Secrets of the Moon

by Kristy Centeno

  “Don’t make promises you won’t be able to keep.” His eyes left mine to focus on the teacher.

  Since I was still staring at him, I had no idea what today’s lecture was about. My entire focus had been on him from the moment we both sat down. After a quick glance around the room, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one ignoring the instructor.

  “There may come a time when you might be forced to change because you have no other choice. You might have to make that decision one day.” He said that as if he knew something I didn’t, and that piqued my curiosity.

  My eyes rounded. “What’s that supposed to mean, exactly?”

  “Nothing.” His eyes scorched like cinders as they stared at me. Though I knew it was impossible, my skin actually felt warm all over.

  “Why don’t you just say what you really mean, Kyran?” Why was Kyran so defensive over something I didn’t even understand?

  “I can’t.” He made it clear that he wouldn’t say any more on the subject. “You wouldn’t understand yet, so it would be pointless to try to explain things that will only seem like a fairy tale to you.”

  What on earth was he talking about? Was he on drugs or had he completely lost his cute little mind? “I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

  He nodded as if he’d expected that answer all along. “I don’t either,” he responded coolly.

  “Great, so now we’re on the same page. Maybe now you can stop with all the mysteriousness and tell me what all those don’t-make-sense words mean.”

  He remained quiet for several seconds and I started to become even more irritated. There was no way for me to explain the sense of desperation I felt as I waited for him to tell me something, anything at all that would satisfy my misplaced curiosity. But he persisted with his stubborn quietness and I soon understood he had no intention of answering at all.

  Kyran Rousseau was the most perplexing person I had ever met.

  “You better copy my notes later, Marjie” Angela offered.

  “Okay, I will.”

  After coming to the full understanding that Kyran was pretty much done talking, I decided to pay attention to other matters before my desperation won over and I started another pointless argument with Mr. Grim.

  For the next hour Kyran and I neither spoke nor looked at each other. He didn’t appear angry anymore but he seemed very uncomfortable. On occasion, he would lean forward in his chair and breathe in slowly. Every time he did so I found myself completely distracted and wondering if he was going to pass out or throw up on the smooth floors.

  When the time came for us to part ways, I was more than happy to not be seated next to him. Since it was obvious he would rather be miles away from me, I completely avoided Kyran, ditching him when time came to move on to our other classes. By noon, I was more relaxed and ready to meet the girls for lunch. I needed a distraction from the hunk that shared classes with me, and time with the girls would do just that.

  It was my intention to avoid Kyran as much as possible during the rest of the day, so at lunchtime, I hurried down the crowded hallway, hoping to make it out the exit door before we ran into each other. Going out to lunch with my friends sounded like an amazing idea and I desperately needed the distraction they would provide.

  A sudden arm around my shoulders startled me straight out of my thoughts. Fearing it was Kyran, I looked up, only to catch Alexis’s smiling face gazing back at me as he led me toward the exit door.

  “Hello, Marjorie, going out to lunch?” he asked with a smile.

  “Yes.” I kept my gaze locked on him as he led me down the hall.

  “Would you like to go out to lunch with us today?”

  Uh oh! Not a good idea. “I—”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Alexis,” Kyran replied, echoing my thoughts.

  Kyran’s sudden presence frightened me. Where had he come from? Because I was sure he was nowhere within sight when Alexis approached.

  “I think it’s a great idea.” I accepted Alexis’s invitation just to aggravate Kyran. If he didn’t want me to go out to lunch with his family, then I would.

  “See, Kyran, it’s a great idea.” Alexis winked at Kyran, whose eyes turned dark in anger.

  Ignoring his twin’s disapproving glare, Alexis led me outside toward the same red Lexus I’d seen them in the day before. Josephine and Gage were already waiting by the car and the second they saw me, they rewarded me with welcoming smiles, which greatly relieved me. Had they shown any hostility, no matter how small, I would have made up an excuse to bolt toward Tracy’s car.

  Speaking of which, a good distance away I could see her waving at me. Feeling a little uncomfortable, I waved back, and climbed inside the Rousseau’s car.

  “Having second thoughts?” Alexis rewarded me with that wicked smile of his which was enough to drive a girl crazy.

  “Not at all,” I said, which was a total lie.

  Kyran was already inside when I slipped in, which provided a very unnerving eye to eye contact. Once he realized I wasn’t going away, he turned his face so that he could look out the window and ignore me. I started to fume over his attitude when Alexis climbed in after me. I settled down in my seat, hoping to forget that Kyran was even there, when I was struck by the realization that I was sitting between an incredibly hot pair of twins. Yes, life had suddenly gotten good.

  As we drove by my group of friends, I could see their jaws drop open as they stared inside the red Lexus. It took a lot of effort for me not to burst out laughing at the look of disbelief on Tracy’s face. No sooner had we pulled out of the campus parking lot than my cell phone jingled. I didn’t have to look at it to know it was Tracy texting me.

  Where on earth are you going?

  Out to lunch, I texted back.

  No kidding, without telling me about it? Honestly, Marjie, I’m disappointed in you. NOT!

  I didn’t have time to tell you about it.

  Yeah, I saw how much of a hurry you were in.

  We’ll talk when I get back, promise.

  You better or I’ll kick your behind, missy. Oh and by the way, have fun!!!

  Will do.

  “Worried about you already, huh?” Alexis leaned back in his seat, smiling.

  I shrugged. “I guess you can say that.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you. We’re perfectly well-behaved people.” He winked and Kyran scoffed. “You don’t agree, little brother?” Alexis regarded Kyran over my shoulder, his silver eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “Shut up, Alexis, before I throw you out of the car and make you look like a fool in front of our little guest.” Kyran’s sarcastic tone eased a smile from me.

  Alexis’s smile grew into a grin.

  “Knock it off, you two.” Gage yelled from the driver’s seat. “Don’t listen to these two idiots, Marjorie. They like to get on each other’s nerves.”

  I laughed. “So I’ve noticed.”

  Josephine turned in her seat so that she could look at me. “Truth is, we’re new in town and we’ve never invited anyone out to eat before.”

  I wondered at that. They seemed like good and interesting people to me. At least, that’s what I was hoping for. “Never?”

  She shook her head. “No, never.”

  What could possibly keep them from inviting someone to do something as simple as grabbing a bite to eat?

  “In that case, I’m glad for the invite.” Even if it meant Kyran was practically simmering in his own anger next to me. I grinned at that thought.

  “We really like you, Marjorie. You’re not like most of the girls from town.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “How’s that?”

  “You know, uptight, selfish, a big pain in the ass.”

  I laughed. Well, maybe I wasn’t like that now, but that was definitely me a little over a year ago.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “We truly want to get to know you better,” Josephine said.

  That was a good thing, right? One look at Kyran an
d I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  “Most of you would, anyway.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  “Sorry about that.” Gage glanced over his shoulder for a second before turning his attention back to the road. “When Kyran gets like that, just ignore him. That’s what we do.”

  I could literally feel Kyran’s discomfort, but to his credit he said nothing.

  “Thanks for the advice,” I said. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Whether intentionally or not I couldn’t be sure, but the second those words left my mouth Kyran bumped into me, causing my entire body to react in a way that both surprised and embarrassed me. An awareness I’d never known before shocked me into silence and nearly caused me to squirm in my seat. My insides tightened, my entire body tingled, and I was sure my cheeks were now as red as a handful of cherries.

  “We didn’t really feel comfortable with being friendly unless we were sure of the kind of person you are. But now that we know how much Kyran here likes you, we’ve decided to get better acquainted with you.” Gage’s smile was priceless, filled with undisguised amusement.

  Kyran stared at the back of Gage’s head as if wishing he could drill a hole in it. After a few silent seconds he murmured a very accentuated “Shut up, Gage!” and I had to turn my head away to keep from giggling.

  “Gage, stop picking on Kyran. That was something he didn’t want Marjorie to know,” Josephine teased, and Kyran just let out an exasperated sigh and buried his face against the car window. “I know a nice little diner we can go to. You game, Marjorie?”

  “Sure, diners are always nice.”

  “Good, let’s go there. I’m starving,” she said, and my growling stomach agreed.

  “Sounds like we’re not the only ones.” Alexis smirked.

  How good was these people’s hearing? They must have had supersonic audible range capacity or something.

  “We’re here,” Josephine happily announced after a few minutes.

  “Finally. I’m starving,” I said, probably echoing everyone else’s thoughts.

  Gage found an empty parking space and parked the car in reverse just a few feet from the front entrance. Alexis was the first one to step out of the car, so he held the door open so that I could exit as well. I climbed out of the car and turned to face Alexis.

  Kyran remained seated where he was even after everyone else exited the car. Realizing that Kyran was still inside, Alexis leaned in through the passenger side door and tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

  “Are you coming?” he asked.

  “In a minute,” Kyran whispered. “Go inside, I’ll be there soon. I just need to be alone…”

  “All right.” Alexis seemed to understand his meaning and stepped back to close the door.

  Once Alexis shut the door, I followed the trio as they started for the diner.

  “Is he going to be okay?” I asked as Alexis stepped in next to me.

  “Yeah, he just…uh, he has this condition and sometimes he needs a few moments alone when he feels it’s getting to him.”

  “Oh? What kind of condition is that?” Nosey, but I wanted to know.

  “Something I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen.” He smiled slightly. “It’s a family thing, nothing you need to worry about. He’ll be just fine soon.”

  “Will he be okay alone?”

  “Yeah.” He looped one arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

  Apparently it wasn’t something he wanted to discuss, so I let the subject drop.

  A few moments later, the Rousseau’s and I were comfortably seated and preparing to order. Josephine insisted on ordering for Kyran since she knew exactly what he wanted. As if on cue, Kyran appeared just as the food was being delivered. He sat down next to me but avoided making eye contact with us. He didn’t complain about the food his sister ordered for him nor did he attempt to make conversation with anyone, especially me, which was fine by me. He was obviously going through something I didn’t understand, so my attention centered on other things. Like the amount of food the Rousseau’s consumed.

  To say that I wasn’t surprised by the amount of food they ate was far from the truth. I couldn’t believe how much they actually consumed. They all ordered steak, not just one but two. And ate it medium rare. Even Josephine seemed to enjoy the meat that way. My wimpy burger felt oddly out of place in between plates of steak, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob.

  As I observed them, I couldn’t help but notice that the Rousseau’s seemed no different than the average family, joking and picking on each other as they joyfully ate to their hearts’ content. They reminded me of better, more enjoyable moments with my own family, back when they trusted me and weren’t in debt because of something I did.

  Occasionally, Kyran would steal a glance or two my way and the ever-alert Alexis noticed and grinned. While the foursome ate, I noticed something that I hadn’t earlier. Something about their flickering eyes caused me to pay closer attention to them. The changes in color were very puzzling to me. To the average person those barely visible effects would go unnoticed, but I wasn’t an ordinary person. I was an observer, and the moment I first met Kyran I knew there was something different about him.

  Overall, lunch with the Rousseau’s was a quick but very pleasant event.

  After lunch, I tried to pay for my meal but Gage insisted it was on them, so I ended up relenting after a few protests.

  Minutes later, we were in the car and heading back to campus.

  Alexis, Gage, and Josephine struck up a casual conversation with me about Wolf Creek Hollow, the campus, and the difference in the atmosphere between France and the United States. They spoke about the classes they were taking and what they were majoring in. They also mentioned how much they liked Wolf Creek Hollow and the surrounding areas. Kyran, however, remained quiet and disconnected, but I knew he was listening to every bit of information.

  All in all I had a great time with the Rousseau’s. They were friendly and cheerful, nothing at all like I’d imagined them to be. All except for Kyran, who decided to remain distant from me and everyone else.

  The best way for me to describe Kyran would be to say he was dark. I couldn’t understand it, but I felt this blackness in him that I couldn’t detect in his siblings. Alexis was all smiles and had a flirtatious personality that depicted him as a friendly playboy with an overinflated ego. Gage was a tall monstrosity with the face of a boy and soft tender eyes that could charm their way into your heart. Josephine was the typical beauty queen but without the nasty attitude.

  In my opinion, they were a family that looked like they had literally stepped out of a fairy tale book and taken on the real world. The Rousseau’s were impossibly good-looking and uncharacteristically different from the people I knew.

  ***

  The rest of the day passed by as I expected it would, with never-ending class assignments, essays to write, and labs to finish. So I was greatly relieved when the clock pointed to four-thirty p.m., announcing it was time to call it quits and go home. My only regret was not having the opportunity to see the Rousseau’s one more time before I left.

  Unfortunately for me, my friends had a tendency not to forget things, and as soon as Tracy and I were on our way back home, she assaulted me with a barrage of questions. I answered just to get her off my back and sighed in relief when she dropped me off at home twenty minutes later. I arrived just in time to bump into my stepmother, who was hurrying out the front door dressed in her work uniform.

  The second she saw me her eyes lit up. “Oh, thank God you’re here. I have to go.” Vicki seemed flustered.

  Frowning, I said, “Go? Where?”

  “To work. I took on a second shift and I’m running late.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “We have bills to pay.” She brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Anyway, I made dinner, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Vicki, maybe you wouldn’t have t
o work so hard if I took a job too.” I followed her down the five steps that led off the front porch.

  “No! The doctor said—”

  “That doctor can’t run my life. I’m old enough to run my own life.”

  She turned to look at me and sighed heavily. “He’s not running your life. He only recommends that you take it easy and not overly stress yourself. Stress does you no good, remember?”

  “The doctor talks about me like I’m going to go psychotic one day. So I was a little depressed. I’m fine now. I can do a lot more than stay here and babysit! It would actually help me to be out of the house and do something useful.”

  “By helping out with chores and taking care of the girls, you are being useful. Please, just make sure the girls eat their dinner, shower, brush their teeth, and do their homework before going to bed. Oh, and can you do me a favor and feed the animals? I haven’t had time to give them their afternoon munch yet.”

  Frustrated, I merely nodded.

  “Marjie…” Vicki placed one hand on my right shoulder, a comforting touch, one meant to reassure me. “We love you. You know that. Look, we just have to keep getting over this little by little. It will all work out.”

  How ironic that at nineteen I was being treated like a child because of one mistake. And the stupid therapist wasn’t helping, filling my parents’ heads with stories of my supposed super-depression. At one point in time I was feeling depressed, but for the past few weeks I was doing well.

  “Go to work, Vicki.” I patted her hand. “I’ll take care of things around here while you’re gone.”

  Nanette and Cynthia came running out the front door and down the steps, stopping only when they got to me.

  “Thanks. Bye girls!” Vicki spun on her heel, climbed into her car, turned on the ignition, and waved at us before putting on her seatbelt.

  “Bye Momma!” Nanette and Cynthia waved at Vicki as she finally drove away.

  Once the car was out of sight, I turned to the girls and said, “All right, girls, let’s get you fed.” I motioned for them to go back up the steps. Laughing, the girls raced inside, giggling happily as they disappeared through the door.