The Quarter Moon (Afterlife saga) Read online

  So I went back to my name as it told me to and looked for the double letters in my name. Ok so there were two N’s, L’s and R’s but after reading on I could eliminate N and L so wrote down R on my paper. Didn’t get the next bit but saw the A, I would ‘find in Loyalty’ so added it to the page. So now I had SA letters missing and then R and A. I quickly scanned the next part and think it meant O. Yes because if you took away the one I love, which was Dom, and the answer was in the ‘Do’ then that would leave O, also meaning 1-1 =0, so I added that to the list.

  “Ok so what next, I have the S.A….3 letters missing and then R.O. Letter missing and then A.” I bit my lips as I read on hoping I was on the right track so far. I read the other part more slowly and asked myself what 4 had to do with ‘This Journey is Key to Royalty’…when I saw it…that’s sentence had 4 Y’s and it asked me to only use one and then an A!

  So after a quick scan of the rest I saw a bit that said ‘But the L we won’t need until the last in the word’ So when I added that too it spelt out,

  ‘S.A…..R.O.Y.A.L’

  After reading the last part it came to me quicker this time as the only thing ‘Whistle and Flute’ could be is Suit in cockney slang. And then the ‘Pays at the end and leaves with his case’ meant hotel so these too put together could only mean ‘Suite’

  “I got it!” I shouted going back to the top and reading ‘You find in half a ship’s greeting’ which she mentioned at the beginning in the ‘To find the Ahoy and your deck’

  I wrote down the place she was going to finally meet me and couldn’t help but make a ‘Woop woop’ shout out. It might have taken me a few hours to figure it out but I finally made up the place name with the last letters…

  ‘SAVOY ROYAL SUITE’

  I knew it was one of the most famous hotels in London, so this could be the only place she meant. I felt so great after I finally figured it out, it was only when in the shower later that it occurred to me why she did things in this way. All of the letters so far only made sense after the next piece of the puzzle. So if anyone was to get their hands on one of the letters then they wouldn’t be able to make out where she was, or even what they meant. She told me in the beginning she couldn’t just write down where she was and in this last letter, without the right name you wouldn’t have figured it out.

  It was crazy madness and frustrating as Hell, but you couldn’t deny the genius in her ways. The one part I still didn’t get was why hand over the coin and letter to someone that wanted to eat a piece of me? That one I think would have to be explained by the lady herself.

  After I got out of the shower, changed, and dried my hair, I was starting to feel more human again. I picked up the tickets and the rest of the letters and hid them all in my top drawer apart from the last letter. I sat down on my bed cleaning the water from my ears with an ear bud while I scanned the first part of the letter. It just felt like there was something I was missing, something I needed to do and soon.

  It was a strange feeling, like some invisible hand was pulling at my fingers until I got it right. I mean, everything so far she’d predicted. That was until the one choice I was given. Eddie was like the ultimate test to where my loyalties lay. It was like handing me my one and only chance at a normal life. Like the Gods had given me a way out of being the Chosen One. But why...was this my very own version of ‘free will’, the same chance at it that everyone else got?

  At this point there was only one person with any answers for me but first I needed to figure this part out. I knew the key was in these words but it was like trying to make sense of a small child that can’t quite talk yet. They knew what they were saying but as adults we already had the correct way of saying things drummed into us, so the key was thinking like a child. Was it the same with this? If I ever wanted to make sense of it I needed to think like her. Like someone who was trying to give me orders in a way only I would understand.

  ‘First you must go back to where it all began and take steps into the past that put you at the Kings level’ Well, surely the only thing meant by this was ‘Afterlife’, as that was after all where this all began and to put me at Draven’s level was in the VIP. The next part I didn’t understand yet but I knew one thing, I would have to get back into Afterlife before I went anywhere. And it had something to do with this coin. So, with that in mind, I rooted out that envelope and placed the coin in my pocket, feeling comfort instantly on feeling its tiny weight in my jeans, so I continued to keep it there.

  After a few days I had it all planned out in my head. The tickets said I was to travel on the fifth of July, two days before my birthday, which gave me enough time to put my plans into action. But there was one thing I knew I needed to do to make sure my plan worked and for that I needed Jack. Which was why I was scrolling down to his number and calling him right now.

  “Hey stranger, what’s up?” His easy going voice helped calm the buzzing I felt in my head from being ready to burst with excess energy. All this cracking codes and planning a rescue mission had had me pumped and ready to go for days.

  “Umm, nothing really, just kinda need to ask you something but don’t want to do it over the phone…do you fancy meeting up?”

  We arranged for him to come round after his shift the next day and this gave me time to talk to Libby. I didn’t know how Libby would take to the idea that I was going to go on a mission on my own, to try and find Draven, so this is where I had to do the hard part…lie. I hated the thought of doing it but I hated the idea of her worrying even more. I knew after all this time that she thought Draven had broken up with me and she would have thought I was crazy travelling the world to find a man that clearly didn’t want me, but what else could I have told her?

  ‘Well see Lib’s, Draven is actually in Hell, so me and an Oracle are trying to come up with a way to bust him out’ …umm I didn’t think so! So, as I found her nursing little Ella in the living room, I sat down near her.

  “Hey, you ok?” She said shifting the baby, getting ready to wind her.

  “Yeah, but I wanted to speak to you.” I said dreading the next part that was until she interrupted me.

  “Yeah, I kind of wanted to speak to you too.” She said so I decided to see what she had to say first.

  “Well, you know Frank’s mum and Dad have that cabin they vacation at?” I nodded for her to continue.

  “They asked if all of us wanted to go and spend two weeks with them, they invited you as well of course and I know that college has wrapped up for you, so I wanted to know what you thought?” She must have seen my face because she frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “Well, I was just about to tell you about my plans for travelling, I was asked to go with the rest of the gang and well, I really want to go.” I was surprised when I saw her smiling.

  “I think that’s great Kazzy, I mean you could do with some fun, ever since that ass…”

  “Libby don’t.” I warned just like I did every time someone tried to turn Draven into the bad guy.

  “Why do you bother defending him…? You do remember what he did to you. I mean you should have seen what you were like…I…”

  “Trust me, I remember Libs, but it’s over now and I don’t want to hear his name being dragged through the mud just for not wanting me.” She looked like she was about to argue her point further but something in my face stopped her.

  “Fair enough. I am glad you’re having some fun though and Jack’s going, right?” She waggled her eyebrows at me and I groaned while rolling my eyes.

  “Not this again.” I muttered making her laugh, one that jiggled Ella. Not that she minded much as she had fallen asleep slumped over my sister’s arm. We both laughed and she cradled her. I had been hearing from my sister none stop lately on her thoughts about how she thought Jack and I should date and every time I would stop her mid flow.

  “So, when are you going, ‘cause I hate to spring this on you but you know how Frank’s folks leave everything to the last minute…?”


  “Why, when are you going?” I asked hoping for sooner as it would make my plans much easier.

  “Tomorrow.” She winced as she said it but I smiled.

  “That’s fine Lib’s, I won’t be here long before I go either.”

  “But I will miss your birthday.”

  “Libby it’s fine, it’s not like it’s an important one or anything and I won’t be on my own, I will no doubt be celebrating it in some bar somewhere, having one too many and then being carried back to my room by…

  “Jack.” She giggled when I groaned.

  “So, you guys go tomorrow for a couple of weeks, and I fly on the 5th, but I think we will be gone for most of the summer.” She already knew this from when I first started talking about going to Europe travelling and this was where Jack would come into my plans.

  “I can’t believe I won’t see you for ages.” She complained and I gave her a little grin.

  “I know but hey, we did it before, remember when you turned to the other side and married a Yank.” I joked and she gave me a beaming grin which I copied.

  “You will too, one day.” I walked away smiling and whispered under my breath,

  “I have a thing for old Persian Kings,” as I took the stairs two at a time.

  The next day consisted of me running round helping Libby get ready for their trip and as we brought stuff downstairs, Frank loaded it into their car.

  “Remember the days when we could just pack one bag and drive off?” Frank complained light heartedly.

  “What happened to those days?” He asked me and I patted him on the arm as I handed him another bag loaded with baby stuff.

  “You had a baby, Frank.” He looked down at me with a massive grin and then looked over to where Libby was feeding Ella. He beamed at them both and then said,

  “Yes, yes I did.” Then he walked out of the door whistling.

  When they were all loaded up and after an emotional goodbye from both sides, I was soon waving them off. I hated the thought of not seeing my niece for so long but I knew that what I needed to do next was one quest in life I had to take alone.

  I was just getting out of the shower later when I heard my phone ringing. I made a mad dash dripping water all the way downstairs to get the phone. I picked it up and when I heard the dial tone I replaced the phone down with extra force. I hated it when that happened and was just about to go stomping up the stairs, when I heard something being pushed through the letter box. I spun round and saw the letter emerge and I ran over to the door, but by the time I opened it, whoever had delivered it had gone.

  I closed the door after searching for a good few minutes and when I was sure no one was going to jump out at me and say, ‘yep it was me’ I closed the door. I grabbed the letter and followed a familiar pattern by going to my room to read it. I wrapped the towel around me tighter and took off the one I had wrapped round my hair like a turban. I sat on the bed and opened the letter with shaking hands.

  The emotions that would come barrelling my way whenever I would get another letter were heart pounding and breath stealing. It was like every piece of paper was another step taken towards Draven and this was my driving force.

  ‘Those with eyes can easily see the changes one makes for the journey ahead, but no matter what the looking glass holds, it is our souls that don’t ever change colour’

  It was a tiny scrap of paper that held these words and I re-read them over and over until like usual, it clicked. She wanted me to change my appearance before I went anywhere.

  “Ok, I get it.” I said out loud and as soon as I did this, the words blurred and changed into something else,

  ‘A Lion can’t smell the other Lioness when she turns into a moth, even one burnt by the flame’

  And then suddenly it started to burn in my hand from the inside outwards.

  “Shit!” I said shaking it free before it burnt me. It floated in the air as the paper turned into tiny black pieces and then disappeared. So, what she said this time, she didn’t want anyone knowing about. Well that was fine, but if I was going to change anything then there was first one place I needed to go and that was back to the beginning….

  Back to Afterlife.

  Chapter 11

  Breaking Afterlife Law

  When I heard Jack’s truck pull up outside, I was pumped and ready to go. I was even wearing all black for my mission. I had everything I needed in my bag and I could feel the coin in my pocket where it always was.

  I walked out of the house, locked the door and ran over to Jack. He was such a gentleman, he even leaned over and opened the door for me.

  “Hey you” He said and I smiled at him as I climbed in.

  “Hi Jack, how are you?” I asked with a grin.

  “I’m all the better now for seeing you.” He said winking at me and I laughed. I don’t think there was ever a point where Jack didn’t flirt with me, so it would have been weird if he ever started acting any different. It was just one of those relationships we had and had never thought to change. It caused no harm and even the very few times he had seen Draven, he had been nothing but respectful around him. Jack was a good friend and this was the reason I had asked for his help.

  “Hey, I like your hair that way, never seen it like that before but it suits you.” He complimented, making me blush. I had never worn it like this, out of the house before but tonight was different. I had tied it into a low ponytail and then plaited it, tying it at the end with one of the purple ribbons I got from Draven that he used to tie around a rose left on my pillow. It had grown longer since then and the end of my hair swung past my waist to my behind.

  “Thanks, and hey, new T-shirt?” I asked looking at his ‘Black Sabbath’ T-shirt that had some sort of brown helmet with a gas mask on the front which also had ‘U.S TOUR ‘78’ underneath the picture.

  “Yeah RJ got me it, it’s the one Tony Stark wears in the Avengers movie.” I knew he was a big comic book fan and his favourite was Ironman.

  We were just chatting about everyday stuff when he pulled into our dingy dinner that had become a quick favourite, thanks to the laugh we had in there every time when doing our ‘people watching’.

  Once inside and as comfy as you were ever going to get in one of those hard booths, Jack put his menu down and said,

  “Ok Kaz, what’s up?” I took a deep breath and placed my menu down ready to explain my crazy plan.

  “Jack, this is going to sound insane, but I need your help with something.” His eyes widened for a second and he nodded for me to continue.

  “You can’t tell anyone though, not even RJ. You cool with that?” I asked first and he laughed.

  “Well that’s a given, tell that girl anything and then wait five minutes for it circle the town’s ear for it to get back to you. Gotta love Facebook!” He said shaking his head smiling.

  “Yeah, but we love her.” I said before ordering a coke from the less than happy waitress.

  “Ok, so we have established me not telling anyone but question still stands…are you gonna ask me…you know like some time before I need a walking stick?” I rolled my eyes and threw my menu at him.

  “Ok, but please don’t judge me.” At this he held up his hands and said,

  “I am never one to judge, you know that Keira.”

  “I know but this…well… you’re gonna think I am crazy.”

  “I already do if that helps.” I laughed with his teasing and we went silent as ‘happiness’ brought over our drinks.

  “So what is it, you’re not joining the circus are you, ‘cause you know you need a bit more stubble for the next bearded lady?” I laughed and this time flicked my ice at him.

  “You would know…didn’t you date her last week?” I hit back at him making us both crack up.

  “Ok, serious time…I…”

  “Just spit it out, I mean jeez, it can’t be that bad.” He said so I did just that.

  “I am going to London to find Draven, but no-one knows.” I blurted
out and his face dropped.

  “Why?” Was the only thing he said after minutes of stunned silence.

  “Let’s just say we have unfinished business.” I said and shrugged my shoulders.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Kaz.” His face got serious and I felt even worse for including him in this.

  “It’s been decided and my flight has already been booked.” I wanted him to know how serious I was about this, but I hated seeing the spark in his eyes die out, knowing I had done this.

  “On your own?” I simply nodded at his question.

  “And he has no idea?” Well this part I didn’t need to lie about.

  “No-one does but you and the friend I am meeting there.” He seemed to relax a bit at hearing this.

  “So you won’t be completely on your own?” He asked as it was clear he was worried about me.

  “I guess not, but now for the part where I need your help.”

  “What do you need me to do?” He said not having to even think about it.

  “I hate this, but I have no choice and I know it isn’t fair…I wish there was another way…”

  “Keira, look at me…I am your friend and I know anything you have to do is because you are most likely trying to spare the feelings of others.” His words touched me and I reached across the sticky table and said,

  “Thank you Jack, that means a lot to me.”

  After the dinner I asked Jack not to drop me off at home as there was something I needed to do. He raised his eyebrow at me, but didn’t comment. We had just pulled up outside and a deep sigh released from me.

  “It looks so barren, so empty.” I said looking out to a building that had become a part of me and seeing it this way hurt something deep inside me, making me feel as empty as the place now looked.