Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy)

by Pat Spence

  “You mean accept a family heirloom?” I said, aghast. “I couldn’t possibly. Do your mother and father know about this?”

  “My mother and father have nothing to do with this,” said Theo firmly. “This is my necklace and I shall do with it as I will.”

  “But who did it belong to?” I asked. “I’m assuming you inherited it?”

  “Yes, from a distant relative,” he said, a little evasively, “and I’d much prefer you to be wearing it, rather than leave it in a drawer where no-one can see it.”

  “I’m not sure, Theo, it doesn’t seem right, somehow. I’d feel happier if your parents knew about this.”

  “Emily,” he said urgently, “I said I wasn’t open to negotiation and I’m not. I need you to accept this necklace.”

  “Need?” I asked.

  “Yes, I need you to wear it. The blue crystal will keep you safe and if you’re ever in danger, I’ll know about it.”

  “Theo,” I said incredulously, “this is starting to sound like a fairy story. A magic crystal that will keep me safe from danger…? Are you for real?”

  “You don’t know what’s out there,” he said enigmatically, “and I need to keep you safe.”

  “You keep talking about keeping me safe,” I said, “it’s starting to freak me out. What do you mean? I don’t understand…”

  “I don't expect you to understand. It’s just there are things in my world that can be dangerous. Please don’t ask me to explain, just wear the necklace.”

  “What things?” I asked. “Am I in danger? What do you mean ‘your world’? You have to tell me, Theo. You can’t just give me a beautiful necklace, come out with all these cryptic comments and expect me not to ask questions.”

  He looked at me blankly, not knowing what to say.

  “I’ll do a deal with you Theo,” I said. “I’ll wear the necklace as long as you tell me what’s going on.”

  “Great,” he said, sound relieved. “Let me put it on you.”

  I allowed him to stand behind me and bending my head forward, felt him doing up the clasp. The blue crystal swung down on top of my T-shirt, sparkling and gleaming. It was beautiful and I had truly never seen anything like it before. I tucked it inside my neckline, so that it wasn’t on display for all to see.

  “Okay, that’s my side of it. Now it’s your turn. Tell me ……..”

  I broke off, unable to continue speaking. As the crystal touched my skin, I experienced the most extraordinary sensation. It felt as if something very cold had touched my chest, but was generating an incredible heat within me. It wasn’t unpleasant. On the contrary, as the warmth spread outwards from my chest, into other parts of my body, I felt the most wonderful peace come upon me. I’ve never taken drugs or alcohol, but this is how I imagined it would feel. Immense love flowed from me to Theo and to the rest of the world. I was at one with everything; energised, refreshed and reborn. I felt radiant, as if rays of light were shining forth from my fingertips and my body was emitting starbursts of energy. It was the most heavenly, beautiful, amazing feeling.

  “Theo,” I whispered, “it feels incredible. What is this crystal?”

  He looked at me kindly.

  “Hush, don’t ask any more questions. There are some things it’s better you don't know. Keep the crystal hidden and never take it off. If ever you need me and I’m not around, hold the crystal tightly and mentally call my name. I’ll know straightaway you’re in trouble and I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

  I entwined my fingers with his, cocooned in a bubble of wellbeing, and looked into his deep blue eyes. Eternity stretched out before me, deep and clear and blue, and I knew I was lost. I was irrevocably linked with this boy and whatever he wanted, I would do. I was utterly and completely in love with him. Body, mind and soul were totally ensnared.

  “What are you, Theo?” I asked faintly, afraid to speak and spoil the moment. “I have to know. You’re not – a vampire, are you?”

  My words were so quiet I hardly made a sound. He looked at me and for a moment, I thought he was angry. Then he threw back his head and laughed, looking at me with amusement.

  “Is that what you think I am? Oh Emily, you’ve let your imagination run riot. No, I can assure you I’m not a vampire.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling stupid, “it’s just something Seth said…”

  “This has come from Seth, has it?” Theo’s voice sounded a little cold. “I think Seth would be better concentrating on his college work, rather than spreading ridiculous rumours.”

  “Oh, he hasn’t,” I stuttered. “He hasn’t said it to anyone else, only me. I think it was probably more a joke than anything.” I looked down at my hands. “Sorry, Theo, I know it sounds ridiculous. Please forget I ever said it.”

  He looked at me tenderly. “Okay, I’ll forget it. One day, I will explain things to you. But not yet. For now, can we just be happy together?”

  “Of course.”

  “And no more awkward questions?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” He glanced at his watch. “ I have to go. I have a tutorial that I can’t miss. See you later?”

  He stood up and bent over the table to kiss my forehead.

  “Yeah, see you later.”

  As I watched him leave the cafeteria, my fingers unwittingly went to the crystal lying just beneath my T-shirt. My fingers felt its outline and once more, feelings of peace and love filled my being.

  That afternoon, I didn’t travel back with Theo and Violet in their car. However good the crystal made me feel, I didn’t relish the thought of seeing Aquila again, and I told Theo I needed to sit with Tash and discuss a new assignment we’d been given. It was almost true.

  As we were sitting on the bus, Tash turned to me and asked, “Are you using a new foundation cream, Emily? Or was it that beer facial I gave you? Whatever it is, it looks good. Your skin has a real glow to it.”

  “No, I’m not wearing foundation,” I replied. “And I still haven’t got round to using the facial.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re in love,” said Tash, enviously. “Your pheromones are activated or something like that, making you look all bright-eyed and glowing.”

  My hand went to the crystal and I wondered whether to tell Tash about it. There again, we seemed to be back on an even keel and I didn’t want to spoil anything. If she thought Theo was giving me expensive gifts, she might just get angry again. I decided to keep quiet about it for the present.

  “Tash, you don’t half talk a load of rubbish sometimes,” I said with a grin. “You’re nearly as bad as Seth wittering on about vampires. Theo thought it was completely ridiculous.”

  “What, you told him Seth thought they were vampires?”

  “It sort of came out,” I said, feeling silly.

  “Oh, smart, Emily. Now they know we’re suspicious of them. Why couldn’t you keep your mouth shut?”

  “It’s okay,” I said defensively, “he thought it was funny. It’s not a problem.”

  “No?” said Tash, frowning. “He would try to fob you off, wouldn’t he? I still think there’s something not right about them. He might have pulled the wool over your eyes, but not us. Seth and I are going to keep a very close watch on them. And if we see anything strange or out of the ordinary….”

  “What?” I asked, looking at her with amusement. “What are you going to do? Sprinkle them with holy water or call for Van Helsing? Come on, Tash, you don’t know how ridiculous you sound.”

  Tash looked studiously out of the window. “Okay, I agree vampires sounds a bit far-fetched, but I still don’t trust them. Especially after what you told us about your visit yesterday. Surely you haven’t forgotten that already?”

  “No, I haven’t, I just think maybe I over-reacted a little. I don’t think Theo would put me in any danger,” I said.

  “What’s happened to you?” Tash asked. “You’ve changed your tune since this morning. Are you on happy pills or something? I still maintain, we don’t
know anything about them and we need to keep an eye on them.”

  “Okay, Sherlock,” I acquiesced. “Let me know if you find anything out, and I’ll do likewise. But if we don’t get up now, we’re going to miss our stop.”

  I felt dreamy and other-worldly, and when I got home, I took off the necklace and placed it in my pocket. Immediately, the drugged feeling lifted and although I didn’t have quite the same sense of peace, I felt more in control again. I decided to keep the crystal in the breast pocket of my SuperDry jacket; close at hand should I need it, but not close enough to be under its spell.

  Later that afternoon, after we’d had an early tea, I received a text from Theo:

  ‘Hi Em, Missing u. Fancy going 4 a walk? Your favourite vampire.’

  I texted back:

  ‘Dear favourite vampire, Why walk when u can fly?’

  He texted back straight away:

  ‘U r muddling us with witches. Shall I come over?’

  I answered:

  ‘Yes. C u in a bit(e). Ha Ha.’

  At last. This felt more normal. This is what you were supposed to do. Hang out. Send silly text messages.

  I went up to my room and changed into my faded blue jeans and new Hollister top. As I did so, the blue crystal necklace fell out of my pocket and onto the floor. I picked it up, staring into its many facets and thinking how pretty it looked. I wondered how old it was and what kind of crystal it was. Some crystals were supposed to have certain properties, which might explain why it had such an effect on me.

  My mum was in to all this sort of thing, attending a meditation circle, using Angel cards, dowsing with crystals, looking for orbs and so on. I’d grown up with it and while I’d occasionally dabbled, I hadn’t embraced it in the way my mother had.

  Granddad thought it was all a load of ‘New Age baloney’, to quote his exact words, but there again, he didn’t believe in anything. ‘When you’re dead, you’re dead’, he would say, not wanting to contemplate the possibility of a great hereafter. He maintained all religions were simply a means of controlling the masses, and worship of gods had nothing more to it than agriculture and fertility. ‘Food and fornication,’ he said, ‘the basic requisites for survival, that’s why the old gods were revered and worshipped.’ It was a very black and white viewpoint, with little room for discussion or manoeuvre, and was the complete antithesis to my mother’s beliefs.

  I’d grown up amidst these two opposing camps and, as a consequence, had taken on a little from each, which meant I basically didn’t know what I believed in. I found it easier not to think about such things, preferring to concentrate on the here and now. Books, films, music, make-up and technology were the mainstays of my world, and maybe I was shallow, but at least I wasn’t deluded or bigoted.

  The crystal glinted in my hand and I felt compelled to put it on. It would complement my blue Hollister T-shirt very well, I reasoned. As soon as I’d done up the clasp, I felt the same mellowness and peace flow through me, although not as powerfully as before. This time I felt more in control and, while I was still aware of the crystal’s presence, it didn’t seem to dominate me so much. I decided to leave it on.

  “That’s a pretty necklace, Emily,” said my mother, as I came downstairs. “Where did you get that from?”

  “Theo gave it to me,” I answered.

  “Did he?” she said, with a glint in her eye. “I’m getting to like that boy more and more.” Taking a closer look, she asked, “D’you know what it is? Would you like to look in my crystal book?”

  “There’s no need, mum,” I said. “Theo will be here in a moment. We can ask him.”

  Right on cue, the doorbell sounded, and I ran to answer the door.

  There he was. Beautiful, gorgeous, radiant Theo, standing on my doorstep.

  “Hi, Theo,” said my mum, in a flirtatious voice that was totally embarrassing, hanging over my shoulder, desperate to feed her eyes upon him.

  “Hi, Mrs Morgan, how are you?”

  “Come in, Theo,” I said, smiling at him.

  His eyes went immediately to the crystal round my neck and he looked relieved.

  “I see you’re wearing it. It looks good on you.”

  He stepped in the hallway and I closed the front door behind him.

  “It’s a beautiful necklace, Theo,” said my mum, “and a very unusual crystal. I was going to look it up in my crystal book, but Emily says you can tell us what it is.”

  He looked momentarily reluctant, then gathering his thoughts, said, “It’s a crystal called Celestite, the celestial crystal. Very powerful, creates feelings of inner peace and harmony, facilitates telepathic communication, brings balance and purity. It’s very calming, but also sharpens the mind, it creates openness to new experience, and provides a channel to universal energies… Is that enough?”

  We both stared at him, wide-eyed.

  “Wow, no wonder I feel good when I wear it,” I joked.

  “You’ll have to let me borrow it,” said my mum, winking at me. “I could do with some universal energy.”

  “No,” said Theo sharply. “Nobody else can wear it. Sorry. Emily is the only person…”

  “It’s alright, Theo,” said my mum, seeing his discomfort, “I was only joking. Emily doesn’t let me borrow anything of hers. It’s quite safe.”

  “Okay,” said Theo, relaxing slightly. “Sorry, Mrs Morgan, I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. It’s just…”

  “I know, it’s okay, I get it,” said my mum. “The crystal’s attuned to Emily’s energy, you don’t want a different energy field messing things up.”

  Sometimes my mum’s new age crankiness does come in handy.

  “Something like that,” said Theo. “I’ve told Emily to wear it all the time and it will protect her.”

  My mother looked fit to burst that I should have found such a wonderful boyfriend who not only looked divine, but also shared her off-the-wall beliefs. In her eyes, he was perfection personified. And in my eyes, he came pretty close too, despite his slightly weird family.

  “So, what are you two going to do this evening?” asked my mum.

  “I thought we could take a walk,” said Theo. “It’s a lovely evening and it seems a shame to waste it inside. What d’you think, Emily?”

  I would walk anywhere with him, whatever the weather.

  “I think it’s a great idea,” I said, grabbing my jacket off the coat stand in the hallway.

  “Be back by around half nine, will you?” said my mother, “It’ll be getting dark by then.”

  “We will,” said Theo, adding, “Don’t worry, Mrs Morgan, I’ll take good care of her.”

  My mother had started to look starry-eyed and love-struck, and I quickly got Theo out of the house before she embarrassed herself further.

  “This old car has seen better days,” he commented, as we walked past my sad old Mini, marooned on the driveway, its once cream paintwork concealed beneath layers of grime.

  “Watch what you say about Martha,” I cautioned him, with mock alarm.

  “Martha?” he teased. “You’re joking.”

  “No,” I said defensively, “Martha was very useful until she fell into disrepair. She was my first car when I passed my driving test. She took us all over the place, ‘til her age caught up with her.”

  “You should let Joseph take a look,” he suggested. “He’d soon bring her back to life.”

  “He’s not just green-fingered then?” I asked.

  “No, Joseph’s fantastic with anything mechanical. He’ll have her roadworthy in no time.”

  “Brill,” I beamed at him. “It’d be great to give her a new lease of life.”

  “Why don’t we drive her over to the Hall and let him work his magic?” suggested Theo. “That is, supposing she’s still driveable.”

  “Of course she’s still driveable. She only failed her MOT. Although doesn’t that make it illegal to drive her?”

  “Technically, yes,” said Theo, “but we’re only going
to the hall and I guarantee no-one will see us. Do you have the key? Let’s see what this old girl’s capable of.”

  I found the key at the bottom of my bag and we were soon sitting in Martha, Theo at the driving wheel. I had thought her battery would be flat, but amazingly she sprang to life as soon as Theo turned the ignition. He reversed her out of the driveway and on to the road.

  “I have something I want to show you when we get to the hall,” said Theo mysteriously, as we pulled on to the High Street.

  “What’s that?” I asked, intrigued.

  “It’s something I’ve bought for Violet,” he explained, “but I wanted you to take a look first, and then we can give it to her together.”

  “Okay,” I said, a little surprised. It wasn’t quite what I’d been expecting to hear.

  “She’s been a little out of sorts recently,” said Theo. “I think us getting together might have had something to do with it. You should have seen her when she came home from college that first day. She couldn’t stop talking about you, how she’d made a friend, how great you were, how good it was to have someone to talk to.”

  “Oh dear,” I said. “I hadn’t realised.”

  “What you have to understand,” said Theo, “is that when we were in Egypt, she didn’t have any friends. We did our schooling together and nobody else was around. Joseph was always visiting, and he and I would go off together, but Violet had no one. She was on her own. So for her to make a friend at her new college was a big deal to her. And then I came along and took you away from her. She still hasn’t forgiven me.”

  He looked at me. “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault…”

  “I had no idea, I was just trying to make her feel welcome.”

  Suddenly I felt awful. It had never been my plan for anyone to get hurt.

  “If it’s any consolation, Tash was just as jealous of her those first few days,” I informed Theo. “She thought Violet had become my best friend. It’s all a bit of a mess, isn’t it?”

  “Don't worry,” he said, squeezing my hand, “Violet will come round, as will Tash. Deep down, Violet really likes you. And there’s no reason why you can’t be good friends with her and go out with me.”