Dead Moon Awakens: A tale of Cherokee myth and Celtic magic (Mystic Gates) (9 page)

April 20

I haven’t felt like writing. I still don’t. But
who else am I going to talk to? I’m still so mad at Morri!!!! I know she’s my soul
friend, but she hasn’t treated me like her soul friend, either. What happened
to the pledge we took?

Whenever the four of us get together, she acts
like she’s making such an effort to be nice to me, like she’s such an angel to
get along with me. Even Kelile seems to have forgotten what really happened.
Now, he and Lance both treat me cold again. Has she said something else to
them? And anytime I say anything, they ignore me, except Morri. In her sweet,
sweet, yuck voice, she’ll say, “Oh that’s a thought.”

I don’t want to run away with any of them!

I’m thinking about going by myself. Maybe when
they leave and everyone is looking for them, I could slip out and no one would
notice. I’d hitch a ride to Robbinsville and not have to go through all that
hiking and camping.

They don’t always agree with each other,
anyway. Kelile wants to go to Andrews first. Lance wants to go to Robbinsville.
Morri, of course, wants to do whatever Lance wants. It makes me sick!

Lance drew each of us a map of the route with instructions
for us to memorize. We leave in one week. Or, they do. I don’t know what to do.
I know I’d be safer going with them, but I don’t want to!

Mrs. Dawes acted funny again yesterday. I think
she’s trying to find another place to send me. I guess I
do
have to
leave with them and get out of here before she sends me away. But I don’t want
to go with them!!!

Oh, my. I just remembered the grand oak tree’s
warning the day Morri first came. It was warning me about
her
, not Mrs.
Dawes.

My dreams are getting really scary. Sometimes I
feel it’s because of Morri. Or maybe it’s because I’m still hiding my amulet. I
keep having the same dream, and I wake up feeling like I’m being pressed into
the bed, like there’s a heavy boulder on top of me. I try screaming for help,
but I can’t get my voice to work. I move my mouth and try as hard as I can, but
I’m so scared that I guess my voice is frozen. When all this is happening, I
keep hearing a woman’s voice saying, “Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?” Where
is what? I don’t understand what she’s looking for. I keep seeing something
moving around me too—like black streaks—but only in the corner of my eyes. And
I feel like something evil is surrounding me—maybe it’s the shadow-woman I
dreamed about before. Or, maybe I have a brain tumor and my head will burst
open. At least if I died, I wouldn’t have to worry about all this stuff
anymore. It would serve them right! And you too, Ma!

When Aishling hid her diary using the enfolding
enchantment, she had a sudden inspiration. Could she enfold her amulet around
her neck and make it look like her skin? Then she could wear it! Someone
giggled behind her, and she lurched.

Morrigan stood with her hands on her hips,
grinning. “I’ve told you before you don’t have to do that anymore. If someone gets
your diary, they’ll have a little surprise like slave boy had before.”

“That’s exactly why I
do
have to hide it. I
don’t
want anyone to have a surprise like he had. Besides, you told me
your maze spell wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“Well, we won’t have to worry about slave boy
after today, thank Goddess. I’ve come up with a way to keep him from going with
us.” Morrigan sneered. “Don’t look at me that way. Don’t worry. I’m not using
any dark magick. He mentioned his family was coming to see him today. I’m just
going to have a little chat with his stepfather.” She stretched. “You can’t
change what I’m going to do, either. It’s for everyone’s good, anyway, including
his. And, if you say anything to him, he won’t believe you.” She raised her
eyebrows and folded her arms.

“I told you, Morri, if you do anything to him,
I’ll tell Lance the truth about everything.”

“Go ahead. Lance won’t believe you, either.” With that,
Morrigan left the room.

Aishling stared at the doorway, trying to decide
what to do next
.
I have to warn him.

She found Kelile in the family room, pacing the
floor. He looked like he was dressed for church. “Hi.”

“What? Oh,” he said and sat on the couch.

“Are your mom and stepfather coming today?”

“Yeah, any minute.”

“Will you please do something for me?”

“What?” he said, frowning.

“Don’t let them talk to Morri today. Okay?”

“What? Here we go. What’s the queen gonna do now?”

“You don’t believe me,” she said, surprised by the
way he scowled at her. “We used to be friends. Why don’t you believe me, or
even want to hear anything I have to say anymore?”

“Come on. Why would I believe someone who twists
her stories so much a guy can’t figure out what’s goin’ on? Now, move along,”
he said, motioning with his left hand for her to leave.

Her chest ached. Close to crying, she trudged out
of the room, heading for her old friend, the grand oak tree. When she opened
the front door and saw Morrigan run up to a couple in the yard, she knew they
had to be Kelile’s mother and stepfather.

On impulse, she eased the door shut and hid inside
the dining room, just off the hallway. The front door opened again and clicked
shut. She held her breath as footsteps clomped down the hall. When she peeked
around the doorway, she saw Kelile’s mother walk into the family room.
Crouching low, she moved to the window facing the front and quietly lifted it
enough to hear.

“I said, who are you, girl?”

“You need to listen to me about Kelile.”

“What are you talking about?”

Aishling raised off the floor enough to see above
the windowsill.

“He’s been telling everyone that you beat up his
mother. Ouch! Get your hands off me,” Morrigan’s voice cracked as he shook her
once. “I’m just trying to warn you that you need to do something about him. I
don’t believe him, not for a minute. But if he keeps telling everyone that and
it gets to Preacher Collins, the preacher might give you trouble. I wish Kelile
were somewhere else. He’s mean, and he lies to people all the time. That’s why
I don’t believe him.”

After a lingering pause, he said, “What makes you
think this is any of your business, girl?”

“My name is not
girl
, it’s O’Brian,
Aishling O’Brian.”

“Go on. Get outta here!”

Aishling couldn’t move. Her heart pounded so loud,
she feared someone would hear it beating. How dare Morri use her name!

The front door slammed shut, and Kelile’s
stepfather stormed through the hallway. He didn’t notice her crouching at the
dining room window. As she peered out the window again, she watched Morrigan
skip away.

She hustled to the family room, hoping to act as a
buffer for Kelile. He glared at her when she walked in.

His stepfather said, “Devona, go on back to the
car. We’ll be there in a minute. I wanna talk to Kelile.” As he turned toward
Kelile’s mother, he locked eyes with Aishling. “Who are you?”

“Jerel, what’s the matter with you? What did that
girl outside say to you?” Kelile’s mother said.

“Who are you?” Kelile’s stepfather repeated.

“
I’m
Aishling O’Brian,” she said. “You
know, you can’t believe everything some people say to you around here.” She
looked from him to Kelile, and then to his mother, who grabbed her chest and
gasped. Aishling knew his mother, but from where? And the way her eyes had
popped open, his mother knew her, too.

Kelile’s mother backed away and turned to her
husband. “Jerel, please, you promised me we would have a nice visit with
Kelile. Let’s all go somewhere and talk.” She moved over to Kelile and cupped
his shoulder with her right arm. “We’re taking you into town for lunch. How
does that sound?”

“That would be great, Mom.” He squinted at
Aishling and jerked his head toward the door, his eyes signaling her to leave.

As she walked out, his stepfather said, “Devona,
go on to the car. We’ll go to lunch in a minute.”

Aishling had hoped to hide in the dining room
again, but wasn’t quick enough. When she looked back, Kelile’s mother was right
behind her. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. King.” She smiled.

“No, Jenkins, Mrs. Jenkins.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jenkins. Kelile and I are
friends. I think he’s a great guy,” she said as they neared the front door.

“What was your name again?”

“Aishling O’Brian. Have we met before, Mrs.
Jenkins? Do you know my mother, Emer O’Brian?”

Her eyes popped open wider than the first time,
and she grabbed her chest again. “No. I … I don’t know your mother.”

“Are you okay?” She could see Kelile in his
mother’s face, but her complexion was lighter than his, like maple syrup.

“Heartburn.” Mrs. Jenkins took a deep breath.
“Where does your mother live?”

Aishling drew back and looked around, searching
for an answer. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “Some people think she’s dead.”
Before she could say anything else, Mrs. Jenkins partially smiled and nodded,
then reached past her and opened the front door. She left Aishling without
another word or acknowledgment.

Kelile and his stepfather began shouting at each
other. She ran on her tiptoes down the hall to listen by the doorway. Mrs.
Sloan trotted around from the girls’ bedroom wing and ran into her. They
tripped into the living room together a moment before Kelile lunged at his
stepfather and hit him in the stomach.

“Kelile, stop!” Aishling shouted.

Mrs. Sloan shrieked, “Mr. Jenkins, are you okay?”

Kelile ran out of the room. The front door slammed
shut.

“Do you see how he is?” Mr. Jenkins wobbled back
and forth. “Now you look here, you people were supposed to whip his sorry ass
attitude into shape. I don’t see you’ve done anything. I want him moved to
another place that can do the job.” He staggered out of the family room.

“Aishling, call extension 7216 and tell Preacher
Collins’ assistant we have a 911 out front,” Mrs. Sloan said, bustling after
him.

Lance, Kelile, and Aishling met by the river later
that afternoon. Kelile grabbed Aishling by the shoulders and shook her. “Did
you know she was gonna talk to him?”

“Stop shouting and tell me what happened?” Lance
pulled him away from her.

Kelile dropped to his knees and pounded his left
fist into his right hand. “Aishling—” he bit his lips “—you knew she was going
to say something to him.”

“Tell me what happened!” Lance said.

“Morrigan told asshole that I’ve been telling
everyone he abuses Mom. He said he’d beat her to a pulp if I told Mom or if I
ever said anything to anyone again. That’s when I punched him in the stomach.”
He looked up at Aishling. “You knew. You knew she was gonna say something,
didn’t you. You tried to warn me.”

As she sat on the grass next to him, she said, “I
didn’t know what, but I knew she was going to do
something
.” She picked
up a twig and broke it into little pieces.

“Wait a minute. Morrigan wouldn’t do that. I know
she wouldn’t.” Lance shook his head.

“Sit down, man. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Kelile motioned for Lance to sit. “I don’t know how I ever believed anything
she said to me. But it’s all clear now.” He shook his head and stared at the
riverbank.

“What is clear?” Lance asked.

“You tell him, Aishling. Tell him the whole story.”
He looked at Lance. “And you believe everything she tells you, brother, because
she is,” he emphasized, “telling the truth.”

April 21

I’m so happy! Finally, Lance and Kelile believe
me. Wow! Did they ever blow up at Morri. Ha, ha. I know I’m being mean, but she
had it coming. Lance had told her we were having an emergency meeting today
after church, and for all of us to meet at the river. Before the meeting, she
told me she had a premonition that Kelile wouldn’t be going with us. I acted
like I didn’t know what she was talking about. It was all I could do to keep
quiet.

And the greatest thing was that I didn’t have
to say a word at the meeting. Lance took care of everything. And he handled it so
well, even though he had told me and Kelile he was so mad at her he could pull
his face off!

She cried, I mean cried. She came clean, though,
and admitted that she had gone to Kelile’s stepfather, that it had been her all
along that hadn’t wanted Kelile to go with us, and that she had asked me to lie
for her. But she told us she had had nightmares about us escaping. In them, we
always got caught because something dreadful would happen to Kelile and he
died, and that all this time she had been trying to protect all of us, even
him. She said she realized now that her nightmares were silly and begged us to
forgive her.

She had told me before that she’d dreamed we
would get caught if Kelile came, but she hadn’t told me that she thought he’d
die.

Anyway, Kelile told her not to worry, that he
wasn’t going to die. And, since all of us want to get away from here, we agreed
to forget the past and work together. We’re leaving next Sunday night. We have
to, not only because Lance might be put into foster care soon and Kelile and I
might be moved somewhere else, but because Kelile is afraid something might
happen to his mother.

Lance is so nice to me now. He looks at me when
he talks to me. He even smiles at me. Kelile and I are friends again too. Morri
has been quiet since our meeting. But I did forgive her.

Ma, I’m coming home in one week!

Return to Beginning

once freedom wakes and churns,

Tuesday, April 23

T
hey
squeezed into the laundry room after curfew and huddled on the floor around a
map. Even though Lance had positioned a towel underneath the door to block any
light, they still sat in the dark with only the dim glow of Morrigan’s
flashlight.

“Get your hands off my imagination, girl!” Kelile said
when Aishling told him he’d be okay walking from the A.T. to Andrews alone.
“Have you ever walked anywhere in the wild by
yourself?
”

She shook her head.

“Didn’t think so.”

“Lance,” she said, “can’t we please walk with
Kelile to Andrews first, and then go to Robbinsville?”

“Like I already said, we would be more exposed if
we got off the A.T. that soon.”

“Man, I need to get Mom away from that lowlife
asshole. You know that.” Kelile rubbed the back of his neck. “And, I could get
you three more food before you head up to Robbinsville.”

“Sla—Kelile,” Morrigan interrupted, “Lance has
already decided which way we’re going. Didn’t you look at the map he drew or
read his instructions? We’re not changing things now.”

“Don’t you be talkin’ to me.” He flipped her
shoulder with the back of his hand.

“And
you
keep your grimy hands off me!” She
grimaced and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Quiet.” Lance repositioned the flashlight lying
on the floor and smoothed out the national forest map between them. “We won’t
make the final decision until we get closer to Wesser.” He pointed it out on
the map. “By then, we’ll know how things are going. Maybe we will need food, or
decide to go to Andrews first.” He looked up at Kelile. “But, you said it was your
mother who wanted you transferred somewhere else. You don’t even know how
she’ll react when she sees you. Right now, we’ll keep to my plan.”

“Lance,” Aishling said in a barely audible voice,
“I don’t understand why we can’t paddle to Lake Fontana from Franklin instead
of going to Otto. We could work our way to Santeetlah Lake by canoe. I bet we could
get there a lot quicker and not have to be on the Appalachian Trail at all.
Wouldn’t that be easier?” She smiled, having finally summoned enough courage to
suggest it.

He began folding his map. “You guys, it’s my canoe
and camping gear we’re using. It’s my experience you’re depending on. We’ve got
to agree on what we’re doing or we’ll screw up and get caught. It’s that
simple. You let me know by tomorrow if you’re willing to do this my way or not.
If you’re not, you’re on your own.” He stood.

“I’m not trying to cause problems,” Aishling said.
“Can’t you just tell me why you don’t like my suggestion? I would think you
wouldn’t want to leave your canoe behind, anyway. You may never get it back.”

He blew air through his mouth in a loud huff and
sat again. “Because, Aishling, I’ve never canoed on the Little Tennessee in
that direction. I don’t know how populated it is along the river, whether there
are heavy rapids, or places we can’t get through. But, I have canoed down to
Otto. I have hiked with my parents along that part of the A.T. I know what to
expect. And, I know the A.T. is not as crowded. I don’t think anyone would
believe we’d actually do something like that. Also, Kelile and I have hinted to
a couple of guys that we’re thinking of hitchhiking to Gatlinburg. When they
start looking for us, that’s the direction they’ll go. And … I think someone
around here might figure out that I had lied about my canoe being stolen. If
they do, that’s the route they’d likely think we had taken.”

“But they gave up looking for it. Didn’t the
police believe it really was stolen?” Aishling said.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Yes, but
I don’t want to take any chances. Please, trust me on this.”

Her hand tingled from his touch, and everything
but his eyes faded from her sight.

Morrigan clutched his forearm and pulled his hand
away. “I trust you, Lance.”

He slipped his arm out of her grip. “So, are we
all agreed for now to stick with my plan?”

Kelile placed his fist in the middle of where they
sat. “Agreed, brother, but I’m takin’ the first chance I get to help Mom and
the twins.”

Lance nodded and stacked his hand on top of
Kelile’s. “Okay.”

Morrigan shoved her hand over his. “Agreed, Lance.”

Aishling—connecting to Lance’s eyes once
more—smiled and completed the stack. “Agreed.”