Moon Spun (28 page)

I held up a hand. “Hold it. What did you say about Mr. and Mrs. Prentice?”

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Mercedes heaved a huge sigh of exasperation. “I said, I think the Prentices show up here every day just to annoy me. The other day, Mrs. Prentice told me she doesn’t even like fresh fruit and vegetables. It gives her diarrhea.”

“Ewww.”

“She only comes here because her husband makes her.”

“Maybe Mr. Prentice likes fruit.”

“No,” Mercedes insisted. “She said he never eats it. It just rots and they come back the next day and get more. Weird, huh?”

“Very,” I agreed.

When the Prentices drove in, Mrs. Prentice headed for the corn. I walked out to the parking lot. Mr. Prentice was in the Lincoln Town car with the motor running. He wore a baseball cap and was slouched down in the seat. It looked like he might be taking a little snooze. When I got closer to the car, I could see he was wide awake, his gaze darting to and fro. He saw me and waved. I stood next to the drivers’ side window and lifted my palm so he could see it. He smiled and did the same. I spotted his star right away. It was at the base of his little finger on the mound of Mercury. The window zipped down. We clasped hands and murmured, “Stella Potenza.”

“You doing okay?” Mr. Prentice asked.

“I’m good. Thank you for watching over me.”

He lifted the bill of his cap and checked to see if his wife was still out of range. “Our little secret, okay?”

“You got it.” I started to walk away.

“Allie!” he called. “You’re not alone. We’ve got you covered.”

I whirled around. “We? As in more than one?”

He nodded. “Way more.”

I practically skipped back to the fruit stand. One of the heavy burdens I’d been toting around was now a whole lot lighter.

When Manny and Ryker drove up in the flat bed, Chad was beside himself with excitement. Mercedes said, “Man, that kid is hyper. You don’t give him candy, do you?”

“Nah, he’s jazzed because he’s staying with me tonight. We’re gonna sleep outside.”

Mercedes gave me a horrified look. “Outside? With the bugs? You’re crazy, girl!”

“Yeah, outside with the bugs.” I thought about Argyle and smiled.

Just before closing time, Junior drove into the parking lot. When Mercedes spotted his car, she screamed so loudly, a guy driving by on Peacock Flats road screeched to a stop and rolled down his window.

I waved a hand. “We’re fine. My friend accidentally bit her tongue.” The man shook his head in disgust and drove off. I told Mercedes, “I’m serious. You need to bite your tongue!”

Chagrined, Mercedes plopped down at the stool. I walked to the parking lot. Junior met me halfway. He smiled, held out his arms and said, “Emerson.”

I wrapped my arms around his body and tucked my head into the curve of his neck. It felt so good, so right, it was like coming home after a long, arduous journey.

Without saying a word, he rocked me gently in his arms. I tried to hold them back, but hot, stinging tears spilled from my eyes and soaked into his shirt.

“Shhh,” he said. “It’s okay. Junior’s got your back.”

I whispered into his neck. “Weird things have been happening to me.”

Laughter rumbled deep in his chest. “Big surprise.”

I pushed away and looked into his clear, gray eyes. Junior was one of the few people I could trust 388

with my secrets. “I found out I’m part faery.”

“Cool,” he said, without blinking an eye. “I’ll take you to dinner Friday night. You can tell me all about it.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Should I pick you up or do you want to fly?”

I smiled through my tears. “No wings.”

“See ya Friday.” He walked to his car.

The moon was barely over the foothills when Ryker, Chad and I went to the orchard. Chad skipped between us, holding our hands. His eyes were wide with wonder and anticipation. I was scared to death. My pulse pounded in my throat, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from grabbing the kid and taking him back to his dad. Get a grip, Allie. This isn’t about you. It’s about a little boy who’s been in the wrong place all his life. The devil on my shoulder whispered, What if something goes wrong?

“It won’t! It can’t!”

When Ryker looked at me over the top of Chad’s head, I realized I’d said it aloud. Ryker said, “You can go back if you want. I’ll handle it.”

“No way.”

Chad squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry, Allie. It will be okay.”

His big blue eyes were so innocent, so full of hope, my heart melted. Melia was sitting under an apple tree, waiting for us. Little Chadwicke popped out from behind the tree. I’d warned Chad ahead of time, so he knew the mortal child looked like a baby. Chad held out his arms and Chadwicke ran to him. Chad lifted the little boy in his arms and spun him around, both of them laughing like crazy.

“This is good,” Melia said.

I couldn’t shake my nerves. “You’re sure this will work?”

Melia said, “If you have doubts, leave now. I will have no negative thoughts floating about.”

Geez, I didn’t want to leave and I didn’t want to stay. Melia and Ryker stared at me and waited. I weighed the pros and cons. If Melia’s spell didn’t work, I’d have to stay with her in Boundless forever. Not to mention, I’d miss my date with Junior. If the spell was successful, Boundless would have another happy little faery. Chad would be where he belonged. The Hostetlers would have a healthy mortal child. Decision time.

I plastered a big, cheery grin on my face. “Let’s do it.”

Melia began barking out orders. “Avalon, you and Ryker sit there.” She pointed across the furrowed row. “Be quiet and think good thoughts.”

She led Chad to an apple tree and placed Chadwicke on the other side. “Chad, reach around the trunk and take Chadwicke by the hands.”

Melia broke off two branches laden with apples. Mumbling words I didn’t understand, she tossed them into the air. I clapped a hand over my mouth in amazement, as the branches snaked around the two Chads, binding them to the tree. Melia held a glowing hand over each boy’s head, bathing their faces in a pale green light.

“Chadwicke of Boundless. Chad Hostetler of Boundland. I am Melia, queen of the forest faeries. Listen and obey my command. Chad, the changeling, you will revert to your original form and accompany me to Boundless. Chadwicke, you will inhabit the body of the changeling and remain in Boundland with your mortal family, remembering nothing of your time in Boundless. With my touch, it shall be done.”

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I held my breath as Melia lowered her hands onto their heads. After a blinding flash of light, the two Chads passed through the tree. Little Chadwicke popped out the other side, looking exactly like Chad Hostetler. He studied his arms and legs as if he couldn’t believe how big he’d grown. My Chad was green from head to toe and half the size he’d been before. He was curled up on the ground, unmoving. Oh my God, was he dead? I glanced over at Ryker. “Is he okay?”

Ryker held a finger to his lips.

I held my breath and watched as lacy wings sprouted from his back and unfurled. Chad stood and gazed around, a look of wonder in his pale blue eyes, that now tilted upward at the corners. Not only was his skin green, his light brown hair floated around his head like dandelion fluff. Except for his wings and elongated fingers, he resembled Melia’s forest faeries. With an intense look of concentration, he ran a few steps, flapped his frilly wings and left the ground. We watched as he gained altitude and rose above the orchard, backlit by the bright quarter moon. After a few practice runs, he dipped low over the treetops, turned a somersault in the air and swooped away, shrieking with laughter. Melia clapped her hands. “Well done!”

“Show off!” I yelled.

Ryker stood and pulled me to my feet. We exchanged high fives as if we’d been responsible for the exchange. “Someday you will learn to trust me,” he said.

“Some day.” Trust was hard for me.

The mortal Chad Hostetler ran to me and threw his arms around my waist. “Allie! Allie! You promised we could build a fire and roast marshmallows. Can Ryker come?

What about the tent? Are we still going to sleep outside? Huh? Huh?”

I smiled down at him. Some things never change.

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Chapter Thirty Five

The next night, Thursday, I told Faye I had something important to tell her. Once again, my stomach was swarming with butterflies. She plopped down on the chair. “So, what’s the big news?”

I took a big breath and dove in. “It’s about your mother.”

Faye frowned. “What about her?”

“She’s not dead. She’s coming to see you tonight.”

Faye crossed her arms and shook her head. “Allie. We’ve already covered this ground. She died when I was ten.”

“Just listen, okay? Don’t say a word.”

I started by telling her about my first trip to Boundless, how I’d met Melia. I could tell she didn’t believe a word I was saying. She didn’t interrupt, but her gaze was flinty and suspicious. She crossed her legs and starting swinging one foot. Back and forth. Back and forth. It’s what Faye did when she was bored. I pressed on.

When I got to the part about Uncle Davey, a strange thing happened. She jerked to attention and gave me a puzzled look. Then, her lips curved into a smile and her eyes lit up. “You saw Uncle Davey?”

“Yes. Do you know him?” My voice was squeaky with surprise.

Faye nodded. She had a faraway look in her eyes, as if some lost memory had just bobbed to the surface. “I remember riding on his back.” Her smile faded away and her brows drew together. “It’s weird. I’d forgotten all about Uncle Davey.”

I held my tongue while she mulled it over. Finally, she held up a hand. “Let’s back this bus up. If you met Uncle Davey, does that mean what you’re saying is true? That my mother really is alive?”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, duh. Maybe you should have believed me the first time around.”

It got easier then. Faye listened intently as I described my adventures in Boundless, taking care to give her the G rated version. No mention of bloody wounds, spit burns and pixie-eating blurkers. By the time I finished, it sounded like I’d been on a dream vacation to Disneyland.

“Melia will be here soon. Out by the cistern. Do you want me to go with you?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

When it was time, she marched out the door like a soldier off to battle. The phone rang as she went down the steps. She didn’t hesitate She didn’t even look back. It was Beck.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey, yourself.” I could hear him breathing. I waited.

He said, “I miss you. You still mad?”

“I’m not mad.” As I said the words, I realized they were true. “How’s the healing coming along?”

“She’s doing better. It takes time. But, I guess you know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

Silence hung in the air between us. I sensed he was trying to come up with the right words. When he spoke, his voice was choked with tears. “Allie,” he whispered.

The pain in that single word spanned the miles between us and grabbed my heart. All I wanted to do was make him feel better.

I said, “Guess what? You were right about Chad. Actually, you were right about me too, you 391

know, the whole faery thing?”

He cleared his throat. “So Allie Emerson is admitting I was right about something?”

The tension between us disappeared as I related the whole story: Chad, Ryker, my trips to Boundless. I told him everything except about the promise I’d made to Luminata.

“Wow.” Beck sounded wistful. “Will you take me with you next time?”

I laughed. “It will be a while before I go back.” Like eight years. Note to self: good old half-demon Beck might prove helpful in Boundless.

Before we hung up, Beck said, “I’ll call you soon.”

I waited a beat before adding, “Friends?”

“Yeah, friends,” he agreed.

I wandered over to the dinette to wait for Faye. After shredding a napkin into a bajillion pieces, I glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed. At the half-hour mark, I had to grip the edge of the table to keep from bounding out the door and busting into their mother/daughter reunion. It was a full hour before I saw the top of Faye’s head as she passed by the window. I snatched up my book. When she came through the door, I pretended to be absorbed in my reading. Her hand came over my shoulder. She plucked the book out of my hand and turned it right side up. “Easier to read that way.”

Faye sat opposite me and stared out the open window at the night sky. I studied her expression for clues. Her face was pale, but I saw no tearstains. Her eyes, a luminous blue, had deep shadows beneath them. I tried to figure out what she was feeling. Suddenly, I got scared. Had I made a horrible mistake thinking Faye needed to be re-united with her mother? I squirmed in my seat, waiting for her to say something. Finally, I couldn’t stand it. “How did it go?”

She turned away from the window and put her hand over mine. The softness in her eyes made me want to cry. “You did this for me, didn’t you?”

I shrugged like it was nothing. “You needed to know the truth, that’s all.”

“Melia told me what you did. She said you’re the bravest girl she’s ever met.”

Her voice caught and tears started to flow. “Here’s the hard part. She gave me credit. She said it was because I was such a good mother that you turned out so well.

Isn’t that a hoot?”

I put my other hand over the top of hers. “After what Grandpa Claude did, I thought you should know your mother was okay. Maybe you’d be happier. Well, maybe not happy, but less . . . ” I was about to say “miserable,” but Faye broke in.

“Screwed up?”

Unable to speak, I just shook my head.

Suddenly Faye stood. She folded her arms and stared down at me, like she was trying to make up her mind about something. “You need to know the truth too.”

Puzzled, I asked, “About what?”

“The rift between my father and me has nothing to do with Melia. It was never about Melia.”

When I thought about all I’d been through to get Faye and her mother together, I felt a little sick. Had it all been for nothing?