Two Secrets

By Sarah Frank and Tara Raymo

Brian’s world is about to

• Language: English
• Publisher: BeaLu Books
• Release date: Oct 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781734106596

Sarah Frank

Sarah Frank is a teen author and poet from Tampa, Florida. At age 14 she received a publication contract from BeaLu Books for her first novel, One Chance. It was published in 2018, winning a silver medal in Juvenile Fiction, age 7-12 category by the Florida Authors & Publishers Association, Inc. Since 2018, Sarah has visited and spoken to over 4,000 students, teachers, media specialists and parents on her local book tours. What started out as a visit to speak to 4th and 5th grade students at her local school, Westchase Elementary, quickly took on momentum as word spread among principals, teachers, and media specialists about Sarah's unique connection to students. Her message and story about making dreams come true through hard work and dedication resonated with kids beyond improving their desire to read One Chance and write stories of their own. Getting Two Secrets, the second book in the One Chance Series, out has been a labor of love and massive juggling. Besides visiting elementary and middle schools, Sarah attends Howard W. Blake High School of the Arts, where she majors in creative writing and has been president of her class during her freshman, sophomore, and junior years. On top of being a member of 13 clubs, she founded Blake's first debate club, class council, and co-founded the Best Buddies chapter. Sarah works hard at schoolwork taking many advanced placement classes. She is also an active member and officer in her religious youth group. Sarah attends the W.I.N.D. (Writers In Need of Direction) program for teens at the University of South Florida. Both this group and the ICE Writers camp she attended for six summers are sponsored by the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project (TBAWP), a chapter of the National Writing Project. Sarah credits these camps for helping her learn about writing. Through these camps, she began to think of herself as a writer. Sarah's always busy but she makes time for her writing. It's her outlet, her escape, and her whole world.

Book preview

PART

ONE

ONE

Prologue: Brian’s Perspective

November, six months after One Chance ended

I do. Those two powerful words escaped my adopted father’s lips. I wondered how it could possibly be that just two words—three letters in the right combination—could change a person’s life forever.

I do. Debra McLaughlin repeated the same two words as her smile grew even larger.

Everything felt perfect at that moment. It was that feeling, that rare and incredible feeling, where nothing could take you down.

This is all so perfect, Sandy said. They really do belong together.

Their names even sound perfect together, Rebecca said. Mark David and Debra McLaughlin.

Sandy pointed to them as the wedding officiant pronounced them married. Debra David, now.

I always dreamed of this, Rebecca said. Years of growing up in an orphanage built high hopes. This is all a dream come true.

I’m so happy. Sandy beamed at us, her ocean eyes lighting up. I’ve wanted this for such a long time too. Two parents and three siblings, it’s amazing. And it’s extra great that my father got a second chance.

Yeah, I agreed, smiling. Everyone deserves a second chance.

• • •

I think I ate one too many cupcakes, Aaron groaned once we returned home from the wedding. He clutched his stomach.

Try six too many, Rebecca said. She and Sandy laughed and went to get changed.

I followed Aaron to our room, so we could change out of our suits. Once I was comfortable in a t-shirt and jeans, I went back out to the kitchen to find Mark standing there staring into a box. I assumed it was a present, as it was sitting in a sea of glittering gold boxes and bags filled with colorful tissue paper.

Brian! Mark immediately closed the box and set it back down on the table. I noticed you didn’t eat that much at the wedding. Feel free to grab any of the leftovers, they’re all in the fridge. I’m just going to go, um, see Debra now.

I knew I shouldn’t have, but my curiosity got the better of me as it always did. I removed the top of the box Mark had been holding to look inside, hoping maybe it was a picture frame or an interesting book—an average wedding gift. Instead, there was a vial of blood.

I gasped and dropped the lid in shock and disgust. There was a little note that read:

Congrats on a new wife. Here’s

something to help you remember

your old one. –

I stared at the blood in absolute horror. How could this happen? Was Charles Moon coming after us again? Years ago, he killed Sandy’s birth mom and Mark’s first wife, Julianne. He’d tried to kill Sandy last spring while she lived at the orphanage, but he’d gone dormant for the past few months. Was he back to torture us all over again?

Moon was like a cloud—hanging over us, collecting water vapor to turn into rain and swallowing us in a thunderstorm. A looming yet unpredictable threat.

Hearing footsteps in the hallway, I quickly replaced the lid on the box and stared at the big red bow. The gift had seemed harmless at first. I shivered.

My stomach twisted, fear gripping me tight. I hadn’t felt this kind of fear in months. The kind of fear that holds you so tight that you barely have room to breathe. The kind that makes you question every action and overthink every move. The kind of fear that freezes you in place.

The kind of fear only Charles Moon could instill.

TWO

Two Months Later…

Tessa’s hands wrapped around the gun. A bullet flew through the air and smashed into the target.

Mark looked over. Good job, Tessa. Only a few inches off. See if you can be the first to hit the bullseye.

Tessa nodded, flipped her glowing auburn hair over her shoulder, and reloaded her gun. She steadied herself and aimed.

Bullseye.

Holy cow, Tess! Nick ran a hand through his disheveled hair. It was always a mess, but he never seemed to care. I haven’t even gotten close to the bullseye.

Yeah, you’re a natural, Tess, said Rebecca, clearly jealous that she was not the first to hit the bullseye.

I still don’t know why all this training is necessary, Sandy said.

Mark held up a hand for everyone to stop and listen. I want all you kids to be prepared in case a time comes when you have to defend yourself.

Yeah, you all need to know how to protect yourselves, and in more than just one way, Alex Supter, a close friend of Mark’s, added. She was short with a bright red afro and a personality just as prominent. You never know when you might need to.

But why is it as necessary for me? Sandy asked. I feel like you’d never let me go on any more adventures until I’m totally adjusted to the prosthetic. A jolt in my stomach pulled the memories from the back of my mind. I still remembered it all as though it were yesterday: Sandy, Rebecca, Tessa, Nick, Aaron, and I traveled back in time to stop Sandy’s parents from disappearing when she was four years old. We used the Stone of Discedo, a time-traveling stone, but there was, of course, a catch. We first needed to fix three terrible events in history. It was an epic adventure, starting with saving Abraham Lincoln from his assassination, stopping the sinking of the Titanic, and then attempting to warn the people at Pearl Harbor. During the final part of our mission, Sandy’s leg was hit with shrapnel and part of it had to be amputated.

We abandoned our mission to save her, to get her back to the present and to a hospital. We never ended up stopping her birth parents’ disappearances, but one of them, Mark David, was still alive and ended up adopting us.

Since then, we’d been thrust into a new world, one where we were always on our toes, one where we had to train and practice and prepare for anything and everything. A world of unknowns, of mysterious magic.

You have to be able to defend yourself at any point in time, Mark said. We don’t get the luxury of controlling when we are in danger. As much as I can try to keep you guys safe, there is no guarantee.

I really don’t want to do this, I said, glancing down at the gun in my hand. I don’t like guns at all. Their sole purpose is to kill; they shouldn’t even exist. I—

Man up, Bri, Nick said. It’s just self-defense.

I don’t care. I don’t want to practice firing guns anymore.

I don’t want to either. I was surprised to hear it was Rebecca who spoke up in agreement.

That’s only because you’re not as good as I am, Tessa said, her hand on her hip.

That’s not true! I don’t like guns, that’s all.

Me either, Sandy added. They’re too scary.

We’ve faced John Wilkes Booth, Nick said. Wouldn’t it have been much easier to stop him if we had a gun? And then maybe Rick wouldn’t be a vaporized soul.

Before going back in time to help us save Abraham Lincoln, Nick’s twin, Rick, split his soul from his body using the Stone of Moraetus to preserve it in case anything happened. John Wilkes Booth was about to shoot Nick, but Rick sacrificed himself and was shot instead. His body died, but his soul permanently separated from his body and lived on as a ghost-like apparition called a vaporized soul. Yet despite being ‘alive’ in a sense of the word, Rick was pretty much confined to the Phillips’s house, where he lived with Tessa, Nick, and Mr. Phillips. Ghost-like beings weren’t allowed to go out in public. The risk of being seen was too high.

When Mark adopted Rebecca, Aaron, and me, his longtime friend, Ross Phillips, adopted Tessa, Nick, and Rick. Mr. Phillips taught language arts at Mountain View, and it was in his class that Sandy and I first met.

Hey, we’re not bringing Rick into this, Tessa said. That’s not what this is about.

Nick shook his head. This is about protection!

That part is right, Tessa agreed. We need to know how to protect ourselves.

Your training in martial arts and weapons is all part of an effort to keep you safe, Mark said. You won’t always know what you’re up against or when you’re up against it. You have to be prepared for anything. You guys are a part of a different world now.

All of this will come in handy at some point, Alex added. We can hope it won’t. But wishing on birthday candles and shooting stars doesn’t keep evil at bay.

Are we ever going to get our own weapons? Nick asked, his emerald eyes alight with excitement.

We’ll see, Mark said. You’ll have to hit the bullseye first, though, or at least really close to it consistently.

Let me try, Rebecca said. If I have to do this, I’m at least going to get it right. Her bullet hit the outer ring of the target. She sighed and tried again but didn’t do much better.

You’ll get it soon, Alex said.

I know I will.

You’re certainly determined.

Rebecca nodded. Determined was certainly one word for it.

Alex went over to Tessa, which wasn’t a surprise as Alex had clearly taken a special liking to her, leaving Rebecca on her own.

Maybe she’s trying to fill the gap since her daughter is on that foreign exchange thing, Rebecca muttered to me. Maybe Tessa reminds her of her daughter.

I don’t know, but I’m not going to judge.

Nick was holding his hand up in the air to block the window next to him. Alex, it’s really bright over here. Can you fix it?

Sure. Alex snapped her fingers, dimming the sunlight for Nick. She had powers over light, which, at first, sounded kind of lame. That was until she explained that light is the foundation of sight, meaning she can manipulate what people see. She could become invisible by making light not bounce off of her. She could dim the sun and make people hallucinate; she could do all sorts of stuff. Alex was one of the coolest people I’d ever met, with or without including her powers.

Thanks, Alex! Nick called back.

I turned back to my target, frustrated. Despite my greatest efforts, no amount of reading or research could help me hit the bullseye. As Mark said, it was all in the practice and determination, but in all honesty, I wasn’t that determined to learn how to fire a gun. That lack of determination definitely showed in my incompetence.

After our Friday morning target practice, we went home and got ready for the school day. Together, the six members of our family got into Debra’s minivan to head to Mountain View Middle School. Mark worked there as a gym coach and Debra as a receptionist.

I don’t like mornings, Aaron mumbled as we got out of Debra’s van and began to walk towards the school. How can people be so happy when they just woke up?

I began to answer, Happiness is a byproduct—

Or maybe some people are just more positive! Sandy smiled at us. Positivity is a choice that’s yours to make.

That’s some real hippie hoorah stuff, Aaron said.

Debra and Mark both waved goodbye and headed their respective ways. Rebecca, Sandy, Aaron, and I kept walking, at least until Jasmine Marrow came up to us.

Well, if it isn’t Rebecca David, assistant to Miss Popular, Jasmine crossed her arms and looked Rebecca up and down.

Jasmine was what people called the Queen Bee of Mountain View. She acted as if she ruled the place, had a bunch of people following her at every point in time, and like a bee, she could really sting you if she wanted to.

I hated the entire concept of popularity, of social hierarchies in general. I was always on the outside of the so-called popular group, but it never phased me. It wasn’t something I needed or wanted in my life. Some girls at school would do almost anything to break their way into that group.

No girl ever did.

Yet somehow, Tessa had taken over Mountain View Middle School as a seventh-grader in a matter of weeks. Since she transferred from Rolling Hills at the beginning of the school year, Tessa had risen exponentially in popularity. Maybe it was the way she demanded respect and always spoke her mind. Whatever it was, it worked. Tessa had unseated Jasmine as the most popular girl in school. Plus, it seemed like by being friends with someone popular, people looked up to you more, like being popular adjacent.

I still didn’t really get the appeal, though. Why did it matter who knew more people? While popularity seemed ridiculous, what I did like was the fact that nobody bothered me anymore. I was no longer the guy who sat under a tree because he was too worried he’d get mocked out on the football field, desperate to avoid the conflict. Now I was the guy who sat under a tree purely because I prefer to read in the shade.

I’m no one’s assistant, Rebecca snapped at Jasmine. Tessa is my friend.

You say that now, but I guess you don’t know what I know. Jasmine held up a hand, silencing Rebecca, who hadn’t even opened her mouth to speak again.

Save it, Jasmine, Aaron said. I’d rather spend my time fighting off a giant salamander than listening to your whiny voice.

Suit yourself. Jasmine sauntered away.

Don’t listen to her, Rebecca, Sandy put an arm around our sister. She’s just trying to get in your head.

Rebecca looked over her shoulder at Jasmine and made a sour face. Well, it’s working.

Don’t let it get to you, I told her. You don’t need additional toxicity in your life.

Aaron nodded. Yeah, what Brian said!

Sandy and Rebecca waved goodbye, Rebecca heading down the science hallway, and Sandy to the library before heading to our math class.

Not only do I not like mornings, Aaron said as we kept walking, but I don’t like math. And I especially don’t like doing math in the morning.

I know. You say that every day.

Because it’s true. When am I ever going to need the pit-hag-oreo-ian theorem in my life?

You need the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the hypotenuse of a triangle, I said, knowing full well he’d never remember the formula anyway.

I can’t even spell ‘hypotenuse,’ Aaron groaned. And I still don’t know what it is.

The hypotenuse is the side of the triangle that—

No, no, no! We haven’t walked into class yet. Therefore, class hasn’t started, and therefore, no math talk.

Uh-huh. Okay. I still don’t understand why people don’t like math, it’s so…rhythmic. Once you know something, you can apply it to different numbers and repeat. It’s—

Right now, you sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown. You know, the one that goes ‘wah, wah, wah, wah.’

That’s just gibberish.

Exactly. With the cafeteria in sight, Aaron’s face lit up and a smile stretched across his face. Do we still have time to go to the cafeteria? he asked, taking a peek at my watch.

If we go quickly, we have time.

Oh, please, Aaron began to walk faster. I’m the king of eating quickly.

You’re the king of eating in general, I corrected.

Aaron laughed, his goofy grin spreading across his freckled face. Ah, touché, Brian.

You go get in line for your cereal, I’ll go sit at our table. I walked over to the circular table in the corner—our usual spot. I pulled out one of the books from my backpack, but I didn’t even crack it open before Ida and Olivia slid into the seats across from me.

Ida shut off the music she and Olivia had been listening to, Vienna by Billy Joel, and plopped her backpack on the seat next to her.

They were Sandy’s friends from this school before she transferred to Rolling Hills Middle School after moving to the orphanage. Sandy left Mountain View just as I was starting here, and when she left, Ida and Olivia took me under their wings.

Hey, Brian, Olivia said.

Hi, I replied, a little annoyed I was getting cheated out of my reading time, but nonetheless, polite.

Did you hear? Ida asked.

Hear what?

Tessa joined the Magentas, Ida said.

The who?

The Magentas! You know, the popular clique. Or as I call them, the idiots with acrylic nails.

Matching acrylic nails, Olivia added.

What are acrylic nails? I asked.

That’s beside the point. She’s going to have to eat lunch with them now. And hang with them in the morning and at dismissal.

Tessa wouldn’t just leave us behind like that, I assured them. She makes her own rules. Tessa does her own thing, always.

Ida folded her arms across her chest and looked at me. Who are you trying to convince? she asked. Us or you?

I know Tessa, I said. She’s not a follower. She didn’t join the Magentas. It’s probably just gossip.

Aaron came running over to the table. Guys—holy fruit loops, you won’t believe what I heard in the breakfast line. Apparently, Tessa—

Joined the Magentas, Ida finished.

Aaron frowned. Yeah, how did you—

Everyone is talking about it, Olivia told him. We just don’t know if it’s true. I mean, it’s Tessa!

Just then, the cafeteria doors opened and in walked a group of girls, Jasmine Marrow at the front.

The Magentas, Olivia said in awe.

Ida wrinkled her nose. Gross. They’re like variations of the same person.

The six girls sat down at a long table near the front of the cafeteria. To my surprise, Tessa was with them.

She…she did, I whispered. I looked at Aaron, whose eyes were wide. We didn’t know what to do. It was unbelievable, unreal.

Is Tessa pulling away from us? Aaron asked, his eyes glancing from the Magentas back to me.

I looked over to Tessa and the Magentas. She was smiling, laughing.

It looks like popularity might’ve gotten to her, I shook my head. Finish your cereal, Aaron. I don’t want to sit here and watch this.

Aaron shoved spoonful after spoonful of cinnamon cereal into his mouth. He probably would’ve eaten it that quickly and messily even if I hadn’t told him he should eat quickly.

See you guys at lunch, I said to Ida and Olivia as Aaron and I left the crowded cafeteria.

I can’t believe it, Aaron said once we’d put a good distance between us and the cafeteria. Tessa and I make fun of the Magentas. We laugh at popularity. And now…she’s one of them? Rebecca is going to be really hurt.

Sandy, too, I added. Do we tell them?

Don’t ask me, Brian, you’re supposed to be the moral compass here.

I…don’t know what to do.

We got to Mrs. Glickman’s algebra class and took our seats, mine in the front and Aaron’s in the back. I enjoyed math, but I just couldn’t get myself to concentrate, not after finding out about Tessa and worrying about how Rebecca and Sandy would react to it.

When math ended, I headed to science. It wasn’t until I walked in that I remembered Tessa and I were lab partners today. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

She was already in class, putting on a pair of purple science goggles. Purple. Of course.

Hey, Brian, she said once she saw me. I don’t know if you’ve heard or not but—

I’ve heard.

There’s something you don’t know—

It’s fine, I said. You’re popular. You’re a Magenta. That’s fine. You do you.

But Brian—

Can you go get the test tubes? I asked as I flipped open my textbook to the periodic table in preparation. We have a lab to do. I read the instructions a few times last night and condensed it into simpler steps.

Brian, I—

Three test tubes should do it, I think, I told her, re-reading the lab instructions just to be sure.

Oh. Okay.

Once Tessa turned around, I sighed and put the unnecessary girl drama into the corner of my mind. For now, at least.

• • •

I was walking with Rebecca in the courtyard when I spotted Tessa and the Magentas on the other side. There was no doubt in my mind that Rebecca had heard the rumors, but for her own good, maybe it was best they weren’t verified. At least until I could figure out what was really going on. I felt it was part of my duty as her brother to protect her, and the last thing Rebecca needed was to be hurt by her best friend.

Hey, why don’t we go this way? I suggested.

Why? she turned to look at me. We always walk this way… Rebecca looked around and saw Tessa with the Magentas.

Rebecca—

How could she? Rebecca asked. She stared intently at Tessa. She always meets up with me after fourth period.

I’m sure—

You’re right, she said. We should walk another way. Rebecca flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder, grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the route I’d indicated.

Rebecca! Brian! Tessa called.

Just keep walking, Rebecca muttered. I don’t want to do this right now.

Guys! Please talk to me.

At that point, I couldn’t ignore her anymore. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her.

What? I asked. What do you want to say?

I know you both know I joined the Magentas—everyone does at this point—but there’s something you don’t know.

Now would be a good time to enlighten us, then, I told her.

I…can’t.

So you stopped us to say there’s something we don’t know, but you won’t tell us what that is? Rebecca crossed her arms. How thoughtful of you. With that, she turned around and walked down the hallway.

Brian, please—

I started walking after Rebecca, but I turned around to say, Not now, Tess. Not now.

• • •

At last, the weekend had arrived. Saturday morning found my family all together watching the news.

I’m Lindsey Black, reporting for WTTA News in South Toheeden, Ohio. We have another missing person—

That’s the fifth one! And just in this month alone! Sandy gaped at the TV. Something needs to be done—

Shhh! Rebecca hissed.

—Henry Lodge was last seen in the afternoon on Friday, January 13 at the Bluewood Library. A picture of a tall man with green eyes and ruffled brown hair appeared on the television screen. The sheriff’s office asks if anyone sees Henry Lodge, or any of the other people who are missing, to contact them immediately.

As the reporter spoke, the names and photos of the missing people were shown on the screen.

The sheriff’s office also wants people to be aware that escaped convicts, Corey Calbrook and Darius Kane, have not been found. They are considered armed and dangerous. If anyone sees them or has any other information, they should call the sheriff’s office immediately.

The pictures of the two convicts appeared on the screen.

Who do you think is behind the disappearances? Sandy asked, staring at the pictures on the screen. Maybe Corey and Darius?

I shook my head. I don’t think they have evidence against them, just the coincidence that the timeline of their escape matches the timeline of the disappearances.

What if it was Charles Moon? Rebecca asked, pausing the news.

The room fell silent. Charles Moon’s resume was just a long list of terrible things. He was obsessed with power and craved revenge on Mark, who escaped him all those years ago.

Nobody ever truly escaped Charles Moon.

Things had been quiet and good for us for a while, though. Moon hadn’t bothered us since last spring, and we all hoped it stayed that way. On the other hand, we also knew that if there was something strange occurring, it could definitely be related to him.

Maybe it was him, Sandy bit her lip, but I don’t know why he would do that. Why would he need these people?

No idea, Rebecca said, but I do know that if there’s something weird going on here in the small town of South Toheeden, it could definitely be Moon behind it in one way or another. That was exactly what I’d been thinking.

Still, though, Sandy said. Nothing is pointing to Charles Moon. Not now, at least. We shouldn’t worry about that unless we have a good reason to.

Whoever is behind these disappearances though…they know what they’re doing, I said. They’re still dangerous, even if it’s not Moon.

Let’s go over what we know, Rebecca said. Brian, pull up the information on the computer. And Sandy, take out a pen and paper and write this down.

Sandy grabbed her notepad from the table and the pencil beside it and poised it above the paper. I grabbed the laptop we shared from the coffee table and pulled up the news articles.

Irene Swenson disappeared on New Year’s day and then on January 4, Samson Harvey disappeared—

Samson Harvey is the teacher across the hall from Mr. Phillips, Debra said. He mostly just keeps to himself, but he’s a great person. Everyone loves him.

I nodded and then continued. Three days after that, Carter Ward went missing. Then on January 10, Monica Bradley disappeared, and then Henry Lodge on January 13, two days ago….

Rebecca gasped. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before—

What? asked Sandy.

The disappearances all take place three days after the last one….

That means… Sandy’s voice trailed off.

I looked back and forth, from Aaron to Mark to Rebecca. We all knew what that meant, but I said it aloud anyway. Someone is going to disappear tomorrow.

Silence blanketed the room, broken when the doorbell rang. Mark answered it. The rest of us were still frozen in shock.

Hey, guys, Mr. Phillips said. When Rebecca saw that Tessa and Nick were there too, she gave a deep sigh, rolled her eyes, and then fixed them on the television.

Are you here to tell us why you joined the Magentas? I asked Tessa, hoping she’d say yes, and all this drama would be over.

I’m sorry, but I can’t.

Forget it, Tess, Rebecca said.

On another note, Sandy said, trying to move the conversation to a safer topic. We’ve found a pattern in all the disappearances: they all happen with two days in between. Every three days.

Okay, so now we need to figure out who is behind this, Nick said.

Duh, Aaron said. But how?

If only Rick could be here, Nick hung his head. He’d know what to do.

We can video chat him! Rebecca suggested.

He’s doing his online classes right now, Mr. Phillips told us. Maybe later.

Nick and Tessa plopped down on the couches, and Mr. Phillips pulled up a chair. Nick grabbed the TV remote and pressed play on the news again. They were still talking about the disappearances, probably because that was the only thing truly newsworthy that was happening in Toheeden.

Mr. Phillips held up a hand. Wait…look, Mark.

Mark got up and stepped closer to the screen. Nick, pause it for a second.

Mr. Phillips joined Mark in front of the TV. He looked to Mark, asking questions without even talking. Mark nodded.

What is it? Tessa asked. What are you looking at?

Mr. Phillips said softly, The snake…

The snake? Sandy repeated. What snake?

Mark and Mr. Phillips stepped aside, allowing us to see. Mr. Phillips pointed at the wall behind the reporter. In black and red paint, a snake had been emblazoned on the tan building.

Nick tilted his head and frowned. Okay, and?

The snake…that’s…a bad sign.

A bad sign? Nick asked.

It means Charles Moon is at play, Mark sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It means he has something to do with this, and he wants us to know.

So, he put that there for us?

For us and anyone who knows him, yes, Mark answered. It’s not just a sign. It’s a warning.

I slipped into that feeling of fear again, the same feeling as when I saw the vial of blood Charles Moon sent Mark for the wedding. That horrible, horrible feeling of fear and helplessness. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

The room was silent. Rebecca’s eyes were wide, staring into the depths of the television screen.

Mark finally spoke. This is as good of a time as any to remind you all to be on the lookout. If Moon is really at play here…if he is really responsible for this…you need to be aware at all times. Remember the rules of the protection charm: as long as you are within a mile of one of us, he pointed to himself, Debra, and Mr. Phillips, Moon cannot get to you. You are safe from him. But that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down.

We all nodded. We knew the rules. They were constantly reinforced to us, except this time was different. This time it mattered more. Moon was here, in our town.

Debra moved closer to Mark and said to him, "Now would be a good time