Maria turned her angry gaze on Mr. Hostetler and waved a hand in his face. “Never mind. I go now.”
Before she left, she gave me one last slitty-eyed glare and pointed at the shared hearts diamond bracelet I wore, a Christmas gift from her son. “Shame on you. My Junior give you expensive thing, and you break his heart.”
What about my heart? Much to my disgust, tears welled up in my eyes. I knew I shouldn’t have taken my mother’s advice. She’d told me, “Don’t think about it, Allie. Stuff it in a lockbox and throw away the key.” I guess I forgot to throw away the key because the pain came flooding back, deeper and stronger than ever. Thanks, Faye.
Mr. Hostetler took the programs from my trembling hand and pointed at the row reserved for the decoration committee. “I’ve got this covered. Go sit with your friends.”
I murmured my thanks and made my way through the crowd, who averted their eyes when I passed by. Oh, please! Like they hadn’t been hanging on every word.
Caitlyn, our decoration committee chairman in name only, was perched on the seat next to the aisle. Her boyfriend, Cory Philpott, sat next to her. Caitlyn clung to Cory’s hand with both of hers, all the while casting nervous glances at Luella Hoptowit.
As I scooted past her, I said, “The committee voted and it’s unanimous. We’ll take down all this stuff.” I pointed at the fake flower-bedecked arch and crepe paper festoons, all within easy reach. “You get the rafters. Maybe Cory will help you.”
Caitlyn apparently forgot her prior warning and huffed, “You expect me to get on a ladder? I don’t think so!”
Luella Hoptowit was seated in the middle of the row. She leaned forward in her seat and hissed, “Hey Caitlyn.” When Luella had Caitlyn’s full attention, she lifted a hand, inscribing circles through the air like she was casting a spell or summoning evil spirits.
The color left Caitlyn’s face and she mumbled, “I guess I can manage.”
As I stepped by Luella, we bumped fists. I plopped down between Sammie and Mercedes. Sammie’s thoughts were coming in loud and clear. I was getting bored just sitting here until you and Mrs. M. got into it. Thanks!
Oh, shut the hell up!
Bouncing in excitement, Mercedes drew a huge, preparatory breath. If I didn’t act quickly, I’d be peppered with an Uzi-like spray of non-stop questions.
I used my thumb and forefinger to make the zip-lip sign. “Here’s the deal. Junior’s mother thinks it’s my fault Junior is with Selena. End of story.”
Mercedes gasped. “But, that’s majorly unfair. Everybody knows Selena’s a skank.”
“Can we please change the subject?”
“I’m just saying.”
I shrugged like I didn’t care and stared straight ahead, my theory being if I didn’t make eye contact with her, she’d get distracted. Since I was no fun at all, Mercedes turned to eyeball the people pouring into the gym.
Her elbow dug into my ribs. “Check it out. Beck Bradford and his mom are in the house. Girl, the way he looked at you yesterday, like he wanted to eat you up.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from answering. Mercedes didn’t know Beck was half demon. Not that he’d ever taken a bite out of me, but he did like to inhale my scent, which creeped me out a little. According to him, I smell like Juicy Fruit gum, rose petals and pine needles.
Beck was looking fine in pressed khakis and a form-fitting black silk tee that emphasized his muscular build. His dark blond hair was a tangled mess, like he’d jumped out of the shower, raked his fingers through it and called it good. Somehow, it made him look even sexier. The gaze of every female under the age of forty followed him as he and his mom walked to the rows reserved for families of this year’s graduates. When he reached my row, he paused until he spotted me, smiled and then followed his mom to their seats. Must have been the smell thing again. Good? Bad? I couldn’t decide.
Mercedes leaned close, her breath whistling in my ear. “Hot!”
Thankfully, Mr. Hostetler chose that moment to bound onto the portable stage. He tapped the microphone. It emitted an ear-splitting squeal that made the audience cringe and squirm in their seats. When the noise subsided, he announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present this year’s graduating seniors.”
As our graduating class of twenty-one seniors entered the gym in their caps and gowns, the crowd rose to their feet, clapping and cheering. Mercedes grabbed her digital camera and climbed up on her chair. Her geeky, brainiac boyfriend, Gilbert Valencia, was one of the graduates. Mercedes planned to surprise him with a scrapbook, a pictorial history of this special event. At least it took the pressure off me and my totally screwed-up love life.
Gilbert had a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious university in California. Mercedes was bouncing back and forth between beaming with pride and crying her eyes out because he would be leaving in September. I guess everybody’s love life is complicated.
With the seniors in place, Mr. Hostetler said, “Let’s have a nice round of applause for our decoration committee headed up by Caitlyn Rogers.”
Caitlyn released Cory’s hand, patted her hair, stood, turned to face the crowd and then, swear to God, she did a beauty queen wave.
“What about us?” Mercedes said.
I popped up and motioned for the others to stand. Dora Jean and Donna Jo Hoffman pointed at the decorated arch and waved at their mother. Mercedes took their picture. When the applause died down, the program started.
Two hours later—hard to believe it took that long for a class of twenty-one—the seniors flipped the tassels on their caps and marched out of the gym to board the bus that would take them to their all-night party. Mercedes, tears streaming down her face, was standing on her chair again, firing off shots of Gilbert.
When he disappeared from view, she lowered the camera and said, “You didn’t tell me your dad was coming.”
“No way,” I scoffed. “Why would he be at graduation?”
Mercedes gave a little huff of annoyance. “Girl, I know what your dad looks like and, trust me, he’s here.”
I looked through the zoom lens of Mercedes’s camera and scanned the crowd. She was right. Mike Purdy sat in the last seat at the far end of the back row next to the exit, like he’d straggled in late to catch the ceremony. He was ashen-faced and haggard, rigid in his chair. It looked like he hadn’t slept in a while. My heart sank. It’s not like I didn’t want to see my dad. But his being here tonight could only mean one thing. Something bad was about to happen.
Chapter Six
HE WAS WAITING at the back of the gym.
“Give me a sec . . . okay?” I asked Mercedes and Sammie.
“We’ll wait for you in the parking lot,” Mercedes said, gazing curiously at my dad.
I knew she wanted to hang around. So not happening. As previously stated, Mercedes knew nothing about the weirder aspects of my life. For instance, I was pretty sure she’d freak out if she saw me use TKP to make Blaster the bull float to the far end of the pasture. We’d been friends forever, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Sammie was a different story. In the grand scheme of things, she and I were meant to find each other. We had a psychic connection. It was Mike who’d told me about the second prophecy that predicted a disaster of horrific proportions would impact our world. It could only be stopped by two girls joined by the moonstone. At the time, I’d assumed the other girl was my missing twin, Anna Starr. Long story short, it wasn’t Anna. It was Sammie.
As Mercedes and Sammie drifted toward the exit, my thoughts swirled in confusion. I wanted to call out to Sammie and tell her to stay, but then Mercedes would get all bent out of shape. Instead, I just stood next to my dad, biting my lip and waiting for him to hit me with the bad news.
Mike reached out a hand, pulled it back. “How’s it going?”
Other than this incredibly awkward situation? “Okay,” I said. “I’m surprised to see you here. Did you think I was graduating this year?”
I was pre
tty sure he knew I had another year of high school, but other than the magic stuff we had in common, Mike really wasn’t a part of my life. He’d basically walked out on my mom right before she gave birth to Anna and me.
He heaved a weary sigh. “Give me a little credit, Allie. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. I’m tired and hungry. How about we go somewhere and get a bite to eat.”
I looked around at the people passing by and lowered my voice. “What about Sammie? If this is about the big deal happening soon, she needs to be in the loop.”
Mike nodded and took hold of my arm, guiding me toward the exit. Something about my dad had changed. The last time we met, he’d been shaky and uncertain, like a man whose life had spun out of control. In a way, it had. Now, his shoulders were squared, his face grim but determined as he marched me out of the gym, all the while scanning the crowd streaming around us. Was he looking for Trimarks? Was Mike finally acting like a dad?
On the way to the parking lot, I told him I didn’t want to hurt Mercedes’s feelings by not including her, but not to worry, I had a plan. He gave a little grimace of impatience and mumbled something about “teenage girl drama.”
I told Mercedes I was spending the night with Sammie who lived with Kizzy Lovell and that my dad would follow us there. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, but she agreed to drop us off at Kizzy’s. Shortly after, Mike picked us up and we headed for a restaurant in Vista Valley.
Twenty minutes later, we were seated in a booth, watching Mike inhale a slab of roast beef, potatoes and gravy and a half loaf of bread. Sammie and I sipped our Cokes and waited for him to finish.
Finally, Mike pushed his plate away and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sorry, I was starving.”
Maybe what I thought was an air of purpose was just a hungry man in search of a meal. His next words proved me wrong.
His smile vanished as he studied our faces. “Man, life’s not fair. You’re just kids and you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. You should be worrying about who’s dating who or your next math test, not this save the world stuff. If I could figure out how to make it all go away, I would.”
Sammie and I exchanged a look. I said, “We’re not expecting good news. Just tell us, Mike.”
Mike flattened his hands on the table and leaned toward us. “Chris Revelle escaped.”
A thunderbolt of terror exploded from Sammie’s mind and slammed into mine. I gasped in surprise. She grabbed the edge of the table to stop her hands from shaking. I gulped air and fought to control the intense feelings pouring out of Sammie. Or, were they mine?
Mike continued, “Since you were responsible for his arrest, there’s a chance he might come here looking for payback.”
I stammered, “Wa-wa-wasn’t he in a federal prison? Aren’t they impossible to break out of? How did he escape?”
Mike waited until the waitress cleared the table before answering. He leaned toward me and whispered, “Think about it, Allie. Last December, you and Sammie were in a secure facility and you got out.”
Sammie and I said the name together. “Teagan.”
Mike nodded. “Teagan used magic to help you escape. Revelle is a mutated faery and he’s a big deal in the Trimark clan. He surely has contacts as powerful as Teagan. Dennis McCarty said he simply disappeared from a locked cell.”
Sammie, pale and trembling, had retreated to a corner of the booth and curled into a shivering ball. She had every reason to be terrified of Revelle. He’d had her strapped down and hooked to a shock machine shortly before Teagan broke us out.
My hand flew to the moonstone. “There’s not much time left. The summer solstice is almost here. Shouldn’t Revelle be getting ready for the big day instead of worrying about me?”
Mike shrugged. “That’s the problem. We have no idea what he’ll do.”
“What about the feds? Are they looking for him?”
“Yeah, but Revelle’s pretty good at disappearing. He’s had at least a dozen different identities.”
Sammie found her voice. “Can’t Dennis McCarty help?”
“Remember, Dennis isn’t involved in this mess as an FBI agent but as a Star Seeker. He has to be careful to keep the two roles separate,” Mike said.
“Which leaves us to take care of ourselves, like always.” My words had a bitter taste.
“Not exactly,” Mike said. “Dennis and I rounded up a bunch of Star Seekers to keep watch over you and Sammie. Some of them were at graduation tonight.”
Sammie’s body uncurled, just a little. “Maybe Revelle’s after the moonstone.”
“I buried it once. Maybe I should do it again,” I said.
“If you bury it, we’ll lose our connection,” Sammie said.
Bummer. I hadn’t thought of that.
“About the summer solstice,” I said. “Any news from your undercover guy about where all this is coming down?”
“The Trimarks are being extremely careful not to mention a specific place. We think they’re waiting until the last minute to name the location.”
I pursed my lips in disgust. “In other words, he doesn’t know.”
Mike rubbed the stubble on his chin. “We know it’s not Ireland.”
Sammie and I exchanged surprised looks.
“Not Ireland,” I repeated. “Can we narrow it down to a single continent?”
After a fleeting smile, Mike said, “So far, our guy has exactly two clues. It’s somewhere remote in Montana or Wyoming. The phrase ‘where the earth meets the sky’ keeps popping up.”
I lifted my hands in a helpless gesture. “So what are Sammie and I supposed to do? Drive around Montana and Wyoming and look for a flashing neon sign that says, ‘Here it is!’”
“I know,” Mike said softly. “It sucks. Sending two kids off to save the world sounds like a damn poor idea to me. But I promise you, we will find out the location and as soon as we know, you’ll know.”
“Let’s hope it’s soon.” I pushed my Coke away and stood. Sammie scrambled across the bench seat and stood next to me. We both stared down at Mike.
Finally Sammie said, “Until then, I guess we’re on our own.”
WHEN WE STOPPED in front of Kizzy’s house, I made Sammie promise to tell Kizzy about the latest Trimark threat. I’d already used Mike’s cell phone to call Charlie, Kizzy’s heavily armed friend. I knew he’d show up within minutes to make sure Kizzy and Sammie stayed safe.
Mike offered to stay until Faye got home, but I assured him I could take care of myself. He sat in his car with the motor running and watched me climb up the cement blocks that served as steps to our trailer. As I inserted the key in the lock, I noticed the note taped to the door. It was written in flaming red lipstick and said, “Hey, Allie! Guess who was parked next to your trailer when I got home. His initials are J. M. Hee hee! No matter how late it is, call me.”
I waved to Mike to let him know everything was okeydokey and stepped inside the trailer. Since Mercedes only lived a few steps away, I considered knocking on her door. But if I did, I’d have to allow thirty minutes of schmooze time with her mother and Grandma Maria Anna Rosita. Not that I don’t enjoy our little bilingual chats, but it had been a long day. Instead, I called Mercedes’s cell.
When she answered, I said, “It’s me. Make it fast. I’m tired.”
I heard a huge intake of breath and braced myself.
“Oh girl, it was sooo sad. Poor Junior is just devastated. He can’t stand it when you’re mad at him. Maybe you should . . .”
“Poor Junior?” I said. “Whose friend are you anyway? Geez, all Junior has to do is act all heartbroken and you’re on his team now?”
Like I said, it had been a long day.
Mercedes said, “Wait, wait! It’s not like that. That thing with Selena? It was a huge publicity stunt set up by his manager. All he wants is a chance to explain it to you.”
“Let me explain something to you, Mercedes. Junior is an actor. He can make you believe anything he wants.”<
br />
Mercedes breathed into the phone for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “Okay, girl, you know I’m on your side. You’ll make the right decision. You always do. I’m just the messenger. Okay?”
Somehow Mercedes being reasonable was way more powerful than Mercedes being, um, Mercedes.
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll think about what you said. See you tomorrow.”
Tired but restless, I wandered around the trailer trying to settle my thoughts. Wandering is probably the wrong word since my home is only twenty-four feet long. It was more like six steps to the back wall. Turn around. Six steps to the front.
I wished my mother was home. It’s true, her take on life’s little problems was sometimes screwed up, but when it came to relationships, she was a walking encyclopedia of motherly advice. She said she’d learned all about them in the school of hard knocks. After a string of losers, she’d finally hooked up with a decent guy. Andy managed a free-range chicken farm called El Pollo Riendo.
Maybe Sammie and I weren’t the only ones with a psychic connection because, at that precise moment, the phone rang. I picked up the phone, and before I could say a word, Faye said, “Allie?” Her voice was shrill with excitement. Or was it fear? I thought about Chris Revelle and gripped the phone tighter.
“Faye? Are you okay?”
She giggled like I’d just said something totally hilarious. “I’m way better than okay. I had to call because I couldn’t wait to share the news.”
She stopped talking and I heard the sound of clinking glasses and a muffled smacking sound followed by “mmm.” Oh my God, she and Andy were kissing. Gross.
“Stop making out with Andy. I’m not even there and it’s embarrassing. Talk to me. I thought you couldn’t wait to share the news.”
She giggled again. “Guess what Andy gave me?”
I sighed. “Gee, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
“A ring. Andy asked me to marry him. I’m engaged, Allie.”
The air whooshed from my lungs. “Oh.”
Midnight Moon (The Unbidden Magic Series) Page 4