Iron Moon

by Jenny Phillips

  “Rayna,” the voice was a breath against my ear.

  My eyes shot open at the mention of my name, expecting to see a face inches from mine, but there was no one there. My heart hammered in my chest as I got to my feet, eyes darting around the clearing. “I know you're out there!” I called out into the morning air. But no one responded. If this was someone's idea of a prank, it wasn't funny.

  Later that morning, I heard the familiar stomp, stomp, stomp of Dalyn’s footsteps as she ascended the stairs. I craned my neck to find her standing in my doorway holding something red. She tossed it at me and it landed in a pile at my feet. We exchanged a few sarcastic words before she stalked back downstairs to help our mother finish cleaning out the front closet. I picked up the coat from its place on the floor and unfurled the mess of fabric—my red peacoat. It smelled faintly of fall—smoke and burnt leaves. Pushing my arm through one sleeve and then the other, I stared down at the coat as it hung off my shoulders. Perfect! I thought, shoving my hands in both pockets simultaneously. My fingers collided with something foreign in the right pocket; cold and oddly shaped, I pulled the mystery object out of hiding.

  A necklace.

  Two off center crescents with a solid iron sphere between them—strung on a leather strap. Turning the pendant over in my hand, I noticed someone had etched the name Payne into the back of the iron surface—the letter P was wearing away. As I ran my thumb across the iron surface, the metal shocking me like static on a sweater. Startled, I almost dropped it as a face flashed across my memory.

  His face.

  “Harlow,” I spoke his name aloud as his face gradually disappeared to somewhere in my memory as a series of images passed through my vision. My head began to pound and I clutched my temples in an attempt to ease the pain, but to no avail. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but the images kept playing like a projector in front of me. It took me a minute to realize what was happening. Memories! These were memories that I had somehow forgotten. Instantly everything came back to me… hitting my head, Harlow and me at Rider’s party, winter formal. Magic. Witches. Werewolves. Our first kiss. The animal attack. Cecily’s journals. Everything up until the moment Ivy had used her magic to make me forget it all. I saw myself fighting against it, begging Harlow not to let her erase my memories. I felt hot tears stream down my face before I even realized I was crying. The pain subsided at the same time my vision cleared.

  I stood back in my room, staring down at Cecily Till's iron moon necklace—still wearing my red peacoat. With my mind in a fog, I took in a deep, jagged breath as I paced backward across my room until the backs of my legs collided with the edge of my bed. Sinking onto the mattress, I began to sob.

  part two

  chapter fourteen

  WHEN I ARRIVED AT RIDER'S PARTY THE FOLLOWING night, I had only one goal in mind: Find Harlow. If I

  was going to run into him anywhere, Rider's party would be the place. Letting myself in, I was greeted by several of my classmates, among others I didn’t recognize, loitering in the Larson's massive foyer. They cascaded down either side of the grand staircase—leaving little room for walking. A couple was casually making out on the luxe, black sofa, while another girl lay on top of the grand piano, which Rider had smartly moved to the corner, with her head hanging over the edge like she was about to be sick. None of them paid me a passing glance, so it was safe to say they were over the drama from last semester. I maneuvered my way through the crowd of people toward the kitchen as techno music pulsed through the Larson's home intercom system. The patio light was on and I spotted Rider standing just on the other side of the back door smoking with three other guys from our class. A few people attempting an impromptu game of beer pong at the kitchen table complained when I opened the sliding glass door and a burst of cold air rushed inside. Ignoring them, I poked my head outside. “Hey, Rider!”

  One of the guys said something I didn’t quite catch, just as Rider craned his neck in my direction. “Hey, you made it!” he smiled, releasing a drag of smoke.

  “In the flesh!” I smiled back, happy to see him too. “Is Harlow around here somewhere?”

  Rider appeared mildly surprised by the question. It was the same look I had gotten from both Lacey and Arianna at Beach's the night before, only, this time, I understood why. “He texted me last night and said he wouldn’t be able to make it...sorry.”

  “Thanks,” I frowned. It made sense. He was obviously avoiding me. I only wished I had realized that this would be the case a lot sooner. Sliding the door shut, I turned on my heel and spotted Ivy's unmistakable cherry red locks as she mingled between the kitchen and the entryway. Despite her friendship with Rider, the Ivy Branson I knew was not much of a social butterfly, so a back-to-school party was the last place I expected to bump into her, but that was beside the point. I weaved my way over to her and tapped her firmly on the shoulder.

  Ivy turned to face me and covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief at the sight of me—almost spitting out her drink. “Rayna!” she gasped, choking down her beverage.

  “Oh, I'm sorry, you seem surprised,” I regarded her cruelly before continuing my verbal assault. “I can’t believe you would do that to me!” Her mouth dropped open, but I cut her off. “Where is he?” I shouted over the blaring techno music.

  “What?” she asked, pointing to her ear with her free hand.

  “Harlow,” I repeated, louder this time. “Where. Is. He?”

  Now I had her undivided attention. She stared at me with a disconcerting expression on her face before answering. “Rayna, I don't—”

  And that was all I needed to hear. Anything else she was about to say would be to keep me from finding him. “Forget I asked,” I said harshly, shoving past her toward the front door. If he wasn't here, there were a few other places worth checking.

  On the way back to my car, I ran into Lacey and Arianna just arriving. “Hey, where are you going so soon?” Lacey asked, halting me.

  “I was looking for someone, but he's not here so, I'm leaving.”

  “I'm staying out of this one,” Arianna said sensing my fury and removing herself from the conversation.

  “Rayna, is this about Harlow?” Lacey pressed.

  “Hey who told you about our breakup?” I asked avoiding her question.

  Lacey studied me with a questioning look on her face before answering. “Harlow,” she said carefully. “Rayna are you sure you should talk to him right now? You seem really upset.”

  “I have to see him tonight, Lace, you don't understand.”

  Lacey grabbed my hand. “I'm not going to stop you if this is something you think you need to do. Just be careful,” she cautioned. “And call if you need me.”

  I gave her a half-hearted smile. “I'm holding you to that!” I said, breaking away from her into a sprint.

  Before I knew it, I found myself standing at Harlow's once familiar front door. Even though he had only ended things between us a few weeks ago, our time together felt like a distant memory to me now. You can do this! I coached myself. Releasing a deep breath that made a hazy shape in the air, I rang the doorbell. A minute later, the door pulled open and Harlow stood before me. I was surprised to have found him so easily. The sight of him stirred up a mixture of emotions inside me that I hadn't expected to feel. My heart fumbled a bit in my chest. If he was just as surprised to see me, he hid it well.

  “Rayna?” Harlow spoke my name as if it were a question before stepping out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him.

  I wasn't sure where to begin. I took a step back as my mind raced through the millions of words and phrases I wanted to hurl at him. Instead, I reached up and slapped him.

  Harlow stood there in stunned silence, holding his face where I'd made contact, his gaze angled toward the ground.

  Shaking my head at him, I eventually managed to ask, “How could you do that to me?”

  Shock slowly began to register on his face at the question. “It's not possible,” he muttered
under his breath as his eyes searched mine.

  “Answer me!” I demanded, my voice brittle. “I deserve at least that much!”

  “Rayna,” Harlow said my name in warning.

  My stare intensified. “I remember everything!” I informed him gravely. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the iron moon necklace and shoved it at him. “This—showed me.”

  Harlow took the necklace from me gently. He stared at the pendant in his hand for a long time before his gaze fixed on me again. “You've had this the whole time?”

  My eyes dropped to the pendant in his hand. “I found it this morning,” I explained, wiping away a stray tear with the sleeve of my coat.

  “She was right...” Harlow trailed off, mostly to himself.

  “Who was right about what?...Harlow?” I pressed. His lack of answers only infuriated me further.

  Harlow's eyes pinned to mine. “I'm sorry, Rayna. But you have to know that—”

  “Ivy wiped my memory a second time because I got mad at you after I found out about the first memory wipe. And for the record, I didn't see your brother shift back that night.”

  Harlow dragged a hand down his face. “You don't actually believe that do you?” he asked, sounding as exhausted as he looked. “If you think I asked Ivy to do this because I don't trust you then you're wrong.” A flicker of pain crossed Harlow's face. “Rayna, I wanted to protect you from the messed up world I live in. I put you in a dangerous position when I told you my secret. Hell, I made you a liability! You said you needed time—the one thing I don't have. So I gave you time, space, and protection the only way I knew how. You were free from all of it...” Harlow's voice carried off. After a beat, he tipped his head back and a breathless laugh escaped him. “And yet here you stand. Knowledge intact.”

  Now it was my turn to feel guilty. Deep down I knew that Harlow had only asked Ivy to cast the memory spell to keep me out of harm's way, but it was easier to be mad at him than to accept the decision he made that night. The scene of him ending our relationship had been playing in my head on repeat all day and it hurt. It more than hurt. I was devastated. I wasn't over him. My vision began to cloud with the threat of tears and I swallowed hard, staring down at my feet. “I shouldn't have come,” I admitted, my voice thick with regret.

  Harlow tipped my chin up. “Rayna, I never meant to hurt you.”

  I turned my face away, wiping a few silent tears from the corners of my eyes as a pair of headlights lit up the front porch and that's when I noticed the lawn. Dozens upon dozens of purple flower petals peeked through the snow from one end of the yard to the other. Clearing my throat, I announced, “I should go.”

  Harlow caught me by the elbow. “Rayna, I—”

  Unable to meet his eyes, I waved him off. “I'm fine,” I lied, shattered inside.

  Ivy and I passed each other in the driveway where she halted me. “Oh no you don't!” she objected, grabbing for the sleeve of my coat.

  “Let me go!” I shouted, dodging her reach.

  A split second later, I was jerked in the opposite direction, colliding with Harlow as we tumbled toward the driveway. “Ow,” Harlow grumbled from beneath me.

  Rolling off of him, I pushed myself to stand. “What the hell was that for!” I complained, brushing myself off.

  “You can't walk on the grass, Rayna. I know you can't see them, but the front yard is covered in Wolfsbane. Highly poisonous—and not just to werewolves.”

  “Is that what the purple flowers are?”

  Harlow studied me, perplexed. “You can see them?”

  “Yes...why?”

  “Because I put a cloaking spell on them so the neighbors wouldn't be disturbed by the overabundance of poisonous flowers,” Ivy explained. “The Wolfsbane shouldn't be visible to the naked eye. You're coming inside with us. Now.”

  Against my better judgment, Harlow, Ivy and I convened around the table just as Nick entered the kitchen. “You didn't tell me we had company, little bro,” he grinned with phony enthusiasm before his eyes locked on mine. “Never thought I'd see you again,” Nick commented as his eyes flicked to Harlow's face and then back to mine. “Where's the necklace?” he pressed, advancing in my direction.

  Harlow shoved Nick hard toward the counter and stepped in front of me to block my escape. “Ignore him,” Harlow said, peering over his shoulder at Nick with a deadly stare. “I have the necklace,” Harlow informed Nick pointedly before guiding me back to my seat at the table. Once I was seated, Harlow reached into the pocket of his jeans and set the necklace on the table.

  Ivy dug around in her oversized bag and pulled out the old raggedy book I had seen her with after my first date with Harlow. She waved her hand once over the cover and the book flipped open to a page. Ivy's eyes landed on me before she spoke. “This doesn't make any sense to me, but as of right now it's the only explanation I can come up with.” I stared at her confused and she continued with her explanation. “I spelled you that night to forget about us and give Harlow Cecily's necklace and you willingly complied because, well let's face it, you didn't have much of a choice,” her tone was slightly amused. “You went home as instructed and somehow the necklace found its way back to you because the next day Harlow didn't have it anymore. I tried to do a locator spell on it, but it didn't work. Originally our fear was that the hunters had gotten to it under our noses, but then I found this,” she told me, pointing to a page that read:

  PROTECTION SPELLS

  “What does this have to do with me?” I asked, confused.

  Ivy pointed at me. “Wait for it,” she replied.

  Harlow came around the table to stand beside me, reading the page over my shoulder. “It says: Protection spells may be cast on either a person, place or an object. Unlike the others, an object with a protection spell cast upon it requires a host. Depending on the protection spell, the host, or keeper, is selected by the object, sometimes unintentionally, based on pureness of heart. Once the keeper has been chosen, the protection spell binds with that person, leaving an imprint on them that protects against harm or malice. Furthermore, if a charmed object is stolen or misplaced, it will never be truly lost. The object will always be drawn back to the imprint, always able to find its way back to its keeper.” Harlow stopped reading and his eyes landed on mine briefly before his gaze shifted to Ivy. “You think the necklace has a protection spell on it?”

  “It makes sense. We've read Cecily's journal. She didn't want anyone to undo the curse she placed on Francis without the original objects she used to cast the spell—the dagger and the necklace.”

  “The dagger is gone.” Nick sneered, disregarding her theory.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Ivy retorted dryly.

  “So you think the necklace just picked me?” I asked, surprised.

  “Not literally.”

  My eyes scrunched in thought. “So that’s what happened…” I trailed off to myself.

  “What happened?” Harlow repeated, confused.

  I mentally braced myself before answering. “I lost the necklace at winter formal. I took it off because Lacey wanted to see it and—”

  “You lost the necklace and you didn’t tell me?” Harlow started in on me.

  I stood to face him. “Oh no, you don’t get to throw those stones right now,” I fired back. And when Harlow backed down, I continued, “I looked everywhere for it. Two days after the dance, I found it in my purse. It was so confusing to me because I had checked my purse multiple times and it wasn’t in there and then all of a sudden, there it was.”

  “So how do we keep the necklace here?” Nick asked, taking his attitude down a notch.

  Harlow peered down at me. “You wouldn't be offended, would you?”

  “It's not mine to keep,” I replied, feeling the weight of my words as I spoke them.

  Ivy began flipping through the pages of her grimoire. “There is something I can try, but I can't promise it'll work. At least if it doesn't we'll know where to find the necklace thi
s time.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Do you guys have a small box, like a jewelry box or something?”

  “Yeah, Ivy, we're two guys that just happen to have a bunch of jewelry boxes lying around at our disposal. Can't you just say a few words and make one appear?”

  Ivy scowled at him and a second later, Nick bent forward with a groan holding his stomach as if he had been punched in the gut. “I'm not a magician,” she reminded him pointedly.

  “I might have something at home,” I offered. “I can go get it and bring it back real quick, or I can just come back with it tomorrow if that's easier.”

  “If you could go get it now...” Ivy said.

  “Come on,” Harlow spoke up. “I'll drive.”

  “No, that’s okay,” I declined. “It'll just take a minute. I'll be right back.”

  As I got into the driver's seat, I thought I had escaped the chaos, but the passenger door opened and Harlow slipped inside. “I'm coming with you,” he insisted.

  “This is ridiculous,” I almost laughed. “There's no point. I promise I'll come back if that's what you're worried about.”

  “I believe you, Rayna,” he said. “I'm not going with you because I don't trust you. I'm going with you because I want to.” As much as he clearly wanted to be alone with me, I felt the exact opposite. It felt strange and sort of unfamiliar to be around him now. I wasn't in a place yet where I could move on and just be his friend again. So I turned the radio on to avoid any awkward silences.

  When we pulled up to my house, I made a quick exit. I wasn't expecting Harlow to follow me inside, but he did. Luckily Dalyn was at the mall with friends and my parents were at a silent auction our neighbors were hosting, so there would be no uncomfortable run-ins with my family.