probably in the kitchen,” Wilky said.

  Wilky, Mori, and I hurried down the corridor through the double doors into the kitchen where we found Fae’s flip-flops floating in a river of rain. Mori bent to pick them up. “Wait. Tell me again why you think we should leave?”

  “Especially tonight?” Wilky added. “In the middle of this storm? We still have so much we want to accomplish. That skull was just the beginning.”

  I looked at both of them, still so anxious to begin the work they’d waited a year to do. “First of all, the flooding. Second, Citana warned of an evil presence, and third, Crow’s not right in the head. Do you know what he said to me tonight?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “He asked if I needed a rope. As a joke. As in my father hung himself, so I shoul
d use a rope on myself, too. Does that sound funny to you?”

  “Definitely not,” Mori said. “And we know there’s a dark presence at the Sunlake—that’s why we’re here. To find out what havoc the presence has caused, so we can help trapped souls. The only way to help them is to rid whatever is blocking it.”

  “Mori.” I placed my hands behind my head. “To be honest? Had I known there was an evil here, I never would’ve stayed to help. I know you want to help the spirits of the Sunlake find passage to the Light, but I’m pretty sure this is a bigger battle than we thought.”

  Mori held my gaze a moment then moved to the corner kitchen doors to peer through each one. “Fae?” They ignored my plea to leave the building.

  “I was hoping to keep digging,” Wilky said. “The more I uncover, the more I might be able to find peace for other families.”

  “I get it, Wilky, but at what cost? It’s using us for our pain. That sounds like more than we bargained for, doesn’t it?”

  “She’s scared, Wil,” Mori said.

  My jaw dropped. “Is that what you think? That I’m being chicken shit? It’s not only about what Citana said. It’s also about the building. Mori, you saw the size of that concrete chunk that fell from the ceiling when we were leaving the basement. What if that’d fallen on our heads?”

  Mori paced into the dining room, and we followed. “So we stay out of the basement. There’s other stuff you may not have considered, Vale. I always have a couch to sleep on at Citana’s, if it came down to it, but Fae has nowhere to go. Her family’s completely abandoned her. We’re her family.”

  “She can stay with me. I know my sister wouldn’t mind, though I’d have to ask.”

  “She can stay with my family, too,” Wilky said, eyeing me. “You all can.”

  Mori considered it. For a moment, I thought I’d convinced them. “Thanks, but you know her heart is set on finding that gold,” they said, sloshing through the dining room’s puddles. “That’s the whole reason she’s here.”

  “Mori, if the county gets its way and the building eventually get demolished, maybe we can request a special permit to search the foundation once the rubble is cleared and leveled.”

  “Can we do that?” they asked.

  “We can try. My father worked for them, and my sister works for the state. But for now, we should leave. Isn’t it a waning moon? Influences passing, time for goodbyes and closures? We’ve already done all we can do here. It’s time to let this place die a peaceful death.”

  Mori thought about it. “Everything has its time,” they whispered.

  I remembered Macy’s Everglades story. “Yes. The old burns down to clear space for the new. It’s just the natural cycle of life.”

  Fae came running in just then, wild excitement in her eyes. “There you guys are.”

  “Where were you? We’ve been looking for you,” Mori said.

  “The basement. I need your help. The concrete foundation connected to the opening of the death tunnel is cracked. I wonder if there’s a way to open that up more, maybe using the shovel. We should try!”

  “Love…” Mori took Fae’s hands.

  Wilky and I looked at each other.

  “I hate to say this, but…I think you’re going to have to settle for knowing that gold is down there. Yes, Vale saw it, but there’s no way to get to it, not unless this place is torn down.”

  “No, Mori, Mori, listen…the wall is literally breaking apart from all this rain. It’s like a miracle!” Fae leaped in the air like a ballerina. “Come! Come see it!”

  “It’s severe structural damage is what it is,” I said. More water began creeping into the dining room from the hallway. “See? For there to be water moving in here, that means the whole parking lot must be flooded, too. At this rate, we might not even be able to drive out of the gate.”

  “She’s right,” Wilky said. “This is getting bad. We should go—tonight.”

  “What? No!” Fae cried. “That’s so easy for you to say, Wilky. You found what you were looking for!”

  Wilky paced up to Fae and cupped her chin. “Let’s be clear on one thing. I will never find what I’m looking for. Okay? That skull, that body we found? That was only the tip of the iceberg.” He let go of her chin and exited the room.

  “I agree we should go,” Mori said. “The basement’s in bad shape. We can always come back after the rain dies down. After the property is razed, whenever that is.”

  Fae yanked her hands out of Mori’s. “Then, go, all of you.” She backed into the hall with tears in her eyes and cheeks red with anger. “I still have work to do here.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Through the corridor’s gloom, Crow’s silhouette emerged. “Sounds like Fae and I are only ones who understand the meaning of the word dedication.”

  “Crow, we’re leaving,” Wilky blurted. “Vale says we’re in danger.”

  “Of course, Vale says we’re in danger. She was born and bred in the Catholic Church, the petri dish of fear.”

  I bristled at Crow’s menacing presence.

  “Meaning, the building is falling apart as we speak,” Mori clarified.

  “Of course, it is. That’s why we’re here, to accomplish goals before it does. But Vale’s been hesitant to help since the day she arrived. There’s a cautious energy about her that blocks us from accomplishing those goals. Or has no one else noticed?”

  “It’s called intuition, asshole.” Wilky stepped up to him.

  Crow held out his arm to prevent Wilky from coming any closer. “It’s called cowardice. The moment you give into your fear, you’ve lost. A real witch attracts the result they want by envisioning nothing less than the result they seek.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” I shot forward and moved past Crow.

  “We are going to get the county’s approval,” he insisted in a loud voice. I paused to gape at him. “And then we’re going to refurbish this beautiful landmark hotel. And then, people will return from everywhere, near and far, for the healing waters of the lake, for the splendor of this building’s architecture. The Sunlake Springs will enjoy another hundred-year reign.”

  When the lightning illuminated the hall, we could see Crow’s arms had grown scaly and itchy like his feet earlier. His skin was mottled and veiny. He looked sickly and pale.

  “Whatever you say, bro. I’ll be in the ballroom—packing.” Wilky turned and blew past Crow, passing me. “You coming?”

  “You’re not wrong about the waning moon symbolism,” Crow said, his head twisted back so I could hear him. “The end of an era brings the beginning of a new one. This hotel’s loneliness is ending. But soon, it will enjoy a revival.”

  “Because the Lady of the Lake told you?” I snapped. “She’s lying. She’s only telling you what you want to hear, because she wants you to do her bidding, so she can be reborn into flesh, and she’s using you, Crow. Look at you—you’re putrid, like the lake outside. It’s already begun.”

  “You know nothing,” Crow hissed.

  I felt the air, filled with his stink, reach my nose as he charged at me through the gloom. I lifted my arms, ready to shove him back. I’d never been struck by anyone before, much less a man taller than I was, but I was Latina, full of fire, and pissed as fuck.

  “What? You’re gonna hit me?”

  “Crow? Stop it!” Mori shouted.

  “You…are a liar.” He rushed at me, his form growing larger as he stomped toward me. I hadn’t noticed how much taller he seemed to have gotten since I’d been alone with him in the ballroom earlier. I braced for the shove, but ended up tripping and landing ass-first in a puddle anyway.

  Wilky’s hands were on Crow in a blur, knocking him into the wall and lifting a fist to ram into his face when a white light flashed off the walls, lighting up the Lady of the Lake painting in the lobby. We all stopped. Another glint flashed off the bird cages, this one red.

  White-red, white-red.

  The electronic sound of a voice speaking through
a police radio sounded out of place and echoed off the walls. Outside, car doors slammed shut. Crow shoved Wilky back with both hands. “And there they are. Everyone hide your things. I’ll handle this.”

  “What is it?” Mori shuffled past the lobby.

  “Cops. Let’s pick up and move.”

  I’d never gotten in trouble before. Not at school. Not at home. I’d been the goodiest good girl the world had ever seen. Leave it to me, on my first time away from home without my parents, as an adult, to get arrested for squatting in an abandoned building.

  Wilky, Mori, and Fae split off in different directions.

  I followed, or intended to follow Wilky into the dining room, intent on collecting my things and telling the truth, should a police officer ask me why I was here, when suddenly, a muscular bicep curled around to gag me. As I watched Wilky enter the ballroom without noticing what Crow was doing to me, he dragged me, kicking and muttering, down the corridor.

  “Hello?” Beams of light criss-crossed through the lobby, reflecting off the atrium glass.

  Crow unlocked a door to one of the small offices between the grand rooms we never used and shoved me inside. He navigated the dark, windowless room with one arm, as he dragged me then pushed me into an armchair, my muffled screams evaporating into nothingness.

  He let go of my mouth, and I sucked in a deep breath. Before I could scream, he’d shoved a rope, the rope I’d given him in exchange for the shovel, into my mouth. I heard one of my teeth chip and kicked blindly in the dark, aiming for his groin. He caught my foot between his knees where he held it still.

  “I can’t trust what you’ll tell them,” he muttered, his thick, fish-smelling sweat falling on my face, as he worked to wind the rope around my wrists behind the chair. “I’ll be back.”

  I fought against the restraints, but Crow had tied me tight.

  “Your father came to close this place down, too,” he said, testing the knot around my wrists. “The Lady harassed him every time. Like you, he couldn’t resist the building’s beauty either. He’d come back. She haunted his ass until he couldn’t take it anymore. She made it look like a suicide. I’ll do the same to you later.”