A Moonlit Encounter

2. The Glowing Jewels.

"I thought that was lost." My mother said as I walked down the stairs with my Jade necklace on my neck.

I somehow wanted to always be close to the necklace, the necklace was attracting me in a really weird way, just the way the ring in The Lords of the rings was attracting everyone.

"Um yeah, I thought that too, apparently, someone found it, because it was delivered in the package I received earlier," I said quite normally, I didn't want her to suspect that anything was wrong.

"Oh, that is nice, such a good fellow, that necklace has been in our family for generations, it was worn last by my grandmother, I never understood why my mother never wore it or why I never wore it, but she made sure that you did." My mother replied deep in thought.

No, no, no, no, no, deep in thought is not good, if she starts thinking, then she'll start asking questions, questions that I don't have the answers to, or don't want to answer.

"Um ma, where's Jay, we need to continue packing right?" I asked, distracting her from her thoughts.

The appearance of the necklace was my problem and I would solve it as such, okay Jay's gonna be involved too, but that's only because we're thicker than thieves and I couldn't hide anything from him if I wanted to, that guy is my second half.

"Oh yes, Jay went to say goodbye to some friends, you should do the same too, the moving truck will arrive soon, we'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning." My mother answered and went back to organizing stuff.

Mission accomplished, she was sufficiently distracted, now I had to get out of the house before she comes up with another question.

"Okay mom, see you in a bit, going over to Zara's." I pecked her on the forehead and yelled even though I was within hearing distance.

"Act like a young lady." I heard her yell before I ran all the way to Zara's house.

The story of my best friend or should I say best dude, Zara's kind of a tomboy but she's definitely not gay.

How did I know that? Last Halloween, she dressed up as joker and I dressed up as harlequin, it was pretty funny though, but we pulled it off. I still remember Zara with green hair, clown makeup, and shaved eyebrows.

To cut the long story short, we kissed for about two minutes with tongue and everything for a contest that we ended up losing, and I can assure you that we both hated it, I nearly gagged on the way home, but Zara pulled a strange guy who was dressed as Batman in for a kiss, you should have seen them, it was a pretty sight.

I've known Zara since kindergarten, she attracted me with her colorful hair, imagine a kindergarten kid with an arm tattoo and blue hair, that was my friend. We connected as most young children do and since then we've been inseparable.

Her house is a running distance from mine so we visit each other regularly, her father is not in the picture like mine, though her own story is more morbid, her mother is a hairstylist and a tattooist and she's like a second mother to me.

She's always bugging me about dyeing my hair and getting a tattoo but I know that my mother will never support that, so I promised her that whenever am ready, she'll be the first person to give me my first tattoo or first hair dye.

I'm going to miss them both so much.

"Hey, Debra." I greeted her as soon as I entered the house, she looked up from the body she was tattooing and smiled at me.

"Hi, hon." She also uses the phrase my mother loves. I walked closer to her and peered at the tattoo she was working on, it's an unfinished wolf with yellow eyes.

I shuddered at the sight and turned away before she noticed my reaction, there was just something about those yellow eyes that froze my blood, but I couldn't put a finger on it.

I rushed up the stairs to Zara's room, but before I could knock on the door, she opened it and pulled me in.

"Sup dude, look what I got in memory of you." She said and her eyes turn watery.

I smiled as she rolled up her shirt, she had tattoos all over her hands and back, but she had never gotten a tattoo on her front before. Her skin was still red and tender, showing she had just gotten the tattoo drawn, it was my name in capital letters and a small jade stone drawn above it.

"Oh my God Zara." I pulled her in for a big hug.

We stayed like that hugging each other for a while, pretending not to cry.

I was definitely going to miss my best dude.

"You know, all you have to say is the word and my moms and I can pack up shop and move to Florida with you," Zara said and broke away from the hug.

"I wish, but I can ask that of you." I sighed and plopped on her bed. I had to be considerate, I couldn't expect her to pack up and leave with me every time, that wouldn't be fair.

"No, it's brilliant, I hear that tattoo parlors are making bank in Florida and we can still attend the same school." She said and sniffed.

"Oh Zara, I'm going to miss you so much," I said and hugged her again.

If wishes were horses, I would get to move to Florida with my best dude, but I knew that would never happen. Even if Zara wanted to, Debra was not the type of person to just up and leave to another city on a whim.

"Call me, every day, video call and all, I'll come to visit when I can, and I'll probably spend the summer in Florida, we can still go to college together." She spoke so hurriedly, I knew she was trying not to cry.

"For sure, I'll always call," I said and smiled at her sadly.

"When are you leaving?" She asked and opened her drawer.

"Tomorrow morn—" I started but stopped abruptly when she brought out a blue stone strapped to a thread and I started at her questioningly.

"I found it in your jacket when I found you on the day of your accident." She said and stretched it towards me.

I eyed it warily and made no move to collect it, I had no recollection of such item.

"I'm sorry that I didn't give it back after you woke up, when I found it on you, it was glowing brightly, but it hasn't glowed ever since, must be the… I can't explain why I didn't give it back, but I think you should have it now." She explained when I made no move to collect it from her.

"Thank you, I thought I'd lost it." I lied and took it from her. She was my best friend, but I didn't tell her everything that happened in my life, the only person who knew everything was Jay.

I took the necklace and pocketed it, I was confused and my scar started itching and burning. I made an excuse and headed for home.

The itch and burning feeling intensified as I walked home, it was only the fact that people might be watching that kept me from yanking off my necktie and scratching my neck. I called Jay as soon as I got home and ran to the garage as that was the only place that would offer us enough privacy.

I was thankful for the fact that he was already home and he joined me in the garage soon after.

"Jay, what's the matter?" He spoke softly and rushed to my side. I had already yanked off my necktie and I was dabbing at my neck with a wet rag.

"It's itching, it's burning real bad," I said tears pouring out of my eyes.

I was hurting really bad.

"Oh, calm down, I'll go get your meds and the salve, I'll be right back." He let out shakily and raced to the house.

I sat on a stool and waited patiently for him, I felt the urge to ditch the rag and scratch my neck with my fingernails, but I was not about to peel my skin.

"Here, I got it." He was breathing heavily as he set down the meds and opened the salve.

"Take off your jacket." He said and I proceeded to take it off.

"What is that?" He asked in shock and my eyes darted to my jacket pocket.

I nearly shrieked in horror and I threw the jacket to the ground, the stone Zara had given me was glowing and so also was my Jade necklace.

I didn't wear the necklace to Zara's place, I had taken it off and stuffed it in my pocket as I ran to her house.

"Don't touch it," I whisper yelled and Jay reached out to pick up my jacket.

I flinched as he brought it closer to me and I realized that my neck had stopped itching and burning.

"Where did you get this?" He asked bringing the two necklaces out of my pocket. "And since when does your jade necklace glow?"

"Don't bring it any closer to me," I moved backward almost toppling over the stool. "I received the jade in a package this morning and Zara just gave me the blue gem, I have no idea how they are glowing right now."

He dropped them slowly on the table and we both watched in amazement as the glow died out.

"It's stopped glowing!" He exclaimed excitedly. My brother who loved mysteries had just found himself one.

"You know what this means right?" I moved as far away as our garage allowed from the gems.

"What?" He asked still studying the necklaces.

"We have to throw them away and make sure that mom never finds out about this," I said angrily.

"No, what we have to do is find out why they glow in your hands and what their connection is to you."

"No, this is no game Jay, I felt like ripping my neck apart," I said and bared my neck to him.

"Jay, the mark, it's gotten bigger." He gasped and my head went to my neck immediately.

He was right, the mark had expanded and I had no idea why.

"What in God's name is happening to me." I broke down in tears, I took the necklaces and shoved them into a box before they had time to glow. I closed the box and ran all the way to my room.

I closed the door and locked it, I needed to be alone right now.

"Jay, please open the door." Jay pleaded and knocked softly on the door.

"Go away Jayden, I just want to be alone," I said to him and lay under the covers of my bed.

"I'm such a weirdo, why can't I just be like Jay." I cried softly.

"Please Jay, I promise I won't talk." He begged again and I broke, I could never stay angry at my brother.

I dragged my sorry self to the door covered in blankets and opened it.

"Thank you." He said and stepped in.

"Want to share a bed?" I asked him and pointed to my bed, lord knows I needed some sense of normalcy right now.

"Sure." He replied and we both made our way to the bed. He pecked my forehead as he normally did and he lay beside me, hugging me from behind.

What would I do without you Jay, I thought to myself as I drifted off to sleep.

I slept almost immediately and drifted off to the land of my familiar Dreams, though this time I saw it very clearly.

The yellow eyes, blue eyes, my Jade necklace, and the blue necklace, I saw it all.

While I was still dreaming, I had begun to thrash around in bed, I was moaning and making unintelligible sounds, sounds that would probably wake my brother.

"Jay, Jay it's just a dream, it's just a dream, please wake up." His voice drifted towards me, he seemed so far away.

"Jay, Jay, help me, help me." I tried to scream but no words came out. I forced myself again and then I woke up with a loud scream.

"I remember, I remember it all," I said as soon as I woke up, dripping with sweat all over my body.