Silver Moon (5 page)

The trees glance at each other. Their structures crack and groan when they move even a hair of an inch. The elder tree in front sizes me up and down. Behind him, I see several pairs of the now familiar glowing yellow eyes.

“I need to get to them!” I point beyond, for I can’t see their actual bodies; the forest is too dark.

“Hmm,” one of the trees says, grumbling. He glances toward his comrades on both sides. Time seems to have slowed drastically with each move they make. “
Proceeeeed
.”

The eyes move behind him and disappear. I have no clue where they went, so I begin to run. My lungs breathe in the fresh, crisp air; it’s exhilarating. Trees become one big blur, and the ground sinks a little each time my feet
touch down
. Easily, I dodge branches that threaten to mar my face and whip through my hair.

The trees come in and out of focus quickly. Their faces express concern, as they try to tell me something.

“What?” I ask.

But I’m moving too fast to hear them. My feet won’t stop when I tell them to; it’s like they’re being controlled by some higher power.

“Go…” I catch one say as I pass. Go where? They point in the direction I came from. Back to Beth’s?

I shake my head and yell, “I can’t!”

Their faces are full of sorrow. “Go…back…” they say. Moans rise from the trees, and their hollowed voices say the same words over and over again in unison.

I become frantic. Why are they telling me to go back? No sooner does that thought cross my mind than I halt at the bank of a tiny stream, my feet not stopping on their own accord. I glance all around me. The only source of light is the silver moon above. Something moves in the shadows, something dark and oppressive. Anguish weighs my body down as it moves closer. A faint outline appears—tall and black, human almost, with gleaming eyes. It stands on the opposite side of the bank.

“Who are you?” I try to get a better look at his face, but can’t make it out, even in the moonlight.

“I am
everything
here,” he says. “You don’t belong. Go back, Candra.” His voice echoes; its edge causes my whole body to shudder. I’ve never heard anything like it, so ethereal and dark at the same time.

I lick my lips and squint to try and get a better view. Still no luck.

“Why should I go back?” I ask.

I hear the words drifting around me and into my ears: “There’s nothing for you here. Go back. Those close to you will pay the price. You
must
leave,” he says. Before I can say another word, he backs into the shadows and falls to the ground, thrashing about, glowing eyes the only indication of where he’s located. A low growl erupts from the darkness.

I whirl and run back the way I came. Back through the trees that coax me to return home.

Beth’s standing in the front yard. Her hands are cupped around her mouth, and she’s screaming something. When I approach, I know what she’s yelling.

My name.

“There you are,” she says. “We were all so worried about you.”

“We?”

She lays her hand on my low back and guides me inside the house. Randy, Jana, Blake, Mom and Dad wait in the living room.

Each time I try to explain what happened in the forest, someone speaks over me. Their words are jumbled, and I have no idea what they say. A heavy fog rolls along the floor. My vision begins to blur.

Everyone fades out of sight.

I wake in a cold sweat and in my pitch-black room.

Chapter Five

T
he next morning, my brain and nerves are still in a tizzy over the dream. I can’t contemplate where this vision came from, or how it seemed so realistic. I try to pass it off, telling myself it’s
just
a dream, but my heart tells me otherwise. I glance at the locket resting against my chest.

Even if I want to, I can’t go back to
Charleston
. Not yet.

Mom and Dad set a rule—I have to finish senior year in good standing. My primary focus is passing my classes and leaving this town. There’s nothing else here for me.

“I’m going to explore!” I call to Beth as I bound out the front door. I don’t wait to hear her response about being safe, and not talking to strangers. Whatever parents and guardians tell kids.

The wind whips against my cheeks. My nose burns from the cold, and the tips of my ears grow numb. I glare at the dead leaves crunching under my shoes. I hate chilly weather.
 

I walk until I have blisters on my feet. Central West Hartford reminds me of an old-fashioned town. Brick shops line the main street and small trees are planted sporadically down the edge of the sidewalks. Store owners decorate their window displays in time for autumn with fiery orange and red leaves, and pumpkins.
 

My attention is directed to a window paying homage to the new season, when I hear, “Candra! Hey!”

I look up and see Jana, who glances at her cell phone, hastily using the keypad.

“Oh, hey, Jana,” I say.

She slides the phone in her front jean pocket. “What’s up? What do you think of Hartford so far?”

“It’s, uh, different than
Charleston
.” I shrug and give her a half-assed smile.

“Wait until you see the leaves fully change colors. They’re beautiful here.” Her face lights up, like she’s retelling her favorite story to a child.

“That’s great,” I say with no enthusiasm.

“Are you walking around by yourself? It’s a long walk from your house.”

“Yeah. How’d you know where—”

She laughs. “Oh, don’t be silly. Everyone knows where Randy and Beth live.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Really? Huh.”

“Why don’t you come inside?” she asks. Not waiting for my response, she motions me inside a tiny boutique. I glance at the sign hanging above the door. It reads:
Livia’s
Corner Closet
. There’s a HELP WANTED sign taped in the bottom right window.

The walls are covered with white shelves full of clothes, and circular racks fill up the rest of the area. The clothes are too trendy for my taste. I’m not a pink
fru-fru
kind of girl, but it definitely suits Jana’s style. As I near the counter, I smell lavender and something infused with it in the air. Vanilla, maybe?

“So, you work here?” I ask dumbly, trying to strike up a conversation.

“Yes, I love it! Are you thinking about getting a job? We’re hiring. It’s a great way to pass the time and get some extra money.” She purses her lips and her eyes glimmer in anticipation.

“I don’t really
do
jobs. Never had one.” I play with a pen on the counter, not noticing her reaction.

“You could always try,” she says.

I think of several sarcastic responses before saying, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I’m not really a people person, so I wouldn’t exactly help with business.”

Her shoulders drop. “You never know. Maybe you could try it for a few days. We don’t get a ton of customers as it is, but it’s better than sitting at home all the time.”

I stare at her for a minute, trying to decide my best option. I don’t
want
a job. I don’t want anything to do with this town. “Give me an application, and I’ll figure it out tonight.”

Her eyes grow wide and she sucks in a deep breath. “Really?” she exclaims, exhaling and clapping her hands. “Oh, I’m so excited now!” She reaches under the counter and tears off an application from the stack. She hands it to me with the cheesiest grin on her face.

I can’t help but laugh. “You’re
way
too excited for your own good.”

“I can’t help it. Not many people can stand my
hyperness
for long periods of time.” She glances down at the counter, refusing to look at me.

I don’t know what to tell her. I’m not used to someone so bubbly either. Sean and
Layla
were the laidback, quiet type.

“It’s not
that
bad. You’re just a happy person.” Who am I kidding? She’s like a kid on Christmas morning.

She quickly looks up at me; her eyes brighten, a slow grin returning to her face. “You think so? I don’t mean to scare people off. I try to be nice to everyone.”

“Not everyone deserves someone being nice to them.”

“That’s true.” She wobbles from side-to-side, like she’s antsy about something. “Do you think, maybe, you’d want to go to the movies tonight?”

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.