Perigee Moon (12 page)

“Well you two have fun,” she said and turned for the door. She paused and looked at Alex. “Just not too much fun. You catch my drift Alex?”

He laughed nervously. “Yes ma’am.”

I darted downstairs and gathered Alex’s clothes, my heart still pounding wildly in my chest from our almost kiss. He dressed quickly and emerged from the bathroom looking nervous.

“Is there something wrong?” I said. I felt like I was asking him that question a lot lately. Why couldn’t I
feel
him? God this was frustrating! I had felt Grams, despite my own aggravation for her untimely interruption, I’d felt her surprise and amusement to find me almost kissing a boy in my room. So why not him?

He shook his head and closed the gap between us. “I just don’t know when I can come back is all.”

My chest tightened and a lump began to form in my throat.

“But you will come back, right?”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me close, pressing his lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes and inhaled his clean scent. He smelled like the ocean and my shampoo.

“Yes,” he finally answered after a few moments of torturous silence.

“When?” I wrapped my arms around his waist wanting to lock him in to place and never set him free.

“As soon as possible,” he said and pulled away, breaking my grip on him with ease. He turned and smiled, then escaped out the door before I could say another word.

I find myself tearing through Mother’s spell books and journals searching for an explanation. She has mother’s book. And she can read it. Goddess what does this mean? Mother had spelled her book so only a powerful blood witch could read those entries. Could the spell have worn off with time? It seems unlikely. But I must find out. And on top of it all there is a spy among us! I could feel them probing my mind’s eye today, invading my most private thoughts. Has Aunt Marion sent her minions to learn my whereabouts? I don’t know. All I know is that the entire world seems out of balance. Mother how I wish you were here to guide me

~ Alexander 1692

***

I sat quietly, doodling hearts across the condensation that coated my window, wondering exactly where Alex was at that moment. It had been three days and his absence was making me anxious. I practically lived at my window at night praying for a glimpse of him through the trees. But he never came. And the bitter chill that his presence had somehow managed to keep away was slowly creeping back in with each passing minute. The only time I’d left the house was for work and Grams had given me tonight off with the condition that I get a life and stop hanging out by my window all day. I agreed and gave Paige a call. To be honest I was thankful for her forcing me into it. I needed a night out.

“What’s up?” Paige's voice interrupted my thoughts as she skipped into my room and plopped down on my bed. Her shimmery red curls were pulled up into a high ponytail and she was munching on a chocolate chip cookie. Grams must have gotten to her.

“You scared me,” I said and spun around in my chair to face her. Upon further inspection I could see that she had high expectations for our girl’s night out. She was wearing a pair of dark denim skinny jeans and a shiny pink strapless top. She looked dressed to go to a club. I hated to disappoint her but that wasn’t really my scene.

“Why? Didn’t you see me pull up?” She pointed with a long slender finger to the window where my focus had been a few moments earlier.

I shook my head. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

“You know I was over at Tyler’s house with my mom this morning,” she mused as she nibbled on the cookie.

“Why?” I automatically wished I could take it back. I didn’t want her to mistake my curiosity for interest in Tyler. It was none of my business why she was there, but it was pretty obvious that she wanted me to know.

“My mom and his mom scrap book together and we had to stop by on the way to get our nails done.” A twinge of pain seared through my chest at hearing her talk about her mother.

“So how did he seem?” I asked. I was still hoping that we could be friends when we saw each other again in the fall but even I knew that I was fooling myself.

“He was practically crying in his cheerios,” she said and I flinched. “You really did a number on him Rowan.”

“We only had one date Paige. Don’t overreact,” I said.

“Yeah but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s really in to you. Just because it’s one date doesn’t make it hurt any less when the other person doesn’t feel the same way,” she said and I knew it was true. I barely knew Alex but the thought of never seeing him again was gut-wrenching.

I sat silently for a moment, soaking in the regret I felt for ever agreeing to go out with Tyler in the first place.

“So what are we doing tonight?” she asked through a mouth full of food as she finished off the last of her cookie.

I didn’t have to think very hard about that one. Despite my promises to Alex and Grams I wanted to know more about the book. Besides, I hadn’t broken any promises really. I hadn’t read anymore. But Alex didn’t say anything about taking it to someone else.

“Hey Paige. Do you know anyone who knows about witchcraft and stuff?”

She groaned. “Oh God! Don’t tell me you’re one of them,” she pleaded and rolled over to face me, propping her porcelain-like face up in her hands. Her coral pink nails nearly glowed against her skin.

“One of who?” I asked, slightly offended but more curious than anything.

“You know. One of those people who have watched The Blair Witch Project one too many times and then come here looking for some freaky mystical explanation to it all.”

I laughed.

“Salem gets a lot more of them than we do. But we still get a few. Especially the ones who really research their stuff and make the connection,” she said sarcastically.

“What connection?”

“They may have been called the Salem Witch Trials but some of the witches were from Ipswich. And Andover too if I remember correctly.”

“Oh. I never knew that,” I said, surprised. “How do you know all this?”

“Well I don’t know what you people from Colorado call it, but around here we call it American History and it’s mandatory for all juniors.”

I laughed again. “I know. I just don’t remember my history teacher going into that much detail about it.” My American History teacher from back home was content most of the time to put on a video and take a nap while the rest of the class passed notes.

“Well, when you live in a town like this you get a double dose when it comes to local history,” she said dryly.

She looked up and squinted at me. “So why the sudden interest? In your defense you don’t seem like the type.”

“I’m not. I just found this book. It’s really old. Grams says it probably belonged to a witch or something,” I said as I pulled it out of the drawer. “I just wanted somebody to take a look at it who might know something. It’s pretty cool. Like a really old journal. More than anything I guess I just want to know more about the girl who it belonged to, since she used to live in this house.”

I slid it over to her, but when she opened it she looked confused. “How do you expect anyone to be able to read this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it’s just a bunch of weird symbols Rowan. There aren’t any words in this thing.”

I grabbed the book and flipped through the pages. The entries jumped out to me instantly. There were no symbols. Just hand scripted words. Sure some were faded, but for the most part it was all readable.

“Have you been drinking or something?” I said.

“No. Have you?” She sounded annoyed. “You’re telling me you can read that?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t know if she was messing with me but Paige was starting to get on my nerves.

She eyed me suspiciously for a moment, like I was crazy before replying, “Never pegged you as a big history buff Rowan, but what do I know? If it doesn’t pertain to boys or shopping I really don’t pay much attention. I’m not ashamed of that. I embrace my petty girlishness.” She hopped off the bed and added, “You should too.”

“So?” I said. “Do you know anyone or not?”

Paige groaned and rolled her eyes. “Fine!” She stopped at the door and closed her eyes. “This is so humiliating.”

“What?”

“My cousin Noel owns a little occult bookstore in Salem. She’s kind of a freak-show but I’ll bet she could help you.” She cringed as soon as the words slipped past her lips. It was obvious that Paige didn’t like being associated with someone like Noel, let alone admitting she was family. But I wasn’t willing to let that stop me.

“Great! “ I said. “Let’s go then.”

“Me?” Paige backed up. “No way. I’m not going to her voodoo shop of crazy. I’ll give you directions, but that’s it.”

“Please, Paige.” I clasped my hands together. “I’ll let you make me go shopping after. I’ll even buy something pink.”

Paige rolled her eyes and groaned. “I swear if anyone see’s me there I’m telling them you kidnapped me and held me hostage,” she said and slung her purse across her shoulder.

A big smile stretched across my face and I grabbed the book and shoved it into my bag.

“So why do you say she’s a freak-show? What’s her deal?”

Paige stopped at the door and sighed before she turned to face me. “Because…she thinks she’s a witch.”

We stood hesitating outside the door of the bookshop. It was sweltering hot outside and I was eager to go in but Paige wasn’t quite ready. A hot-pink neon sign hung in the front window that read: “psychic readings”. The buzzing sound that emitted from it reminded me of the bug zapper that Dad would hang on the back porch during the hot summer months back home. Above that was an old sign with the bookstore’s name carved artfully into wood.
The Magic Circle.

Paige looked over and met my gaze. To say she looked annoyed would have been the understatement of the century.

“If you tell anyone that I came here I’ll kill you.”

I held back a giggle and placed my hand over my heart. “I swear.”

“Let’s get this over with.”

The door had a bell similar to the one at my grandparent’s store that rang loudly when we entered, causing Paige to flinch as if it had alerted the entire town that she was there. My eyes scanned the dusty old shop. We were the only people in sight. I couldn’t even locate an employee. Rows of antique bookshelves towered over us no matter where we stood and it smelled old and musty like a basement. A colorful beaded curtain covered a doorway that looked like it led to the back half of the store. As I inched closer I could make out the glow of a black light through the beads and I was nearly overpowered by the smell of incense. I scrunched up my nose at the unpleasant aroma.

“Hello?” I called, hesitant to cross the curtain without permission. The sound of a chair scooting across tile filtered through the beads so I took a step back to stand next to Paige. Finally a girl emerged that looked like she might be in her mid twenties. She looked nothing like Paige. She had a pale complexion and freckles dotted her cheeks. Her jet-black hair was cropped short in the back and jelled into spikes but her green eyes were nearly covered by long razor-slashed bangs. She was wearing a black dress that matched her hair and a dark red choker. She brushed back her bangs to get a better look at us. Her eye makeup was smoky and dramatic, only upstaged by her blood-red lipstick.

“Paige?” She sounded surprised.

Paige gave her a half-hearted smile and a small wave. “Hey Noel.”

“So what brings you here?” she said, folding her arms across her chest and eyeing the two of us like we were a couple of kids up to no good.

“My friend Rowan found this book and I told her you might know something about it,” she said, pointing to the book I was holding tightly to my chest. I could feel its energy vibrating through my lungs.

Noel held her hand out for the book and I handed it over reluctantly. She laid it on the counter after inspecting its condition and gingerly flipped through the pages. After a moment she turned to look at me. Her eyes were piercing and dark, almost accusing.

“Where did you get this?” Her voice was cold and severe as if I’d broken some rule.

“I…I found it at my grandparent’s house,” I said, taking a step back. The way her eyes flashed frightened me and I could tell that Paige felt the same when she stumbled back against the door jostling the bell.