Rise of the Moon: Arcana Book One

by JB Caine

  We built up to the climactic moment where the tech crew would dim the stage, then abruptly pulse an overly-bright tight spotlight, followed by pitch blackness. My intent was to symbolically represent Esther’s death, and I felt her hopelessness deep in my soul. Her final cry of outrage was completely authentic as it burst from my lips just as the spotlight bathed and blinded me. And then the lights went out, and I felt as though that inky blackness was flowing through me, like it was alive and part of me.

  The auditorium sat in total darkness for ten full seconds, and when the house lights gradually came up, the audience remained cloaked in silence for solidly another five.

  Those five seconds of shocked silence validated me far more even than the raucous applause that followed.

  One more original play had to perform after ours, and then we were able to go out into the audience and visit with our friends and family. My mom and Aunt Kitty greeted me with flowers and hugs, though Aunt Kitty had a distinct aura of tension around her.

  “Honey, that was so good!” my mother gushed. “All that work really paid off!”

  “Thanks, Momma,” I smiled, holding the bunch of sunflowers she’d handed me. “And thanks, Aunt Kitty, for all your help on the background. I hope I did it justice.”

  “It was very...authentic,” she said carefully. “And I think you did a marvelous job with the characters.” She was smiling, but there was a hesitation in her voice. “I’m sure you’ll get top marks.”

  “Thanks,” I responded. Before I could press her on her cryptic reaction, arms grabbed me from behind and crushed me in a tight embrace.

  “I am so proud of you, darling!” Treigh exclaimed. “You were absolutely amazingly unbelievable! That ending! I’m shook!”

  “Aww, thank you! I’m glad it had the impact I wanted. I was going for something memorable.”

  “Believe me, no one is going to forget what they just saw! How in the world did you do that at the end?”

  “Oh, it was just the lighting crew. Nothing hard at all.”

  “Unreal. I had no idea they could do that!”

  “They were great,” I agreed. “That spotlight was timed perfectly.”

  “I’m so proud of you,” he grinned and hugged me again.

  Alex, Trina, and Gemma came walking up as he released my shoulders.

  “That looked so different from the rehearsals we saw!” Trina said in amazement.

  “The lights and everything make a huge difference,” I concurred.

  “That was so cool at the end,” said Alex. My heart jumped into my throat. If I died now, I died content.

  “Thanks,” was all I could manage to say.

  Gemma spoke up, “Hey, we need to go. They’re about to do the oral critiques. We have to get onstage.”

  “Oh, right!” I hugged my mom and great aunt and Treigh again, then started moving slowly back toward the stage.

  “Really cool,” Alex repeated. “Especially that glowy thing.”

  “Thanks,” I said again, and then I was caught up in the current of moving bodies and ushered back toward the stage. It was only after I had made it back up onto the apron that it registered to me what he had said. What glowy thing?

  Chapter 8

  “Glowing?” I stared at Treigh in disbelief. He sat on the foot of my bed, absently petting my cat Vincent.

  “Glowing!” he confirmed. “Like those glow-in-the-dark stars you used to have on your ceiling. Except not that greenish color. More silver.”

  “Maybe it was some sort of optical illusion from the bright spot light and then total darkness.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I thought maybe it was some sort of body paint.”

  I shook my head. “No, whatever it was, it was totally accidental.”

  “Well, whatever it was, it wowed the judges. Straight superiors, girl! You go!” He high-fived me. “My girl got skills.”

  “Your girl is apparently an X-file.”

  “Like that’s new. Apparently, you also wowed Alex. He kept talking about it. You’ve been officially noticed! Now get ready! I’m taking you to lunch to celebrate.”

  I grabbed some clothes out of my dresser and trotted into the bathroom. Yes, it was lunchtime, and Treigh had roused me from a dead sleep when he arrived. Don’t judge. I hadn’t been able to sleep all night, no matter how tired I was after the festival. My brain kept itching, and I didn’t lose consciousness until the first rays of dawn had started peeking up on the horizon.

  A hasty shower and messy bun later, and I re-appeared in my room in a tee shirt and shorts.

  Treigh was lying on my bed, scrolling through social media posts on his phone. “Girl, you a hot mess.”

  “You’re not wrong. I’m wiped out.”

  “Nothing some sushi can’t cure, I’ll bet.”

  “You’re sweet to take me. I don’t know how much I can eat, though. I feel weird.”

  He sat up abruptly and looked suspiciously at my pillow. “Do you think you’re getting sick?”

  “No, not that kind of weird. I didn’t sleep well, and I have this strange feeling. Like I’m forgetting something, or I’m supposed to do something and can’t remember what. I don’t know. I’m sure it’s just coming down off all the stress from the play.”

  “You sure you want to go to lunch?”

  The truth is, I really didn’t. But Treigh had made such a big deal about celebrating and being proud of me that I didn’t want to let him down. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I bet some miso soup would perk me right up.”

  “That’s the spirit!”

  Fifteen minutes later, we were sitting in Kamikaze Sushi with a sizable plate of rolls in front of us.

  “I’m so proud of you, girl. That play was just too good.”

  I smiled into my Mexican Roll. “Thanks, Treigh. I gotta admit, I was really nervous. I was so sure something would go wrong. But the audience and judges seemed to like it, and the whole cast came through, even Gemma.”

  “Darn right. And you worry too much.”

  “Kinda my thing.”

  “Look, Lia, you know I love you like family, but the truth is, it’s good that you’ve got a couple of new people. I always worry about you. I mean, you’re my best friend, and nothing is ever going to change that. But there’s stuff I love that you hate and vice versa. I don’t want you to feel like you don’t have anyone but me, you know?”

  I could tell that he was trying not to upset me or offend me, but it was hard not to feel like something was fundamentally changing. “I hear what you’re saying. I do. I’ll try not to scare off the friends-in-training.” I tried to make it sound light, but there was an undercurrent of something like bitterness in my words.

  “That’s all I ask. But don’t think, even for a minute, that I’m going anywhere. I mean it.”

  I smiled wanly, and he could tell I wasn’t fully convinced. And then he unexpectedly jumped up and slid into my side of the booth. “THIS,” he announced to the entire restaurant, “IS MY BEST FRIEND. I VOW TO NEVER LEAVE HER SIDE, METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING.” I was dying of embarrassment, but also appreciated his very public declaration of loyalty. “MAY THE UNIVERSE STRIKE ME DOWN IF I EVER DESERT HER!”

  “Alright, alright,” I laughed, convinced that if I didn’t stop him, we’d likely be thrown out of the restaurant or become the next viral video on YouTube.

  “Good.” He slid back to his side of the booth. “You gonna finish that Cali Roll?”

  Perky might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I did feel a bit better after some soup and sushi. Probably it hadn’t hurt my spirits much that Treigh was so adamant about our friendship, and also about the impression I’d made on Alex.

  I’d tried to talk to him in the past, with no success. I had deliberately sat next to him in eighth grade Biology, with the grand plan of “accidentally” becoming his indispensable lab partner. Then the teacher rearranged all the seats alphabetically, and we were brutally separated by 12 letters.

  Then, the next year, I had
rearranged my schedule so I’d be in his photography class. Surely, this was an opportunity to be helpful to him, since I had actually learned about photography from an online elective course the prior summer. This plan seemed like a winner...until he got switched into Drivers Ed. Curses. Foiled again.

  After four years of hardly being noticed, I was finally starting to make some progress with this beautiful creature. All it took, apparently, was for me to glow in the dark.

  Once I got home, I felt like I had a head full of tornadoes. I was filled with anxiety about what Treigh had said about us needing to have friends besides each other. I was also questioning every conversation I’d ever had with Alex, wondering if there was even the remotest possibility that I might actually have a chance with him. After liking him for so long, the notion was actually pretty intimidating. As scary as that was, it was much more fun to think about than becoming friends with Gemma and Trina, so I allowed myself to retreat into fantasy, wondering vaguely if I could get away with wearing black to both Homecoming and Junior Prom.

  My reverie was interrupted by the tinny ringing of the phone. I recognized my aunt’s number on the caller ID.

  “Hi, Aunt Kitty! Thanks again for coming to my play yesterday. I really appreciated you being there.”

  “Hi, Lia. You’re very welcome, dear. Listen, I know this is going to sound strange, but I was calling for a very specific reason. Have you been feeling okay today?”

  I was puzzled by the question. “Well, yes. I mean, I’m tired after the Festival and everything, but otherwise I’m fine. Why?”

  “I just...well, I wanted to be sure. You’re sure nothing odd has happened?”

  “Like what?” Now my curiosity was officially piqued.

  “I don’t know, strange dreams? Funny feelings, like you’re being watched? Feeling sort of static-y?”

  I laughed. “No, nothing like that. Just wired and tired.”

  “Okay, honey, I just wanted to check on you. It really was a good job you did.”

  “That means a lot. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, dear. If anything weird happens, call me, okay?”

  “Okay, I promise. Do you want to talk to Mom?”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll call her later this week. Talk to you soon, Lia.”

  “You bet. Bye, Aunt Kitty.”

  I hung up feeling even more anxious than I had before. What in the world would prompt her to ask me those kinds of questions? Did she know something I didn’t?

  The card. She must have figured out that I had taken it. Was this one of those, “do you have anything you want to tell me?” setups that parents sometimes do? I mean, she wasn’t actually a parent, so maybe she didn’t know how to execute that play properly. I made my way to my room and grabbed my backpack off my desk. I reached inside and pulled out my copy of The Crucible and opened it to the page where I’d wedged the card in for safekeeping. I ran my finger around the smooth edges and studied the picture again. I stared into the eyes of the woman in the drawing and felt myself being drawn in. She seemed so powerful, and yet somehow I knew that she was sad...lonely.

  I squeaked in surprise and alarm when my mother popped her head into my room, startling me. I snapped the book shut, as if she’d caught me reading something private. I guess, in a way, she had. I looked around my room randomly...for what? A hiding spot? What was wrong with me?

  “Good gravy, Lia. Are you alright?”

  “Yes. You, uh, startled me. Did you want something?”

  “Who was on the phone?” she asked, now eyeing me suspiciously. Because I wasn’t acting shady. No, not at all.

  “It was Aunt Kitty.”

  “Oh? What did she want?”

  “She, um, wanted to tell me again how much she liked the show.”

  “Uh-huh.” I was getting a genuine Mom-look now. “Well, you did a great job. You sure that’s all she wanted?”

  “Yep!” I tried to sound perky. Which sounded way too perky. “That was all!”

  “Okay, then. Did you have fun with Treigh?”

  “Treigh? Yes! We had a great time. Lots of sushi. Thank you for asking.” Now I was starting to sound like a complete idiot, and I wasn’t even really sure why. Because I’d borrowed something from my aunt without asking? The truth was that if my mom saw the card on my desk, out in the open, she probably wouldn’t think anything of it. So why did I feel the need to keep it secret, hidden?

  “You’re acting really weird,” she said candidly. “What’s up?”

  My mom and I had always been really close. There’s no way she wouldn’t notice me acting like a felon. But somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I had pocketed the card. Besides, I had every intention of returning it, didn’t I? Yes, of course, I did. Of course.

  “I’m just all out of sorts from the Festival yesterday, I think. I’m overtired, and I still couldn’t sleep last night, and now I’m all jittery.” Technically, all of that was true.

  She nodded slowly, unconvinced, sure she wasn’t getting the whole story. “Didn’t you sleep until 11:30 today?”

  “Well, yes, but I didn’t fall asleep until like 6. So only a few hours of sleep.”

  “Alright, if you say so. Take a little nap if you want. But you do have some homework to do by tomorrow, yes?”

  “Yeah, some math and some AP Psych. I’ll get it done. I promise.”

  She nodded again. “Okay, I’ll check on you in an hour or so.”

  “Okay,” I said, relieved, “thanks, Mom. Everything’s okay.” I went over and flopped on my bed like, see? I’m going to take a nap, just like you said!

  “Sleep well,” she said, snapping my light off and closing my door partway. “If you fall completely asleep, I’ll wake you at 4 so you can get all your stuff done.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” As her footfalls faded down the hall, I felt a pang of regret at not telling her what was going on in my head. The back-and-forth in my mind was giving me a headache, and I closed my eyes, willing the thoughts away. It wasn’t long before I’d fallen asleep.

  Chapter 9

  Afternoon nap dreams are probably the weirdest ones I ever have. On the rare occasions when I nap, I’m usually in that shallow half-sleep that lends itself to dreams melding themselves with reality in the strangest ways. This afternoon’s dreams were no different.

  I am sitting on my bed, reading The Crucible. A flash of light catches my attention, and I look over to the full-length mirror that hangs on the back of my bedroom door. Only it’s not a mirror now. It’s a watery image of a raven-haired woman looking wistfully toward a slow-moving river that seems to flow beneath her feet. The night sky behind her is dotted with a million stars, far more than I’d ever seen before. She is reaching out with both hands toward something I cannot see, while two wolves flank her and howl, echoing the longing she feels. On either side of the river are fields of golden flowers.

  I realize that this is the same image I have tucked into my book’s pages, but it is different somehow. The water appears to shimmer and flow. The heads of the flowers seem to sway ever-so-slightly in the wind that I cannot feel. The same breeze stirs her dark hair and her silvery gown.

  I raise my eyes to her face, and she is looking at me, her eyes locking onto mine.

  And her look of wistful sadness fades into an enigmatic smile. I am glad that she is smiling, but I am also afraid, and I’m not sure why. Her lips are moving, but I can’t hear what she is saying. I can’t find a voice to ask her what her words mean.

  I find myself standing in front of the mirror, but I have no memory of standing up or moving across the room.

  My eyes are still locked on hers. And now it is me she is reaching for, her lips still moving silently. I try to reach toward her, to take her hands in mine, but the mirror is between us, and we stand there, fingertips to fingertips, on either side of the glass barrier. From beneath our fingertips, cracks began to spiderweb their way across the surface.

  “Lia, it’s 4:10. Time to get
yourself up, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.” My mother, true to her word.

  I mumbled something incoherent and struggled into a seated position. It took me a moment to find my bearings. “Thanks. I’m thirsty.”

  “Alright, Sleeping Beauty. I’ll bring you some water. Don’t go back to sleep.”

  “M’kay.”

  My mom slipped out the door and I stared at the perfect, unblemished surface of the mirror and my own pale reflection. On a whim, I stood and placed my fingertips on the cool glass.

  And nothing happened. Obviously. I felt like an idiot.

  After another restless night, which I attributed to homework, ill-timed naps with strange dreams, and my nagging discomfort after Aunt Kitty’s call, I showed up looking somewhat less than my best on Monday morning. I didn’t think anyone would really hold it against me, though, because...well, because Monday.

  Imagine my joy when Trina came bouncing up to me as I shuffled in from the parking lot. “Hey, Lia! What are you doing next Friday night? Want to come to my Halloween party?” I blinked at her, confused. With all of my focus of the previous weeks dedicated to the play, I had forgotten about perhaps the most important day of the school year: Halloween. It was only a week and a half away, and I hadn’t even planned a costume!

  “Uh, yeah, Trina, thanks! I’d love to!” I mustered the most chipper smile I could, all the while kicking myself for this critical oversight. How could I have forgotten about Halloween? ME? The most dedicated lover of all things Gothic in the entire school, and I had FORGOTTEN? This was akin to blasphemy.

  What could I properly prepare in only eleven days? I tended to avoid cliché costumes for Goth girls...garden-variety vampires, schoolgirl zombies, Harley Quinn. All too overdone. I leaned more toward the obscure. I had done an impressive steampunk last year, and I hadn’t even been invited to a party. I had worn it to school (I was so glad they hadn’t outlawed costumes yet), and then I had just answered the door for trick-or-treaters, but it was still well worth it. Now I actually had somewhere to show it off, so I really needed to take it to the next level.