Shadow and Stars

Twenty-Four

The ride back to Eureka Springs is silent, Julian's fingers intertwined with mine, his thumb brushing my skin with featherlight strokes. My heart is so heavy, my mind so cluttered, that I can hardly even think.

"Cam?"

Julian's voice breaks me from my reverie, and my attention snaps to his face. "Yeah?"

"What are you thinking?"

I sigh and lean my head back against the headrest. "Where should I start? That if I want to get out of this alive, I have to kill my great-great-great-aunt, or that I only have until the end of the moon cycle in which to do it? Or maybe that if I let her get too close before then, she could destroy me in one fell swoop."

"She won't do that, though. Luna won't risk losing the magic altogether, and if she straight up destroys you, that's what could happen. She has to give you a chance to fight."

I look at him from the corner of my eye. "There has to be a sure way that she can win. Otherwise, why would she even be trying? That's the piece we're still missing."

"I know, but you're just going to have to believe Jerri's promise to figure it out in the next couple of days. We couldn't expect to get all the answers in her one-hour break, and we have to get you home before ten or your dad will never let me take you out again."

I can't help but smile. "That would be a whole other tragedy."

"Don't worry." He glances at the bright white digital clock in his dash. "We have plenty of time."

"I hope she doesn't lose the book," I say, turning in my seat to face him.

"She won't. Did you see how much respect she showed it? She didn't even put it in her bag for fear of bending the pages. She put it in one of those protective sleeves first."

"And it needs to be done soon..."

Julian nods, keeping his eyes focused on the road. "The 16th. The end of the waning crescent phase. There's a new supermoon on that day, and it has to be done then, or..."

I don't need him to finish his sentence; I already know what will happen if we don't succeed by then, and it isn't a very happy ending for me.

"It's mid-September; we don't have a lot of time."

"Jerri will come through. She proved herself today, Cam. She knows how essential she is to your survival." His voice breaks on the last word, and I squeeze his fingers.

"Hey, don't go there, Julian. Stay with me." If he loses his grip on the situation, I will have no one to pull me back from the brink.

He glances at me, and the corners of his mouth turn up. "That's all I want."

I lean over and brush my lips against his cheek. "Me too."

The rest of the ride home is quiet with few spoken words between us, but it doesn't matter; the emotion fills the car like a dense fog, covering everything it touches and making it impossible to see much of anything else.

We make it back to my house by 9:45, and I breathe a sigh of relief knowing I haven't disappointed my dad. "Whew. We even made it a little early."

"I told you I'd get you here by 10:00. Haven't you figured out yet that I don't break promises?" he asks as he jumps out of the car and jogs to the passenger side.

Julian opens the door for me as I say, "Yeah, I've gathered as much." He takes my hand in his as we crunch through the late summer grass that's been drying out for the last week. It's the end of summer, the start of autumn, which is my favorite time of year.

But this year, the clove of seasons hangs heavy over my head—the dying of the fresh and green, making way for the part of the year when nature is prepping to start anew. To get to the spring, when everything is bright and promising again, we must make our way through the cold and dark. The balance between the seasons is more than a symbol now; it's a direct parallel to the dark and light within me.

"Cam?"

I turn my attention to Julian, whose green and brown eyes are searching my face. "Yeah?"

"Please call me if you need me, okay? And I know you're a strong independent woman, but...don't go anywhere by yourself," he says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "For me?"

I grin and step toward him, resting my palm on his chest. "Deal. I don't want to go anywhere without you anyway, Gym Class Julian." And with a light kiss on the lips, I turn and leave him on the porch with a wink.

I close the door and lean against it with a sigh, butterflies doing calisthenics in my stomach.

"Well, well," Dad says, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen with a grin spread across his face. He's holding a can of Dr. Pepper in his hand and looking smug.

My face flushes and I push myself off the door with my foot. "What?" I ask in a poor attempt at nonchalance.

"Just friends, huh?"

"Stop it, Dad," I say, elbowing him as I pass into the kitchen for a snack.

"This isn't an expression I see on your face often, Camryn Sharice. Tell me about this Julian."

I know Dad won't let up, so I hop onto the stool and clasp my hands on the countertop. "What do you want to know?"

He gives me a one-shoulder shrug as he finishes loading the dishwasher. "Oh, I don't know...I guess I am just wondering how long you've had a crush on him."

"Dad!"

"What? You asked me what I wanted to know; that's it!"

I bury my head in my hands and look up at my father, and when I see his blue eyes sparkling with good cheer, I can't help but smile. "Fine...about two weeks now?"

"Excellent," he says, closing the dishwasher and taking the last swig of his soda. "I have a good feeling about that one. He seems to really care about you."

You have no idea.