First Full Moon

by Michelle Alstead

  “Was there a price for moving the paper?” I ask.

  “Eh, not tiny thing like that.” Oksana’s graying hair tumbles past her shoulders. She rubs her crooked nose looking every bit the powerful witch she is. “You focus. Draw strength.”

  Right. Whatever that means.

  The stool is growing more uncomfortable by the minute. “Have you talked to my dad?”

  “No.”

  “He’s not returning my texts or calls.”

  “He fine. Come home when ready.”

  “What do you mean?” I scrunch my shoulders. “Isn’t he at meetings?”

  “Father have business. Not your concern. You learn magic. Save world.”

  I hop off the stool. “I’m sixteen, and barely passing math. I don’t think I’m going to be saving anyone, and I especially won’t be saving the world.”

  I turn around, heading for the door.

  “Where you go?”

  I point to the windows. “The sun is coming up and I need to get ready for school. This hair is going to take at least an hour to get under control.”

  Oksana stands up, grabbing the counter. “You unlock box.”

  “No, I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s just a box.” I walk out before she can say another word.

  I don’t really care about my hair. I’ll pull a Britney circa 2008 if I have to, but I do care about my mother’s box.

  Taking the steps two at a time, I head back to my bedroom where I lock the door. Opening the drawer, I take the box out and settle on the floor.

  I stare hard at it, hoping with all my might this works. “Open,” I say, trying to pry the top off. “Okay, the water flows through me.”

  Still nothing.

  Closing my eyes, I think back to the beach and being in Carrick’s arms. He never said my name. Who was I then? And who called out to me?

  I open my eyes. “Please open. I’m Darby Candice McGregor. Open!”

  The box—lid still closed—rests in the palms of my hands. The alarm for school goes off. I turn it off and return the box to the drawer.

  I stand up and groan. Now I really am going to have to deal with my hair.

  ***

  “Class, I’m going to step out for a moment. I expect you to quietly read chapter twenty.” Mr. Hansen, an elderly man with giant liver spots and long nose hairs, leans on his desk. His hands shake. Not a lot but enough to be noticeable. He pats his pockets, no doubt looking for the cigarettes he plans to sneak while we all read chapter twenty.

  I wanted Mrs. Newman for English Literature, but Jasper was already assigned to Mr. Hansen’s class. He doesn’t need us; he could get through school on his own, but Larkin, Bennett, and I have made it a point to always be in his classes anyway just to help keep the bullies at bay.

  As soon as Mr. Hansen leaves, books slam close and phones come out.

  I stare out the rain-streaked classroom window, lost in the memory of a dream that felt so real.

  “Candy?” Jasper pokes me in the arm.

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you alright?” he asks.

  We sit next to each other in the back of the room.

  “I think so,” I say.

  He rubs his head. “Where did you go?”

  “Nowhere. I’m right here.”

  “I go to places in my head. You had the same look. Your body was here, but your mind was elsewhere.”

  Jasper is right. He’s always right.

  “I just had more strange dreams and I keep trying to figure out what they mean.” I push my hair away from my face, thankful my flat iron was a huge help.

  “Dreams are supposed to aid in resolving psychological issues that plague us during the day. The majority of people find they are able to resolve issues through dreams.” Jasper sighs. “But not me. I never seem to dream. Did your dream help you resolve any issues?”

  “No. If anything, it created new ones.”

  “What was the dream about?”

  “I think I saw the little Irish witch before she cast her spell.”

  Not saw. I was the little Irish Witch.

  “Interesting. There is some school of thought that dreams are potentially a portal into another world. Perhaps you’re being drawn into another dimension? One where the little Irish witch is reliving that day.”

  I smile. Jasper never says I’m crazy. He is the best kind of family.

  “It did feel very real,” I say, “but I don’t think I was being taken into another dimension.”

  Jasper drums his fingers on his desk. “Maybe the dream is a memory.”

  “Whose?” I ask. “I wasn’t exactly alive a thousand years ago.”

  “Fair enough.” Jasper’s legs shake under his desk. He’s not allowed to have his chew at school.

  “Maybe Darby’s spirit is reaching out to me. Maybe she’s trying to tell me something from the great beyond,” I say.

  I really don’t need other people living in my head. It’s crowded enough as is.

  My hair is hot on my neck. I fumble around in my pants pocket for a hair band. I twist it up into a knot, and the draft feels good on my skin.

  Jasper rubs his chin, frowning. “Have you considered past life regression? Maybe you’re Darby’s reincarnation.”

  And there it is. The one explanation I never wanted to consider.

  “Jasper and Candice McGregor!” Mr. Hansen has returned and stands at the front of the room. He scowls over his horn-rimmed glasses. “Did you read the chapter?”

  I shake my head ‘no’ while Jasper stiffens.

  “I read the chapter two weeks ago,” he says.

  “Really?” Mr. Hansen smirks.

  “Yes, really.”

  “Then please explain what’s happening in chapter twenty.” Mr. Hansen grins wide enough to show a set of crooked, yellow-stained teeth.

  “The main character thinks he’s closing in on Jack the Ripper.” Jasper sniffs several times. “But he’s not. Given the time period this novel is set in, Jack the Ripper was no longer in Europe.”

  Why we’re reading a novel about a serial killer is beyond me.

  “Ms. McGregor, you wrinkle your nose every time we discuss this novel. Do you have a problem with the subject matter?” Mr. Hansen folds his arms, daring me to have a problem.

  “I’d rather read the classics,” I reply, forcing a polite smile.

  Mr. Hansen snorts. “Really, I’d think a McGregor would be able to see the historical reference of a novel such as this.”

  Jasper leans toward me and whispers. “What does he mean?”

  “I don’t know,” I whisper back.

  “What I mean is that the McGregors founded Sequim Falls, which has been the playground for serial killers since the first house was built. Surely you are aware that once your family settled here Sequim Falls was never the same, Ms. McGregor.” Mr. Hansen flashes his rotting teeth again.

  My neck is hot and sweat rolls down my back. Everyone stares at Jasper and I. Does Mr. Hansen know? Does he suspect that the killings are a direct result of a family curse that makes us killing machines?

  “Uh,” I say, not having an answer at all.

  The bell rings and I exhale my relief. I’m out of my seat and dragging Jasper along before Mr. Hansen can call out the homework assignment.

  “Do you think what he said was true?” Jasper asks as we hurry up the hall.

  We need to find Bennett and Larkin.

  “Which part?”

  “About the killings dating back to when our family first came here.”

  I stop in the middle of a stream of high school students rushing to their next class.

  “I don’t know, Jas.”

  “Will we turn into serial killers?” His eyes are so sad my heart hurts.

  I take his hand and squeeze it. “Not if I have anything to say about it. Come on, a ditch day is in order.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “If we’re going to ditch sc
hool and have a Scooby meeting, why couldn’t we do it over pizza?” Larkin rummages through my kitchen cupboards.

  “How can you think about food at a time like this?” Bennett asks, standing near the doorway. Every other minute, he checks the hallway.

  “Easy. I had a mocha for breakfast and nothing for lunch since you guys were freaking out.” Larkin grabs a large jar of peanut butter and a spoon from the drawer.

  “We were not freaking out,” Jasper says. He sits at the kitchen table with his tablet, scrolling and scrolling. “We were just concerned we’re descended from serial killers.”

  We all look to Bennett who throws his hands up in frustration. “I don’t know. Everything my dad has told me, I’ve told you guys.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Hansen is just a distraction. We need to focus,” I say, pacing the floor.

  Larkin takes a bite, chews, and nods. “She’s right. We need to keep our eye on the end game—breaking the curse. We don’t have the spell, the talisman, or—”

  “Or a power source. If Darby used the full moon to cast the original spell, chances are we will have to do the same.” I twist my hair around my finger until it cuts the circulation off its tip.

  “I was going to say sacrifice,” Larkin says. “But maybe we can leave that as the last problem we solve.”

  “You’re forgetting the most important part.” Bennett looks to me. “We need a powerful witch to break the spell.”

  I wince. “I’m trying, Bennett.”

  “I’m not saying you aren’t.”

  “Lay off, Momma’s boy. Candy will find her magical mojo.” Larkin waves her spoon in his direction and gives me a glance that says you will, won’t you?

  I give a nod and fake a confident smile. “I’ll get the magic down. I just need some time.”

  “Fine, you’ve got twenty-eight days.” Bennett rubs the back of his head. His hair is flat and his school uniform is wrinkled.

  “But no pressure,” Larkin snarks. “We need a recap. Your dad still MIA?”

  I nod. “He’s not answering my texts or calls.”

  Larkin smacks her spoon down on the counter making a clanging sound. “We need to search his office.” She storms toward the kitchen door, giving Bennett a shove.

  He rubs his shoulder. “You’re so mean when your blood sugar is low.”

  “Bite me, white boy.”

  “His office is locked. We can’t get in,” I say hurrying after Larkin and Bennett.

  Jasper follows behind me.

  “Locks were made to be cracked,” Larkin replies.

  “Not in my world,” I mutter.

  We round the corner, turning down the hallway leading to my dad’s office. Larkin gets there first. She bends down and studies it. “Keyless entry. Maybe it’s your birthday.” She punches the pad and tries the door. “Not your birthday. What’s your dad’s birthday?”

  “February 21,” I reply.

  She punches. I hold my breath. Jasper peers over my shoulder while Bennett leans against the wall.

  “This is dumb,” he says.

  “Her dad is curiously MIA at the worst possible time. Either he’s up to something or he’s been kidnapped.” Larkin shakes her dark hair. “Let’s try Grandmother’s birthday. He is a momma’s boy like Bennett.”

  “Liking my mother does not make me a momma’s boy!”

  “Nope. Letting her dress you and pick out your date for Homecoming, that makes you a momma’s boy.” Larkin smirks as she punches in the numbers. The door beeps. “How do you not know the code?” she asks me.

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I respect his privacy. Besides, the only thing in that room is a bunch of old, stinky books.”

  Larkin’s eyes narrow. “Like history books?”

  “Maybe,” I reply.

  She gives me a look that says I should have told her this fact sooner. “I’m out of ideas. What else can we try?”

  “My mother’s birthday—April 11th,” I say quietly.

  She nods slowly, raising her index finger. Carefully, she punches in the numbers and then tries the handle. The door swings open. “Clearly, Uncle Dartmouth has never gotten over your mother.”

  “Maybe they’re soulmates,” I say, walking into the musty-smelling room.

  Books line all four walls of my father’s study, from floor to ceiling. Larkin stands in the middle of the room slowly making a 360-degree turn. She taps her chin with her finger. “What is wrong with this picture?”

  His desk is several feet in front of the north wall. I go to it, searching the top and then the drawers.

  “What’re you looking for?” Bennett asks.

  “The why he’s gone so much,” I reply, yanking open the top drawer.

  “Something isn’t right,” Larkin says loudly.

  I glance up from the paper clip I find in the first drawer. “What?”

  “It’s the books,” Jasper says. “There are no titles on the spines and there’s a pattern.”

  Larkin slaps her leg. “Yes! The books are arranged by color, and they’re creating a pattern.”

  I leave the desk and walk to the middle of the room. One wall has navy blue and red books. Walking to the opposite side of the room, I try not to focus, only taking in the colors. K. The books spell the letter K. I do the same thing with the wall to my right. E. Pivoting, I rotate 90-degrees. Y.

  “These three walls spell ‘key’,” I say, facing the final wall.

  Jasper steps up beside me. “There’s a gap in the second row.”

  I tilt my head to the left. “Yes, there’s a gap between the books.” I cross the room grabbing two thick books. I flip through the pages. “They’re blank.”

  Larkin takes a book off the shelf and flips through it. She drops it on the floor, grabbing another and doing the same. “They’re all blank.”

  “What does this mean?” I ask.

  Bennett steps forward, clearing the shelf with one arm. “It means your dad isn’t all that into books.”

  “Oksana is going to be so mad when she sees this mess,” Larkin says, stepping around the books.

  Running my hand along the back of the shelf, I search for something worth hiding. My fingers catch only air. “There’s nothing here.”

  “Let’s try the next one.” Bennett grabs books, tossing them to the ground. He checks the shelf. “Nothing.”

  One by one, we clear the shelves from the bottom up. By the time we reach the sixth shelf, I’m ready to call it. “There’s nothing here.”

  Bennett stands on his toes, straining. “Here.” He pulls on something and the bookcase splits in two, revealing a dark entrance.

  “Did we seriously just step into a Harry Potter movie?” Larkin asks.

  “We could only be so lucky,” I mutter, stepping forward. “Jas, you don’t have to come.”

  He studies the hardwood floor. “I don’t like the dark.”

  I smile. “I know. Besides, my dad—my journey.” I pull my cellphone from my back pocket and flip the flashlight on.

  Larkin grabs my arm just before I step inside. “We’re family. We’re in this together. Just please don’t let there be any beast dogs hiding in there.”

  I take her left hand while Bennett takes her right. “I’m the guy, I should go first.”

  “While that’s completely sexist, I support the idea of you getting eaten by a monster instead of me.” Larkin winks at him.

  “Come on,” I say, dragging them along.

  We have to enter one-at-a-time. Bennett goes in first with me trailing close enough to hold onto to his jacket. He takes my phone, shining the light down a narrow passageway lined with brick walls.

  “How did I not know this was here?” I ask.

  “Shh!” Larkin pokes me in the back. “No need to warn the monsters we’re coming.”

  “Sorry,” I whisper.

  We veer to the right, fumbling forward in the dark for another minute until we stop abruptly.

  “What is it?” I ask.


  “A door,” Bennett replies. He turns on an angle to reveal a wooden door with a wrought iron knocker.

  “Well, open it,” Larkin says in an angry whisper.

  “Right.” Bennett looks to me.

  “We’ve come this far,” I say, shrugging.

  “Candy, whatever is—” he says.

  Larkin reaches past him, giving the door a hard shove. “Seriously, the clock is ticking, people.”

  The door swings open. I flinch, taking a step back and covering my face with my hands as I anticipate rabid wolves jumping out at us. But there’s nothing but the sound of buzzing static. Lowering my hands, I find myself peering into a room that leaves me shaking my head. Flat screens hang on each wall; computers are set up in the center of the room, feeding the images on the screens.

  I step inside, walking toward the screen on the center wall. “Is that the Corporation?”

  “Yeah,” Bennett says, stepping up beside me.

  The three of us stare as the screen rotate through a series of cameras clearly located outside the McGregor Corporation and in the building. One camera is pointed at a door where people in white lab coats enter.

  “Why is he watching the McGregor Corporation and how is he doing it?” I ask, rubbing my hands together. Cool air wafts downward from vents in the ceiling.

  “He’s hacked the company’s cameras,” Jasper says from behind us. He stands at the largest computer in the room, typing furiously on the keyboard.

  “But why?” I come around to where he’s at and study the screen he’s watching.

  “Give me a minute. I’m going to hack the network. That might tell us where he took the spell book.” Jasper doesn’t blink, scanning the code that appears on the screen.

  “I think that’s illegal,” Larkin says, joining us.

  “Yes, it’s a violation of federal law.” Jasper touches the screen, dragging his finger downward until he lands on the line he appears to be looking for.

  “Congratulations, Jas. I always thought I’d be the first to break the law, and I’m not.” Larkin claps her hands together and smiles.

  “Imminent death supersedes my regard for the law.” Jasper’s eyes dart back and forth as his fingers fly over the keyboard.

  A flashing red sign appears on the screen: