Secrets Beyond the Moon: Strangers from the sky

by NB Blackbell

  Isabel had been sitting long enough, so she got up to stretch her legs. Grabbing her purse and her novel, she started to walk over towards the river. While walking, a young man bumped into her, knocking her book out of her hand. As both of them leaned over to pick it up, she noticed a tattoo on his neck. Isabel remembered seeing it before, but from where? Smiling, she took her book from him. "Thank you," she answered in a soft tone. As she walked away, she started to feel a little dizzy and reached for a nearby tree. Leaning against it, her mind flashed to a situation she didn't recognize. All she could perceive was a man with that exact tattoo. The guy in the vision appeared different from the one she had bumped into. This one wore a mysterious dark robe, and there was something strange about him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The vision vanished as fast as it came.

  Catching her breath, she peered around. Pulling out her phone, she called Jasper. It didn't take her long to answer.

  "Hey? Jasper, it's Isabel. How are things there?"

  Jasper murmured into the phone, "I've had enough. I'm ready to go home. Can you and Jake come to get me? If not, I'm taking the bus!"

  Isabel looked around as she whispered back. "I had enough too. I'll get a hold of Jake, and we will come to get you. Wait outside by the market entrance."

  After hanging up the phone, Isabel texted Jake:

  "Hey! We've had enough. Can you get us and take us home? Jasper is by the mall entrance, and I'll meet you where you dropped me off."

  Jake responded, "All right."

  He wondered if the girls had had a morning like he did, as some relatively unusual stuff had developed. He knew something was going on in the city, but what exactly, he was not sure. As he headed off to get the girls, he thought to himself. I can't wait to get back to the house. I need to tell them what I saw, but even he had trouble believing it. Driving away, his hands trembled. He shook his head in dismay.

  After returning to the house, all three of them plopped down on the living room furniture. They all sat there in silence, as they did while driving home. None of them understood what they witnessed or what it meant. Jake sat next to Isabel, holding her hand while he recalled what he saw. Her skin was soft, and the touch of her hand was comforting. He wanted to tell the girls about his day, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. His world suddenly felt as if it was on a rollercoaster. He remained profoundly still for the moment, as he continued to process what he had seen. Isabel reached over and clutched the remote, then switched the television on. "We'll talk about all of this later. I'm making chicken tonight with a salad to go with it. Do you want to stay, Jake?" Jake lifted his head, "Yes, I'd love to. Sounds yummy!" He smiled as he ran his fingers along the side of her hand. The three of them laid back and stared at the television for a bit, with few words spoken. Isabel got up and went to the kitchen when the commercials began to play. A News broadcast flashed across the screen.

  Just coming to me from live downtown, the reporter emphatically stated, two more bodies have been found in front of the police station. The police are requesting witnesses to come forward. If anyone has seen anything, please speak up; they are offering a large reward for any information.

  The commercials proceeded, and both Jake and Jasper stared at each other. Jake shook his head. "What is this world coming too! It used to be safe, but now it's no more offbeat than a game of roulette. Who's next?" Jasper didn't want to agree, but she knew he was right. "I don't know, Jake. All I know is I want to wake up and find out it was merely a nightmare." Jake nodded in agreement. Moments later, Isabel drifted back to the living room. The three of them sat watching the television for the rest of the afternoon.

  When dinnertime came, the residence smells like a dream. Isabel had been cooking since she was a little girl, it was something she found relaxing. Jasper would always say that Isabel could cook a feast with her eyes shut. This would still make Isabel laugh. As she set the table, Isabel announced to the others, "Dinner is ready, Guys. I hope you're hungry." Both Jasper and Jake jumped up and rushed to the table. They had to suffer from the aroma of her cooking all afternoon. The three of them sat eating. It was apparent they had a lot on their minds. Jake glanced at both girls and said, "This has been quite a day. I'm not sure about you, but I've been avoiding this conversation. I couldn't wait to tell you when I was out, but the more I thought about it, the crazier it sounded. But we certainly need to talk about it." Jake reached under the table and took Isabel's hand. "This is delicious." Isabel smiled, "Thanks. You know," she continued, "I've been doing a lot of thinking since earlier, and none of this makes sense to me. Down at the square, I sat and sipped on coffee for a bit, enjoying the magnificent sunshine. I was so relaxed, and nothing appeared out of sorts. After an hour or two of just sitting around, I got up and went for a walk. I crashed into a man. Well, he bumped into me, but that's not the important thing. He had a tattoo on his neck. It looked like some kind of ancient symbol. A few minutes later, I got very dizzy, and some sort of vision occurred. It was strange; I can't explain it. But the guy I saw during this had a tattoo very similar to the guy I banged into. He was wearing a dark, mysterious robe. He differed from the guy I bumped into, not sure how, but the vision left as rapidly as it came. It honestly bothered me, though, left negative feelings with me all day. As for seeing someone's appearance change, that didn't happen. I've had visions like that before, but none so unsettling." Just as he was finishing his last bite, Jake set his fork and knife down. "That sounds peculiar and very unsettling, but I think I have one up on you. I was sitting and having a coffee as usual, and yes, I saw one person's appearance change, but that's not what was boggling to me. Seconds later, after I saw them, I turned around, and a fellow in a suit was walking by. He looked identical to me! I mean, he literally looked like me! For a minute or two, it almost seemed like the world around me ceased, like they froze it. I glanced around, thinking perhaps someone was playing a cruel joke. When I looked back, the man had turned into a woman. Talk about unsettling!" Jasper's mouth was hanging open by now as she spoke and shared what she saw during the day, "I saw two of them at the mall, not as extreme as that, but I took a deep breath then went up to them and spoke. I looked the woman right in the eyes, and for a second, they flickered then switched to silver. They looked almost lizard-like." The three of them all stared at each other, none of them felt at ease. Isabel got up and started clearing the table. Jasper got up and help.

  Reaching back and rubbing his sore neck, Jake looked over at the girls. "This isn't normal. Something doesn't feel right about the whole situation. For the first time in my entire life, I don't feel in control because I don't know how to deal with this situation." Isabel knew Jake his whole life, for him to feel this way, it had to be grave. "I'll make coffee, Jake. Go sit and relax in the living room. We can discuss it more then." Leaning in, she whispered to Jasper, Isabel added, "Go sit with him. He's trying to figure out this whole situation, and it just will not happen… not yet." Jasper nodded and headed to the living room to sit with Jake. Isabel finished tidying the kitchen and put on the coffee. She reminisced about the events of the day. There were so many impossible things happening, forcing them to open their eyes. How could they turn away knowing it could be connected to all the stress occurring in the city? She prepared the coffee and headed to the living room.

  Laying the coffee on the table, she sat down next to Jake and sighed, "Guys, you both need to take a deep breath; all of us do. We all agree that something weird is happening to us. Jake, this must be hardest on you. As a psychiatrist, they taught you, things are a certain way. Well, now you have to look beyond that and go with your gut." Scowling, Jake sat up and responded, "I know you're right, but there is nothing natural about this. Who are these people, and why do they change? I've heard stories about shapeshifters, but until now, that's all they have been is stories. We don't even know if they are threatening or not. Is there a connection with what's happening in this city, or if this is a coincidence? Jasper, when you hear the voices, i
s the man in the suit nearby? Have you seen him at all during that time?" Jasper thought about it. "Perhaps, I never really gave it a thought before, but it's something I'll pay attention to in the future. I get the term shapeshifter, being able to shift appearances, but by changing their looks, does that make them dangerous?" Jake shook his head, "No, but we only know the rumours about shapeshifters because that's all the stories told us. What if there is more this? Could they be behind all these slaughters and disappearances in the city? Oh my God, what if!"

  "Enough of the what-ifs!" yelled Isabel. "Get a hold of yourself. You need to let go of the doctor part of you, for now, and just be you." She reached over and took his hand, clasping it tightly. "Today, you believe in anything and everything. Okay?" Jake agreed, "How did you get so wise?" Isabel laughed. Jasper laid her head back on the couch and bit her lip. "So, what do we do now? It's not like we can pretend we saw nothing and just go on living a normal life. Besides, how long will it be before we show up dead or missing, just like every other victim in this city!" Isabel stared at Jasper. She felt a little worried. After all, this was a girl who loved her city as much as she loved life. Walking over to her, Isabel leaned over and hugged Jasper, "We'll be just fine. We're in this together, and we'll deal with this together." Looking back at Jake, Isabel said assertively, "I don't want you being alone tonight. You can stay in the guest room. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." Jake nodded. The three of them sat in silence for the longest time, then one by one headed to bed.

  Morning came, the day was dark as the thunder roared through the sky. Jasper opened her eyes and listened to the rumbling for a moment before reaching over and petting Buddy. "Hey, Boy, think perhaps we should stay in bed today? Maybe we might just stay here for the rest of our lives?" Buddy jumped up and started licking her face. Leaning forward, he rubbed his face against hers. "I love you too, Boy." Jasper got up, put on her clothes, and thrust her hair up in an elastic. It was cool in the house this morning, so grabbing a sweater, she headed to the hall to turn up the heat. Jasper could smell the coffee before she even got to the kitchen. Isabel must be up, she thought. Both she and Jake were sitting at the table. Isabel was reading the paper and drinking coffee while Jake was on the phone, cancelling his appointments for the week. This will be a long day, thought Jasper.

  Grabbing a coffee, Jasper walked over to the window. The skies were rough looking. The atmosphere resembled how she felt. She had hoped that when she woke up, the answers would be waiting for her, but she still felt hopeless and empty with no answers. She took out her phone and googled shapeshifter. Not a lot came up, except the ability to shift appearance. How does this help? She thought. I mean we already know they can do that. What am I missing? Her thoughts continued. What if they're connected to the deaths, and they commit these murders as different people each time?

  We would never catch them then. Jasper's eyes widened as she drank the rest of her coffee. Heading over to Isabel, she asked, "Anything in the paper today?" Isabel glanced up, "Nothing you want to know about." Taking a deep breath and exhaling aloud, she sat back. "Things have gotten worse out there. Three planes crashed last night. The security checks are not working, so they've put a ban on flying. It is not just occurring here; this is happening everywhere. The mayor is holding a meeting today, and from what I hear, he's thinking about settling a curfew in order. So many individuals are going missing or dying every night. This isn't natural. All these deaths! This is more serious than what a serial killer would even do. I'm almost to the point of giving up reading the newspaper. Every day is more severe than the day before. I don't know how yet, but I think this is all connected." Jasper leaned down next to Isabel's chair, "I think you're right. We need to figure out what's taking place and what we need to do. I have some money saved. I will take some time off from work. It's challenging to concentrate on things the way they are." Isabel nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. My job seems to be on hold, anyway. The parents are keeping the children home, not that there is many left. It terrifies them to take their eyes off of them, and I don't blame them." Jake placed the phone down on the table and joined the conversation, "I took some time off from work myself. This situation is priority at the moment. So, you both think it connects this to all the homicides and missing folks?" Both girls nodded. "Well, then we need to figure out what to do next. Isabel giggled to herself, "Welcome back, Jake."

  A few hours had passed, and the day seemed sullen. Relaxing on the couch, Jasper pulled out her sketchbook. She found it relaxing when she sketched. Scanning through it, she noticed that there was an abundance of pictures she had in common with Isabel was adding up. Perhaps she and Isabel were connected through their dreams. Jasper wished she knew what she was drawing during these times; instead, she was just going with the flow. Leaning back against the sofa, Jasper started to draw. She remained on the couch for approximately an hour, sketching and taking her mind off all the stressful details of life.

  Meanwhile, Isabel and Jake headed out to the grocery store. Isabel thought with everything going on, it might be wise to stock up for a bit. After all, who knows what's going to happen? They had agreed that Jake would stay with them for a bit, not only so they were not alone, but they felt safer staying in a group. Neither minded being closer to each other and loved the idea. Loading up the carts, Jake glanced over to Isabel, "I have groceries at my house too. I'll drop by my house to grab them and some of my personal stuff once we leave here." After picking up a large bag of dog food, Isabel's eyes scanned the cat food section. "Yeah, that sounds good. I like the idea of you staying over, makes me feel safe, plus we get to see more of each other. Perhaps we can check online tonight and see if there have been any other sightings. So, make sure you take your laptop." Jake seized the bag of dog food from her hands and put it in the cart. "He reached over and brushed the hair off her face, "That sounds like a place to start."

  It took a few hours, but they eventually completed their responsibilities and headed back to the house.

  The groceries remained on the kitchen floor as Isabel stood in the kitchen, inserting everything in its place. She knew they would overcrowd it, but it was better to have too much than to be without when in need. There had to be others who had seen this stuff, she thought to herself. We can't be the only ones.

  In the living room, Jasper was resting on the couch, chatting on the phone. Faith had called, wondering why she had not seen the girls. Their smiling faces lit up the café, especially on grey cloudy days. "The cafe is empty today," said Faith. "I might just close it. Do you want any company?" Jasper loved it when she came to visit. She was pleasant and entertaining but then considered everything going on. It just wasn't a good day. "Perhaps not today," she replied. "I'll call you later this week, and then we'll get together." She hung up the phone and placed it on the table next to her and went to the kitchen.

  "Isabel, did you guys grab more coffee while you were out?" Spotting it on the counter, Isabel added, "Oops! Never mind. I see it." "Where's Jake?" Jasper asked inquisitively. Isabel turned and looked at Jasper. "He's putting his stuff away. I've asked him to stay with us for a bit. I figured it would be safer for all of us. Oh, and I came up with the idea of doing a search on the internet. Now we can see if there's anything out there is related to what we've seen. Perhaps someone else has some information."

  While peering out the window, Jasper noticed that a considerable amount of neighbours were away. Some have been found dead, but others were just missing. The neighbourhood felt empty without them. "Do you think it will ever get back to normal around here?" she questioned.

  Jake sauntered out into the living room, carrying his laptop. All he could think about was surfing the internet to see if anyone had more information about the shapeshifters. There has to be someone who has seen something. We can't be the only ones in the entire world, could we? He thought to himself. Jake opened his browser; he paused for a moment before typing in shape-shifting. What would someone think if they saw me googling this? He l
aughed as he pressed enter. A large selection of sites appeared in front of him. Some sites advertised mattresses that shift to fit your shape; others were weight loss sites. There were two, though, that sounded different from the rest. One was a forum with the topic shapeshifters, and the other was a book written by RH Henry called Shifters Among Us. He went to the forum first, thinking maybe he would find others who had seen stuff. The panel had tons of areas to look in, but one stuck out. It read, has anybody else seen them? Clicking on it, Jake examined the contents of the post:

  Everywhere I look, they're there. I think they are shapeshifters. Not that I'm sure of what that actually is, but whatever they are, they are everywhere.

  Jake called for the girls, "You won't believe what I found!" Both of them came running into the living room. Jasper leaned over to see what Jake was looking at. "What did you find?" she asked curiously. He turned his laptop so both girls could see what he was looking at. This person has seen them too. There are a few people on here that have. Clicking on reply, he typed in, we've seen them as well. Do you know anything about them? We are in Richmond, BC. Where are you? Pressing enter, he looked back at the girls.

  "Perhaps we can get an answer to what's happening. It might take a bit for an answer." Jake switched over to the site with the book. It was an e-book about shapeshifters, and what one man had seen. Jake filled out the information required and downloaded the manuscript. He figured he could sit and read this while waiting for an answer on the forum. He put his feet up on the table and leaned back then motioned for Isabel to come to sit with him. Both sat snuggled close, waiting eagerly to find out if this man knew more than they did, and if so, what. Isabel smiled while lying against his shoulder, daydreaming.

  Jake spent the rest of the afternoon reading while the girls went about the house doing their own thing. He wished that things were normal and that he was out to dinner or even to the movies with Isabel instead of discussing a possible threat to their lives. Nothing seemed fair about this, why wasn't this all over the news? Surely someone higher up had noticed this. Jake let out a deep sigh and continued reading.