Perigee Moon (29 page)

“What the hell are you doing here?” Noel’s tone was sharp as she rounded the counter to face me.

“I need to talk to you about what you saw,” I said, straightening my shoulders and hoping I didn’t look as terrified as I felt. She eyed me suspiciously for a moment, then her gaze shot over to Tyler.

“Where’s Paige?”

“She doesn’t know I’m here. I left her in a store around the corner.”

“And your friend over there?” she asked.

“Tyler. He won’t be a problem,” I said.

She was dressed in black leggings and a dark purple tunic today. Her makeup was light and natural. She didn’t look as threatening as last time, which put me at ease. She finally sighed and spun around towards the beaded curtain.

“Alright then. Come with me.” I hadn’t even realized before now, but Tyler was suddenly at my side. When he started to follow me she held her hand up.

“Just you.”

Tyler
looked down at me and frowned.

“It’s alright. I’ll be fine. You can go hang out with Paige if you want.” He just shook his head and took a step back.

“I’ll wait here,” he said.

I nodded and swept through the beaded curtain after Noel. I was surprised. The mysterious room behind the curtain wasn’t at all what I expected. As a matter of fact it wasn’t anything special at all. Just a round wooden table with two miss-matched chairs on either side. There was a black light against the wall and candles lining the room. No windows or pictures. Just the table, a small metal desk shoved into one corner, and a large bookcase against the wall. Noel grabbed a book from it then sat down at the table and motioned for me to take the other seat.

“So what do you want?” she asked as I eased down into the chair.

“So you have visions?”

“Yes.”

“And you know about Alex? You saw him?” I said.

“Not everything, but yes I know enough. He’s not the only witch around here you know. But then again, I’m guessing you’ve figured that out by now.” She paused as she lit a candle in the middle of the table. “You didn’t take my advice, did you? You’re still seeing him. Still playing with a book you know nothing about.”

My cheeks flushed from a mixture of embarrassment and anger. I wanted to snap back at her but I didn’t. I didn’t because she was right, so instead I found myself nodding.

“And now you want to stop it. You want your boyfriend and you want the rest to disappear.”

I nodded again.

“You do realize that you can’t have the witch without the magic? If you strip him of that, you may as well strip away his soul. He’s not like you. You could walk away from your power now and be fine, but not him. Not someone who’s known it all their life.”

“No. I just want him safe.”

“No. You want to keep him here. To play house and pretend he doesn’t belong somewhere else. You’re selfish.” I winced at how true her remarks were and my eyes stung with tears. She looked at me for a moment then leaned back in her chair and smiled.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re human. We’re all selfish creatures by nature. Your Alex. He’s selfish too. He could have left you alone, but he didn’t. The difference is he’s always known the consequences.”

“And what are the consequences? What did you see?” I asked, my throat thick. I wasn’t ready for this answer.

“You really should learn your history better Rowan.” She slid the book across the table to me.

The book was open and her finger was pointed to a list of names. I took a deep breath and began to read aloud.

“A list of the accused witches hung at Gallows Hill.” I let me eyes wander down until they froze on one name. “Alexander William Foster.” The words sucked the life from me, leaving me limp and broken. My eyes met hers.

“What does this mean?”

For the first time since I’d met Noel her eyes lost their sharp defensive glimmer and now they were glazed over with sadness. She pulled the book back and grabbed my hand.

“It means that Alex is from a very different place. A place where there is no free will. When they find out what he is, he’ll hang for it Rowan. And they will find out. It’s all here. His future is our history. You can’t change that.” She tapped on the book as she folded the cover closed. I caught a glimpse of the title.
The Salem Witch Trials.

“There has to be a way. What if he doesn’t go back?” I was desperate, grasping at any option but the one that lay right in front of me.

She shook her head. “You know that won’t happen.”

“How? How do we know that? He loves me. He’ll stay for me.”

“Because it’s here Rowan.” She patted the book again. I fought the urge to rip the book from her hands and tear it to shreds. I wiped the angry tears from my face with the back of my hand and shoved away from the table.

“Rowan there are more forces at work here than you can imagine. Do yourself a favor and let him go. You don’t have a chance against this. And if you’re not careful you’ll...”

I stopped, letting my fingers rest against the beaded curtain.

“I’ll what?”

She glared at the tabletop for a moment before her eyes met mine. She stood and placed the book gently in my hands, pressed it into my chest until I folded my arms around it. “Just be careful. Don’t get involved with things you don’t understand. It’s that simple.”

“I don’t care Noel. I don’t want a life without him.” I rushed through the curtain, fear and pain sweeping through my system. Fear because I knew it was true. There was no life without him. Not anymore.

I lay in my bed and watched the shadows that the ceiling fan created spin a silent ballet across my walls. Tyler’s words kept buzzing in my mind like a bothersome nat.
Sometimes what we love isn’t always the best thing for us.
He said it as he hovered over me on my front porch, as if he expected something from me. What did Tyler expect from me? I knew what he wanted. That much was clear. But shouldn’t he get it by now? I loved Alex. He was wasting his time. I didn’t know if I was angrier with him for his undying persistence or with myself for letting him get to me. Speaking of my boyfriend. Where was he? A spark of fear ignited in my belly as I stared at the alarm clock across the room. It was past eleven. He promised he’d be here when I got back. He swore he wouldn’t go back without talking to me first. Part of me wanted to tear through the forest and search him out, and part of me wanted to curl up into myself and fight the pain that was coming. If not now, then later. The green leather-bound book lay in front of me beckoning me to flip through its pages. To learn about the fate that awaited Alex, but other than running my fingers over the gold-flecked lettering on the cover I hadn’t touched it. I had seen his name. It was all the proof I needed. Why had Noel given me this Godforsaken book anyway? If I were smart I would toss it out the window and forget my entire experience with her today. A lot of help she was. Weren’t witches supposed to have power? If you asked me Noel seemed more like a glorified gothic librarian.

No. Rowan, get it together, I demanded of myself as I kneaded the crease in between my eyes. I shouldn’t blame Noel. She helped me as much as she could. I was just nervous. And Alex was driving me crazy. And not in that can’t keep my hands off him way, which was usually the case. Where was he? At midnight I gave up hope. He would come in the morning. I had to believe that. Too tired to rummage through the closet for pajamas I kicked off my Capri pants and crawled under the blankets. I nuzzled my face into my pillow and willed myself to sleep. But it wouldn’t come. I hovered there at the cusp of a dream but never fully committed, still somewhat aware of the shadows and sounds that surrounded me. I rolled over and my eyes opened against the darkness when a shuffling sound broke through the haze. A shadow. No, a person, moving silently through the darkness towards my bed. I half expected for the shape to take on the spectral form I’d seen before, for its silvery tendrils to reach out and choke the life from me. My chest clenched around my heart, but when a splinter of moonlight shimmered against Alex’s face, I relaxed. I closed my eyes, letting my clenched hands fall to my sides. The window. I had left the window open.  

Alex eased down onto the bed and ran his hand across my shoulder, the moonlight illuminating his lips that were tilted into a smile.

“Did I wake you, love?” he asked.

“No. I was having trouble sleeping anyway.” I sat up and pushed the mop of tousled hair out of my face. “Where were you?” 

“I was preparing a place to stay,” he said with a smile.

“To stay? Wha...what does that mean exactly?” I was stuttering and falling all over myself but I couldn’t help it. I was grasping for the hope he was offering like it was a lifeline. What was he telling me? That it was over. The worry, the fear? We could be together. Forever?

“It means I reworked mother’s spell. I think it will work, but I can’t be certain. I won’t know until it’s done.”

Confusion flitted across my face and Alex’s expression softened in response.

“I don’t understand. Why haven’t you done it?” I asked.

“Because to perform the spell I first must close the gateway that was created before. It’s a new spell really. And the ritual must be done under a perigee moon.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s when the moon is the closest to the earth,” he said.

“And when is that?” I almost felt embarrassed to have to ask. Alex had defied logic and time. I was lucky to have gotten past my junior year with a B+ average.  I’d never heard of a perigee moon, let alone know when the next one was.

“Three weeks,” he said. My hands searched the dark for him and finally closed around his fingers. They were warm and slightly trembling under my touch. My heart sank at this break in his cool façade. He was afraid. I didn’t want to ask the next question, but it was necessary.

“And if it doesn’t work?” My voice escaped in a whisper, fear clutching my throat.

His piercing blue eyes clouded over.

“Then I never come back.”

“Is there another way?”

He shook his head gravely. “No.”

My mind reeled with possibilities. Alex might stay with me forever. Alex might never come back. I felt riddled with emotions, both good and bad, his and mine. I grabbed Alex by the hand and pulled him down, opening the covers so that he could slip underneath. He smiled, kicking off his boots and I could see his eyes sparkle in the moonlight. Once he was beside me I thanked God for the moon. A steady stream of its pale light was spilled over Alex’s face, illuminating every perfect feature for me to drink in. I had missed him. It had been less than a day and I had felt as if I were living without oxygen, but unable to die. God, this had to work.

“When you said you were preparing a place to stay, does that mean you’re not leaving until the time comes?” I asked, slipping my hand into the opening in his white linen shirt and caressing his chest.

“Yes. I want every minute with you just in case something happens.”

“It won’t,” I snapped, placing my finger to his lips. He kissed my fingertip and smiled as he ran a hand down my bare thigh. My thigh? Oh God! I was suddenly flooded with awareness that all I was wearing was a tank top and pair of white cotton underwear.

“I thought we agreed upon more appropriate attire if you expected me to concentrate?” He teased, toying with the edge of my underwear that lay across my hip. My thighs tingled with awareness as I scooted myself closer to him, every trace of self-consciousness dissipating by the second. He couldn’t leave me. Not when I needed more of this. I would always need more of this.

“It wasn’t intentional. I swear,” I said as I wound my arms around his waist. “I didn’t think you were coming tonight.” He kissed the top of my head.

“I told you I would. Don’t you have any faith in me at all?” He sounded hurt and it stung.

“Of course I do. I just never know with you. Nothing is ever set in stone,” I said.

“Not for long, love. Not for long.” His fingers ran through my hair and my eyes closed. “You swear?” I murmured on the edge of sleep.

“I swear. After this is taken care of we’ll have–”

“Forever,” I said.

“Yes. Forever.”

Sleep pulled me under after that. With Alex’s arms tucked around me like a blanket I succumbed to the rest that my body was craving. I remember wanting to fight it. I wanted to kiss Alex. To press against him. I wanted him in every way, to dissolve into the honeysuckle fragrance of his skin. But in the end it was my heavy eyelids that won the battle. It didn’t matter. Like he said. We would have forever. I had to believe that.