Serena continued to look at Zahi with sweet longing.
“Do you see that?” Vanessa asked with a flare of jealousy. “Look at all the girls who want autographs!”
The mood was broken and Serena turned slowly away from Zahi.
Catty giggled. “Don’t look at the girls lined up for autographs, listen to the ones talking about you.”
Girls were pointing at Vanessa and their voices carried over the crowd.
“That’s Michael Saratoga’s girlfriend,” one said enviously.
“Isn’t she pretty?” another added.
Vanessa beamed.
Jimena shook her head and laughed as more girls pushed toward Michael.
A girl lifted her sweater and asked him to sign her belly. He took a large black felt marker and scrawled “Michael” across her stomach. Other girls wanted him to sign arms and neck.
“Do you believe what he’s doing?” Vanessa’s anger flared up again.
“It’s becoming a Michael-fest,” Serena commented, and she felt Zahi’s hand rest on her shoulder.
“You looked very good,” Zahi whispered in her ear. “More than good.”
“Thanks.” Serena looked into his eyes.
Jimena nudged her. “Catch what’s happening now?”
The next girl in line smiled coyly at Michael, then she undid the buttons on her blouse and stuck her chest out.
“What’s she doing?” Vanessa’s face was flushed.
Michael smiled sheepishly, then gripped the black felt marker and wrote his name over the swell of her breast. The girl touched the tips of his fingers when he finished writing and kept his hand there while she said something to him.
“What’s she saying?” Vanessa asked.
“Forget about it,” Jimena said. “You know Michael doesn’t like her.”
“What are they saying?” Vanessa insisted. Serena could feel Vanessa’s anger like a sudden thunderclap resounding in her head.
“Just chatter,” Serena lied. The girl was asking Michael to meet her later, but Michael said no.
“Look at me.” Vanessa spoke tensely. “It’s happening.”
Serena turned. Vanessa was disappearing. Strong emotions made her lose control of her molecules. Her hands looked fuzzy.
“Help me,” she whispered. Her greatest fear had always been that someone would see her disappear.
“Cover her,” Jimena ordered. “She’s going!”
Serena looked nervously at Zahi. Luckily he was staring at the commotion onstage.
“Relax,” Catty coaxed, and swerved in front of Vanessa. “That girl’s not his type. You’re his number one.”
Vanessa’s hands and feet had vanished now and the side of her face had elongated into a funnel of dots. Her eyes were glassy and her voice sounded rubbery when she spoke, “How could he?”
“It’s a guy thing,” Jimena said. “Haven’t you figured that out by now? You want to go invisible? Michael will see.”
The girl turned and walked away from Michael, then looked back over her shoulder at him.
“He’s still looking at her,” Vanessa complained, but it was difficult to understand her now.
“Looking at her because he’s so glad he’s with you,” Catty chattered on, trying to distract her. “Sing something, quick. It’ll help you relax.”
The girl waved to Michael, then blew him a kiss.
“That—” Before Vanessa could call the girl a name her voice left her.
“Do something,” Jimena urged Serena. “See if you can zap her emotion. Quick! Go in and calm her!”
Serena had never tried to change someone’s emotion before, but it was definitely going to be bad news if Vanessa disappeared and someone saw. She quickly pushed into Vanessa’s mind. The anger was hot and thick and made it hard to enter. Her pinging molecules showered Serena like a barrage of searing needles.
Serena tried to calm Vanessa. Then she felt a crack in the anger and entered, hoping to pull a better emotion to the front of her mind, but behind the barrier of anger was a single thought that shocked Serena.
She burst from Vanessa’s mind and took two staggering steps backward as if the thought had shoved her. She looked at Vanessa. How could one of her best friends think that about her? Did Catty and Jimena feel the same way?
CHAPTER SEVEN
ZAHI CAUGHT HER. “What is wrong?” he asked. “Are you feeling ill?” His brown eyes looked distressed.
“Nothing.” She shook her head. But she was sweating now and couldn’t stop her hands from shaking. Did Vanessa really think Serena would betray the Daughters of the Moon?
“You are shaking,” Zahi whispered, and held her tightly.
She tried to pull away from him. “I’m not feeling very well,” she said. “Maybe I should go home.”
“Let me take you home, then,” he offered.
“No.” She spoke too sharply and pushed away from him.
He looked bewildered.
The houselights went down and the music started again. Kids crowded onto the dance floor and the strobe light flashed, making everything surreal. Michael ran to Vanessa and kissed her.
“Hey,” Michael greeted her. “Seeing all those girls made me so happy I’m with you.”
“Why?” Vanessa was still annoyed. He didn’t seem to notice the way Vanessa’s molecules had suddenly snapped back together when he touched her, or maybe he thought it had only been the lighting that had made her look so strange.
Serena watched them, her heart beating rapidly as she twisted into Vanessa’s mind to see if there was more.
Michael smiled and answered Vanessa. “Because I know you’d never do something as crazy as ask a strange guy to sign your belly or . . . well, you saw, you know.” He kissed her lightly.
“You didn’t have to sign . . . where you signed,” Vanessa said, but her anger was fading. Michael held her closely.
“I’m so glad I have you,” he whispered. “You’re not even jealous.”
“Right.” Catty winked at Vanessa.
Vanessa smiled, happy again, and her mind slowly closed, hiding her thoughts from Serena.
Serena tried to enter Catty’s mind and see if she felt the same as Vanessa. Catty looked at her as if she sensed Serena’s struggle to read her thoughts.
Serena stepped back, suddenly too dizzy and weak to stay inside. She turned back to Zahi. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to leave. Jimena will give me a ride home.”
His smile crumpled. He didn’t bother to hide his disappointment or the concern he felt. “Call me tomorrow and let me know if you are feeling better.”
She nodded and walked over to Jimena. “Take me home.”
“What’s up?” Jimena seemed uneasy.
“Can we just go now?”
Vanessa, Catty, and Jimena stared at her with worried expressions.
“Sure.” Jimena didn’t hesitate. They started walking toward the door.
Outside, she tried to push into Jimena’s mind, but it was like a stone wall.
“What is it you don’t want me to see?” Serena demanded.
“What do you mean?” Jimena dug the car keys from her purse.
“You know what I mean.”
Jimena was silent. Her lips tightened.
“I thought you said we were always going to keep it real,” Serena pleaded. “Always real between you and me.”
Serena sensed that it was difficult for Jimena to tell her what was on her mind.
“I had a premonition,” Jimena started slowly.
Serena waited. Her heart beat rapidly.
“I saw you standing in the cold fire,” Jimena whispered. “That’s what we’ve all been hiding from you. We didn’t want you to worry.”
“You should have told me.” Fear trembled through Serena’s body.
“We’re watching over you,” Jimena assured her. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t come true.”
“But you’ve never been able to stop any of your premonitions from coming true.
”
Jimena was silent for a long time and when she finally spoke her voice broke. “I know,” she said sadly.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SERENA LAY ON HER BED, twisting her leopard-print sheets around her and watching the slow-moving yellow globs in her purple Lava lamp. She tried to take in deep, soothing breaths, but her anxiety was like heavy stones crushing her chest and she couldn’t expand her lungs. A deep cold had settled inside her. She tossed and stared at the corners of the room, wondering if another light might help.
When she was young she had believed in witches, vampires, and ghouls. After her mother left, she slept with all the lights on. That’s what she had missed most when her mother had gone: safety in the night. Now her childish fears were back to haunt her, but with a new and real focus. Evil did lurk in the night and she could even name it. The Atrox.
There was no way she could betray the Daughters, was there? She couldn’t imagine becoming a Follower.
Wally jumped on her bed, startling her. He snuggled his way under the covers and curled in a ball next to her.
“What do you think, fur face?” she said, and scratched behind his ear. His masked face stared back from beneath the covers as if he were trying to comfort her. She pulled him against her and finally she was able to drift into an uneasy sleep.
She awoke a few hours later with a start, her heart beating rapidly. If it had been a dream that awakened her, she couldn’t remember it. She shook her head and sat up in the bed.
Wally scooted deeper under the covers.
Soft music came from downstairs. Maybe Collin was home already. She glanced at her clock.
It was only 11:45. She didn’t think Morgan would release him that early. Still she jumped from bed, slipped into her furry slippers, and hurried into the hallway and down the stairs. She needed to talk to him. He had a way of making her feel safe and comfortable. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but just talking to him would help ease the tension.
A light shone from under the door in her father’s den, and music was coming from the CD player. She listened. She didn’t think Collin would be listening to Mozart’s Requiem Mass. Could her father be home? He said he’d be in San Francisco all weekend. Maybe the music was Morgan’s idea of romance. Collin would be playing surf guitar music by Dick Dale and his Del-Tones.
Cautiously, she stepped forward and pressed her hand against the door. If Morgan was sitting with Collin on the couch, she was going to back away. She peeked into the den, then froze, gasping involuntarily.
Terrified, she took three quick step backward, turned, and ran.
CHAPTER NINE
STANTON LEANED AGAINST the leather sofa, leafing through a book on medieval architecture. His blue eyes glanced at her with hot energy, and a dangerously sensual smile slid across his face. He tossed the book aside and ran after her. She ran back up the stairs, her footsteps thundering through the house. Where was all her goddess power? Normally her nerves would be thrumming and power surging through her. But tonight her mind was too jangled from everything that had happened. What could she do? A 911 call was a silly idea. What would she say?
His feet pounded on the steps behind her, gaining.
She could stop and face him, but she had to compose herself first. She rushed to her room, slammed the door and locked it. He smashed into the door.
She tried to calm herself and build her energy.
He continued to bang against the door, and then silence followed.
She glanced at the door. The doorknob started to turn. Then suddenly it snapped, the lock broke with a loud clank, and Stanton stepped into her room.
She took in a deep breath. Power gathered in her chest and then spread with force to the tips of her fingers. Her moon amulet cast a silvery glow across the room.
“Is that what you wear to bed?” Stanton smiled at her. “I had expected something a little more edgy.”
“What I wear to bed?” She looked down at her pajamas, then glanced back at him and shook her head. This had to be a dream.
“You’re not dreaming,” he corrected her. The light from the moon amulet shot across his face. He blinked, then with a swiftness that seemed impossible his hand shot out and grabbed her.
She tried to pull free. When she couldn’t, she pushed into his mind to stop him, but he had already invaded hers. He wasn’t trying to battle her. He was soothing her, his calming words whispering around her anxiety and fear with the softness of angel wings.
“Serena.” He repeated her name luxuriously as if he enjoyed the easy roll of it across his tongue.
“I can feel your heart beating fast,” he continued. “But you don’t need to be afraid of me. Look at me.” The silky command in his voice made her want to gaze into his eyes. But that was too dangerous. He could trap her in one of his memories forever.
He pulled her to him with a gentleness she could never have expected from someone so evil. A delicious craving ran through her. She should hate his touch, but it was somehow drawing her to him.
And then against her will she opened her eyes. Had he made her do that? No, she had done it on her own. She was remembering something that was far away and she couldn’t bring it into focus yet.
“I’m sorry.” He spoke in hushed tones. “I know this is frightening for you. Every time I warn you, Zahi erases my warnings from your memory.”
Confusion rolled through her. “Zahi?” She pulled back and stared into his soft blue eyes, even though that was the most dangerous thing she could do.
“Yes.”
He had to be telling her lies to bring her defenses down, and then when she was no longer protecting herself he would attack.
She let her power build.
A lazy smile crossed his face. Couldn’t he feel her preparing for battle? Wasn’t he going to defend himself ?
He spread his arms to his sides, smiled broadly, opened his mind to her, and waited for her attack. Another trick?
“You have the power to look into my mind and see if I’m telling the truth,” he offered.
She watched him, not sure what she should do.
“I’m waiting.”
What would she find if she penetrated his mind? She took a deep breath. Would he ensnare her? She plundered in and was met with a memory of the two of them walking along the beach on a chilled and foggy night, talking. It was the night of the cold fire. He held her hand. She pushed in farther and found a jarring memory of her fall from the bluff, the terrible seesaw sensation of teetering on the ledge and his struggle to pull her up. He had saved her. And finally she had willingly allowed him into her mind to remove the memories of the hour they had spent together so that he could find out who was stealing her memories and why.
She caught a glimpse of something else, but before she could examine it he jerked it from her with such force that she stumbled from his mind. The impact almost made her fall backward.
Stanton steadied her and they sat on the edge of her bed.
“That night at the beach.” His words were soothing. “When you saw the cold fire. I came to you and you ran from me and fell off the bluff. That’s how you broke your glasses and scratched your hands. You were caught on a ledge and I helped you up.”
“The bruises on my arm?” she asked.
“From pulling you up,” he explained. “I’m sorry.” He touched her arm as if he were trying to take away the pain.
“You didn’t trust me then, and you don’t now.” Stanton pulled something from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Her blue sandals.
She looked at them. Spots of black tar stuck to the soles, and the purple-and-blue beadwork across the straps was covered with sand.
“That night at the beach, I knew someone was stealing your memories, so I erased the hour we’d spent together until I could find out who was stealing your memories and why. I suspected Zahi was pushing your memories deep into your unconscious so you couldn’t remember my warnings.”
“Zahi?” she asked in disbelief. r />
“Only the most powerful Followers can steal both memories and feelings.”
“But why would you warn me?” She shook her head. This was impossible. “You’d want to see me destroyed.”
“Zahi is my worst enemy,” Stanton said with a flare of hatred. “And if he can deliver you to the Atrox, he wins a place of power above me.”
She stared down at the carpet. If Stanton could deliver her to the Atrox he would also win a place of power.
“Yes,” he answered her thoughts. “But I won’t.”
“How can I trust you and not Zahi if you’re both Followers?”
“Because I haven’t stolen your thoughts or memories.”
“I don’t know that.” Could she believe him? Her sworn enemy was asking her to trust him, and she liked Zahi so much.
Stanton stood, suddenly full of rage. Or was it jealousy? She wasn’t sure.
“Zahi is a master of deceit.” He stomped back and forth across the room. He ran his hand through his blond hair. “He’s like a chameleon. He can mold his personality to show you only the person you want to see. And he means to destroy you. I swear that is his only intent.”
She chewed on her lower lip.
“I’ll protect you,” Stanton promised.
“I can’t trust you,” she insisted. “This is just another trick. You must have the same plans for me. Maggie told me about the Regulators. You wouldn’t take such a risk.”
Was it a look of surprise on his face, or fear? The Regulators were a small group who had the power to terminate any Follower who betrayed the Atrox.
“I haven’t done anything to displease the Atrox,” he said in a low voice, and then opened his mind to her. She couldn’t believe what she saw there. Before she could be sure, the back door opened downstairs.
“That’s Collin.” She panicked. “He can’t see you!”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of your own brother?” Stanton seemed to think that was funny. She hated the smirk that crept over his face.
She shoved him. “You want Collin to kill you? Hide.”