The Moon Rises (46 page)

“Do you know what I am?”

“No. I hoped you did. I have been curious for a
very long time, but Celeste never told me.”

Gigi jumped up in the chair, startling Fred. “You
know Mamma Celeste?”

“I did many years ago when you were a child. We
were hiding in the same flare, down in the south. I did not like that flare.
Much of the time, it was ugly. When the flare surged, the dead would rise up
and mock the living. Many days the fog was so thick that I feared leaving my
home. In the Circle, I can walk the streets and have friends and contact with
others as if I live a normal life and weren’t damned. In the Bog, the damned
hide, keeping their hearts as tightly guarded as their secrets.”

Bethany’s pale eyes found Gigi and she smiled
softly. “It was in the Bog where I met Celeste and her Baby Boo. She called you
her sunshine, but she never told me what you were. She kept you hidden in her
slice of the Bog, never bringing you into the little town the other damned
souls frequented. I would visit her sometimes and she would serve me the finest
jambalaya and sweet tea. You were her little shadow. When you came to the
Circle, I waited to see Celeste, but you are alone here. I wonder what has
happened to your mamma for her to have let you go. The mother I knew from the
Bog loved her child more than her own life.”

“Do you think my mamma is evil?”

“All those in the Bog were damned and hiding from
something. The Bog is not like the Circle. Most creatures cannot find it. The
Bog is like a hole in the world, invisible to those whose souls are not
blackened by some evil deeds. Your mamma was good to you and she was kind to me
because she knew I was alone.

“She spoke of her dead son only once, late in the
evening when she shared strong liquor with me. I had cried over my dead child
and she shared my tears saying she had lost a child too. She did not speak of
her boy in detail. Yet when she looked at you, Celeste said the Lord was
merciful. In a world of darkness, God allowed Celeste to have sunshine. You
were a lovely child, maybe eight years old. You spun around in the fog, dancing
in the night and speaking to the moon as if it were your oldest friend. Celeste
was a good mamma and she would never leave you. Yet when I asked your ghost
Millicent where Celeste was, the ghost refused to answer. She is damned too and
keeps her secrets.”

“Do you remember before I moved in? Do you know
if anyone was with me?”

“No. One day the apartment was empty and it
seemed like the next day it was filled with things and you were living there. I
sensed more time had passed than I can remember. Celeste was a witch of greater
power than I. She might have put you here, but I can’t imagine her leaving you
alone.”

“Can I go to the Bog and find her?”

“Oh, the Bog is far away and it is difficult to
find without a guide. I found it only because the Lord wanted me to. When I
left the Bog, I had no choice because my enemies had found me. Celeste told me
she dreamt I was in danger so I ran away. I dream of the Bog sometimes and it
has slipped farther into darkness. Finding it would be impossible even for me.”

Gigi began to weep because she remembered how it
felt to be loved by Mamma Celeste and she needed to feel that way again.

“I have watched you since you arrived and I have
waited for the answers to why you were here. I waited for Celeste, but while
you have many eyes on you, she is not one of them.”

“What eyes?”

“Weres, Vamps, ghouls. They hover in the night,
keeping guard over you, I suspect. The one Were I worried about the most is the
one you bring into your apartment at night. I guess he is not a threat, but I
did worry when he would hide in the courtyard. There are others though. A wolf
watches your apartment every night now from the courtyard. It is not your
friend because this wolf is there every night even when I hear you laughing and
know you are not alone. Another Were in human form has come to your apartment
many times as if he wants to knock, but he leaves instead. I see ghouls on the
roofs nearby, spying for their master. One of those ghouls broke your window. I
have also seen Vamps slinking around at night, but they do not try to approach.
Even if they meant harm, the wolf keeps them at bay. So many eyes on you, but I
sense for now they are admirers, not predators.”

Gigi nodded, still crying because she felt as if
she had lost Mamma Celeste again.

“You remember your mamma?” Bethany asked.

“A little, but it’s not enough. I have questions
and no answers. I have a male I love, but I still feel alone because I am
afraid I’ll lose him. I’m supposed to remain calm, but I feel anxious a lot
now. I wish I had come to you sooner.”

“I’m afraid I offer you little.”

Suddenly Bethany’s light eyes lit up and she
stood carefully and hurried towards her bedroom. Gigi wiped away her tears and
calmed herself. If she grew too upset, she would become sleepy and she had no
interest in taking a nap. Just then, Bethany emerged with a picture frame in
her hand.

“I didn’t remember having this. When I found it, I
did not think anything strange about it. I think your mamma left it for when
you remembered enough.”

When Bethany handed her the silver picture frame,
Gigi didn’t care if crying made her sleepy. She just wept over the photo of Mamma
Celeste standing on the porch of a white house with a blonde girl in her arms.

Gigi always felt her mamma loved her, but the
memories were fragmented and she sometimes doubted them. Now though the look on
Celeste’s face as she cuddled her daughter was all the proof Gigi needed. They
were smiling and happy and together. Long ago in a place called the Bog, Gigi
had a mamma who loved her. The picture frame left with Bethany meant somewhere
in the world her mamma still loved her and Gigi planned to find her.

Gigi woke up the next day believing she might
not see the next morning. Some part of her was scared to leave behind Finn, her
friends, and the life she had built in the Circle, yet mostly she was excited.
Tonight Gigi hoped to save her big sis and make the monster pay for all its
evil.

Like her last few mornings, this one began by
watching Finn sleep. He looked like an angel with his golden skin and blond
hair shining in the breaking light. His face was relaxed as a faint smile
curled his lips.

“Gigi,” Finn whispered with his eyes still
closed. “Good morning.”

Watching his eyes flutter open and focus on her,
Gigi grinned and cuddled closer.

“You are my love,” she sighed.

“And you are mine.”

“And I always will be.”

Smiling, Finn nuzzled his face in her hair as his
hand drifted down to her butt. Gigi sighed with excitement about the prospect
of having sex again. Sensing what was coming, Millicent left the room in a huff
and the kittens jumped on the dresser to get a better look. They really enjoyed
Gigi’s noises.

Once Finn and Gigi cleaned up and ate their
English muffins, they said goodbye. Finn thought Gigi would be busy this
evening and didn’t plan to come over. While she hated lying to him, he would
never understand her plan and would insist on coming with her or telling
someone else to handle it. Gigi knew it had to be her.

Just in case Gigi didn’t make it back and the
master won, she left a note for Finn on her kitchen table, knowing he would
come looking for her if she went too long without contacting him. Lying to Finn
had proven so difficult Gigi wasn’t sure how Bethany kept her secrets from
Chogan for so long. The guilt and fear must have eaten at Bethany every day.

Staying on schedule for a normal day, Gigi worked
out at Declan’s gym. He flirted with her, but kept his hands to himself. Once
Ella showed up, Declan stopped flirting and just watched Gigi in the intense
way he often watched her. Gigi didn’t think he knew about her and Finn, mostly
because of the flirting. He also would have probably said something. Declan
could be pretty blunt.

When Gigi hugged him goodbye, Declan eyed her as
if confused. Yet when she tried to pull away, he tugged her back into the hug.
His gray eyes studied her face and she sensed maybe he understood the danger facing
her. When Declan finally let her go, he ran his finger along her cheek while scowling.

“Be careful. People depend on you being in their
lives,” he said in a gruff voice, yet his eyes were conflicted.

“Geez, get a room,” Ella snapped at Declan while
pulling Gigi away. “We’re heading to lunch and I don’t want your male odor all
over her.”

Declan rolled his eyes and pretended he was more
annoyed at Ella than worried for Gigi, but he was faking it. Alphas faked a lot
of things, Gigi realized.

At lunch, Ella talked for ten minutes about all
the mean pranks she had planned for Michael at their next poker game. Gigi
watched Ella who was bouncing around in her usual animated way. Finn said Ella
was lonely and wanted a boyfriend, but was afraid to admit it. Since this might
be Gigi’s last day alive, she figured challenging the Were would be worth it.

“Do you want to have sex with Michael?” Gigi
asked.

“Oh, gross. What the hell? I’m eating here.”

“You talk about him a lot.”

“Yeah, cause he sucks.”

“I think you like him,” Gigi said with a grin,
not believing Ella’s protests.

“Can you even imagine how awful the sex would be?
He’d probably do me from behind, it’d last like two minutes, and I’d end up
with a disease. Oh, and he wouldn’t even let me sleep over, but would kick me
out of his place so he could have the bed to himself. No way would I lose my
virginity to that asshole.”

Ella sounded angry by the end of her rant, but
her wrath wasn’t directed at Gigi.

“Is that why you don’t tell him that you like him?
You’re afraid of his reaction?”

“Michael is an asshole.”

“But you like him.”

Ella frowned at Gigi. “Are you dating Finn?”

“No.”

“Are you fucking Finn?”

“No.”

“Do you want to fuck Finn?”

“Yes.”

Ella sighed, clearly unsure if Gigi was telling the
truth or just a good liar.

“So do you like Michael?” Gigi asked.

“No.”

“Then why are you so mean to him?”

“Because he’s an asshole and deserves it.”

“Was he mean to you?”

“He’s mean to everyone.”

“But you want him to be nice to you.”

Ella frowned darkly. “Shut up. I know you’re not
as dumb as when we met, but you’re not nearly as smart as you think you are.”

“I just think if you stopped being mean to him,
you could see if he’d stop being mean to you. Maybe find out if he likes you
too.”

“Michael doesn’t like anyone.”

“He likes me and Finn.”

“Yes, he likes you. They all like you.”

“I don’t think Michael likes me that way.”

“Of course he does. He just won’t show it
because, a, he’s incapable of showing any kind of sensitivity, and, b, he knows
Finn wanted you first and there are dude rules.”

Gigi considered this idea while finishing her
rice. “Okay, you’re right. Michael does want to have sex with me, but I don’t
think he likes me like Finn likes me. He just wants the sex like Declan and
Anton and Simon and the rest of them. I frustrate Michael and I think he feels
sorry for me. He might like you though, but you mess with him too much.”

“He doesn’t like me. I doubt he’d even fuck me.”

Gigi noticed how Ella’s anger had faded into
grumpiness.

“The last time I got to the poker game, Michael
kept checking the door. I think maybe he was waiting for you.”

“So we could play.”

“Maybe. Or maybe because he thought you weren’t
coming. I said you might not.”

“He doesn’t care. I know you can’t understand
that because of how everyone wants to be around you. For other people, it’s not
the same. Michael thinks I’m crap.  He’s said as much.” Ella’s grumpiness
melted into a pout. “Sometimes I think about moving away. Just go some place
where Declan never called dibs and I can actually get a frigging date. Seriously
you’ve been here a month and have gotten more action than I’ve had my whole
life. You don’t flirt. You don’t even wear makeup. I’ve never seen you shake
your ass, but they swoon for you. Yet I can’t give my shit away.”

“Do you want me to ask Declan to uncall his
dibs?”

“It wouldn’t matter. Guys like Anton, Michael,
Finn, and Roger don’t care about Declan’s fucking dibs. They just don’t want
me. I tell myself it’s just because Declan cockblocked me, but I know it’s not.
Maybe I come off desperate, you know, like Justine? I see the way Nolan looks
at you and the way he looks at Justine and it’s obvious who he’d rather sleep
with.”

Gigi wasn’t sure what cockblocked meant, but she
decided not to ask.