Shadow Moon, page 4
I leaned across the aisle and whispered, “You shouldn’t be hanging out with those guys. You’ll get in trouble, and your dad will never let you drive. ”
Cory flushed. “What am I supposed to do? Walk away from my friends? You saw what happened the other night after the dance.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the back of the bus. “According to you, those guys will get me in trouble? I say they’ve got my back.”
Believe me, I understood. High school was about alliances. Being friendless was about the worst thing that could happen to you. I bit my lip and tried to think of the right words. “Those dumb asses the other night think you’re the same old Cory. They don’t know you’ve changed. You’re a better person now.”
He stared at the floor. “Yeah.”
“You made a lot of enemies back then. Instead of turning it into a big friggin’ deal and choosing sides, you’d better learn to walk away.”
Cory nodded like he agreed with me, but his expression said otherwise.
I sighed and settled back in my seat. I’d given him my best shot. We rode in silence for a while. Mercedes drew a huge breath. I braced myself for another Gilbert blast.
Before she could utter a word, Cory blurted, “You still going out with Junior?”
Uh oh. Was he about to ask me out again? Was it time for diversionary tactics? I scrolled through my mind for possible ideas.
Thankfully, Mercedes jumped in. “Junior’s mama talked to my mama at church Sunday, and she said Junior’s coming home this weekend.”
I was dying to know more, but first things first. Cory needed a girlfriend. I glanced toward the back of the bus and spotted Molly Reed, who sincerely believed she was the sexiest girl in Peacock Flats and possibly the entire world. Seated two rows behind Cory, she was definitely giving him the once over. She leaned out in the aisle and tossed her long blond hair. Yes!
I put a hand on Cory’s arm and whispered, “Guess what? Molly Reed is checking you out. She thinks you’re hot.”
After a quick peek over his shoulder, he stared at me, wide-eyed. Clearly, he’d never considered that possibility. “For reals?”
“For reals. The other night at the dance, Amanda Foster followed me into the bathroom and asked if we were a couple. She’s definitely hot for you, too, and she’s not the only one.”
One corner of his mouth curved into a lopsided grin. “Who else?” he demanded.
“I saw Emily Lorenz checking out your butt when we were dancing, and . . . ” I was on a roll, naming names and adding color commentary. Mostly, it was true. As I rattled on, Cory hung on my every word, all puffed up with manly pride. When I finished, he stood and strutted confidently down the aisle to rejoin his buddies. I hid a smile. Cory, the babe magnet.
Mercedes poked me with an elbow and rolled her eyes. “Guys. They’re so simple minded. Except for Gilbert, of course.”
“At least Cory’s trying to be a better person.”
“Maybe. I don’t trust his friends, though.”
Turned out Mercedes was right. When the bus stopped in front of the school, I moved to the aisle. I’d barely taken a step when a jab to the ribs made me gasp in pain. I whirled around, looking for the guilty party.
Malcolm Morris, one of Cory’s obnoxious friends, staggered like he’d lost his balance. “Sorry, Allie. Somebody pushed me,” he said, with an insincere grin.
Mercedes, emboldened by my presence, said, “No way! You punched her. I saw you.”
I bristled up. “What’s your problem, Malcolm?” I emphasized his name because he hated it, insisting his friends call him MC.
“You are my problem. The way I heard it, you made out with Cory after the prom, and now you act like you’re too good for him.”
I peeked over his shoulder at Cory. He was flirting with Molly Reed and paying no attention whatsoever to Malcolm or me. I glared at Malcolm until he backed off.
Still fuming, I charged down the steps followed by Mercedes. I’m not sure what made me turn around. Maybe I was expecting one of Cory’s friends to do something sneaky. Maybe I sensed something strange was about to happen. Malcolm appeared in the open doorway. When his foot hit the first step, he became airborne, as if an invisible hand had given him a hard shove. He yelped and landed face down on the pavement next to my feet.
Muttering a string of obscenities, Malcolm struggled to his feet. He spun toward the bus, ready to pound the person who’d pushed him. Nobody was there except the bus driver.
Cory, chatting up Molly and holding up everyone behind him, finally strolled into view.
Still swearing under his breath, Malcolm turned his angry gaze on me. He bristled up and grabbed my arm. “You did something. I know you did!”
I jerked free and shook my head like he was a hopeless idiot. “What are you talking about, Malcolm? I was already off the bus.”
His eyes were little slits of hatred. “Yeah, but weird stuff happens when you’re around. Don’t think I’ll forget about this, ’cause I won’t.” Still glaring, he picked up his backpack and stormed off.
I shrugged and let him have the last word. No sense in throwing gasoline on the fire. I glanced behind me toward the bus, peering around the throng of kids shuffling down the steps and froze. The bus driver sitting behind the wheel? Not Patti. My weird friend was back, dressed in jeans and a gray tee shirt. A baseball cap emblazoned with the initials P.F.S.D. (Peacock Flats School District) sat atop white-blond hair. He gave me a pointy-toothed grin and pointed to his name tag. Teagan. The pungent smell of fresh mint wafted from the open door of the bus. The crow was perched on the steering wheel, preening his feathers.
I gasped and hurried away.
Throughout the day, Teagan’s image reappeared in my mind, like an annoying commercial on TV. He kept showing up at odd times, and why at the precise moment when Malcolm had been bothering me? Was it possible Teagan was on my side?
Chapter Six
Shortly after lunch, I was called to the office.
Alice, the school secretary, was seated in front of her computer, pecking away at the keyboard. She nodded toward the phone. “Call your mother.”
Faye answered on the first ring. “Come straight home after school.”
I’d planned to hop off the bus at Kizzy’s and tell her about Teagan. Kizzy was a walking encyclopedia of the paranormal. Way better than Google.
“Why?” I asked.
“Some people want to meet with us. They’re from some hush-hush federal agency.”
“Like Homeland Security or the CIA?”
Alice’s hands rose from the keyboard, hovering above it like two humming birds over a honeysuckle bush. She glanced up at me for a second and then back at the screen. Her fingers flew, but I could tell she was listening.
“They didn’t exactly spell it out. They just said it was top secret.” Faye said.
I stepped away from Alice’s desk and lowered my voice. “Did you ask for identification?”
An exasperated sigh hissed through the phone line. “Yes, Allie. I asked for identification. I’m not an idiot.”
“What does a secret federal agency want with us? Do they think we’re terrorists? Making bombs out of Blaster’s Best?” Uncle Sid made a ton of money selling his prize bull’s poop under the label, Blaster’s Best.
“They didn’t tell me what they wanted. Besides, it’s you they want to talk to. They only included me because you’re still a minor. So get your butt home . . . okay?”
I cupped a hand around the receiver and whispered, “Did you check their palms?” Trimarks could be identified by an inverted triangle somewhere on their palms.
“Yes, we shook hands. They’re not Trimarks.”
“Are they there right now?”
“No. They’re coming back when you get home.”
I thought about my mother’s phone call all afternoon. What could the government possibly want from me? When I climbed off the school bus and walked down the driveway, I spotted a gray Toyota Prius parked next to Faye’s truck. I crunched through the snow to the trailer and thought about Faye and the two feds, squeezed together inside our tiny trailer, making small talk. Normally, I would have found the situation funny. But, freakin’ secret government agency? Nothing funny about those guys, whoever they were.
Still, as strange as this may sound, I was more curious than scared. In the last few years, I’d been exposed to all sorts of creatures—human and otherwise—who wanted to do me harm, mostly because of the moonstone. In the process, I’d learned something important about myself. I was up to the challenge.
I stomped the snow off my shoes and pushed through the door to a tightly packed room and complete and utter silence. In a twenty-four foot trailer, the living room is barely adequate for two people. Three’s a crowd, and four . . . let me put it this way, with the door and windows closed, a person has to fight for enough air to breathe. What little air remained in the room was thick with tension.
A man and woman sat on my couch bed. Faye sat opposite them in our only chair, her fingers plucking at a loose thread on her flannel shirt. As I entered, the man shot up and gave me brief smile. “You must be Allie.”
“That’s me.”
He flashed his badge. “I’m Tom Redgrave.” He gestured at the woman. “This is Angela Ackerman.”
I nodded at the two and leaned over to drop a kiss on Faye’s cheek. I whispered, “Don’t worry,” and placed my hand over the moonstone tucked away inside my shirt. Awareness sparked in Faye’s eyes and she smiled.
I slid sideways past Agent Redgrave, stepped over Agent Ackerman’s legs and shrugged out of my backpack and coat. After I stuffed them under the dinette, I turned to study the pair. Everything about the man was gray. Thinning gray hair, gray eyes behind plain wire-rimmed glasses, gray suit. Even his complexion lacked color.
He edged away from the couch. “Please, sit down. I’ll stand.”
Angela Ackerman, a long-legged blonde in a white turtleneck sweater and black slacks, gave me a big encouraging smile and patted the couch next to her.
I shook my head and spoke to Redgrave. “No, you’re the guest. You get to sit. I’ll stand.” Actually, I wasn’t being polite. I had a very good reason for wanting to stand.
Redgrave and I locked gazes. I could tell he didn’t like the idea of me standing above him. Some people are like that. Finally, pinching his lips together in disapproval, he sat. Guess he’d decided to pick his battles, and this one wasn’t worth the trouble. I moved over and leaned against the divider separating the tiny living room from the entry way.
Ackerman apparently got the go-ahead to begin. She smiled again, displaying teeth so white, they sparkled. “That backpack looks heavy. You must be a good student.”
I returned her smile. “Either that or I’m so far behind I need remedial help, thus the backpack full of books.”
Faye made a sound. Could have been a cough. Probably a choked-off snicker.
Ackerman’s brilliant smile slowly faded. “That’s not what we heard.”
“Oh really? Have you been talking to my teachers?”
Redgrave said, “Actually, we know all about you . . . and the moonstone. As you may have guessed, our agency is very interested in the moonstone and the things you’re able to do with it.”
Okay, there it was. Props to Agent Redgrave for not beating around the bush.
“About that. What agency exactly are we talking about?”
Redgrave heaved an impatient sigh. “As I told your mother earlier, we’ve been commissioned by the U.S. government to investigate certain, uh, shall we say, special abilities that may be useful in the fight against terrorism.”
“Does it have a name?”
“Experimental Studies Program.”
I smiled. “ESP. Cool.”
Actually, I didn’t think it was cool at all, but decided to pretend I was impressed. I fished the moonstone and silver cross out from under my shirt. When I released them, they swung loose and settled over my heart.
Agent Redgrave leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the stone. He reached out a hand. “May I see it?”
“Are you asking if you can touch it?”
He nodded.
Apparently he didn’t know everything about the moonstone. “I wouldn’t advise it.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
Ackerman jumped up. “I’ll bet Allie will let me check it out. Right, Allie?” She winked, like we were secret gal pals who shared clothes, makeup and jewelry.
Before I could say, “Wrong,” her hand shot out, reaching for the moonstone. Zap! A blue arc jumped from the moonstone and slammed into her. With a yelp of pain, she staggered backward and crumpled onto the couch, glaring at me with fire in her eyes.
I lifted my hands in apology. “I tried to tell you not to touch it. You grabbed at it before I could get the words out.”
“Very impressive, Allie.” Redgrave gave me a teensy smile of approval.
Now, I was getting a little hot. “You think I did that on purpose?”
Faye backed me up. “Allie wouldn’t hurt a person without good reason.”
Redgrave glanced at his partner. “You okay, Angela?”
“Yeah,” she muttered, still rubbing her hand. “That hurt like a son of a bitch.”
The furnace came on with a roar. Both agents jumped and looked around like they were under mortar fire.
I tried not to smile. “You told me you knew all about the moonstone, but you didn’t know not to touch it?” I opened my eyes wide in disbelief and shook my head like they were hopeless idiots.
Redgrave muttered, “Well . . . ,” then changed his mind and clamped his mouth shut.
Ackerman’s face turned pink.
“So, I guess you’re here fishing for information,” I said.
Tom Redgrave drew himself up and folded his hands in his lap. “Allie Emerson, do you love your country?”
Huh? I glanced over at Faye’s whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.
I said, “Since you know all about me, I’m sure you’re aware the only country I’ve seen is a little piece of Washington State. But, yes, I guess you could say I love it. Why?”
“Because,” Redgrave said, “you are about to receive the opportunity of a lifetime. You’re sixteen. Is that correct?”
I nodded. At least he had my age right.
“Despite your youth, the U.S. government is prepared to offer you a chance to serve your country.”
Both he and Agent Ackerman leaned forward expectantly, like they were waiting for me to jump up and down with excitement and say, “Where do I sign?” I didn’t trust them. I’m usually a pretty good judge of character.
“Serve my country how?”
Redgrave said, “Angela and I are doing research in the field of paranormal abilities and how they might be of use to keep our country safe.”
My hand flew to the moonstone. “Research, huh. So, I’d be like a lab rat?”
Redgrave frowned. “No, of course not. You and your mother would have your own apartment. Allie, you would have a private tutor, and, of course, there would be a monetary stipend.”
That got Faye’s attention. “You mean we’d be paid?”
Ackerman was back to her perky self. She flashed her blinding smile. “Oh yes, you would be paid very well.”
My heart sank. Money had always been an issue for Faye and me, which was why we lived in a travel trailer. I was positive Redgrave and Ackerman had an agenda, one I wouldn’t like. On the other hand, if I agreed to help them, it would make my mother’s life better. It was hard, but I kept my mouth shut while Faye asked more questions.
I placed my hand over the moonstone. If ever there was a time to read minds, it was now. Problem: our trailer was tiny, and there were four of us. For this to work, I had to get Faye out of the picture. But how? I needed to stall for time.
I touched Faye’s arm. “We need to talk this over. Privately.”
Redgrave and Ackerman rose. “No problem,” Angela said. “We’ll wait in the car.”
“No, no!” I practically shouted. “Stay where you are. My mother and I will talk in the bedroom.”
I marched Faye into the back of the trailer and slid the door shut. I lowered my voice. “Give me five minutes. I’ll tell them you’re thinking it over. I’m going to try to read their minds.”
Faye smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. I reached for the door. “Wait,” Faye whispered. “We need a signal.”
I nodded. “When you come out, if the moonstone’s tucked inside my shirt, it’s, ‘no way.’ Outside my shirt means ‘go for it.’”
I moved the moonstone to the correct setting and opened the door. “My mother wants to think about your offer. Okay?’
The two agents exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
I moved back to my former position next to the wall divider, checking to make sure the three of us formed the points of a triangle with uneven sides. I shifted my weight onto my right foot and BAM! I was flooded with sensations so sharp, so crystal clear, I almost cried out in surprise. A rainbow shot out of the moonstone, dancing and shimmering and filling the space between the three of us with colors so intense I could taste and smell them. Really, I could. Add the tang of a lemon to purple grapes, toss in some cherry Kool-Aid and multiply it by a thousand. Now, picture yourself swimming around in it, and you’ll have an idea of what I was experiencing.
“Allie?” Ackerman’s voice sounded far away. “Are you okay? You’ve gone quite pale.”
She was leaning forward with phony concern on her face. I knew it was phony because I could read her thoughts. Her breath appeared as dark gray vapor. It streamed from her mouth and nose, coating her end of the rainbow like dirty smoke. But, her thoughts came through loud and clear. She was thinking, That girl’s up to something. Probably using the damn moonstone.
The last thing I wanted to do was engage in small talk. I blinked at her. “I’m fine. I just need some time to think.”
Ackerman leaned back, thinking, Yeah, right. She looked over at Redgrave. I focused my mind and bounced back and forth between the two, trying to sort out their jumbled thoughts. When I figured out what they were broadcasting, it was scary stuff. Redgrave believed if they offered Faye enough money, the deal was done. Ackerman wanted the moonstone (and me) in the worst way, and I do mean in the worst way. Once they got us in their facility, Faye would be cut loose. I wouldn’t.
