Rising Moon (The Rune Stone Trilogy) (3 page)

             
"
No. I can’t.
"
Her sobs grew harder, and her breath was ragged.
"
I’m so sorry Blake,
"
she said and hung up.

             
Blake called his mother the next morning at the bookstore that she and Terra ran together, to tell her about the call. But he didn’t get a chance to relay the news, because his mother told him that she had stopped by Terra’s before opening the store and Terra was gone. She had left a note on the kitchen table saying she needed to get away for a while, and didn’t know if she would be back. She wrote that she would call in a few weeks.

             
"
A few weeks Blake!
"
his mother exclaimed on the phone.
"
We used to talk everyday, now I don’t even know how to get a hold of her. Her cell phone was on the table with the note. What if something happens to her?
"
It took a long time to calm his mother down. When he got back he went to one of his old friends that knew how to obtain any type information on a computer. His friend did enough digging and investigating to find out that she had bought a ferry ride from Seattle to Willoughby Island. Blake immediately took time off work and bought his first plane ticket to Seattle. Terra had been gone for three weeks now and he had felt frantic to see her. He had left home without any hesitation.

CHAPTER FOUR

             
Blake stepped into the small café and ordered a black coffee. He was thumbing through a magazine when the door opened. Blake looked up and couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman that walked in. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She glided into the café and her long black wavy hair had his finger twitching with want to touch. Her hair hung past the middle of her back, and it was paired with smooth, creamy white skin. She wore a white peasant top that lay open at the neck and tight denim capris. She went straight to the counter and ordered a drink, then stayed and chatted with the worker, leaning her hip against the counter. Her back faced him and he waited for her to turn to face him so he could see her face again, and he was oblivious to anything else. So oblivious that he didn’t notice Terra joining him.

             
"Hey," s
he smiled.

             
He blinked out of his daze and tore his eyes away from the goddess. He tried to return the smile to Terra.
"
Hey,
"
he said roughly and cleared his throat.

             
"
What’s with you?
"
she asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

             
"
No-nothing.
"
He forced himself not to look at the goddess leaning seductively against the counter. He cleared his throat again and forced the woman from his head. He had a job to do here, and drooling over beautiful women wasn’t part of it. He had to give Terra his complete attention.
"
So, what now?
"

             
"
Well, I think we should check you out of the Inn and move your things to my house. It’s only a few blocks away. And I’m renting it, so don’t go destroying anything.
"

             
"
Terra, I don’t destroy things,
"
he said and then smiled. He had a flash memory of playing touch football with a couple of buddies in his parent’s living room. He was grounded for a long time after that. Apparently the vase they had broken was old and very expensive.
"
Well, just one time.
"

             
"
Right.
"
Terra laughed and let her eyes wander around the café. Her eyes widened and she muttered a curse, looking back to Blake.
"
We need to go right now,
"
she whispered urgently.

             
"
What-
"
Blake frowned, but then the black haired goddess stepped to their table.

             
"
Hello again.
"
She smiled warmly, her deep sapphire eyes on Terra. She was even more beautiful up close. Her smooth creamy skin had a faint glow to it, and her black hair fell around her face when she leaned down. Her head turned towards Terra, exposing her neck to him, and the scent of clean lavender and vanilla drifted toward him. He wanted to bathe in her scent. 

             
Terra, however, was concentrating on the table.
"
I see you’re busy, but I wanted to make sure you feel welcome on our island.
"
She hadn’t even glanced at Blake. She watched Terra with an intensity that made Blake feel his brotherly protectiveness take over.
"
I never got your name.
"
She paused. Blake looked back to Terra, who began to tremble.
"
Maybe some other time,
"
she sighed. She turned on her heel and walked away.

             
"
Terra?
"
He watched his sister.

             
"
Is she gone?
"
she whispered.

             
"
Yes.
"
He watched her leave the café.

             
"
Can we go now?
"

             
Terra had scrambled out of her seat before he could close his magazine. Once he threw his cup in the garbage and put the magazine back in it’s rack he found her standing on the street, her arms wrapped around herself and staring down the street, a blank look on her face.
"
You okay?
"
he asked.

             
"
Fine,
"
she said quickly and started walking down the street, toward the Inn.

             
"
Terra, who was that?
"
he asked when he caught up to her. It hadn’t taken but three steps since his legs were much longer than hers.

             
"
I don’t know.
"
She shrugged. Her face was still pale, even there on the hot pavement. She turned the corner and crossed the street.

             
"
Come on, you must know since she came and talked to you. Are you scared of her?
"
Blake couldn’t get used to her moods now. She’d never been so guarded against him. Normally she was an open book, willing to give him more of an explanation than he bargained for.

             
"
I don’t know who she is Blake,
"
she said with a tone that told him the conversation that hadn’t even started was finished. She had lashed out with a quick and angry attitude that hadn’t ever been present in her until almost two years ago, just after she graduated high school. Her kindness had slowly seeped away, being replaced with someone you had to walk on eggshells around.

             
"
Okay,
"
he sighed, not giving up just giving her space. He would get answers out of her before he went back home. He was sure of it. Even if that meant she would come to hate him, he had to know what has happened to his own sister.

             
They entered the Chester Inn and he led them to the elevator in silence. He couldn’t think of anything to say to her.

             
Once they retrieved Blake’s things from the Inn, he had to pay for the fee of staying overnight even though he was only there for an hour or two. They walked silently down the streets until they came to a residential area. He didn’t bring up the woman from the café, but it had been eating away at him. Terra pointed out a few sights and mumbled a few words about the beach, and something about a whale watching boat, but he had a hard time listening to her. He wanted to know why couldn’t she just say ‘I’ve taken up drinking’ or drugs, or she was depressed, or something. These things were fixable, or at least something he could work with. Silence was killing him.
"
It’s just up ahead,
"
Terra said, breaking the silence.

             
"
Nice neighborhood,
"
Blake said, looking at the houses they were passing. The houses were cottage style with colorful gardens that were well tended and stone walks.

             
"
Here we are.
"
Terra stopped in front of a white, waist high picket fence. He looked toward the small blue cottage. It had a small front porch with two white wicker chairs. The grass had been recently cut, and the gardens only held one kind of flower. They were overflowing, and the blooms drooped towards the ground, as if the
blooms
were too heavy for the stalks. The color was an impossible bright blue.

             
"
What kind are those?
"
he asked her.

             
"
Oh, just some bluebells.
"
She shrugged, underplaying her fascination with them. For a reason she couldn’t explain, she couldn’t seem to get enough bluebells in her life now. She craved the sight and scent of them whenever she wasn’t around them.

             
Terra opened the gate and led Blake up the steps to the front door. She unlocked it and stepped aside. He looked around the living room, which held a loveseat and recliner, and in the corner there was a television on a small entertainment stand. There were two bookshelves that were empty.

             
"
The rooms are down this hall.
"
She pointed off the living room and led him away from the deserted room.
"
This is my room,
"
she pointed into the first bedroom, and when he looked inside he saw only a bed and dresser. A full-length mirror stood in the corner and on the nightstand he saw a single book and alarm clock next to the bed.
"
You can stay in here.
"
She opened the door across the hall from hers. The set up was the same, minus the mirror.

             
"
Cozy,
"
he said. She had been living here for almost a month and nothing in the house showed it, minus the small vases and pots of flowers that were littered around the house. Not having an eye for plants, he had no idea what kind they were, except for the lily of the valley that was in the living room. What surprised him the most were the empty bookcases. As long as he could remember she always surrounded herself with books. She never read one at a time, it was normally two to three so she could change books as her mood changed.

             
The house was empty. There couldn’t have been much change to the house from when she rented it except for the clothes hanging in the closet and the toothbrush at the bathroom sink. This only made him more confused, wondering how she could run away from her friends and family to this lifestyle. He could see no comfort in her new home, only loneliness. She appeared to be far worse than he thought. He questioned himself if there was anything of his sister left.

             
"
I know it’s not much, but it is a roof over my head, and it’s cheap.
"
She showed him where the bathroom and kitchen were, which neither held anything special. The kitchen didn’t have any food except for crackers, bread, peanut butter and milk.
"
I’ll go grocery shopping while you’re unpacking,
"
she said.

             
"
Don’t make any special trips on my account.
"

             
She frowned at him and crossed her arms.
"
You know this has nothing to do with you.
"

             
"
Oh,
"
he said, a little surprised.
"
You mean you really do eat?
"

             
Terra sighed.
"
Not the groceries,
"
she said quietly and was focusing down at her shoes.
"
I’m talking about my leaving home. I just couldn’t-
"
she stopped herself and shook her head.

             
He walked over to his sister and pulled her chin up so she had to look at him. She hesitantly looked at him, and she tensed under his hand.
"
It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about this now.
"
Relief swam in her eyes.
"
We will, eventually,
"
he warned her.
"
But it’s been a long day for me. And, I’m starving.
"
He eyed the empty cupboards.

             
Terra nodded and stepped out of his reach.
"
Thank you, Blake.
"
She took a deep breath and looked at the same empty cupboards.
"
How about we order pizza? Then maybe tonight we can go grocery shopping together?
"
she asked hopefully.