Moon Rise

by Marilee Brothers

  "Oh, right.” Faye's voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Excuse the hell out of me."

  My face was hot with embarrassment. “I'll get the shovel."

  Faye pointed out the spot and Beck dug, taking care not to hit the jar with the shovel. I fished the moonstone out of the jar and slipped it over my head.

  "We have to go to Kizzy's to do this,” I told my mother.

  "Hold it,” Faye ordered. “Exactly what does this healing involve?"

  Beck said, “First of all, I have to figure out how Allie was using the moonstone to read minds. Granted, she has special powers, but there has to be a scientific principle involved. I'll need to know where she was standing in relationship to the other people and..."

  Beck droned on and on, using words like alpha particles, unpolarized light and photons. By the time he got to Kepler's second law, Faye's eyes glazed over and I was thinking, "Please, God, make him stop."

  He paused to draw a breath. Faye flapped her hands in dismissal. “Okay, okay. Sounds harmless enough. Tell Kizzy ‘Hi.’”

  When we backed down the driveway, she returned to her raking. Thinking about what was in store for me, the idea of raking leaves seemed like a better way to spend the afternoon. Maybe I should stay home and help Faye, or maybe I should develop a killer headache and take to my bed. But, I couldn't bring myself to rain on Beck's parade.

  Kizzy ordered pizza, delighted to have company for the evening. I could tell she was curious about Beck's personal history, but she refrained from asking too many embarrassing questions. He managed to daze her without making physical contact. His smile did the trick. Of course, Kizzy was still recovering from a head injury.

  After we ate, Kizzy went into the living room to watch the news, leaving Beck and me alone in the kitchen. He pulled a physics book, paper and pencil from his backpack and put them on the table. I braced myself for more scientific gibberish, but he surprised me.

  "Turn your chair to face me."

  He pulled his chair close to mine. When our knees touched, he reached over and took my hands. His touch affected me like it always did. A river of sensation flowed through my veins, leaving its heated imprint on every cell in my body. It made me feel weird, out of control. I tried to pull my hands away. His grip tightened.

  "Allie, your resistance is slamming me. I can't work with that."

  I pulled my hands away. “You're trying to daze me."

  "Call it what you want. You have to let me into your mind if you want this to work."

  "What about the scientific principle? Or was that just a bunch of bull you told Faye to get her to trust you?"

  "No, but first I have questions, and I need to touch you when you answer."

  I was still suspicious. “Why?"

  He glanced out the window into the growing darkness. A muscle jumped in his clenched jaw. When he spoke, he avoided my eyes. “Okay, you're going to make me say it. Since I'm not fully human, I can sense things beyond the spoken word. It's possible I might be able to pick up something you've forgotten."

  Finally, he looked at me and held out his hands. “It's nightfall. My senses are keen. I need to touch you, Allie."

  It wasn't his words that grabbed my heart. It was the sadness in his voice.

  I nodded and placed my hands in his. He gripped them lightly.

  "Tell me about the first time you tapped into someone's mind, Allie."

  "I was in the back seat of Matt's Jeep. Matt is Faye's stepbrother's son, and I had a huge crush on him last year."

  Beck's fingers tightened around mine. He frowned. “Why were you in the back seat?"

  I grinned at him, enjoying his discomfort. “Oh, yeah, that sounded bad. I was walking home from the store when Matt and his girlfriend, Summer, drove by. Matt stopped to give me a ride."

  "So Matt and Summer were in the front and you were in the back?"

  When I nodded, he released my hands and made a sketch on the notebook paper.

  "Then what happened?” He took hold of my hands again.

  "Summer was being a bitch. She kept making snotty comments, tossing her hair around and playing with her necklace. I decided to show her a real piece of jewelry. The moonstone."

  Beck smiled and shook his head sadly. “Women."

  "I know. Kinda silly, huh? Anyway, when I pulled it out of my shirt, I accidentally turned it one click clockwise."

  He let go of my hands. “Show me."

  I turned the moonstone in its setting, expecting to feel nothing. My right hand covered the moonstone, my left reached out for Beck's. I gasped as a strong current of power flowed between us. The moonstone was eerily warm, like it had responded to my hand touching his. All at once, the room exploded into a riot of color and sensation. Fragrance drifted from a bowl of oranges, flooding my senses with their heady aroma. Silver light danced on the surface of the knife Kizzy had used to cut the pizza. A red dishtowel hanging from a hook on a white wall throbbed with pulsating energy.

  I looked into Beck's eyes and was drawn into their amber depths. This time, I didn't resist. A feeling of peace stole through my body. Maybe it was the moonstone. Maybe it was because I felt my strength matched his. I don't have a logical explanation or the words to describe my state of mind other than to say it just felt right.

  My mind reached out and joined with his, open and trusting, connecting in a way we'd never done before. A brilliant blue aura danced above his head, a vaporous crown held by invisible hands. I leaned closer until I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. We were bathed in blue light as Beck's aura swirled around both of us.

  When, finally, I pulled away, I turned the moonstone back one click and released his hand, breaking the spell.

  He looked puzzled. “What just happened?"

  I smiled at him, trying to think how to begin. “You felt it, didn't you? The moonstone's power."

  He nodded. His gaze was intense. “Your mind was reaching out to mine. Could you read my thoughts?"

  This was the first time our relationship had been on an equal footing. I liked it.

  "No,” I said. “But I felt our connection. The colors were so bright I could almost taste them. Exactly the same thing happened in Matt's Jeep that day. The sky turned an unreal shade of blue. I could smell apples even though the trees were still in blossom."

  Beck thought for a while, then took my hands and asked me a bunch of questions ... where exactly was I sitting in the Jeep? Whose mind did I read first? Did I hear their thoughts out loud, or did I read them like a book? Finally, he dropped my hands, drew some more sketches and thumbed through the physics book.

  He tucked the pencil behind his ear. “What about the second incident?"

  We were off and running again. This time, the scene was Kizzy's hospital room. I'd walked in on Chris Revelle, who'd been about to smother Kizzy. Not only had I read bits and snatches of Revelle's thoughts, I'd seen a smudged aura hovering over him like a nasty thunder cloud.

  More questions. Where was I standing in relationship to Revelle and Kizzy? Did I move closer or further away when I read Revelle's mind? More notes. More sketches. When I looked at the clock, I was surprised to see two hours had passed. Inky darkness pressed against the window panes, the stars and moon hidden by a thick blanket of clouds.

  Some people get depressed when they can't see the sun. As long as I can remember, I've felt connected to the moon. When it's hidden, my world tilts slightly off-center. I get restless and out of sorts. Such was my feeling as I gazed out into a night so dark it made me think of my grandfather's eyes.

  Beck looked up from his notes. “Something wrong?"

  I forced a smile. “Nope."

  The corner of his mouth quirked up in a brief smile. He didn't believe me. In the fullness of night, hunky Beck was back. He was dressed in a plain white tee shirt with a surfing logo. Earlier today, he'd looked like a typical, though extremely hot, teenage guy. But, now ... whew! His eyes smoldered with intensity as he studied my face. His shirt clung to
him like a second skin, skimming over the sculpted muscles of his chest and arms. His physical attraction was like a magnetic force field pulling me in.

  To keep from giving into it, I gave myself a vicious pinch on the thigh and tried to figure out what Beck had that other guys didn't, other than the demon thing, of course.

  My answer? Pheromones. Lots and lots of pheromones. He probably had way more of the stuff than the average guy. This reminded me of a film I'd seen in biology class, starring a studly male moth who used pheromones to attract every female moth within a six mile radius. Yeah, that Beck was a dangerous boy when the sun went down. Then again, he was part incubus, and daddy incubus had seduced a nun-in-training! Note to self: watch it, Allie!

  The interest in Beck's eyes was unmistakable. “What are you thinking?"

  Whoa! Maybe I wasn't the only one who could read minds.

  "Nothing much,” I lied. “Do you have a theory yet?"

  His heated gaze cooled down, and Brainiac Beck reappeared. He shuffled papers until he found the one he wanted. “I have a working theory, but it will have to be tested."

  "Tested how?"

  "Do you know what a vortex is?” Beck asked.

  "It's a swirly thing, like a tornado."

  He gave me an indulgent smile, the kind parents give their kids when they say something cute but utterly stupid. “Yes, in its simplest terms."

  "So, what now?"

  He stared at me for a long moment then dug a cell phone out of his pocket. “Now, I call Nightwalker."

  It took me a few seconds to remember who Nightwalker was. “Oh, yeah, the Indian guy who taught you how to heal."

  I wondered out into the living room and found Kizzy snoozing in front of the TV. I'd just curled up on the couch next to her when Beck burst into the room. His smile was huge, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

  "I figured it out,” he said. “But it has to be tested. We need three people."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Eighteen

  "Allie.” Beck pointed to a spot on the kitchen floor. “You stand there."

  I trotted to my appointed spot.

  "Ms. Lovell?"

  "Call me Kizzy, dear."

  "Kizzy, would you please stand over here?"

  Kizzy, still looking a bit groggy, walked to the place Beck indicated.

  "And now,” he positioned himself equidistance from Kizzy and me, “We have an equilateral triangle. Turn the moonstone one click, Allie."

  I took a deep breath and did what he asked. Even though my senses sharpened, I was unable to pick up anyone's thoughts. Beck gazed at me expectantly. I shrugged.

  "Nothing."

  Instead of looking disappointed, Beck looked relieved. “Good. Turn it back to its original setting and, Kizzy, you move a couple of feet toward me so we're still forming a triangle but with unequal sides."

  When he was satisfied with our arrangement, he turned to me. “Try it again."

  With one click of the moonstone, I was inside a rainbow, a place of such unearthly beauty, I reached out a hand to watch the play of colors against my skin. I heard someone say, “Ooohhh.” It sounded like my voice, but I wasn't aware I'd spoken aloud.

  "Allie.” Beck's deep voice invaded my mystical rainbow world. “Look at me."

  With my right hand still touching the moonstone, I looked at Beck who was, once again, crowned with a brilliant blue aura. His lips didn't move, but I clearly heard the thoughts in his head.

  In answer to the question I read in his mind, I smiled and said, “Yes."

  He grinned and signaled thumbs up.

  "Now, look at Kizzy,” he said. “Move if you have to."

  I didn't have to move. Kizzy's thoughts appeared as beautiful turquoise bubbles the exact color of her eyes. It was like looking into a simmering pot of turquoise fudge. A swelling bubble would rise to the smooth surface of her mind and burst, only to have another take its place. Every thought was the same. “I'm sorry the moonstone has caused you grief,” she said. “Oh, Allie, I'm so sorry."

  When I saw a tear slide down her face, I couldn't stand it. I clicked the moonstone back, closed the distance between us and hugged her, shocked at how fragile her body felt. My tears mingled with hers.

  "Don't be sorry,” I whispered. “I can handle it."

  I smoothed the hair away from her face, patted her cheek and spoke loudly enough for Beck to hear. “If you hadn't given me the moonstone, Demon Boy here wouldn't have looked at me twice."

  "Not true,” Beck said, the air around him vibrating with excitement. I was pretty sure his happiness had nothing to do with our personal relationship and everything to do with proving his theory was right.

  "Let's try it again,” Beck said. “You feel okay?"

  When I first got the moonstone, using it made me dizzy and disoriented. But now, I had none of the negative effects. If anything, my world seemed to be in sharper focus.

  "I'm fine,” I said. “This time, don't try to send anything. Just let your minds wander."

  We tried it again. When I peeked inside Beck's mind, it was like watching an armed conflict. The Body versus the Brain. He thought I was really hot. In fact, he could hardly keep his hands off me. But, his brainy part kept telling him, “Cool it! Deal with the facts, not the emotion."

  There was definitely a downside to telepathy. I wondered if this was status quo for Beck, if he had to fight the duality of his nature on a daily basis. It would make me crazy.

  I turned to Kizzy. She was wondering if Beck and I were an item and what would happen when Junior came back. Good question.

  Both looked at me expectantly. No way was I going to blab about what I'd picked from their brains. All I said was, “Clear as a bell. Let's take a break."

  Kizzy led us into the living room. She settled into her recliner. I sat next to Beck on the couch.

  "So, how did you figure it out?” I asked.

  Beck leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “My original theory was based on the moonstone creating a magnetic field that resulted in a vortex. Once the vortex occurred, you were able to access the thoughts of another person."

  "So, is that what just happened?"

  "No,” Beck said. “I knew there had to be more to it than that. That's why I called Jed Nightwalker. I described the physical set-up, the fact that three people had been present when it happened before. He said we needed to apply the rule of three."

  Kizzy smiled and nodded.

  I said, “Okay, I'll bite. What's the rule of three?"

  Beck stabbed a hand through his hair and continued. “If three people form an equilateral triangle, the space between them is static. But, if you change to a triangle where all the angles are different, a dynamic interaction occurs."

  "That's what happened when you told me to move closer to you,” Kizzy said.

  "Exactly,” Beck said. “When we changed the angles, a vortex was created. In other words, the conditions allowed Allie to become a telepath."

  "Nightwalker must have been a whiz in geometry,” I muttered.

  Kizzy snapped her recliner into an upright position. “Did he mention anything else about the rule of three?"

  "Yes, he did. I wondered if you knew about that,” Beck said.

  Kizzy nodded. “Of course I do. In the world of magic, the rule of three means the actions you take affect you physically, emotionally and spiritually. It's a reminder that forces greater than ourselves exist. If we misuse power, the deeds will come back to us threefold."

  "Yes,” Beck said. “That's exactly what Nightwalker said."

  Since I was the one with the moonstone, therefore the power, I couldn't help but apply the rule of three to my own past actions. Kizzy's words grabbed me by the throat and squeezed. When I spoke, my voice was choked with emotion. “That's what happened to me when I killed Baxter with the apple bins."

  Kizzy and Beck stared at me, wide-eyed, as I enumerated my points. “Number one, the physical aspect: I was badly
injured. Number two, the emotional aspect: I had killer nightmares. Number three, the spiritual aspect: I lost my powers. Does the rule of three mean I should watch out for falling apple bins?"

  I meant the last statement as a joke, but it came out all wrong. To my utter embarrassment, hot, stinging tears welled up in my eyes. Kizzy popped out of her chair, sat next to me and took my hand.

  "You saved your mother's life,” she said, stroking my hand. “The man who died would have killed you both, and the moonstone would be in the hands of the Trimarks. Do you think they'd use the moonstone for the greater good?"

  When I didn't answer, she said, “You did what you had to do. Don't waste one more second of your precious life worrying about Baxter.” She gave me a little shake. “Are we clear on that?"

  As I gazed into Kizzy's sparkling eyes, the puzzle pieces of my jumbled life clicked together to form a complete, perfect picture. Why, at that particular moment? I don't know. It's not like Kizzy hadn't said the exact same thing dozens of times. Maybe it was because Beck had blocked my nightmares. Or, had the moonstone made me more receptive? Whatever the reason, the time had come to let go of the guilt.

  I squeezed Kizzy's hand. “Yes, ma'am, I'm clear on that. Thank you."

  Beck looked at me, relief in his eyes. “I think Kizzy's a healer too."

  I heaved a huge sigh. “Maybe it's better not to know what people are thinking."

  Kizzy patted my hand. “You may be right."

  Apparently, unseemly emotional displays by females did not hinder Beck's appetite, because he polished off the rest of the pizza before he drove me home. He turned off the truck when we pulled into the driveway. The weather had taken a turn for the worse. Driven by an icy wind, sleet soon covered the windshield.

  "You want to come in?"

  "It's late. I should get home."

  He made no move to start the truck. He slipped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

  "You did it,” he said, nuzzling my ear. “You actually read my mind."

  I responded by answering the question I'd read in his mind. “Yes, I'd love to go to the dance with you."

  He gave a little growl of pleasure and nipped at my earlobe. I pulled away and flashed the moonstone at him. “Back off, demon boy. You've met your match."