Page 18

Maggie Grey

“ Harness the energy of the moon ,” I muttered, reading through the notes of the textbook. “ Depending on the moon phase…you should be able to draw from its source of energy .”

I looked back out as I silently rubbed my hands together to keep warm. It was a little after midnight and Drew Collins had become silent with students preparing for exams. Isis said it was dubbed Sleepy Collins on account of how quiet it is throughout the day and night. Nobody hardly spoke to anyone. Even in the dining hall, most people were buried deep in their books and notes instead of the usual bustle of gossip and chit chat. The girls and I barely had time to talk and hang out. Souxie lived in the library with Quan who was still a cat but we came to the conclusion, he shifts when he wants to.

Honestly, how is he even a student? They just let him linger around until he turns back or were there little cat classes we didn’t know about?

Isis was in and out of labs and Asha had found solace in water in an attempt to learn about herself and her people. These exams determined our placement for spring. Unlike most schools that bumped you up every year. Drew Collins moved according to your level of knowledge. I was ready for the big leagues. College was easy for me but I wanted a chance to grow up and move into my chosen career. Namir was most encouraging, even with him going through family matters, I had the keys to his office and place if I wanted some quiet time away from everyone. Instead, I used it to make sure he had food, gathered his lunch, and dinner so he would remember to eat.

As far as anybody knew, nobody knew about the death of his brother aside from rumors. He carried the emotions on his back and kept a mask on in front of his students but there was a difference. A hardness to him that he didn’t have before.

I sighed as I flipped through the book again. It had to be 30 damn degrees outside and I was the only fool out here by the oak tree, sitting on my knees before three objects. A mason jar full of water, a rose, and a small mirror that reflected the night sky above.

“ Understand that different moon phases will bring on different abilities ,” I continued to read. It was one of the only books I could find called Harvesting The Moon by Lamar Hall. Montclair scholar that studied tribes around the world that used the moon as their power source.

I put the book down and stared at the mason jar. After being out here for the past few days, I was able to make strides in connecting with the moon. I could feel her presence, like a lingering set of eyes watching my every move from the sky, waiting for me to let her in.

So I closed my eyes, finding the source of light in the sky that I could see through the darkness. The moon was right above me, just over the bare oak tree. I inhaled sharply, sucking my stomach into the back of my ribcage before opening my eyes. I could feel it buzzing through my veins and body, like electric water flowing down to my fingertips.

“Hello…Gaia…” I whispered, looking at my hands as I saw electrical currents spark in and out of my fingers. “I wonder what your original name is.”

This was my third attempt at trying this but I was never able to hold it for this long without freaking out. This time, I felt calm…at ease. Settled. I reached for the mason jar full of water and pinched my fingers together above the open rim. I felt the heavy frequency surrounding the water as I pulled it out like a string, watching the flow slowly trickle upward. As soon as I released my fingers, the water splashed back down.

“Okay…that’s a start…” I sniffed, feeling the cold air whip around me. I grabbed the rose and calmed myself. Hoping not to interrupt the flow of energy in my body, I picked up the stem of thorns as I watched the leaves suddenly curl and crumble within itself. The rose that was once a beautiful dark winter red was now wilting away, turning black with decay as the flower sunk into my hand. I balled up the small plant before pinning it back down to the blanket to hold. It was only seconds later that I felt the rebirth from the decay. Thorns pushed and pricked at my palm, a leaf split between the cracks of my fingers, expanding out as the stem shot out in different directions from my hand and grew into a beautiful extension of 3 rose buds that have yet to bloom. I pulled my hand back, seeing the blood trailing down my arm before grabbing the mirror to look at the reflection. When I leaned in, I saw myself. My white hair that was bone straight against my face, my eyes a glowing Bellamy red. Instinctively, I pressed my fingers against my upper lips, feeling my gums throbbing. I ran my tongue across my front teeth, feeling no difference in length but they were sensitive for sure. Namir mentioned I grew fangs during sex when I was really turned on. I thought he was lying but maybe…just maybe…

Inhaling again, I closed my eyes to breathe. Taking in the cold air before looking up into the sky, feeling a sense of belonging. For some reason…whatever blockage of energy I apparently had was no longer there. I felt open…the small stars twinkled above and the thin clouds slowly rolled to the left… I raised my hand, flat into the air with a point directly into the night sky and waved it to the right. The slow moving clouds stopped before rotating slowly to the right .

“Oh?”

Time… This is what they meant by manipulating time… I can see it so clearly now. The scream I did that turned day into night and now…I flipped my hand back to the left as the clouds began rolling backwards, rotating with the earth. It was a small moment but with practice…there was no telling what I could do but for now? There was one other thing I wanted to confirm…

…

“Did you enjoy the party? I never got the chance to ask?”

I looked up at Eamon as we walked through the back ways of dorm buildings. Each courtyard, different from the last, hosts four buildings facing one another. Eamon was stuffed in his coat with a skull cap on and thick boots as we walked the dim lit pathway with his two friends behind us. That’s right…He and I never got the chance to speak since then with exams taking priority throughout the school Grounds.

“It was um…” I started, trying to find the right words. “Well how was it for you?”

“Truthfully, I can barely remember that shit,” he chuckled. Yeah I bet you can’t. I wondered what type of college party had lock-ins if there wasn’t something nefarious going on but his two friends began coughing, interrupting the thought. They were anxious and constantly sharing glances, wondering where we were going in the middle of the night.

“Yeah I didn’t get a chance to go. By the time we started out, it was already midnight,” I said.

“Women take a long time getting ready, nothing new,” Eamon said with a shrug. “I’m glad you called me out. Even if it's a small favor. I’m happy to help.”

“I appreciate it–––”

“But you have a man, no?”

My face cracked but I tried to find an excuse.

“He’s going through something right now… and what I need help with…”

I need someone who doesn’t know my damn body from the inside out. Namir could sniff an itch on me before I realized I had to scratch if given the damn chance. That’s how intuned he was with me. He was learning to work around the lack of smell to focus on mannerisms and quirks of mine. Something he was calling his own personal super power.

“What I need help with,” I repeated. “I need someone that is a little bit stronger than him.”

“Ohhh?” Eamon let out with a laugh. “You hear that boys, the lady needs someone stronger than what she has right now. Namir may have to come see about me.”

“Oh yeah,” I nodded. Idiot .

“Uhhh…how far are we walking?” One of them nervously asked. “I really don’t wanna be too far away from my dorm.”

“Just going to the old stadium,” I said as we passed up the quiet cut of Traditional Row. The houses were lit up within the trees on the single back road that led to a closed iron gate where you could see hints of the small downtown of Cedar Park. By the time we got to the old field, I could see the stadium lights were on the dried grass. There were a few abandoned balls left on the field and some old equipment that was probably too heavy to pick up and too cold to care.

“Alright.” I adjusted the maroon scarf around my neck to keep warm. Fuck it was colder than a bitch out here. Damn! The three sizable men stood before me in their gloves and coats with some having the nerve to wear socks with slides. “I’m not gonna drain your blood if that’s what you’re thinking.” I joked as one of the men pushed his glasses up and somewhat took a few steps back. Eamon licked his lips with a grin, still intrigued. “I don’t even know how to do it truthfully. No, I brought you all here because I want to know if I can make you shift.”

The three men looked at one another, exchanging amused expressions before Eamon sighed like he had to break bad news to me. With a shake of his head, he started to explain like this was some sort of waste of time .

“So look…I know…the wolf thing and the moon might have some sort of connection.” I started to take my gloves off and undo my braid from the ponytail. “Not all species respond to the moon in the way a wolf does. We don’t carry that connection. Some of us respond to the sun…earth…time…people…”

All things associated with me still. Yes, go on.

“It’s no knock to you,” one of the others said with a small laugh. “Some of us don’t really grow up thinking you or the First Family are the creators of all creation or whatever…”

“Is that what they’re saying?” I asked, leaning my head to the side to get it untangled. I swear having long hair is for the birds. Who would want to put up with this on a regular basis?

“If you think you can make us shift…that’s like saying…I can make you fly or…I don’t know. My 36 years of living, I’ve never turned based on someone else telling me to do so. It’s always controlled by emotions…hormones…experiences and situations.” Eamon explained. 36 years old and you’re living in a dorm? Sir what is going on?

“Damn it,” I muttered, feeling my finger getting caught in my hair that I could have sworn was tightening up around my hold. All I kept thinking about is the night Namir was beneath me and I told him to shift. I dared him to do it. Maybe they were right and it was only something to do with wolves and why they react to me the way they do. Still, I wanted to find out for myself.

“And so what I’m trying to say is, you’re wasting your time,” Eamon concluded.

“Give me a second.” I said, finally pulling my hand out as I flipped the clump of white hair back from my shoulders. “There,” I sighed.

“Just let her do it,” one of the younger ones said with a low mutter underneath his breath. “That whole family thinks they run shit…”

“Do we just stand here or?” Eamon asked with a small laugh. “I’m trying to tell you, you’re gonna look stupid.”

“Right here is fine. Right in the middle of the field…I’m going to take a step back,” I said. I turned around and started walking, only glancing up at the bleachers to see Bellamy Holmes sitting quietly in the corner, unnoticed. His red eyes blinked twice, his ankle was propped up on his knee and his arm stretched out like he was comfortable. Draco was leaning on the gate entrance dressed in all black as he bowed his head in acknowledgement, waiting. He too went unnoticed but he’d been following us the entire time. Cousin Lovely sat on top of the dean’s box seats with her wide translucent blood vein wings slowly waving as she crossed her feet at the ankle. It was hard to miss her on account of her wings that she constantly loved to show off, but they hadn’t even thought to look up. She sat right in front of the stadium lights .

To accept one, I couldn’t deny the other. That is what I told Namir and something I probably should have listened to for myself. So I inhaled, taking in the earth as my body opened up before turning around to face the three men. Eamon crossed his arms over his chest, unmoved. I slowly bent down to touch the dried grass, seeing the small ripple and wave of the turf move like a green ocean. It was small but it was enough to send gentle waves that disappeared just at the edge of their feet. I could feel her. I could feel it. Damn it, what if Gaia was a man this entire time? Some trans or intersex Godx? What if we had it wrong and it had nothing to do with a God at all but a woman who figured out how to harness the energy for herself to control after having sex with a beast? I bet that was it.

Slowly, I stood to my feet with my eyes on the targets. With my voice barely above a whisper, I said the simple command into the universe.

“Show me who you are.”

One of the men screamed, spine cracking as his fingers became tight. He was fighting it until his body dropped down to that small scraggly fox. The other to my right collapsed to the ground. The clothes became nothing but fabric on the turf and a small black bird shot out, flapping wildly into the distance before disappearing. Eamon, who stood in the middle, stared wide eyed at me, terrified. He cracked his neck with a whip of his head and his body expanded to the size of a black bear, screaming out with a charging roar. His clothes stretched and tore against the thick fur before he fell on all fours. It was only for a moment until I started to walk forward, careful not to come at him before his body sunk back into human form. Naked as the day he was born, Eamon was curled up on the ground with ashy legs white as powder and yellow toenails that looked infected.

“What the fuck? What the FUCK ?!” Eamon screamed angrily, desperately grabbing his clothes as he looked around. There was snot and tears draining from his face. “What are you?!”

The other one took off, slipped away as a fox when he saw Draco coming towards us. He didn’t even bother to grab his clothes and school ID, just left. Eamon tried to salvage what was left of his torn clothes before he took off, threatening to sue this school, with yo old ass.

“I’ll be owning this school by the end of the year! Mark my words!” He shouted like a bad line in an action packed movie. I turned around to see Bellamy and Lovely coming down as she ran to me screaming with excitement.

“You did it! You did it!” She shrieked with us jumping in place. I laughed as we hugged one another. “Ohhh cousin you are incredible! They were talking so much trash too? I said, y'all do not know my cousin. She is relentless! ”

“I am!” I laughed as Bellamy pulled me from her to hug.

“Alright so now that we know what she’s capable of…where do we go from here and how do we keep her from the bullshit?” He asked. Draco simply smiled.

“Maze was right,” he said.

“She was right about what?”

“You. She was right about you, cousin. All a matter of timing.” He suddenly grinned, breaking character. “And I’m fucking related to you! How dope is that?!”

“I still have more practice and research to do but…yeah,” I nodded. “This is me. I’m learning to accept it.”

“Yeah just be careful,” Bellamy warned. “Don’t get too cocky with it. You were able to do this for a reason, don’t get greedy and take advantage.”

I nodded, taking heed to the warning.

“No worries…I’m cool. I can be cool…”

Yeah, in your damn boney ass face Wilhelmina. I’m more than worth the fucking hype, bitch. I’m Maggie Motha Nature Moon Harvesting, Wolf Eater, Queen of Dens GREY!