“It’s not that easy.” She shook her head. “They have powers you don’t understand.”
“But we have to find a way to stop them so you don’t have to be on the run. Then you could stay here and go to La Brea High.” He kissed her temple. “That’s what I want. I hope you do, too.”
“More than anything,” she murmured, but she had to face reality. It wasn’t likely she was going to be able to do that.
The truck jerked to a halt. Derek tapped on the cab window and mouthed a thank-you to the driver, then they climbed over the tailgate and jumped off.
“We’re only a block from my apartment.” She started walking.
When they reached the stairs, she turned and faced him. “We’re safe for right now. Let’s get some rest and then tomorrow we’ll make a plan.” She looked at him and hoped he couldn’t tell she was lying. She was going to leave Los Angeles tonight. Maybe go to Seattle. She didn’t think she could pull Catty back from that other realm, and the longer she stayed here, the more she put the people she cared about in jeopardy.
“I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning,” he promised.
“Sure.” She looked at him and wondered why now more than ever she didn’t want to say goodbye.
“I really like you, Tianna.” He tentatively slipped his hands around her waist, then bent closer as if he were going to kiss her.
She pulled abruptly away, afraid that his kiss would destroy her resolve. She turned, and as she hurried up the steps, she glanced at the night sky. The moon, only the thinnest crescent, was now a reminder that she had failed. Tomorrow night would bring the new moon and it would be too late.
“Tianna,” Derek called. “What’s wrong?”
She glanced back at him as she opened the door. She hated herself for the wounded look on his face. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
BACK IN THE SMALL apartment, Tianna washed her hands, neck, and face, then glanced at her skirt. It was torn and covered with a black moldy mess from the cellar walls. She seemed to have a knack for destroying clothes. She wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and to slip into bed. She had started toward the bathroom, nerves throbbing, feet sore, when she caught something from the corner of her eye. She whipped around.
It looked like a huge swarm of gnats in the corner near the sink. She watched in wonder as the swirling cloud became denser and the dots seemed to come together and take form. Then Serena, Jimena, and Vanessa became visible in front of her.
She stumbled back, astonished. “You really are witches,” she exclaimed, but she didn’t feel afraid of them; she felt awestruck.
“We had to do something drastic to make you believe us,” Serena said. “Because we need your help.”
Tianna took another step away from them. “Look, if witchcraft is your thing, it’s okay with me, but really I’m not into magic or spells.”
They laughed as if she had said something funny.
Serena stepped forward. “You move objects with your mind and go into other dimensions, but you don’t believe in magic. You are magic.”
“How do you know that’s what I do?” Tianna felt even more amazed than she had the moment before.
“Because we each have a power like yours.” Vanessa pulled out one of the chairs from the table and sat down.
“But I’m not a sorceress,” Tianna retorted. “I don’t work any magic, and I can’t cast spells. If I could, my life wouldn’t be such a mess.”
“I read minds,” Serena confessed. “That’s my gift, and I’ve gone inside your head. I know what you can do.”
Tianna felt lost in wonder, but she believed Serena. That explained how she had figured out where she lived and how they had known that she and Corrine had been talking about Catty. “But how did you get here?” Tianna fell down in the chair opposite Vanessa. “Was it some kind of teleportation?” She was ready to believe anything now.
“No, we used my power,” Vanessa explained. “I can make my molecules expand until I’m invisible. We waited outside until we saw you come back with Derek, then I made us all invisible so we could follow you inside.”
Then Serena took Tianna’s hand. “We’re on the side of good, like you. We battle the Atrox. That’s what you’ve been running from, but you didn’t even know it.”
“Atrox?” Tianna shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s an ancient evil,” Jimena put in. “And Justin and Mason are two of its Followers.”
“You know about them, too?” Tianna asked, stunned. “But how do you know? If you’re not witches, then what are you?”
“Let me explain,” Vanessa started. “In ancient times, when Pandora’s box was opened—”
“Pandora?” Tianna laughed. “Don’t tell me that myth is true.”
Jimena nodded solemnly.
Then Serena continued, “The last thing to leave the box was hope—”
Tianna interrupted her. “I know the story.”
“But there’s more,” Vanessa cautioned. “Listen.”
Serena continued. “Selene, the goddess of the moon—”
“She’s real, too?” Tianna knew at once that Selene was the mysterious force who had directed her to run. That also explained why her internal guide was strongest during the full moon and weakest during the dark of the moon.
“Selene saw the creature that had been sent by the Atrox to devour hope,” Serena said. “She took pity on the people of earth and gave her daughters, like guardian angels, to guard hope. We’re those daughters. We’re goddesses.”
“Goddesses?” Tianna answered with a mocking grin, but this time when she looked at them, their faces seemed to glow.
You know what I’m saying is true, Serena breathed into her mind.
Tianna’s derisive smile fell from her face. Serena had been able to speak to her by using her mind. The same way Justin and Mason could go inside her head. She felt staggered by everything they had told her, but even as stunning as it was, she believed them. Too may things had happened in her life for her not to.
“We need your help.” Jimena’s black eyes stared at her.
“What can I possibly do?” Tianna wondered aloud.
“Help us get Catty back,” Vanessa urged.
“Catty was a goddess, too, wasn’t she?” Tianna suddenly understood. “The three I’m supposed to make four again. I was supposed to bring Catty back to you.”
“We hope you can,” Vanessa coaxed. “Jimena had a premonition. That’s her gift. We need to know if it’s come true. Have you made contact with Catty already?”
“Yes. I think it was Catty, but the girl didn’t wear a moon amulet like you three do.”
“That’s because hers exploded the night she disappeared,” Serena explained.
“Can you contact her again?” Vanessa asked eagerly.
“The Atrox and its Followers have sworn to destroy the Daughters of the Moon because once we’re gone, they will succeed,” Serena put in. “Catty vanished when we were fighting a powerful member of the Atrox’s inner circle. Our powers are weakened now that she’s gone.”
“But that’s not the only reason we want her back,” Vanessa added. “She was my best friend, and I miss her too much.”
“But I tried already, and I couldn’t bring her back,” Tianna explained. “She’s in a different dimension.”
“How did you get there?” Vanessa asked.
“I was using my telekinetic powers and—”
Serena interrupted. “Can you try again and take us there?”
“I can go there, but I don’t know how to get back,” Tianna explained. “Twice I’ve gone, and both times I’ve only been able to return because someone on this side pulled me back.”
Suddenly they all clasped onto her and she knew she had no choice.
“Take us,” Jimena ordered.
“It’s too dangerous,” Tianna argued. “I don’t know how to get back. Maybe I should practice a few times wit
h just one of you.”
“We’ll figure out a way to get back once we’re there,” Vanessa said. “We have to get Catty. The dark of the moon starts tomorrow night, and then it will be too late. If we don’t get her back tonight, she’ll be a sacrifice.”
Serena smiled. “We’re willing to take the risk. All of us together will find a way back.”
“I’ll try.” Tianna narrowed her eyes in concentration and pushed with her mind against the dresser. The wood warped and her vision blurred. She felt the girls’ fingers gripping tighter and knew they had also experienced the change. Then the walls of the small apartment furrowed and became ridged as if she were looking at them through wavy glass. At last the glass shattered, reality fell away, and they stepped into that other realm.
“Wow.” Vanessa sighed. “It’s like being in the middle of an endless desert.”
“Something’s wrong,” Tianna cautioned. “Don’t let go of me.” Her eyes darted around the strange gloom. She had an overpowering sense of danger.
“This is where you found Catty?” Vanessa asked, and stepped away from her.
“Yes. She’s usually floating in some sort of cloud.” Tianna tried to hold on to Serena and Jimena, but already she could feel them pulling away. “Don’t!” She tried to stop them, but it was too late.
“Don’t worry so much.” Suddenly Serena dove away from her, swimming through the curious air that was as buoyant as water.
Tianna looked at them. Maybe the only danger was in her mind. They didn’t seem concerned, but instinct told her something was terribly wrong, and she always trusted that inner voice. “It doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?” Jimena flapped her arms and a capricious smile crept across her face. “Estoy volando. Mírame.”
“Don’t go so far from me.” Tianna wondered what had happened to them. It was as if they had forgotten the reason they had come here. She tried to keep her mind centered, but she could feel something seeping into her brain, trying to tranquilize her. Was someone manipulating their thoughts so they couldn’t feel the danger hovering in the air? Tianna shuddered as realization took hold. The Atrox had used her to set a trap. The girls were going farther and farther from her, lured by a false sense of safety and euphoria.
“Come back!” she yelled, and her voice echoed around her in a taunting tone.
“Come on and join us, Tianna.” Serena did a somersault like an underwater swimmer. “This is so cool.”
“Your moon amulet,” Tianna called back. “It changed colors. What does that mean?”
The amulet hanging around Serena’s neck was shimmering with light. She glanced at Vanessa and Jimena; both their amulets were also glowing.
Tianna jumped, caught Jimena’s arm, and jerked hard. “We have to go back,” she said.
Jimena blinked suddenly as if she had snapped back from a dreamlike state. She looked at Tianna, then glanced down at her fiery amulet and understood immediately. “¡Oye!” she shouted. “Serena! Vanessa! Come back!”
Vanessa and Serena continued frolicking. Tianna watched in panic as the black mist began spilling into the air.
“The Atrox,” Jimena breathed. “Get us out now.”
“I told you I don’t know how,” Tianna said with panic.
“Then just do what you do to get in,” Jimena said. “I’ll get Serena and Vanessa.” Jimena dove up into the air and jetted away as billowing shadows gathered over Tianna.
She narrowed her eyes in concentration, trying to penetrate the veil that divided the worlds.
Suddenly the shadow charged toward her. It hit her with the strength of a fist. She staggered back, then tripped and fell. The black vapor whipped around her.
She steadied herself and concentrated, using the full force of her mind to leave this realm. Her eyes went out of focus, and suddenly she was back in reality. She hit the side of the cupboard in the small apartment and fell, then sat up with a gasp.
“We did it,” she yelled with excitement, and looked around the room. She was the only one who had made it back. Had she accidentally trapped the others?
A loud rap on the door made relief flood through her. Maybe they had come back and landed in another location, the same way Derek had found her running outside the apartment this morning.
She hurried to the door and swung it open.
“Derek?”
Derek had an odd look on his face, and then she glanced behind him. Justin and Mason were there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
TIANNA AND DEREK stood on the cliff above a public beach, Mason and Justin beside them. A fog bank sat offshore, seeming to sweep in closer with each rising swell. The phosphorescent breakers tossed spray as they crashed over the rocks below, and distant lights on a pier reflected off the black water.
Mason stared at Tianna. “I didn’t need to bring you here, Tianna,” he said. “You already failed.”
Justin snickered.
“But with you it’s personal,” Mason explained. “You made me look like a fool too many times.”
Tianna glanced at the sky. “I still see a sliver of moon,” she said.
That made them both laugh. “You think you can do something now, when we have all the goddesses?” Justin asked.
“Down the cliff,” Mason ordered.
Tianna looked at the edge. “Where?”
“A path over there.” Justin shoved her back. “And don’t try to use your fancy mind stuff because you don’t want anything to happen to Derek.”
She nodded and started down the path.
“I’m sorry,” Derek whispered behind her. “I wanted to play the big hero, so I went back to Planet Bang to get my car and they found me there.”
She smiled ruefully at him.
Derek sighed. “They got your address by going through my mind.”
“Thanks, Derek!” Mason laughed.
Tianna pushed through the chaparral and walked cautiously over the jagged rocks. Because it was almost a new moon, the tide was at its lowest, and she sloshed through a small tide pool that normally would have been much deeper, then stepped onto wet sand where a wave had left bubbling foam. Another wave hit her ankles with a shock of cold. When the water receded, she felt tingling on the soles of her feet from tiny mole crabs burrowing back into the soupy sand.
Fires down the beach caught her eye.
“Toward the light,” Justin ordered.
She tottered in the sand and walked around a tangled bed of kelp, then headed up the shore with an increasing sense of doom. As she got closer, she saw that the fires were actually torches set in the sand. The flames at the end of the long poles waggled in the ever present wind, the tips radiating an uncanny whiteness that seemed different from any fire she had seen before. Ice-blue sparks spit into the cold night air and continued to glow until they spun out of sight. The fires were breathtaking and left a slight odor of sulfur in the air.
Followers standing on the beach looked at her with hunger, as if they had waited for Tianna a long time. Suddenly, she realized why they wanted her. With her gone, there was no chance that the four goddesses could ever be united again.
She glanced into Justin’s eyes as he took off his shirt and stood under the first torch. The flame flapped and the standing goat tattooed on his arm seemed to move.
She stopped, startled by the tattoo. There was something familiar about the shape, and then she knew. She had seen it on the arm of the men who had stolen into her home when she was a little girl. She glanced up and Justin understood her look.
“So you remember now,” he said with a smirk.
She nodded. She felt weak and powerless. The same way she had felt that night so many years back when they had invaded her house. She wondered what they had wanted with her even then that could have made them commit such an atrocity.
“Sit,” Mason ordered.
She collapsed onto the sand with a childish desire to cry.
Derek sat beside her. “Tianna, what’s going on?” br />
“Some ceremony. I don’t know. I guess they’re getting ready to cross us over.”
“Who are the goddesses they kept talking about?” he asked.
“I’ll explain later,” she hushed him.
“Later?” he exclaimed. “You think we’re going to survive this?”
“I am,” she said with determination. “And I’ll save you.”
“Right,” he scoffed. Then he looked at her with his deep blue eyes. “You know, Tianna, I think we’re going to die, so if you know, then it’s only fair you tell me.”
Tianna looked at him. “You’re right. I can tell you what I know, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to make sense because it still isn’t clear to me. Most of it I just learned myself about an hour ago.”
She started to explain as more Followers arrived at the beach. They didn’t look like kids coming to the beach for a picnic. Some guys wore tuxedos, others stepped out in painted and patched jeans, but all looked glamorous.
Tianna continued telling Derek everything that had happened. He seemed to accept all that she said. She told him about accidentally trapping Jimena, Vanessa, and Serena when they tried to rescue Catty.
“So now instead of saving one goddess and making the Daughters of the Moon four again, I actually lost all of them.” She finished.
“Space is a funny thing,” Derek mused.
“That’s not exactly the reaction I expected.”
“The universe is constructed of atoms,” he continued.
“Derek, I know that, and I really don’t feel like talking about science in my last moments on earth. Can’t you think of some way to get us out of this?”
He grinned and went on, “Spaces exist between these atoms, and within these spaces are other atoms that create a parallel universe, one existing simultaneously with ours.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Now you’ve got my attention.”
“That other realm and this one are woven together,” Derek said.
“So,” Tianna concluded, “if Vanessa, Jimena, and Serena are being held captive in another dimension and if the ceremony is going to take place on this beach, then they’re probably right here behind the veil that divides the worlds.”