Silver Moon (Silver Moon, #1)

by Rebecca A. Rogers

  Her question renders me speechless. Nobody’s bothered asking me to do anything since I moved here. “Oh, um,” I stammer, “yeah, sure, I guess.”

  “It’ll be fun. We’re meeting at the ice cream shop just up the street. You can stay here with me until I close, and we can walk over there together, if you want to.”

  “Yeah, sure, okay.” I nod, gaping at the application in my hands.

  She stabs the application with her finger and adds, “And you can fill that out while you’re here.”

  The disgruntled look on my face is enough to make her giggle.

  While Jana’s busy helping customers, I sit in the employee’s room in the back, waiting to leave for the movie. I play on the computer for a little while, but games like Minesweeper and Solitaire bore me after an hour. I lay my head down on the computer desk.

  Fatigue overwhelms me, and a dream-like state washes over my body.

  I’m running through the open field beside Randy and Beth’s house again. The same motions, the same words—everything replays like last time. The trees at the border of the woods finally let me pass, leaving me to run through more trees that give me the warning. I come to the edge of the stream and stop. I see him on the other side. This time, he asks me to come forward, to come with him.

  I don’t know what to do. I’m at a loss for words. My mouth opens to speak, but no matter how hard I try, the words won’t come out.

  He holds his hand out to me, whispers something across the way. Somehow it reaches my ears.

  He says, “You must leave. Follow me. I’ll show you the way out.”

  Over and over again I think, “I can’t,” but my tongue won’t budge. I’m frozen in place. His yellow eyes watch me from a distance, and then he slowly falls to the ground. He bursts into a grey mist and disappears into the forest.

  “I can’t go,” I say. My mouth finally allows me to speak, now that he’s gone. A tree moves somewhere behind me; I hear the groaning of its frame. Something begins to shake me.

  “Candra,” it says. “Why can’t you go?”

  My mouth won’t move.

  “Candra?” It stirs me again. “Candra, wake up!”

  I breathe in false wood, and realize I’m at the computer desk. Jana looms over me.

  I sit up and squint from the florescent lights overhead. “Did I fall asleep? I’m sorry. I’ve been so tired lately,” I say.

  “You talked in your sleep. I didn’t know anyone did that anymore.” She giggles.

  “I keep having this—eh, it’s nothing.” No need to sound crazy.

  Jana stares blindly at me before she asks, “Ready to go?”

  “Yeah, I’m coming.”

  May’s Ice Cream Shop is just up the street. My body is languid, my mind still fuzzy. Jana drones about something insignificant, and I block her out, nodding occasionally and plastering a fake smile on my face.

  When we enter May’s, the bell overhead chimes. All eyes are on us, like we broke a window to get in. The place has a Grease vibe to it—checkerboard floors, red booths, and a jukebox against the wall.

  “Let’s find a place to sit. Blake should be here soon,” Jana says.

  We walk toward a booth, when two guys slide in before we get there—the same guys that stopped me after school.

  “Sorry, ladies. This seat is reserved,” one of them says. I’m not sure which one he is—Cameron or Ethan. He scoots over and sits with his back against the wall, legs across the seat.

  “That’s okay,” Jana says. “We’ll just find another one. C’mon, Candra.”

  But I don’t want to move. That’s our seat. The way he smirks, the menacing laughter behind his eyes—I want to rebel against his every move, like it’s in my blood. My fists ball at my sides.

  “Which one is he?” I whisper to Jana.

  She shakes her head at me, like she’s too afraid to speak his name. “Cameron,” she murmurs.

  “Run along. Only big boys play here.” He leans forward and whispers, “You’re not invited to our little tea party.”

  The brother on the opposite side of the table—who I now know must be Ethan—doubles over with laughter. I stare at him for a moment. Jana won’t stop tugging on my arm, begging me to come with her.

  I can’t.

  Hair rises on my body. I shudder. Cameron looks at me and grins, daring me to do something. Not now, but soon, I promise mentally. It’s like I’m in a zone. Jana’s voice continues to echo in the distance somewhere.

  “Candra, please,” Jana whines beside me.

  “I’d listen to your little friend if I were you,” he says.

  Finally, I break our staring showdown and glance at Jana. “Yeah, sure,” I tell her.

  She practically pulls me outside. I’m hungry. Haven’t eaten all day. Those losers took our seat, so now I’m irritable.

  “Are you crazy?!” she yells.

  Evil mental images evaporate as I’m sucked back into reality. “What?” I ask, confused.

  “Okay, I know you’re new here and everything, but you don’t mess with Cameron and Ethan. Period,” she says.

  “Why not?”

  “They practically run this town. Their parents are in big with the mayor and a bunch of other people who are higher up in society.”

  “And I care because…”

  “Because they can get by with stuff that no one else can. They skip school, they vandalize property—”

  “Sounds like my kind of people,” I say, laughing. But the way Jana’s face drops has me wishing I could take it back.

  “I don’t think you’d want to associate with them,” she says, quietly.

  “Are they really that bad?”

  She nods.

  “You two don’t look happy.” We turn around to see Blake. “What’s the problem?” he asks, placing his arm around Jana’s waist.

  “Nothing, babe,” Jana says, before I can say anything. She smiles at me, and I smile back, acknowledging that we should blow off the two losers and have a good night.

  “Well, if you two are set, are we still going to the movies?” Blake asks.

  Jana and I say yes in harmony, not wanting Blake to suspect anything.

  We walk up the street to the movie theater, which is new, and set in the corner of a shopping center. The lights on the outside of the building are appropriately theatrical—a running row of blue bulbs flash around each movie poster. A single fountain sits deserted in the middle of the court; its steady flow of water coming out of the mouth of a mermaid.

  “Which movie are we seeing?” I ask when we reach the ticket booth.

  “I want to see that new scary movie,” Jana says, her eyes dancing. She looks up at Blake.

  He dramatically rolls his own eyes and grins. “If you want to, I guess it’s all right,” he says.

  “Yes! Once Upon a Nightmare it is!”

  I laugh and step in line to grab a ticket.

  “You’re not buying your ticket,” he says behind me.

  I turn around to joke with Blake, but he and Jana stare over my shoulder. When I spin to my right, I realize the person who said it is Benjamin.

  “Um, hi,” I meekly say. “You don’t have to—”

  “I know,” he states. There’s no reaction on his face. No telling signs of what he feels. He’s vacant, expressionless. Beige lights around the theater box dimly light half of his face—his sculpted jaw, his dark eyes, tan skin.

  I forget to breathe.

  He hands me a twenty and says, “Get whatever you want.”

  That’s it. Nothing else is said.

  He strolls off, as if handing money to someone is an every day occurrence.

  “That’s…weird,” I say, still looking in his direction. He walks across the street and disappears behind the passing cars.

  “You’re marked,” Jana says flatly.

  I whip around to look at her. “Excuse me?”

  She doesn’t say anything. She and Blake eye me cautiously, like I have some sort of c
ontagious disease. Then they walk inside, leaving me to hurry and pay for my ticket.

  Great. Just when I think this town can’t get any weirder, it does.

  Crush pays for movie ticket then leaves. Check.

  Friend tells me I’m marked—whatever that means. Check.

  What’s next? My family telling me this was all a hoax and I get to go home soon?

  Chapter Six

  Jana invites me to go shopping with her and her friend, Lily, the next day.

  “Listen,” Jana says, “I’m sorry about what I said last night—about the being marked thing. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. It’s a joke we play on new people to freak them out.” Something in her tone of voice makes me believe otherwise.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  I catch a glance from Lily, but she quickly flips through the clothing rack. I realize I know nothing about her. She’s petite, blonde and a total prep. I’ve seen her around the hallways at school. Although she seems like a nice girl, there’s something about her I don’t like. Maybe I’m overreacting, or maybe it’s the fact that she snubs me every chance she gets. I just can’t put my finger on it.

  Nothing appeals to me at the boutiques. I buy one shirt, because it’s on sale, and it’s the only shirt that has my style written across it—a graphic tee that I can easily wear a hoodie over. Jana and Lily’s arms are loaded down. I think about taking Jana up on that offer for a job, because I’ll have more money to spend. But, if today’s shopping adventure is any indication, I won’t have much to blow it on, anyway.

  By the time we load up in Jana’s Altima, it’s dark outside. The new night brings chilly air. My breath turns into white vapor each time I exhale.

  “Hey, can you drop me off at Ben’s?” Lily asks.

  Jana glances at Lily out of the corner of her eye before saying, “Yeah, sure, I guess.” She shrugs.

  “Ben?” I ask.

  Lily turns around in the passenger seat. “Yeah, Benjamin Conway.”

  My heart stops beating.

  “Are you two…together?” I ask, almost unable to get the question out.

  She smiles. “You could say that.”

  The trees lining the road become my main focal point. Anything to avoid my thoughts.

  Jana pulls into a hidden driveway. Scraggly bushes and shrubbery form a net, camouflaging it from the road. If anyone tries to get out, we’re screwed—there’s barely enough room for one car. Her headlights beam down the dirt path, and nothing immediately comes into view.

  “Are you sure this is it?” Jana asks. “It doesn’t look like anyone uses the driveway.”

  “Half the time they don’t,” Lily says, giggling.

  “What do they use?” I ask.

  Lily turns her head toward me and drops her eyes, raising them again to look at Jana. Neither of them responds to my question as we approach a two-story, grey Colonial. The house is engulfed in trees and plants.

  “Man, someone needs to do some yard work,” I say, shrugging them off.

  “Thanks for dropping me off, Jana,” Lily says. “It was nice to meet you.” She smiles at me.

  “You too,” I say. I mean, it’s not exactly her fault she’s dating my crush.

  Jana walks Lily to the front door. I get out, too, snooping around. The forest behind the house looks familiar, though I can’t figure out why. A dog howls in the distance, and I’m immediately frozen in place. The sound leaving its mouth, drifting into the air, is the most heartbreaking cry I’ve ever heard.

  “Ready to go?” Jana asks, walking up behind me.

  I ignore her and continue listening. She stares with me.

  “Sounds awful,” she says.

  “It’s upset,” I whisper. “What if it’s hurt?”

  Jana shakes her head. “I doubt it.”

  “Maybe I should go check on it.”

  “Or…maybe not! I wouldn’t go into those woods alone, if I were you,” she says, placing her hands firmly on her hips, her mouth forming a hard line.

  “Why’s that?” I murmur, not really caring what her answer is. I’m curious, inexplicably drawn toward the woods. It’s like my body isn’t mine anymore. Something deep, something hidden, aches inside me and pushes me forward.

  “Candra! You can’t go in there! We have to go!” she calls behind me, but the edge of the forest looms just ahead. For a second, I believe the trees will talk to me, like in my dreams.

  Howling continues somewhere to my right. I step into the forest’s edge and begin my trek slowly. I don’t want to startle the poor dog, just help it.

  “Doggy?” I feel stupid for asking aloud.

  Before I take another step, Jana yanks me away from the woods and drags me to her car. Her grip on my arm is tight, but I still fight her the whole way, attempting to escape her grasp.

  “Let go of me! That puppy needs help,” I say.

  “No, it doesn’t. Trust me.” She opens the passenger door. “Get in. I’m taking you home.” I’ve never seen her more serious. My heart pounds inside my chest, and my head tells me I should listen. So, I obey.

  The whole way home my mind won’t shut up, worrying about that dog—and if it’ll be okay. Jana is as stiff as a board in the driver’s seat, completely fixated on the road ahead.

  “I know it’s weird, but this place has always given me the creeps,” she says, turning into the driveway. I’m surprised she spoke.

  I decide not to press her about the dog in the woods. She seems really tense about the situation, even though I’m dying to find out what her problem is. “Really? How come?”

  “I’m not sure.” She looks lost, like she’s in some far away place in her mind.

  “You’re more than welcome to come in,” I say.

  She shakes her head. “No, that’s okay, but thanks.”

  She waits to leave until I’m safely inside. Beth greets me at the bottom of the staircase.

  “I thought I heard a car pull up,” she says. “I’ve made dinner, if you want something to eat.”

  “Thanks, but I’m really tired. I think I’ll go lay down for a bit.”

  Beth frowns, but doesn’t say anything. She walks back into the kitchen. I shut the door to my bedroom, ready to crash at any moment. My eyelids are heavier than they’ve been in a while, even more so than a couple of days ago.

  I fall onto my bed, bouncing with the mattress. The ceiling shines somewhat, and then becomes fuzzy.

  I run away from the man across the bank. This time, he doesn’t disappear—he follows closely. He yells at me, but I’m too frightened to stop and find out what he wants. The trees’ calls rise in one agonizing shriek.

  A thick, grey fog cloaks the ground around me; it becomes deeper as I press forward. The trees are close now, holding out their rough arms to try and stop me. I have no idea where I am or where I’m headed.

  I have to escape him.

  He’s close enough that I hear what he says.

  “Creatures of the dark they come…”

  I cry out for help, surprised my legs can run for this length of time without cramping.

  “Killing humans one-by-one…”

  No. He can’t reach me. I won’t let him. I can’t die.

  “If you hear them howl at night, lock your doors and windows tight.”

  Howl? Like the dog? Something ahead of me whimpers. Its cry echoes against the trees. The man behind me stands still.

  Blinding white light explodes before me.

  I bolt up in bed. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck and the sides of my forehead. My breathing is harsh and erratic.

  When I finally calm down, I slide off my bed and open my window. A cool breeze wafts in, rolling over my sweat beads and causing me to shiver. I look up at the bright moon, hanging low in the sky. I almost have the window shut, when something moves in the shadows of the trees below-- a black figure.

  My mind races, as does my heart. I can’t think straight. So many questions come to mind. I’m sucked into a
trance, unable to will my body to move.

  My breath fogs the window. The stranger stares back, never moving.

  Don’t do anything stupid, I tell myself, but it’s hard not to run outside and confront him. I’ll be dumber than a frozen pea if I attempt to leave the safety of this house. Every ounce of energy drains from my body, leaving me with only adrenaline to run off of.

  This can’t be happening, I think.

  But it is.

  This is my one chance to find out who he is, what he wants and why he haunts me in my dreams. I swing open my bedroom door and rocket down the stairs. The deadbolt on the front door makes a swift clanking noise, and the door itself creaks. I open it enough so I can slip through and dart outside.

  Nothing.

  He’s gone. Vanished.

  “Candra? What are you doing out here?”

  It’s Beth. I freeze.

  Oh, shit. She’ll never believe me in a million years. Think of something good—quick!

  I put on my best zombie face and start mumbling. “The bird…it fell…they tried to eat it.”

  “Oh, dear,” Beth says.

  “What’s going on?” Randy asks, as he steps outside.

  “I think she’s sleepwalking,” Beth whispers. “We need to get her back to bed. She could go into shock if we startle her.”

  Beth leads me inside, as I continue the mumbling act. Randy follows behind her. She slowly opens the door; it creaks louder than when I opened it. She walks with me step-by-step until we reach my bedroom.

  “You just go back to sleep, sweetie. Nobody’s after your birds. I’ll protect them,” Beth says, her face oh-so-serious.

  I try my hardest not to laugh. Her forehead creases, causing deep lines. I can pretend to go into shock, but once Beth finds out I’m joking, she’ll send me off to a deserted island or something. Instead, I pretend that subconsciously I know what she’s talking about.

  “Elizabeth, when are we going to tell her?” Randy asks.

  Am I dreaming again?

  “Soon, dear. But not now. Let her get adjusted first,” Beth replies.

  “The changes are happening now. There’s no time to wait. She needs to know,” he argues.

  Beth shushes him. “She needs her rest.”

  My bedroom door clicks shut.