Iron Moon Read online

  Contents

  part one

  chapter one

  four months earlier...

  chapter two

  chapter three

  chapter four

  chapter five

  chapter six

  chapter seven

  chapter eight

  chapter nine

  chapter ten

  chapter eleven

  chapter twelve

  chapter thirteen

  part two

  chapter fourteen

  chapter fifteen

  chapter sixteen

  chapter seventeen

  chapter eighteen

  chapter nineteen

  chapter twenty

  chapter twenty-one

  chapter twenty-two

  chapter twenty-three

  one month later...

  IRON MOON

  BRE BUSH & JENNY PHILLIPS

  IRON MOON

  Copyright © 2019 by Bre Bush and Jenny Phillips

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the authors' imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information visit:

  @ironmoonbooks on facebook & Instagram

  Book cover Design by Talia Redhotink

  ISBN:

  First Edition: December 2019

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  part one

  chapter one

  I CAUGHT SIGHT OF A PETITE SILHOUETTE OUT OF THE corner of my eye as I slid on my left sock. Craning my neck, I discovered my sister, Dalyn, standing in my doorway, sporting jeans, a red flannel shirt, and a hint of annoyance in her expression.

  “You two look so much alike I can hardly stand it!” Our grandmother would gush just about every time she saw us together.

  Dalyn and I shared our father’s nose and our mother’s thin lips. Aside from our eye color, the only noticeable differences between us were Dalyn’s thicker eyebrows and her cropped chestnut hair. Sometimes I wondered if our similarities played a part in why we tended to butt heads every so often—that and the fact that Dalyn had moody teenager down to a science.

  “Here,” Dalyn said, tossing a ball of red fabric at me. “Mom wanted me to ask you if you still want this coat. I told her to toss it, but she made me come up here to ask you anyway.” That explained the look on her face—inconvenience.

  “Goodbyeeee, Dalynnn,” I replied in a singsong voice, not in the mood for her unwarranted attitude.

  “Don’t shoot the messenger, Rayna! Mom’s the one who wanted to clean out the front closet,” she defended herself, before turning on her heel and stomping back down the hallway.

  I shook my head at my sister as I bent down to retrieve my red peacoat from its place on the floor. Unfurling the mess of fabric, I lay the coat out on top of my bed to examine it further. All the buttons were still intact. Not a hole or loose thread in sight. Sure, I hadn’t worn it in a while, but I hadn't forgotten about it either. The coat still smelled of smoke and burnt leaves from last season’s bonfires. I inhaled deeply allowing the faint leftover scent of fall to fill my lungs. With winter in full swing, I found myself missing that smell.

  Pushing my arm through one sleeve and then the other, I stared down at the coat with a twinge of nostalgia. Perfect, I thought, shoving my hands in both pockets. My fingers collided with something foreign in the right pocket; cold and oddly shaped, I pulled the mystery object out of hiding.

  A necklace.

  Two off center crescents with a solid iron sphere between them—strung on a leather strap. Not recognizing the necklace, I turned the pendant over in my hand and discovered the name Payne etched into the back of the iron sphere—the letter P mostly faded away. As I ran my thumb across the metal surface, the iron rebelled, shocking me like static on a sweater. Startled, I almost dropped it as a face flashed across my memory.

  His face.

  four months earlier...

  IT WAS EARLY SEPTEMBER AND I RACED MY WAY through the twilight covered woods of Harbor Glenn, Maine, with my two best friends, Lacey and Arianna, in tow. Shrubs, sparse moss, and leaves covered the forest floor as far as the eye could see, occasionally crunching under our feet; a twig snapping here or there in our wake. As the air thickened with the scent of burning leaves, I knew we had to be getting close. My friends and I plunged ahead, deeper into the forest until we spotted the bonfire that signaled the meeting place of the senior class initiation.

  “I told you we’d find it!” I laughed with excitement, bumping shoulders with Arianna as if to prove my earlier point—that we wouldn’t get lost. We were here out of curiosity as I suspected our fellow classmates were as well. Because in truth, no one had the slightest idea what to expect of tonight. The details of the so-called initiation were kept top secret even though everyone in town knew a ritual took place in the woods for every incoming senior class at Harbor Glenn High. Part of living in a small town, or at least this small town, meant no secrets. Everyone knew each other's business whether you wanted them to or not. Maybe it was a ridiculous tradition, but a tradition nonetheless.

  Bethany Cavanaugh, queen bee of the most recent class to graduate, stood a few feet in front of the fire flanked by her blonde squad of wannabe co-conspirators, Kaitlin Vanderbeek and Danica Port—former captain of the varsity cheerleaders. Danica smiled a phony or maybe jealous smile from her place behind Bethany in a pathetic attempt to acknowledge those who showed up at the initiation. About fifteen or so high school seniors loitered around the growing fire, which burned so high I could feel the heat from where we stood at the perimeter of the clearing.

  “Rayna!” Bethany called out to me, her tone elated. I admired her perfectly curled ponytail as it swayed behind her while she trotted over to me and my friends. I found myself somewhat impressed that she remembered me at all because, in truth, I didn’t know her well. In elementary school, our respective teachers had assigned us as pen pals, but a friendship never stemmed from it. Fast forward almost a decade, and Bethany and I were barely acquaintances. She approached me with her arms spread wide, patting my back in an awkward hug.

  “Hey—” I greeted her, drawing out the word in a puzzled tone before backing out of her embrace.

  “Killer jacket, Ray!” she complimented, grabbing my sleeve. “Red is a great color on you!”

  “Thanks,” I said, forcing a smile. Leave it to Bethany to make a compliment sound more like my clothes had just been approved by the fashion police.

  Bethany offered me a red, plastic cup. “I can't believe you're a senior already!” she mused, in an attempt to make small talk. “Time sure does fly.”

  “Crazy, right?” I replied, eyeing the contents of the cup in my hand before lifting it to my nose for further inspection.

  “Don't do that!” Bethany laughed, swatting my wrist. “I promise it smells worse than it tastes. Just try it!” She looked to my friends and said, “Sorry, I would have brought you both a drink as well, but I only have two hands,” she shrugged apologetically as if she found having only two hands to be an unfortunate inconvenience. After pointing out where Lacey and Arianna could find refreshments, Bethany's attention turned back to me. “Go on, drink!”

  I lifted the cup to my lips and took a sip. The liquid burned my throat and I immediately coughed in reaction to it.

  Bethany gave me a half-hearted smile. “I probably should have wa
rned you it’s a bit strong.”

  Strong was an understatement. Part of me was sure that if I set my mind to it, I could actually breathe fire. “Is it your own recipe?” I asked between coughs.

  “A Bethany original!” she gloated.

  My eyebrows flicked up. “Hmmm,” I responded, my lips curling into a faux smile.

  “Well, I should get back,” Bethany said, pointing over her shoulder. “I just wanted to say hi and tell you that I'm so glad you came!” Bethany beamed, clapping her hands together. Her eyes skipped around to Lacey and Arianna, “Have fun tonight, girls!” And with a final wave, she left us.

  “Well,” Arianna laughed, “she’s pleasant.”

  “I think she’s had a little too much of whatever is in that cup,” Lacey joked, pretending to knock back a few imaginary shots.

  “I guess we’ll find out when she announces whatever the initiation is!” Arianna replied, stifling a laugh.

  “Want some?” I teased, thrusting the cup toward them.

  Arianna jumped back as if the cup might bite her.

  Lacey made an unpleasant face. “Here let me help you with that,” she offered as she proceeded to take the cup from me, turning it over to dispose of the contents. “You’re welcome,” she added with a coy smile before making her way over to the nearest trash bag. “What time is it?” Lacey wondered as she rejoined us, staring down at her cell phone to check the time as a few of our classmates maneuvered around the three of us to get closer to the fire.

  My heart clenched in realization as I patted down my peacoat. “Crap!” I blurted out. “I left my cell phone at home!”

  Lacey snorted. “That’s not a big deal, Ray. Sheesh! I thought you were having an aneurysm or something.”

  “No, but my mom will have one if she finds out I'm here!”

  Arianna and Lacey stared at me as if to gauge my level of seriousness. “I don't see the problem,” Arianna commented in a puzzled tone.

  “She thinks we're at the movies. But there are texts between us on my phone about coming here tonight. My mom was adamant that she didn’t want me participating. She’s still paranoid about that woman’s body the police found out here.”

  “That happened last spring! It's been months!” Lacey pointed out. She had never been one to shy away from expressing her feelings about the attack since it happened. Clearly, she didn’t think my mother had a valid argument. “Besides, it's not like there's an ax murderer running around out here. The news reported her death as an animal attack. Don't you know how rare those are? We’re surrounded by classmates the odds of you getting eaten alive first are one in...” Lacey’s voice carried off as she began to count how many students were hanging around the area.

  I stifled a laugh at her skewed logic, “Very funny. But, have you met my sister? If Dalyn snoops she’ll rat me out. And, well, you know how my mom gets.” I realized I was working myself into a frenzy, but I couldn’t help it.

  “You mean, kind of like how you’re acting right now?” Lacey quipped.

  I offered Lacey a deadly glare. “Shut up!”

  Lacey playfully punched my shoulder. “Get a grip, Rayna! Are you sure Dalyn would invade your privacy like that?”

  My eyes remained narrowed. “Again, have you met my sister?”

  “Dalyn is kind of a snake sometimes,” Arianna agreed.

  Ever since the day I found out Dalyn had been reading my journal—which I no longer kept after she'd gotten me busted for the minor offense of going to the movies instead of to my friend’s house where I'd said I'd be—I no longer trusted her to cover for me.

  “Oh my God you guys,” Lacey grumbled. “Give it a rest! Don’t worry about it. I’m sure no one will find out you're here. If you’re going to dwell on it all night, I can call my brother right now and force him to show up at your house and take Dalyn out on a nice date. That'll keep her occupied.”

  Arianna and I stared at her, mimicking each other's doubt. “He wouldn’t,” I replied in disbelief, shooting down the idea. To my knowledge, Lacey’s brother still found video games more interesting than girls, which made it highly unlikely that he’d be willing to take my sister out on a date.

  Arianna leaned into my shoulder and murmured, “Can he even drive yet?”

  A malicious grin spread wide across Lacey's face. “...Oh, he would, unless he wants our parents to find out about the dirty magazines he has hiding under his mattress…”

  “Okay, ew!” I exclaimed, flapping my arms as if the action erased her words from the air around me. “It’s fine, don’t bother.”

  “You sure?” she asked, her phone poised in her hand ready to make the call.

  “Positive!” I said matter-of-factly, putting my foot down. Thankfully the subject ended there.

  “Look who’s here!” Arianna squealed with excitement, beating my shoulder like a drum with her palm. Lacey and I followed her gaze to a group of guys led by our friend Rider Larson.

  “If you like him so much why don’t you go say hi?” I suggested, giving her a little push in his direction.

  Arianna stumbled forward and after a subtle balance check, she turned to face me with an unmistakable scowl. “For your information,” she began icily, “I enjoy admiring him from afar; thank you very much!”

  Lacey laughed. “That's bull! Go say hi. He broke up with whats-her-name like three months ago.”

  “Stop!” Arianna flushed crimson, folding her arms in self-defense.

  “Rider!” Lacey called across the forest to him anyway. “Hey, Rider!” Arianna grabbed Lacey’s sleeve, pleading with her to stop. “You'll be fine,” Lacey insisted. “It’s not like you don’t already know the guy.”

  Rider turned on his heel and smiled when he spotted us. He pointed at himself and we all nodded and motioned for him to come over—except for Arianna who pretended not to notice him. Rider tapped the guy beside him on the shoulder—whose face I couldn’t quite make out through the shadows—interrupting a conversation this mystery guy was having with Ivy Branson. She looked annoyed with Rider and for half of a second, I could have sworn she caught my eye.

  I didn’t know Ivy beyond what I had observed about her over the years. She seemed to keep to herself most of the time, doodling on her arms with a Sharpie during class or in the cafeteria, but her isolated persona came with an edge—or so rumor had it. Personally, I didn't feel the need to find out; her steely-eyed gaze was more than enough to keep me away.

  Fortunately, if we had made eye contact a second ago, the incident was barely noticeable. With her attention now on Rider, I took a moment to admire her style. Ivy's long, cherry red hair fell down her back in perfect waves, she had hazel eyes and a tiny frame. Rider’s unidentified friend towered over her. She wore distressed jeans, several rings stacked up her fingers, and a faux leather jacket completed her ensemble. She looked like a bad ass, and I felt a twinge of envy.

  “Do you think that’s him?” Lacey wondered aloud as we watched Rider, Ivy, and mystery guy interact. Whispers of new residents in Harbor Glenn had been circulating for weeks. But until now, they hadn’t been anything more than hearsay.

  We had known Rider for most of our lives. He lived down the street from me and was an all-around nice guy—though he’d never admit it. His reputation amongst the adults in town as a troublemaker preceded him. He smoked, threw unsupervised parties, and freshman year, he smuggled a chicken into school and let it loose in the science hallway. Then there were the cherry bomb incidents. Best of all, Rider was well aware of what parents in Harbor Glenn thought of him, so he played up the stereotype, leather jacket and all. Rider’s charm and easy good looks—slick, light brown hair, dark eyes, and a perfectly proportioned face—left half the girls in school pining over him, including my friend Arianna, but he struggled with commitment.

  Arianna would rather die than ever have to admit she liked Rider out loud—even though as her friends, we were well aware of her crush. So Lacey and I took it upon ourselves to play matchmaker wheneve
r an opportunity presented itself.

  “Do you think that’s him?” Lacey wondered aloud as we watched Rider and mystery guy interact. There had been whispers of new residents in Harbor Glenn for weeks, but up until now it had never been anything more than hearsay.

  “You requested my presence?” Rider bowed before us, a light smirk curling his lips.

  Never one to hold back, Lacey got right to the point. “Who’s your friend?” she asked in her typical shameless yet direct approach, lifting her chin in mystery guy's direction across the way. “And where have you been hiding him?”

  Pointing at her, Rider commented, “Your hair is different.”

  Lacey grinned, pleased that he had noticed, and fluffed her hair in response. “Highlights!” Seconds later she frowned at him for having changed the subject so swiftly. “Your friend?” she repeated pointedly.

  Rider laughed to himself before peering over his shoulder. “I’m offended. You dragged me all the way over here so you could ask me about another guy?” his tone feigned disappointment. "Typical.”

  “We’re cruel that way,” Lacey mocked in return, batting her eyelashes.

  Rider leaned sideways, peeking around Lacey to see Arianna who was all but hiding behind her. “Hey, Aria,” Rider said, flashing her a devilish grin. “I almost didn’t see you there.”

  Arianna blushed, avoiding his eyes behind her veil of blonde hair. “Hi,” she said toward the ground, her voice just above a whisper.

  “All right, let’s not make this about you two, Rider,” Lacey taunted him—much to Arianna's mortification.

  “Rider, your friend is coming over here,” I announced to the group—hoping no one caught on that I'd been watching him.

  “Ivy freed you from her grasp I see,” Rider commented as mystery guy approached us with a polite, almost shy smile. Rider patted mystery guy’s chest. “This, ladies,” he began his introduction, “is my man Harlow. The poor guy had to sit through HGH orientation last night.”