Only By Moonlight (24 page)

“Why do you keep interfering?” a whispery
female voice said it from somewhere to LaShaun’s left.

“Because she’s a nosy old witch,” a squeaky
female voice replied from behind. Giggling followed.

She recognized the scent of pubescent
females, their hormones signaled they were excited. And dangerous.
LaShaun had been like them at that age. At fourteen, suddenly the
smell of males slammed into her, giving her heated dreams. That
they found her attractive made LaShaun feel powerful. That was the
time she’d opened herself to her gifts in all the wrong ways. The
belief that she could have whatever she wanted was like a potent
drug. Like any junkie, her addiction led LaShaun to death. Not
hers, but the death of someone else. Now these kids were on the
same road.

“You girls don’t know the rules of the game
you’re playing,” LaShaun shot back.

“You’re the one who doesn’t know the fucking
rules, old lady.”

“I’ll just have to show you who you’re
dealing with, Becky.” LaShaun barked out the name. The rustling
stopped.

“How did she know?” the squeaky voice
whispered.

“The same way I know your voice, Regan
Williams,” LaShaun snapped.

The stunned quiet that descended in the brush
confirmed her guess. Chase told her that Regan and Becky were best
friends since the fourth grade. LaShaun figured Jenna, the other
member of their circle, was too terrified from her ordeal with
Greg. She no doubt had abandoned the clique. One other boy’s
parents had shipped him off to a fancy boarding school. Only Becky,
Regan and Greg remained of the original clique.

Becky emerged from behind a tree. She wore a
long-sleeved black t-shirt under a black denim jacket and tight
blue jeans. “Don’t be too impressed with her psychic skills, Regan.
Her boyfriend is that hot deputy running for sheriff. He told
her.”

“My grandmother says when Rousselle women
speak folks just shrivel up,” Regan’s voice became even more
high-pitched, and seemed to grow fainter.

“Don’t you dare leave,” Becky commanded.
“Regan, do you hear me? I summon you to step forward. If you face
her we’ll be the strong ones.”

“Haven’t you had enough of running around
wild? You better quit this mess before you end up like Elliot or
Greg.” LaShaun took a quick look around and then back at Becky.

“See, Regan? If she was so psychic she’d know
about Greg.” Becky smiled at LaShaun. “He’s out of intensive care.
I saw him last night. He even got a hard on when I stroked him
good.”

Regan squealed and giggled. She stepped into
the clearing. Her dark green over-sized sweater matched olive green
cargo pants. “Becky, you’re so terrible. I wish the boys were here
right now. We could all party. Hey, she doesn’t look that old.”

“Shut up, Regan,” Becky shot back. She put
both hands on her hips. “Now what should we do with you, huh? Out
here snooping around where you got no business.”

“Thanks, girls. You just told me something
important.” LaShaun grinned at Becky.

“Not really.” Becky’s voice didn’t sound
quite so confident.

“Sure you did. I’m close to your gang’s hang
out,” LaShaun replied mildly. “All I have to do is follow your
trail. I hunt you know, so I can track.”

“Too bad you’re not hunting today.” Becky
pulled a long leather sheath from inside her jacket. Then she
removed a wicked looking knife from it. “You showing up is perfect
now that I think about it. I’ll bet your blood will make our
elixirs even more intense. What ya think, Regan?”

Regan giggled again, but stopped when she
glanced at Becky’s intense frown. “You’re foolin’ around to scare
her, right?”

Becky moved forward but stopped when LaShaun
took a fighting stance. “No, I’m not ‘foolin’ around’. After we had
the last gathering things started to happen. Your daddy bought you
that snappy sports car. My parents put a deposit on that condo for
us to have our graduation trip down to Florida. Just think of what
we’ll have if--”

“You used poor Elliot’s blood?” LaShaun
stared at Regan.

“We didn’t mean to hurt Elliot. That was an
accident. And anyway, my daddy had already promised to buy me a
car, and your parents,” Regan whined.

“Will you shut the hell up? Keep talking too
much and I’ll leave your ass out here.” Becky took a step toward
LaShaun. “Now back me up. Get behind her.”

“You girls really don’t want to do this,”
LaShaun warned.

“Yes we really do, Miss LaShaun,” Becky said
in a sing-song voice. “I’m going to have a baby, a special child.
My little boy will be even more powerful with your blood. He told
me about it.”

“Who told you?” LaShaun grabbed at the
clue.

Becky shook her head. “Enough talk. You’re
tired. Feeling your eyelids get so heavy, so heavy. Just lie down
on those soft leaves to take a little nap.”

LaShaun gazed at Becky for a few moments.
Then she burst out laughing. “Somebody lied to you, sweetie. That
hypnosis trick won’t work on me.”

“Let’s see how funny it is when I cut your
ass!”

Becky lunged forward swinging the knife as
she came. LaShaun moved fast and the blade missed her midsection by
a few inches. Snarling like a feral cat, Becky ran full force
toward LaShaun with the knife raised. LaShaun took off in long
strides through the trees. In minutes she’d put distance between
them. Becky screamed at Regan to go in a circle to cut off LaShaun.
When LaShaun tripped, Becky cackled. LaShaun jumped to her feet
again before either of the girls could reach her. Pain shot through
her left ankle.

“Hey old lady! You can’t out run us.” Despite
her glee, Becky panted. “Jump her from behind, Regan.”

“If you stop right now before things go too
far I won’t press charges,” LaShaun said. She grimaced as pain
stabbed through her ankle again.

“We have big plans for this world, and I’m
going to play the most important role.” Becky still held the knife
firmly in her right hand. She rubbed her belly with the left.

LaShaun’s arms tingled so intensely she
forgot the throbbing that spread up her leg. She stood straight and
pointed at Becky. “Silly little girl. You’ve been fooled. Greg
isn’t some kind of demi-god with special powers.”

Regan stepped forward. Her eyes seemed to
glow in the dim light as the sun set. “Becky was chosen to give
birth to the next ruler of the...”

“Be quiet,” Becky said with force.

“I deserve to know why I’m about to be
killed,” LaShaun shot back and faced both girls.

Regan seemed to blink back from the high of
the chase. “No-nobody said anything about killing anybody.”

Becky gripped the knife handle though the
blade still pointed at the ground. “You’re going to hold her down
for me.”

Regan backed away from LaShaun. “What
for?”

“The others will know you’re weak if you
don’t help me. And you know how we deal with the weak,” Becky spoke
in a deadly calm tone. “Remember who I am.”

Reagan took a tentative step forward but
stopped. She swallowed hard. “Mother of the new age, I know. But...
her boyfriend is a head deputy or something.”

“The ground is nice and soft here. Great
place for a grave, Miss Rousselle.” Becky’s eyes narrowed. “She
does have some kind of supernatural abilities. Maybe we better burn
her body.”

“She-She’s not gonna tell anybody she saw us
out here, are you lady? I mean it’s not like she knows
where...”

“We can’t let her leave here, Regan. You know
that, right? I mean, with her skills she’s probably figuring things
out right now.” Becky gazed at LaShaun, her young face transformed
by malevolence into something terrible. “She knew we were out
here.”

“But I’ve never...” Regan wavered when the
reality of murdering another person hit home again. “I was so drunk
that night when Elliot...”

“I know,” Becky broke in quickly to cut her
off. “Just hold her down and I’ll do it. You can close your
eyes.”

“Okay.”

But for the fact that they were discussing
how to murder her, LaShaun would have laughed. They were like two
ten year olds discussing chores they’d been assigned. As the girls
talked, LaShaun grimaced even more to make them comfortable that
she was no threat. Meanwhile she got a firm grasp on the thick
length of wood that she’d tripped over. Pretending to move in pain,
LaShaun kept it hidden beneath the leaves.

Becky nodded to her friend, and Regan circled
to LaShaun’s right side. LaShaun stood straight and hefted the old
broken axe handle. The jagged edge of wood would have to do since
the blade was missing. Becky hesitated then took another step.

“Grab that bitch,” Becky screamed.

Regan rushed LaShaun, swinging both fists.
LaShaun shoved Regan to the ground hard with little effort, but
Becky closed in with the knife. Grunting, Becky tried to get close,
but LaShaun drove her back with a swipe of the pointy wood.

“We got you now,” Becky crowed.

“Should you be getting into brawls with a
baby on the way?” LaShaun snapped. “One kick to your tummy and no
new world order.”

“Blood and battle feed my baby. He’s born for
destruction. Let’s get her, Regan,” Becky replied with a snarl.

LaShaun’s mind worked fast to make a
decision. She ignored Regan. Instead LaShaun sprang toward Becky.
The offensive move surprised Becky. The split second of uncertainty
gave LaShaun time to land a solid blow to the girl’s head. Stunned
Becky stumbled, but she still held onto the knife. LaShaun kicked
to her right fast and hard. Her boot connected to Regan’s knee with
a loud pop. The girl screamed as she went down. Becky struggled to
recover, but LaShaun struck her arm with all her might. The knife
fell from Becky’s hand.

“LaShaun. LaShaun!” M.J. shouted.

LaShaun still held the old axe handle as she
backed away from the two girls. Regan tried to stand but stopped
when LaShaun raised her weapon. Becky lay on the ground. She rocked
back and forth moaning.

“Over here. I’m in the woods,” LaShaun
yelled. Her voice came out weaker from exertion than she
wished.

“Coming from the north,” a male voice
said.

Gun drawn, M.J. reached LaShaun first. Deputy
Toni Ferdinand and a male deputy flanked her. Both cautiously
approached the two girls. Becky spat profanity as the female deputy
kicked the knife farther from her. Regan whimpered like a toddler
when the male deputy walked over to her.

“She’s not armed,” LaShaun told the deputy.
He nodded and holstered his gun securing it with several leather
snaps before he helped Regan to her feet.

“Get your stinking poor white trash hands off
me. You know who my daddy is? He’ll have all of you fired. Fucking
morons,” Becky shouted.

“Becky says she pregnant,” LaShaun gasped out
as the pain in her ankle came back.

“I called for an ambulance crew to come out
just in case,” Deputy Ferdinand told M.J.

“Y’all can ride in my ATV to meet ‘em on the
highway,” Mr. Marchand said.

“Pregnant? Damn, this just keeps getting
better and better. All right then. Just keep me updated,” M.J.
replied and tapped the walkie-talkie on her hip.

“Will do, chief.” Deputy Ferdinand hoisted
Becky up with Mr. Marchand’s help. They ignored her verbal abuse as
they got her into the ATV. Moments later they drove off.

LaShaun swayed a little and leaned against a
tree trunk. “How did y’all know to come out here anyway?”

Mr. Marchand’s youngest son, Xavier, Jr.,
approached and offered her a canteen. “Here Miss LaShaun. I brought
some water just in case.”

“You’re a good man to have in crisis,
Xavier.” LaShaun smiled at him in gratitude and accepted the
canteen. Once she’d had enough, she handed it back to him.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said with a shy grin.
He hopped on his ATV and followed his father’s trail between the
trees.

LaShaun felt steadier on her feet, so she
pushed away from the tree trunk and stood straight. “Like I said,
how’d you know to come out here?”

“Mr. Marchand called the station when
Sunflower came back without you.” M.J. said. Her gaze swept the
ground in a professional manner. Then she stepped carefully to lead
LaShaun a few feet away. “We need to get this area marked off.”

A third deputy appeared and handed M.J.
yellow crime tape. They moved with care to mark the clearing where
they’d found LaShaun and the two teens. As they methodically
followed crime scene protocol, LaShaun allowed her body to relax
for the first time. As she did, images and sensations assailed her.
She sucked in gulps of damp, cool night air. Her stomach churned,
and LaShaun felt light-headed. With great effort she gained a bit
of control. Oddly she saw snatches of the Sweet Olive Bed and
Breakfast. Pictures of the way the stately old home looked today
mingled with sepia pictures of what it must have looked like in the
nineteenth century. LaShaun shook her head and willed away the
dizzying assault of images.

“Not all at once.” LaShaun held her head. A
touch on her shoulder caused her to jump.

“Hey, I’m taking you to the hospital, too.”
M.J. stood over LaShaun with a worried frown.

“I’m okay, just unwinding from the nervous
tension of fighting two crazy teenagers.” LaShaun gave a shaky
laugh. “Really, I’m not cut or anything.”

“You look like hell,” M.J. said bluntly.
“Like any second you’re going to pass out, puke or both. You could
have internal injuries from taking blows, so don’t argue.”

“I’m standing on my own.” LaShaun tried to
say more, but suddenly she felt energy drain from her limbs.

“You’re sitting on the ground,” M.J.
replied.

“Huh?” LaShaun glanced around and discovered
M.J. was right.

“One minute you were standing there looking
fairly solid. The next time I look around you’re halfway lying in
the dirt looking several shades of green. Deputy, help me walk Miss
Rousselle to my car.” M.J. nodded to the tall, thin deputy.