Page 27 of Missing Moon
If no one noticed me leave, everyone notices when I walk back in. Whenwewalk back in.
Everyone except for Ruby Grace. She’s seriously engrossed in whatever’s on her tablet screen. Since my kids and I are being good and not breaking people’s concept of reality, the most interesting person in the house is Dusk. He’s got all manner of stories about his adventures as a wandering artist in Europe. ‘Wandering artist’ sounds a lot better than homeless guy carrying a box of paint.
I’m glad we don’t have anylittlekids with us right now. Modern kids would be miserable in this house. No video games, no internet, only one television. Suppose it wouldn’t be too big a deal for me to quickly go get a video game system… though I think almost all of them nowadays require an internet connection or they refuse to work. The only way this house is getting any form of internet connection would be satellite. If Dusk is going to end up staying here, he’s probably going to get that installed. It would be nice to keep in touch with him via email.
Anyway, when I walk in with an unknown man, everyone stares.
“Found a lost hiker,” I say, shrugging. “Heard a scream a bit ago. Poor guy was being chased by a pack of coyotes.” I give Tammy and Anthony a pointed look.
They both get it immediately. Whenever something happened back home with werewolves, Detective Sherbet and/or the media would usually report the fallout as the result of a mountain lion attack... or coyotes.
Tammy seems to be a little worried while Anthony’s got more the look of a teenager who’s been asked to take out the trash when he’s in the middle of a video game.
“Nothing we have to worry about right now. I chased them off.” I gesture at the hiker. “This is Emerson. I invited him to spend the night here, where it’s safe.”
After a brief conversation about coyotes, we sit down. Unfortunately, my code phrase has gotten Ruby Grace, Ellie Mae, and Paxton freaking out at the idea the woods around here are dangerous. I give them all a mental prompt to relax.
Emerson’s sticking to me like a lost puppy. He sits right next to me on the couch. I don’t mind since he’s not being handsy or creepy at all. He suspects there is something ‘unusual’ about me and being near me is likely the safest place in the room. Poor guy probably worries another vampire is going to show up out of nowhere and attack him. I give him a small prompt to chillax, too. That he couldn’t be safer. He audibly sighs and sits back.
Tammy takes Paxton aside and, I assume, explains what I really meant. When they emerge from the hallway, Paxton appears to be much less terrified. You’d think realizing I’m talking about vampires would scare her more than coyotes, but it didn’t. I suppose in a way it makes sense. Actual animals are unpredictable. Not that vampires aren’t sneaky, too. But they typically—and I’m being generous here—don’t randomlyattack people. Then again, vampires don’t typically explode into clouds of ash and bones when they die, either. That’s going to be bothering me until I understand what the heck was going on with that guy. Dammit. I probably should have picked up a bone fragment to show Max.
Dusk resumes talking about some time he spent living in a little hut on the outskirts of an Italian monastery. Evidently, the monks fed him for a few months in exchange for his doing some religious paintings for them. I have yet to see any of his work, though something tells me my brother is actually competent as far as artists go. He doesn’t come off as a scammer.
Out of nowhere, Ruby Grace suddenly emits a squeal.
Everyone stops to stare at her… except for Tammy and Anthony, who are checking the windows for any signs of danger. The sudden squeal makes Paxton jump and scream, then glare at Ruby Grace in a ‘why the heck did you do that for’ way.
Ruby Grace points at the hiker. “You’re Emerson Zhu?”
“Uhh, yeah.” Emerson nods.
Everyone else in the room, except me, is making a face like ‘who the hell is Emerson Zhu?’
My sister’s youngest child spares him the embarrassment of having to brag. She rattles on about how he runs this ‘awesome’ paranormal investigation YouTube channel, and he’s like the only investigator in the world who doesn’t scream and run away the instant something unusual happens. In fact, he usually runstowarddanger.
Emerson gives a nervous laugh. “I mean ghosts are dead. They really can’t hurt you. Why run?”
“But I’ve seen shows where people get scratched by ghosts,” says Ellie Mae.
“They’re lying.” Ruby Grace examines her fingernails. “You never see a video where the scratches appear in real time. Someone always suddenly has pain and when they look—oops—there are scratches. Anyone could have done it when the camera was pointing somewhere else.”
Emerson nods at her. “I haven’t been scratched once—well, one time, but not by a ghost.”
“What scratched you? A demon?” asks Ruby Grace, breathless.
“A…” Emerson glances at me for a second. “Coyote.”
“Ooh. That had to be scary.” Ruby Grace clutches her tablet to her chest, shivering.
“A little, yeah, though it might have actually bit me.” Emerson tries his best to stop shaking. It’s subtle though. I doubt anyone can see him trembling. I’m close enough to feel it.
“Clay should be here early tomorrow morning,” says Mary Lou, queen of the subject change.
“That’s good.” I smile. “You finally got in touch with him, then.”
“River also called,” says Dusk, taking a long swig of iced tea. “Dammit. I shouldn’t be drinking this so late. I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night having to pee.”
“What did River say?” asks Mary Lou.