Moon Rise

by Marilee Brothers

  Oops. Looked like Mr. Ted got the tapes mixed up.

  Suzanne Maloney, the prissiest girl at J.J. Peacock H.S.—her socks always matched the ribbon in her hair—shrieked, “Oh my God! Don't look! I'll go tell Mr. Ted."

  Nicole Bradford practically levitated out of her chair and hissed, “Oh-no-you-won't!"

  Suzanne, who insisted we pronounce her name “Suzonne” which rhymes with “fawn” huffed, “We're supposed to be watching the film on breast self-exam. I don't want to get in trouble."

  She started for the door, a door suddenly blocked by Sonja Ortega's body.

  "Sit your butt down, Suzonne.” The menace in Sonja's voice was unmistakable.

  Suzanne flounced back to her chair, turned it around and stared at the back wall, the very picture of righteous indignation. Sonja and Nicole tapped fists in triumph. We settled in to watch the film, not an easy task what with all the loud, nasty comments coming from the other side of the thin partition.

  Ten minutes later, we heard Mr. Ted return to the boys’ side and his roar of rage. I hit the Off button fast. When he barreled into the room, we were all sitting silently—except for Suzanne—staring at the blank screen.

  "Young ladies,” he yelled. “Obviously we have a mischief maker in the group. The boys assured me they did not tamper with the video tapes, so it must have been one of you."

  Say what? We all knew Mr. Ted had been the one to screw up. I saw Sonja Ortega open her mouth, about to say what we all were thinking. I looked at her and shook my head, a silent warning. Her mouth always got her in trouble. For once, she snapped it shut.

  Suddenly, Suzanne popped out of her chair, whirled around and pointed at Nicole. “It was her! I saw her do it. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen."

  Nicole jumped up. “No way!"

  Mr. Ted raked Nicole with an angry glare. Her face was scarlet with embarrassment. “Young lady, you are in big trouble."

  Nicole's so-called friends didn't say a word in her defense. They just sat there, taking care not to make eye contact. How chicken-shit is that? Okay, so Nicole and I weren't exactly BFF's, but this was beyond lame.

  I stood and said, “Mr. Ted, it wasn't Nicole. Suzanne's lying. I know how the tapes got mixed up."

  Mr. Ted, his jaw jutting in belligerence, glared at me through watery, bloodshot eyes. “Are you saying it was my fault?"

  "Oh, merciful heavens, no! It was an accident."

  I'd heard him say “merciful heavens” a bunch of times before and thought it was a nice touch.

  He plopped his ample butt on the edge of the desk. “I'm waiting."

  "Whoever watched the tapes before you picked them up, put them in the wrong box. It's as simple as that. Certainly none of us would dream of going to the principal to tell him it was your fault. You can count on that."

  I looked around at my classmates for support and saw heads nodding in agreement. I walked over to Suzanne and said, “Right, Suzanne?"

  My back was to Mr. Ted. I narrowed my eyes and gave her my meanest look, the one I practiced in the mirror. She looked away and murmured a barely audible, “Mmm hmmm,” through tightly compressed lips.

  I turned and gave Mr. Ted a big grin. “Well, then, I guess that's settled. Can we try again? With the right tapes?"

  Since we had a half-hour left in the class, Mr. Ted liked my suggestion, but this time, he stuck it out on the boys’ side.

  After class, Suzanne's boyfriend was waiting for her outside the door. Charles Raymond Atkinson Jr., was pale, undersized and equally as prissy as Suzanne, a match made in heaven. Suzanne grabbed his arm, talking a mile a minute. I gathered I was the topic of conversation, because Charles glared at me like I'd inflicted terrible trauma on his beloved. I smiled and waved.

  I was headed for French when Nicole caught up with me. Her buddies were nowhere in sight. She slipped a hand through my arm and said, “Hey, Allie. Thanks a lot. You saved my butt back there."

  "That's okay. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

  She had enough sense to look embarrassed. We kept on walking. Finally, she said, “Look, I know I've been mean to you. I'm not sure why you helped me, but I want you to know I appreciate it."

  I stopped and looked at her. “I though Caitlyn or Lexie would say something."

  She blushed and looked away. “Yeah, well, you know, they were afraid they'd get in trouble."

  It ticked me off she was so willing to overlook their act of betrayal, but, like Beck said, she'd never had friends before.

  "Uh huh,” I said, pulling my arm free. “Well, glad I could help."

  As I walked away, she called after me, “I owe you, Allie, and I won't forget."

  "Whatever,” I mumbled. To tell the truth, I needed time away from the Bradford twins. I had other things to worry about. Like, when was Ruth Wheeler going to pop up in Peacock Flats? I needed her as back-up. Always good to know an FBI agent who's a fellow Star Seeker.

  After school, I was on my way to catch the bus and noticed a new guy coming out of Miss Yeager's office. He was standing in profile, studying his schedule. Something about him looked familiar. I slowed down to get a better look. When he looked up and our eyes met, I knew exactly who he was and my brain screeched, “Danger! Danger!"

  True, the rings and studs had been removed from his pierced flesh and he was dressed conservatively in jeans and a tee shirt, but he was definitely the guy I'd faced down last year outside Tom's Corner Market. The leader of the PWT's (Proud White Tuffs). He and his buddies had been pounding on Cory Philpott until I used a little magic to stop them. Don't ask me why, because Cory never even said, “Thanks."

  The new guy smirked and sauntered over to me. I held my ground, even when he got right up in my face.

  "Hey, I remember you,” he said, looking me up and down. “You're the freak."

  Ignore him, Allie. When I started to walk away, he said, “I'm Shane Boldt. Don't you want to shake hands? Since I'm new and all?"

  He held out his right hand, palm up. At the base of his thumb, directly in the fleshy center of his Venus mound, was a partially formed inverted triangle.

  I must have made a sound because he lowered his hand. “Oh, yeah. Now you know my little secret."

  He grinned and strolled away, leaving me hyperventilating with frustration. I marched into Miss Yeager's office. She was filing her fingernails into sharp, dagger-like points and humming. She looked up when I entered. “Allie. Just the girl I wanted to see."

  I blurted, “You shouldn't let that guy in school. He's in a gang. The school district has a policy about admitting gang kids."

  She set her nail file down and rolled her eyes at me. “I firmly believe people deserve a second chance. Shane no longer has gang affiliations. The boy wants an education. Was I supposed to turn him away?"

  "There are things about Shane you don't know."

  Miss Yeager leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Why don't you fill me in?"

  Guess what? I just stood there looking stupid and didn't say a word. Pretty hard to explain the world of Trimarks and Star Seekers to a person like Miss Yeager.

  "Oh, never mind,” I muttered.

  "Now, about that counseling session with you and your mother..."

  "What about it?"

  "Monday night. Seven o'clock."

  "I'll check with my mom and let you know tomorrow."

  I'd just turned to leave when she said, “Tell your mother it would be in her best interests to attend."

  It sounded like a threat, and I felt my temper flare. But, instead of getting angry, I just smiled because I knew it would be in Miss Yeager's best interests not to mess with Faye.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Fifteen

  Beck promised to call me after school. When the phone rang, Faye beat me to it. After she answered, she frowned at the phone then glanced at me. “So, you want to talk to my daughter. And you are...?"

  I smothered a laugh, imagining Beck at the oth
er end of the line, unable to touch my mother and daze her. Served him right! Faye listened for a long time, trying to look stern. She couldn't do it. After a few minutes of listening and murmuring, “Uh huh,” the corner of her mouth twitched and her eyes softened. Whoa! Maybe Beck had a telephone dazer I didn't know about.

  I held out my hand for the phone.

  She waved my hand away and said, “Sure, come on over."

  Oh, great! Beck, Faye and I crammed in a twenty-four foot trailer making small talk. I knew Beck had an agenda. If he had his way, we'd be under the apple tree with a flashlight, digging up the moonstone. After hearing about the second prophecy and running into Shane Boldt, I was totally freaked out and confused. I felt a sense of urgency I didn't understand. But, even girls with paranormal powers need a break once in a while. I couldn't handle Beck poking into my mind tonight. The evil doers would just have to wait.

  I snatched the phone out of Faye's hand. Ignoring her glare, I said, “Hi, Beck. Tonight won't work for me."

  As I said the words, they sounded phony, like I spent every night jet-setting from one party to the next. I felt my cheeks heat up at the lie. Faye rolled her eyes, walked back to the bedroom and turned on the TV.

  After a long silence, Beck said, “Are you mad at me about something?"

  "No, no,” I said. “I'm just tired, that's all."

  As I said the words, I realized they were true. I wanted to crawl into bed and go to another place until Ruth Wheeler showed up to help me out. Maybe she would know why Shane Boldt had enrolled in my school. I was positive it had nothing to do with getting an education.

  We talked for a while, and it turned out I was right about his agenda. Before he hung up, Beck said, “We need to get together, so I can figure out what's happening with the moonstone. I helped you with the nightmares ... right?"

  I agreed they were gone. But, later that night, that statement proved to be wrong. My jumbled dreams featured Shane Boldt, who suddenly morphed into Magda's evil twin, Mikhail. It was like being in the middle of a horror movie except I couldn't get up and leave during the scary parts. Unable to escape, I watched Mikhail, dressed in a long, black coat, creep into a darkened house and stand over a sleeping couple, fondling a large knife.

  I tried to scream, “Wake up!” but had no voice. After a long moment, Shane/Mikhail slipped the knife into his pocket. He stuffed a diamond necklace in his pocket, exited the house and set it on fire. When the couple ran, screaming, from the house, he reached under his coat and pulled out an automatic weapon and began firing. Powerless to stop it, I watched the blood bath, my throat aching with pent-up screams.

  I awoke, sweaty and trembling. In my thrashing, I'd knocked the dreamcatcher off the wall. My little pouch of healing stones lay on the floor. I got up, drank a glass of cold water and tacked up the dreamcatcher. I slipped the pouch under my pillow and did some deep breathing to calm my racing heart.

  Faye called, “You okay? Sounded like you were fighting demons out there."

  "I'm okay.” I smiled at her choice of words and thought about Beck, my own personal demon. I remembered the touch of his fingers as they brushed across my forehead and eyelids, leaving a trail of warm, scented liquid. As I drifted into that blissful place between consciousness and deep sleep, I heard his voice wash over me and the words, Allie Emerson. Bathed in pure, white light, you are restored in mind and spirit. So, shall it be.

  * * * *

  The weekend passed without a peep from Ruth Wheeler. I wasn't sure what to do. Sunday night, Faye and I were eating waffles for dinner, our weekly tradition.

  "Do you think I should call Mike and ask him?"

  At the mention of Mike's name, Faye made a sour face and set her fork down. “What exactly did that man say ... the one you talked to on the phone?"

  "He said they were sending Ruth Wheeler to Peacock Flats."

  "That's it?"

  I nodded.

  "Then she's most likely here, watching out for you. Maybe she's in disguise."

  "I'd feel a lot better if I actually knew she was in Peacock Flats. What if something happened to her?"

  "Don't borrow trouble,” Faye said.

  She finished her waffle, picked up a spoon and smeared a thin layer of syrup across her plate. She used the tip of the spoon to draw a heart and wrote Roy inside it.

  Oh, geez, I wanted to gag.

  "What are you, sixteen?” I sputtered.

  "I can't help it. I miss him,” Faye said.

  I knew why she missed him, and it wasn't his sparkling conversation. I didn't want to think about Roy and my mother doing that. Eewww! At least she was taking birth control pills. I'd seen them in the medicine cabinet, which meant we wouldn't be adding Brain Dead Roy Junior to our little family circle. Thank God.

  Faye gave me a wounded look. “I didn't have normal teenage upbringing like you do. I was very unhappy and ran away."

  I couldn't believe my ears. “You think this is normal?” I didn't elaborate on the fact that we lived in a travel trailer next to a cow pasture. We'd covered that ground a bunch of times. Instead, I zeroed in on my less-than-normal life.

  "Okay, let's start with the fact that I'm supposed to save the world from evil, and the very thing I'm supposed to save it with is buried under the apple tree because it's too dangerous to wear. And, oh yes, my super powers aren't exactly super at the moment. I've got bad people after me and the person who's supposed to be helping me is missing."

  I popped out of the dinette and starting opening drawers. “You know what the worst part is?” Faye shook her head. “We buried the moonstone to keep it safe. But, what if it's the only thing that can keep me safe?"

  I finally found what I was looking for and stuffed Roy's Swiss Army knife into the pocket of my jeans.

  Faye shook her head in disbelief. “What are you going to do with that? Corkscrew someone to death?"

  "Better than nothing."

  I slid back into the dinette, feeling a little guilty. None of this was Faye's fault. Since the term “drama queen” had probably been invented for my mother, I had no idea how bad her life had been as a teenager. It might have been something minor, like she got grounded and decided to run away. Or, maybe something awful really had happened to her. I knew her mother died when Faye was ten and Grandpa Claude married Uncle Sid's mother. Maybe now was the time to give it another shot.

  "How come you never talk about your family? All I know is you hate Grandpa Claude."

  Faye's face closed up. “I have my reasons."

  "Tell me."

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  I usually let it go at this point but her attitude ticked me off. I glared at her. “What if I get some terrible disease and the doctor wants to know my medical history? What am I supposed to say? ‘Well, duh, I don't know ‘cause my mom doesn't like to talk about it?’”

  Faye folded her arms and glared right back at me. “If and when you get that disease, I'll make sure the doctor knows everything he needs to know."

  I threw up my hands in disgust and snorted, “Whatever."

  I picked up the dirty dishes and put them into the sink. Since Faye had slammed the door on her family history, I gave up. “Remember, we have to go for counseling tomorrow night."

  Faye nodded absently. She'd been strangely silent on the subject. I didn't have a clue how she felt.

  "I'm going to Kizzy's after school, so pick me up at quarter of seven. Okay?"

  She nodded again. When the phone rang, her face lit up. Roy. She took the cordless phone back to her bedroom and shut the door. I cleaned up the kitchen and did my homework.

  * * * *

  After school Monday, I got off the bus at Kizzy's house. She'd been after me to stop by. I was curious to find out what she knew about the Bradford twins. Sure, she thought Beck was my healer, but did she know about the demon thing? I also wanted to talk to her about Mikhail.

  We sat side by side on stools at the kitchen bar and sipped hot chocolate. Kizzy l
ooked at me and smiled. “How are you getting along with the half-demon boy?"

  My mouth dropped open, and I stared at her wordlessly.

  Kizzy's sparkling turquoise eyes danced with delight. “You thought I didn't know Beck had demon blood?” .

  I gulped. “Well, how did you know?"

  "Allie, you know I saw them that night in the gym. Halloween night. I spoke with Beck and I could tell he was a healer. Good-looking kid, for a half-demon."

  "You could tell Beck and Nicole were half-demons by looking at them?"

  "Deductive reasoning, Alfrieda. I knew Melissa Bradford left the convent and went to Europe, then returned with twins that were surely conceived before she left. When I saw the twins, I knew."

  "But how?"

  "My dear, their eyes glow, a sure sign of demon blood. Surely you've noticed."

  "Well, yeah,” I sputtered. “Now that I know what to look for."

  Kizzy smiled and sipped her hot chocolate. “I was looking for it. Since I know incubi often frequent convents, it was a simple conclusion. Really."

  I shook my head in disbelief. “You're amazing."

  Kizzy leaned closer and gave me a mischievous wink. “I think the half-demon boy is sweet on you."

  I let that comment go by without a response. The fact that Kizzy knew about the Bradford twins made the next part of the conversation a lot easier.

  "Beck thinks he can figure out the mind-reading thing with the moonstone,” I told her. “We need to get together, but his mother doesn't exactly like me. Would you mind if we meet here?"

  Always the gracious hostess, Kizzy said, “I'd be delighted.” She hopped off her stool. “Now I have a special treat for you."

  I slurped my hot chocolate and watched Kizzy bustle around the kitchen, pulling out pots, pans, a wooden cutting board and a huge meat cleaver, the kind you see in horror movies.

  "I'm going to teach you how to make goulash,” she announced as she extracted an amazing variety of vegetables from the refrigerator. Potatoes, green peppers, celery, tomatoes, onion, garlic and a couple of things I couldn't identify.

  "My mother's special recipe,” she said.

  She set the recipe on the counter in front of me. The recipe was hand written in tiny, precise script on paper creased with age and splattered with tomato sauce. Across the top were the words “Magda's Special Goulash"