First Full Moon

by Michelle Alstead

  He cares, but why?

  “I think that was just my low threshold for pain.” I take a long drink of water, not wanting to meet his eyes.

  “Well, since you missed class, would you like to borrow my notes?”

  Ryan is so nice, thoughtful, and clearly clueless. McGregors don’t have to make up work when they miss school. Our last name is the only reason Magnus graduated at all.

  “That would be great,” I reply.

  Any chance to be near you would be great.

  “I should get back to my friends. Can I bring them by your house later?”

  Should he come by my house? Is it safe? There’s no full moon, but there is Oksana. “Sure.”

  “Maybe when I come by, we can talk about where we want to go.”

  My ears twitch. What does he mean? “Go?” I ask.

  He slides off the bench, standing up. “You know—on our first date.” Ryan flashes a wide smile that makes me lose the ability to speak. “I’ll text you later.”

  With that, Ryan Connelly walks away, leaving me a palpitating puddle of teenage hormones. Just before he gets to the stairs, he spins around. “By the way, I like your hair.”

  I smile with cheeks that burn. “Thanks.”

  And then he’s gone again.

  Aunt Claire walks around the corner, just passing him I imagine. She sits down and gives me a raised eyebrow. “What did I miss?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re grinning like a wolf who swallowed a cat.”

  I grimace. “I’m just really looking forward to the pizza. Is it coming?”

  Aunt Claire has a quizzical look as if maybe she forgot all about our meal. Right then, the waiter returns with the food and sets it down. The pizza smells heavenly and tastes even better. After I’ve eaten at least four pieces to Aunt Claire’s one, she speaks. “I’m going to have to get back to the office. I’ll drop you off on my way.”

  “Okay.” I shove my plate aside, wanting to unbutton my jeans to let my belly out.

  The waiter comes, takes our plates, and boxes up the leftover pizza. There’s no check, courtesy of being a McGregor.

  “I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll meet you out front,” I say, slowly getting out of the booth. My stomach is full—too full.

  “Don’t be too long, sweetie.” Aunt Claire collects her purse and phone. She strides confidently in four-inch heels that I could stand in for about thirty seconds before tipping over and landing on my face.

  We part when we reach the first floor. She walks straight for the front door while I turn left and follow the signs to the restroom, which is in the back just past the kitchen.

  The kitchen door swings open as I pass and I see our waiter talking to several other waiters. None of them seem concerned with the pizzas clearly ready to be served.

  “Why are we doing this? I had a modeling gig in New York this week and instead, I’m in a boring little town in the middle of nowhere,” our waiter says.

  I stop in my tracks, standing just outside the closed door. Why are you waiting tables when you should be gracing magazine covers?

  “We don’t have a choice. If boss lady says we wait tables, we wait tables,” another man replies.

  “And if we don’t want to?”

  “Doesn’t matter what we want. We’re an army. We take orders from the general. We don’t think for ourselves, got it?” Another voice says.

  “This is so lame!” our waiter whines.

  “You knew the consequences when you made the deal,” the second voice replies.

  “It was a hundred years ago! How did I know she’d hold me to my promise through multiple lifetimes?” the first waiter asks.

  Footsteps move closer to the door, so I hurry toward the bathroom; suddenly the only place I need to go is home.

  ***

  Aunt Claire is standing near the curb when I come outside. With her back to the restaurant, she doesn’t see me. She’s on her phone, talking to someone in a somewhat angry voice, so I hang back, waiting for her to end the call.

  “I don’t care about the expense. You need to find him.”

  Who does she need to find?

  “I’m telling you, he stole it. Yes, I know how important it is.” Aunt Claire balls her free hand into a fist. “No, you don’t need to send anyone else. She’s hardly a threat. Tell the others there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Who isn’t a threat? Is she talking about me? Does she know my dad stole the family spell book? There are others, and Aunt Claire is working with them. Magnus said we had enemies. Are those people working with my aunt? Did she have anything to do with what happened at the family dinner?

  I gulp hard and quickly step back inside the restaurant, peering through the glass door. When Aunt Claire hangs up, I come out as if I’m just now ready.

  “All set?” she asks.

  Be calm, Candy.

  I smile brightly. “All set.”

  “Well, come on, we better get you home,” she says, motioning to her car. The bags from our shopping trip line the backseat.

  “Right.”

  “Hey, do you know where your dad is? We had a meeting this morning, and he missed it,” she asks, unlocking the car.

  “Nope.”

  Aunt Claire frowns and nods. “Well, maybe he’s just wrapped up with that overseas project he’s been working on.”

  What overseas project?

  “We’d better get going. I’ve got homework to do,” I say.

  “Candy?”

  “Yes, Aunt Claire?”

  “Remember what I said about Oksana. There’s no need to waste your time trying to be something that you’re not.”

  “Right,” I say through clenched teeth.

  We climb into Aunt Claire’s cherry-colored Audi convertible.

  “So, sweetie, how was your birthday?” she asks, pulling away from the curb.

  “Best one ever,” I reply.

  My aunt may not think I can break the curse, but I’m just angry enough to prove her wrong. Jasper deserves a shot at a normal life—we all do.

  I’m going to break the curse and prove her wrong.

  Even if I have to do it alone.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Oksana stands in the doorway with her arms folded. Someone isn’t happy.

  I don’t blame her. I shouldn’t have gone with Aunt Claire. She’s not my aunt, so she loses that title. I’ve wasted valuable time I could have spent learning how to hone my magical skills. “We should probably talk—”

  “Not now. Cousins in room. Talk them first.” She turns and stomps down the hall in her black orthopedic shoes.

  “Fine.”

  Before shutting the front door, I watch Claire roar up the street in her sports car. I remember the day I first met her—she appeared not long after I found the Lady in White. I was crying for my mother when suddenly she was standing in front of me.

  “It’s Candy, isn’t it?” she asked, holding a small, yellow teddy bear.

  “Yes,” I said between sobs. “Who are you?”

  “I’m your aunt, Claire.”

  “Have you seen my mommy?”

  She got down on the floor next to me. “No, but I heard she had to go away.”

  “Why can’t I go with her? I need her.”

  “Sometimes, the people we love have to go away. It’s not because they don’t love us, but because it’s the only way for them to get better.”

  “Is Mommy sick?”

  “Yes, just a little.”

  “Will she come back when she’s better?”

  Claire handed me the bear. “When I was young, I had to let go of the one person I loved most in the world when I needed him the most.”

  “Why did he go away?”

  “Some very bad people took him from me.” Claire’s face was sad—an emotion I haven’t seen since.

  “Why did they do that?”

  “Because they thought he was bad. But he wasn’t. He was just different.”
<
br />   “How was he different?”

  “In the same way you and I are different.”

  “I don’t understand. I want Mommy.” I sobbed into the bear, pressing the soft material against my face.

  “Someday you’ll understand, Candy. Someday this will all make sense.” Aunt Claire took me in her arms, rubbing my back until I fell asleep on her shoulder.

  Where was that kindness now when I needed it? And who was Claire talking to on the phone?

  She is not my aunt. Why didn’t I see it before?

  “I need to get a new cell,” I mutter. “I’ve got to call my dad.”

  When Claire’s car disappears from view, I shut the front door and bolt it. Slowly, I head up the stairs with bags of clothing I no longer want. The second floor is quiet. I walk softly to my room and push the door open, not sure of what to expect. Larkin sits on my bed, thumbing through my copy of Homer’s Odyssey. Bennett stands at the window, still wearing his school uniform. Jasper is huddled in a corner, his tablet resting near him on the floor.

  “Hey, you’re back,” Larkin says, standing up.

  Jasper gives me a wave, and Bennett turns to face me.

  “Happy birthday,” they say.

  There’s no singing, just a weak birthday wish that clearly reflects their collective misery.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, setting the bags in a corner.

  “We were supposed to get pizza together,” Jasper says. “We always celebrate your birthday together.”

  Changing a routine or breaking a tradition—these are unsettling things in his world.

  “I’m sorry. Claire took me to dinner.” I sit down on the edge of my bed and rub my head. “She just showed up. I didn’t feel like I could say no.”

  I leave out that Claire showed up while Oksana was trying to teach me how to use magic and that I bolted because I couldn’t deal.

  Jasper closes his eyes. “She smells.”

  “What?” Bennett asks.

  “Aunt Claire smells. That’s why she wears so much perfume.”

  “I don’t know what to do with that information,” Larkin says.

  “Okay, Jas.” I don’t know what do with his comment so I file it away under one of his many observations.

  “How are you?” Larkin asks.

  My feelings are the last thing I want to talk about today. “My entire life changed in a day. How do you think I am?”

  “Upset. I would be very upset,” Jasper says, rocking his head back and forth.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Larkin says, with eyes that indicate otherwise.

  They’re scared. That’s why they’re all here. Like I can fix this.

  “We need to break the curse,” Bennett says. There are dark circles under his eyes. He paces in front of the window. “I’ve been thinking about it and if we all work together—”

  “Scooby gang power always gets the job done.” Larkin chews her gum, slowly blowing a bubble.

  “But how? How are the four of us going to accomplish what hasn’t been done in what—a thousand years?” I pull the scarf off my head, letting my hair flow free.

  “We start with what we know and go from there.” Bennett turns away from the window.

  Larkin plays with her hair. “I don’t know anything. I tried to squeeze information out of my dad, but he just locked himself in his study and played Madonna for hours.”

  We all stare at the mention of Uncle Daig’s choice in music.

  Larkin rolls her shoulders. “What? Like your dads are super normal.”

  “My dad wouldn’t talk either,” Bennett says. “This family knows how to keep a secret.”

  We turn to Jasper who fiddles with the tablet, scrolling through it.

  “Jas?” I say his name.

  “I did not ask my father. It seemed pointless given Grandmother said they weren’t to do magic. I did bring my notes though.”

  “Notes?” Larkin inches toward him.

  “Yes, I’ve been making notes on everyone for years. I observed several patterns that struck me as odd.” Jasper holds the tablet out. Larkin takes it, sitting down on the floor near him but not next to him.

  “Have you talked to your dad since . . .” Bennett looks at the floor.

  I sit down on the edge of my bed. “No, but I talked to Magnus. He said we need the original spell, which is in the book my dad stole. We also need the talisman Darby used, but most importantly, we have to make a sacrifice.”

  Bennett swallows hard, but says nothing.

  Larkin hands the tablet back to Jasper. “I don’t read binary.”

  He takes it, the tips of his ears turning pink. “It’s not binary. It’s a statistical analysis of all things McGregor.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know what to say to that.” Larkin takes a few strands of hair, winding them into a small braid. “Where’s the talisman?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what it is.”

  “You’ll have to go on a journey to find it,” Jasper says.

  “What?” I ask.

  He points to Homer on my bed. “Every hero has a journey; you’re the hero of our story.”

  “No, I’m not. I couldn’t even tap into my power with the three of you.”

  “In season five, Buffy needs Willow, Zander, and Giles to defeat Adam. She couldn’t do it alone,” Larkin offers.

  “Every hero has a mentor and sometimes a team, but ultimately, they must find their way on their own,” Jasper says, pulling his chew from his pocket.

  He’s made up his mind—I’m the hero. I’d argue, but don’t have the energy.

  “We’ll find the talisman. I don’t know how, but we’ll find it.” I look to Bennett. “It’s the sacrifice part that worries me.”

  “Yeah, I don’t like that word.” Larkin hugs the binder to her chest.

  “You shouldn’t,” Bennett replies. “Sacrifice is never easy.”

  “Magnus said Darby sacrificed something big to seal the spell. Unless we’re willing to make an equally big sacrifice to break the curse, we won’t succeed.” I open the bottom drawer of my night stand. The book is still there. I quickly close it.

  “So, we aren’t talking about her burning her favorite outfit, are we?” Larkin stops chewing. She sits down on the floor, staring at the wall behind me.

  “No, when I was sick Grandmother mentioned doing a blood sacrifice. Anyone want to guess what that meant?” I dig my fingernails into the palm of one hand. Sharp pain shoots through my skin. Sacrifice means pain and loss. But how much more can I lose?

  “What do we know about Aunt Claire?” I ask.

  Larkin sits up straight. “What?”

  “What do any of us actually know about her?” I ask.

  “She showed up suddenly when we were five, during a family dinner,” Jasper says quietly. He tugs on his hair. “And she never talks to me.”

  “Really? Me neither,” Larkin says.

  It’s true. I’m the only one Aunt Claire has ever spent any real time with.

  “Bennett?” I say my cousin’s name, hoping to draw him out of whatever deep thoughts have pulled him away.

  “Our father’s positions at the company are just for show. She runs it,” he says. “My dad’s afraid her—everyone’s afraid of her.”

  “But why?” I ask.

  “I don’t know. My dad won’t tell me anything other than it’s better if I don’t know.” Bennett scratches the stubble growing along his jawline. Proof we aren’t kids anymore.

  “Well, one thing is for sure. Claire isn’t going to help us,” I say.

  Larkin’s eyes shoot up. “Why?”

  Bennett draws a breath. “Because she wants to stay a wolf,” he says.

  “But why?” Larkin asks. “Even I know that being a wolf is a really bad idea.”

  I chew my lip. “She likes being strong.”

  “Being strong is only part of it.” Bennett’s voice is low; he glances at my closed bedroom door.

  “What are
n’t you saying?” Larkin asks.

  “I’m saying that wolves have a way to cheat Mother Nature.” Bennett sniffs, rubbing his nose. “If they feed on humans, they can stay young for a really long time.”

  Larkin stands up, striking an on-guard pose. “You mean like vampires?”

  I know exactly what she’s thinking—Buffy was real all along.

  I shake my head. “No, come on. That’s ridiculous. How do you know this?”

  Bennett folds his arms across his chest. “My mother told me. She was drinking one night and ranting about Grandmother. That’s when she said it.”

  “This is insane,” I mumble.

  “It’s no more insane than humans taking the form of an animal.” Jasper chews, blinking in time with the bite of his jaw. “Every folklore begins with at least a grain of truth.”

  The thought makes the pizza in my stomach churn. “No, our family can’t be feeding on people. That’s just wrong.”

  “And yet, Grandmother looks about thirty-five while Grandpa looks around sixty-five. Guess now we know why.” Larkin walks over to my trashcan and spits out her gum. “We need stakes.”

  “We are not staking Grandmother.” I stand up. This is all too crazy to be real.

  “If she tries bite me, she’s going down.” Larkin nods emphatically. “I can’t be undead.”

  Bennett glares at her. “Buffy isn’t real! If a wolf feeds on you, you die. There’s no springing back to life.”

  “We need a Giles,” Larkin says, sticking her tongue out at Bennett.

  “We have one,” I say.

  My announcement is met with curious stares.

  “Oksana is a witch. She wants to train me. Maybe she can help us find the talisman.”

  “Your housekeeper is a witch?” If Larkin’s jaw opened any wider, it would touch the floor.

  “No one is what they seem,” Jasper says quietly.

  He’s not wrong.

  “Yes, she’s a witch who wants to break the curse. She wants to teach me how to break it.”

  Larkin sighs. “So, we have our Giles. Now we just need to get to work.”

  Bennett nods. “We need to reach your dad and get the book. We can’t break the curse without the original spell.”