Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy) (16 page)

Something was not right about
Theo’s family and, although I was intrigued and determined to
uncover their secret, all I really wanted right now was a healthy
dose of normality.

On cue, Seth came lounging up
the corridor towards me, his black hair falling across his
face.

“Hi Emmie, how’s it hanging?”
he asked.

“It’s hanging out of kilter,
actually,” I said, very glad to see him. I’d missed the bus that
morning and my mum had driven me in, so I hadn’t seen either Seth
or Tash since the previous week.

“Don’t tell me. You and lover
boy have split up. I knew it wouldn’t last.”

“No, Theo and I are fine,” I
said. “It’s just his family that’s a bit strange.” I felt disloyal
talking about Theo’s family, but my need to feel grounded
outweighed my need for loyalty.

“Tell me about it at break
time,” suggested Seth, “and make sure you include Tash. She’s been
missing you. I think you should both make up.”

“Okay,” I agreed, “I miss her
too, but she was pretty nasty about Theo.”

“Probably jealous,” said Seth,
“I mean, he is the heart-throb of Hartsdown. After me, he’s the one
all the girls want to go out with.”

“Delusional as ever, Seth. See
you later.”

“Yeah, see ya,” and he slouched
off down the corridor.

I felt better for our brief
interchange, as if reality had come back into my life and I looked
forward to seeing my friends at break time.

There was a slight atmosphere
when I sat down with Tash and Seth in the café mid morning. Things
had been very strained between us for the last two weeks, but Tash
was the first one to apologise, which made life easier.

“Sorry, Emmie, I’ve missed
you,” she said sadly. “It wasn’t that I was jealous, truly,
whatever Seth says.”

She shot him a ‘button it or
else’ look and he adopted a ‘who me?’ look. I beamed at them both.
It was good to see them.

“It’s just I was worried about
you. This whole Theo thing is very sudden and intense, and we don’t
really know anything about him.”

“Far too good looking, if you
ask me,” said Seth, hanging over the table, his body almost too big
for the chair he was sitting on. “No-one can be that handsome
without having a seriously defective personality.”

“Seth, shut up. As usual,
you’re talking rubbish,” I said to him, playfully. “And yet, there
is something in what you’re saying.”

Both my friends leaned closer
over the table.

“What d’you mean?” asked
Tash.

“Tell,” said Seth.

So I told them of my strange
visit to Hartswell Hall, about meeting Theo’s impossibly beautiful
family, how they’d renovated the old house in an unfeasibly short
time span and how Joseph had totally transformed the grounds.

“Honestly,” I said, “you should
see the place. It’s fantastic, like a palace, no expense spared.
And how Joseph has managed to clear and tend the grounds in just a
few weeks, I don’t know. It’s just not humanly possible.”

Tash and Seth exchanged
glances.

“Maybe that’s it,” said Tash,
ominously, “They’re not human.”

I felt goosebumps all over my
body and shuddered.

“What do you mean, Tash? If
they’re not human, what are they? D’you think they’re aliens?
That’s a ridiculous thing to say. You’ve been watching too much
Doctor Who.”

“Tell us more, Emily,” said
Seth. “What happened while you were there? Did they make you feel
welcome?”

“Yes, very welcome,” I said.
“His mother and father and his cousin, and even Violet, were
absolutely charming to me. His mother seems to have this amazing
knack of making you feel totally relaxed, even though she looks
like something out of a fashion magazine. And his father conveys
this immense protective strength, as if he’d do anything to keep
you safe. And Joseph is just plain lovely, well, at least I thought
he was….”

I tailed off, wondering whether
to tell them about the wall incident.

“Yes, carry on,” instructed
Tash. “Obviously Joseph did something that upset you.”

And so I told them about
looking round the grounds, how Joseph had suggested we look at the
walled garden, and how I’d gone back for the key. I recounted how
the wall had collapsed and it was only Theo’s amazing reaction that
had saved me.

“OMG,” said Tash, “you really
are in danger. Emily, you can’t go back there. What if something
else were to happen? Do you think they’re trying to lure you
in?”

“Thank goodness Theo is such a
fast mover,” exclaimed Seth, sarcastically. “”You said he was at
least twenty metres down the path when the wall started to
collapse?”

“I think so,” I said.

“So how did he manage to get
back to the wall and carry you out of danger so quickly? Does he
have super human powers?”

“I don’t know, Seth. Maybe he
was closer than I realised.”

“And how come the wall
collapsed in the first place?” asked Tash.

“I’m not sure,” I answered,
“but I do have a theory, which is a bit unnerving. The servants
seem to hate me. Aquila, the chauffeur, is the most evil character
you could ever meet and looks daggers every time he sees me.
Pantera, the house-keeper, barely acknowledges my presence and
makes it quite clear she’d have more respect for a piece of
dirt.”

“Sounds bizarre,” said
Tash.

“Bizarre having servants in the
first place,” added Seth.

“The thing is,” I continued,
“after the wall collapsed, Theo and I were walking back to the
house, when I saw Aquila hanging round the grounds. If looks could
kill, I’d have withered on the spot.”

“D’you think he had something
to do with the wall collapsing?” asked Tash.

“I don’t know,” I said.
“There’s something very strange about the whole place. I get the
feeling anything is possible there.”

“I’ll tell you something that
is strange,” said Seth, looking shiftily around for dramatic
emphasis.

“What?” said Tash and I in
unison, leaning forward.

“You remember the woman that
died? The one who aged rapidly? Well, according to my mum, she was
the estate agent who sold Hartswell Hall to the de Lucis
family.”

“Meaning what….?” asked Tash in
a low voice.

“I don’t know,” said Seth in an
equally low voice, “but remember, she went from looking like a
twenty-year old with awesome energy levels to a shrivelled old
crone in just a few weeks. Apparently, she started turning to dust
when she was at the Coroner’s.”

“So, maybe she had a premature
ageing condition,” I suggested.

“Or…” said Seth, raising his
eyebrows.

“Or what?” I asked.

“Think about how the family
looks,” said Seth. “You said they all have beautiful white
alabaster skin and clear blue eyes?”

“Yes,” I said, “their skin is
amazing, it almost seems to glow. And they all have gorgeous blond
hair. Violet and her mother have perfect figures, Theo and his
father and cousin have the most incredible physique.”

“And they all have different
powers…” continued Seth. “His mother makes you feel calm and
relaxed, his father conveys tremendous strength and Theo is
obviously faster than the speed of light …”

“Joseph is green-fingered and
makes things grow,” added Tash.

“And Violet,” said Seth,
looking misty-eyed into the distance, “well, Violet is just
perfect, let’s face it. I wouldn’t say no if she asked …”

“Pigs and flying come to mind,”
I said to Seth. “Can we get back to the point please?”

“The point being,” said Seth
slowly, spelling it out to us, “is that these people are not
normal.”

“Er, yes, I think we’ve worked
that one out,” said Tash. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

“Have you ever seen them
eating?” asked Seth.

“No, I haven’t seen the family
eating anything,” I answered. “They only had cups of tea when I was
there. Mind you, Theo and Violet are always in the café.”

“Yes, and what do they eat?”
demanded Seth.

“Now you mention it, not much,”
I admitted. “Just a salad here and there.”

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
said Seth.

“Is it?” Tash and I said in
unison.

Seth stared at us. “Come on,
keep up, creatures who drain the life force out human beings… “

We both looked at him
blankly.

“Vampires,” he said
triumphantly. “Speaking of which …”

He looked over to the cafeteria
door behind us and we both turned round. Violet had just come into
the café and stood, looking around. Seeing us, she started to walk
towards our table.

“Act normal,” said Seth as she
approached, an instruction that was just about impossible, given
what he’d just said.

“Hi Violet,” I said brightly,
as she sat down in a spare chair at the table. “How are you? Did
you get your philosophy project finished?”

“Hi guys,” she said in her
clear voice, smiling at us, “yes, I did. Just handed it in.” And
looking at me, she asked, “How are you, Emily? Recovered from your
little scrape yesterday?”

I was surprised that she was
bringing it out in the open. If the family really were trying to do
away with me, surely she would be keeping things quiet. I tried to
avoid looking at Seth, who was doing fang impressions behind
Violet.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I said. “It
was nothing. Luckily, Theo was on hand and I wasn’t hurt in the
slightest.”

“Emily had a close call with a
falling wall,” Violet explained to Seth and Tash, “as I’m sure
she’s told you.”

“Yeah, she might have mentioned
it,” said Seth, in an off-hand manner.

“Well, I thought you’d like to
know that Joseph’s had a look at the wall,” she said. “Apparently,
it’s unsound all the way along. It was an accident waiting to
happen and you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He’s having the entire wall rebuilt. We certainly don’t want an
action replay when we start having paying guests.”

“No, killing off your guests
won’t be good for business,” said Seth, with a straight face,
causing Violet to reply, “I can assure you, Seth, we have no
intention of killing off any of our guests, paying or
otherwise.”

“Glad to hear it, Violet,” he
answered, and I was relieved to hear the bell go for lessons. I
felt very uncomfortable seeing Violet after we’d just been
discussing her family. And Seth’s statement about vampires seemed
completely ridiculous.

We walked out of the café and
made our way upstairs for Double English Literature, Violet staying
close to me and preventing further discussion.

Just as Miss Widdicombe entered
the classroom, Seth turned to me from the row in front and mouthed
‘vampires’ to me once again, doing his ridiculous fang impression.
I frowned at him and shook my head, glancing nervously across to
Violet. I wasn’t sure if she’d seen or not.

It was only later I realised
I’d never mentioned the face on the necklace to my friends. For
some reason, I didn’t feel I could. There were things, for the
moment, I would keep to myself. I owed Theo that at least.

At lunchtime, I sat with Theo,
as had become my custom over the last week. He entwined his fingers
in mine, sending shivers down my spine, and looked into my eyes. He
didn’t need to speak, I felt immediately overpowered by the
intensity of his gaze and was powerless to resist him. He did
things to me no one else was capable of, and all I wanted was to be
close to him, to touch him, to feel him near me.

“How are you feeling today?” he
asked.

“I’m absolutely fine,” I
answered. “Never better. Violet said the wall was unsound right
along and that Joseph is rebuilding it.”

“Yes, he is,” said Theo. “You
have to be so careful in these old houses, they can be death traps,
and the last thing I want is for something to happen to you.”

“Don’t worry about me,” I
laughed, “I’m indestructible, as long as I have some kryptonite
handy.”

“Speaking of which,” said Theo,
his face absolutely serious, “I have something for you that I want
you to wear.”

“Yes?” I answered, not quite
sure what was coming next. Surely, he wasn’t buying clothes for
me?

Theo pulled a small black
velvet drawstring bag out of his pocket. I leaned forward,
intrigued.

“What is it?” I asked.

He opened the top of the bag
and emptied the contents into his palm. It was a necklace, a small
blue crystal on a silver chain, similar to the one he wore, but
smaller and without the cameo. As Theo held it in his hand, it
caught the light, sparkling and shimmering, shining a spectrum of
different colours.

“It’s lovely, Theo,” I said,
totally taken aback, “but I can’t possibly accept it. I don't want
you to buy me gifts.”

“For a start,” said Theo, “I
haven’t bought it. It’s something we’ve had in the family for
years. And secondly, I’m not open to negotiation. I want you to
have it.”

“You mean accept a family
heirloom?” I said, aghast. “I couldn’t possibly. Do your mother and
father know about this?”

“My mother and father have
nothing to do with this,” said Theo firmly. “This is my necklace
and I shall do with it as I will.”

“But who did it belong to?” I
asked. “I’m assuming you inherited it?”

“Yes, from a distant relative,”
he said, a little evasively, “and I’d much prefer you to be wearing
it, rather than leave it in a drawer where no-one can see it.”

“I’m not sure, Theo, it doesn’t
seem right, somehow. I’d feel happier if your parents knew about
this.”

“Emily,” he said urgently, “I
said I wasn’t open to negotiation and I’m not. I need you to accept
this necklace.”

“Need?” I asked.

“Yes, I need you to wear it.
The blue crystal will keep you safe and if you’re ever in danger,
I’ll know about it.”

“Theo,” I said incredulously,
“this is starting to sound like a fairy story. A magic crystal that
will keep me safe from danger…? Are you for real?”