“April.” She sighed and folded her hands in her lap with a doleful smile. “She loved the water—always found an excuse to go to that lake. And I was always behind her, shadowing her like the little sister that I was.” Something about her shifted, and the child in her eyes seemed to die as she recalled the rest. “But that night was different.” She gazed at the floor as she spoke, getting lost in that horrible memory. “She wanted to go late at night, while our parents were asleep. We rode our bicycles to the water’s edge. April went first—called me a worry wart for not jumping in right away. She said that night was supposed to be special, and she was right. It was just us two; and the sky was so bright, like it wasn’t midnight at all.” She glanced up at the ceiling as if she saw the sky as it was that fateful night, her eyes darting about at the stars that didn’t exist. “And then,” she stared at us finally; and I could see the pain that only Natalie would understand, “she was gone.”
“The newspaper article said the sky was different.” I leaned forward as I asked. “What did they mean?” She faltered for a moment before gazing at me blankly. “Was it a full moon?” Her eyes widened—not in alarm, but in something so much deeper. And I realized that it was terror, as if she were sitting across from a corpse and not a person.
“It was.” She admitted, and her mousy tone returned. “But it was so much more than that.”
“How’s that?” Connor wanted to know.
“It was a blue moon.” She simply said; and I could only stare back at her, unsure of what that meant.
“What’s a blue moon?”
“It’s the second full moon in a month.” It was Connor that answered my question, and the idea suddenly sent a chill running down my spine.
“When Heather disappeared, I knew that it was happening again. But no one believed me then, so why should they believe me now?” She frowned; and I remembered feeling the same in Mr. Thompson’s class, surrounded by stares of pity and cautiousness.
“We believe you.” Abigail looked at me with sadness as I twiddled my thumbs. “I—I know what it’s like.”
“Then, there’s something you should know.” From the way she looked at us, with a terror I couldn’t comprehend, I already knew.
“There’s going to be another blue moon, isn’t there?” I asked her, my voice trembling in my throat. And the nod of her head confirmed my fears. “When?” She sighed once again; but this time, it was one of unbridled dismay.
“New Year’s Eve.” I turned to Connor, but his horror seemed to be far greater than mine.
New Year’s Eve.
Two days after my sixteenth birthday.
Chapter Five
Photographs on the Wall
The last bell of the school day rang shrilly in my ears, rattling my thoughts until they floated in bits and pieces in my head. I looked up from the notebook in my hands as I sat in the grass underneath the net of the soccer goal, and a surge of students came rushing out of every door of the buildings standing in the distance. They scattered as they found their own path across the soccer field; and I watched as one of them sprinted towards me, only grinning when I recognized the head of blonde hair that came into view.
“Hey.” He greeted me breathlessly. “I thought I’d find you here.” Connor let the backpack he carried over his shoulder slump to the ground as he knelt down to join me. “You missed sixth period. That’s not like you.” I closed my notebook and set it down, and he glanced at it in curiosity. “What were you writing?”
“My project for my writing class—Mr. Thompson says ‘write what you know,’ but,” I sighed, “I can’t.”
“Why not?” He asked me.
“My writing scares people.” I said, and he playfully set his hand on my shoulder.
“But you do it so well.” He joked, only pausing in his laughter when he saw the look of discouragement on my face. “All right—what do you have so far?”
“It’s about a little girl whose family dies while she’s at a sleepover with her friends—”
“Sheesh.” Connor interjected.
“You asked…” I replied with a hint of a smile on the corner of my lips.
“Well, what happens next?” He asked me with genuine interest, and I couldn’t help but let that smile linger much more freely.
“She returns home to find their ghosts waiting for her like they never died; but only a short time after she resumes living there with her grandparents, she realizes that her family is repeatedly reliving their last day.” It seemed so much darker when I said it out loud.
“That’s really sad.” He remarked, frowning.
“It is.” I said as I rose to my feet, and toting my backpack over my shoulder, turned to wait for Connor as he did the same.
“But I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s a good story. How does it end?” He inquired, falling prey to his curiosity.
There was almost nothing he didn’t want to learn about. I grinned a little when I remembered how his questions about horses became too difficult for my father to answer.
“I don’t know yet…” My voice trailed off as I found myself lost in thought, still clinging to the fibers of a story yet to be finished. Hastily, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and flipped it open. “It’s three o’clock. My mom’s probably here, by now.”
“Oh—okay.” He stuttered as we stepped across the soccer field. “Are you coming to my game tonight?”
“Can’t.” I sighed to myself as I spoke. “I’m working at the ranch again.”
“Really?” I didn’t have to look at him to recognize the disappointment in his voice. “On a game night?”
“You’re the one who made me late. This way, she punishes the both of us.” I told him once we reached the paved walkways of the school. It had only been a few minutes since the final bell; but in that time, the place had become as hollow as a drum. A couple freshmen hurried past us in the opposite direction, shrinking bashfully at the sixteen-year-old walking by my side. I smiled quietly to myself, but Connor—he didn’t notice.
“It was one time,” he argued, “and you weren’t even that late.”
“It’s not so much as my being late, I think.” It was hard to put into words, and I stared at the concrete path as I spoke them. “It was a full moon, and you know how parents get around that time.” Connor nodded in understanding as he kicked a crumpled piece of paper up from the ground.
“I guess.” He looked up at me, pausing as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Have you noticed—” I glanced at him when he stopped.
“What?”
“I don’t know—your mom…” He ran his fingers through his hair as he scrambled to explain. “She’s been…kinda weird, lately.” I shrugged my shoulders at the idea.
“She’s just worried about me.” I said, and the familiar whir of running engines and chattering students finally found its way into my ears. “With losing Heather and all those girls going missing—” I turned to face him when we stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, where it ended and the parking lot began. “Yours doesn’t have anything to worry about.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you.” He reassured me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that were true.
“Are you sure?” I chuckled a little, if only to stop the heart that relentlessly fluttered in my chest.
“I won’t let it.” With a wink, he reached out to punch my shoulder; and he stole a quick look over his shoulder. “I’ve got to go—practice for the game and all.” He readjusted his backpack over his back and sprinted a few steps away, halting when I called out to him.
“Make a basket for me!”
“I...can’t guarantee that!” He started to run backwards as he responded, and I laughed when he collided with a group of students that proceeded to jostle past him.
“Melissa, hon, are you ready to go?” I looked down at my mother’s blue car when I heard her voice.
“Yeah.” I pulled open the door and set my backpack on the floor before sliding i
nside.
“How was your day?” She asked.
“Fine.” There it was: the ultimate teenage answer. I never thought I’d reach that point; but then, everything was changing. I just didn’t know how much.
“How is everyone doing so far?” I called out to the half dozen horses ahead of me and smiled when Mason shouted his answer.
“We’re doing just fine, Miss Moonwater.” He reassured me, turning his head towards the little boy riding a pony behind him. “Isn’t that right, Liam?”
“Yep!” He nodded enthusiastically.
“That’s my man.” Mason said, grinning as he tipped his hat Liam’s way. We continued down the dirt path, the ground too cold to be easily disturbed by the hooves that passed over it; and a grove of trees came into view. They were bare now, just the bones of what were once covered in leaves as green as Connor’s car.
Connor. I sighed. The game would be starting soon, and I was miles away.
“Hey, Moongirl.” I pulled on the reins to slow Artemis down and stole a glance over my shoulder.
I’d only heard that voice once before, but it wasn’t one that I had forgotten.
“I thought I’d come through the front door this time.” Caleb explained with a smile.
“Hey, Mason, I’ve got to stay back for a while.” I called to him before jumping down from the white horse’s back.
“Sure thing!” He replied, almost too far away for me to determine what he had said.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him, feigning annoyance.
“I thought I’d take some horseback riding lessons.” I made a face at his words. “What? Not convinced?” He dismounted his own horse to step towards me. I shook my head.
“You seemed to be doing just fine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.” I remarked and started to move in the other direction.
“I think I’ve got you figured out.” He said, and I slowed in my steps.
“You think so?” I scoffed, but there was a curiosity I couldn’t suppress.
“I do.” He answered me. “The girl who disappeared—she was your friend, wasn’t she?” I sighed heavily as I ran my fingers through Artemis’ mane.
“Which one?”
“Heather.” I turned to face him sharply when I heard him speak her name; and for a moment, I wished I’d shot him in the barn that night.
“That’s none of your business.” I snapped, angry; but he took a step closer.
“The woman at the newspaper—” I wouldn’t let him finish.
“That was you?” I walked towards him, still unsure of what I was going to do.
“I heard about what was going on. I just didn’t know it was that close to home.” He glanced down at his shoes as he spoke. “Listen, I understand.”
“No, you don’t.” I stormed in the opposite direction; but something grasped my hand, holding me back.
It was strange, but all too familiar—like the drops of water that had clung to my skin when I had stood at the edge of the abandoned bridge. I looked down, only to see that Caleb had curled his fingers around mine.
“Let go of me.” I tore away from him and climbed onto my horse’s back, gripping her reins once I regained my balance.
“I was late.” He buried his hands in his pockets as he stared at the frozen ground. “We were,” he sighed, “going to go on a walk. It was something we did…every now and then. But when I got to the house—when I got to the house, the lights were off. And it didn’t make any sense, you know? No one else was home but her, so I thought maybe—maybe she just forgot and went out do something else. But…then I saw the blood, so I followed it. And I found her, but her head—” His voice cracked, and I watched him hastily wipe the tears away from his eyes.
He didn’t have to say anymore.
“We grew up together.” He looked up at me when I began. “She went out to go swimming one night, and she never came back.”
“They never found her?” He asked.
“No.” I swallowed and suddenly found my feet touching the ground.
“I think it helps,” he paused, “making sure they’re remembered.” I almost smiled.
“It does.”
“You’re kidding. She did not do that every time.”
“I’m serious. She’d do it every time we went to her mother’s restaurant. It was ridiculous.” I told him as we walked past the corral, leading the last of the horses out of the cold and into the shelter of the barn.
“And the waiters would just go along with it?” He asked, still doubtful that it was true; and I glanced over my shoulder at him as I answered.
“Her whole family owned the place. If she said it was Connor’s birthday, it was Connor’s birthday.”
“Hmm…” He looked down at the floor as he chuckled to himself. “It sounds like she was a good friend.”
“The best.” I smiled, thinking of all the times Connor’s face had flushed a bright red when he saw the entire staff rounding the corner with sparklers.
“Thanks for staying after hours, son.” My father spoke as he leaned against the stall door, obscuring most of Poseidon’s nameplate with his back.
“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Moonwater.” Caleb said and reached out to shake his hand; but when their palms touched, my father held him there, staring at him in curiosity.
“What’s your name?” He wanted to know.
“Caleb—Caleb Ahoka.” He answered; and my father let him go, satisfied.
“Ahoka…strong name. Where are you from, Caleb?” My father asked him as he took Athena’s reins from my hands and led her into her stall.
“I was born in Georgia,” he told him, burying his free hand in his pocket, “but my family moved here when I was really little.”
“Well, it’s nice to have you here.” My father patted him on the back once he locked Athena’s door.
“It’s nice to be here.” He paused. “What’s that?” I stared at him, oblivious.
“What’s what?” And then I heard it.
I’ve got friends in low places…
But it wasn’t the incomparable Garth Brooks singing the words.
“Oh.” I reached into my pocket with my right hand and pulled out my phone, flipping it open to look at the screen. The sound of Connor’s voice suddenly came to an end, and his name appeared over the message he had sent me.
S,s:O.
What did that mean?
“Hey, I’ve gotta go.” I murmured, so low I wasn’t sure if anyone had heard me. “Dad,” I turned to face him; and he looked to me expectantly, “could we have Mason and Henry close up for the night? I think Connor’s in trouble.”
“‘Course, kiddo. I’ll just let Mason know.” He nodded and hurried towards the door, leaving the two of us in the quietness of the night.
“I guess that’s my cue.” Caleb started, beginning to walk in the same direction; and I bit my lip for a moment as I watched him leave.
“Wait. Caleb?” He stopped just short of the doorway.
“Yeah, Moongirl?” There was that smile again.
“We have free riding lessons for kids under seven—you know, if you want to bring your brothers again.” Why did I say that?
But he chuckled and nodded his head.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” And then he was gone.
It was quiet. No bright lights—just darkness and silence in the dimly lit room. In the minutes that I had spent on my way home, every nightmare had found its way into my imagination; and still, as I gazed at him from the hallway, the first replayed in my mind.
Just like that Monday, I’d wake up; and my world would be in pieces.
I stood in the doorway, as still as everything else around me; and I looked up at the woman by my side.
“I tried to keep him from texting, but he said it was an emergency.” She crossed her arms as she spoke.
“Thank you, Mrs. Reilly.”
“Of course.” She grinned and set her hand on my shoulder before turning to l
eave.
“Connor?” I whispered his name as I rushed to his bedside, bending down to his level. “What happened?” His chest expanded with the air that stole into his lungs as he placed his hand on his forehead, and I saw the bandage covering his temple.
“Took a header in the beginning of the second half—don’t really remember what happened next.” He breathed; and I let out a sigh of my own, shrugging.
“Well…you won.”
If that was any consolation…
“We did?” His eyes lit up as he lifted his head from his pillow. “Then it was totally worth it.” He laid his head back on his pillow and grinned to himself.
“They said you have a concussion…” I frowned.
“I’m…fine.” He insisted, but he grimaced as he attempted to sit up in his bed. “The room’s just spinning, is all.” I rose with him, and he gestured for me to join his side.
“You sure?” He nodded. “Okay.” I said, sitting beside him; and for a moment, we sat together in silence. I leaned my head on his shoulder as I stared at the opposite wall, and I smiled at the pictures that lined it.
All of them—they told a story that stretched over the years: one of a little boy who moved from a great big city to a very small one and met a girl with a funny name and another who insisted everyday was his birthday. But sitting with him, I wondered—would the pictures return to just that little boy, all grown up now, all by himself?
I stole a glance at him, only to find that his eyes were closed; and gently, I took his hand in mine.
“Thanks for coming.” He murmured softly.
“Never left.”
Chapter Six
Life and Death, Death and Life
“Somebody! Somebody help me!”
I sat up in the darkness of my bedroom, struggling to catch my breath. In my heart, I knew the nightmare was over; but Heather’s screams still filled my ears. The alarm clock on my bedside table suddenly began to blare, and I sighed as I hastily pushed the OFF button. I fell back onto the mattress and lay there in the silence, staring up at the ceiling covered in stars.
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