Crescent Calling: The Crescent Witch Chronicles - Book One R Nicole (best novels for teenagers TXT) 📖

mine? What was Aileen’s? She had a crystal shop in an out-of-the-way Irish village. It’s not exactly the same as the traditional handicraft store next door.” The cat had opened his eyes and was watching me. “I mean, am I supposed to call her Mum, or what? It feels better to call her Aileen. For now at least.”

Lying back on the bed, I stared at my new buddy, who’d closed his eyes.

“Do you believe in monsters?” I asked, stroking his back. “I think I saw one at the pub. A man with bluish-gray skin and pointy teeth.” The cat meowed and curled up into a ball. “I know, right? I’m so tired I’m starting to hallucinate. It’ll be better tomorrow. Are you going to hang out here tonight?” The cat didn’t move, so I assumed he’d decided to stay over. “All right, but don’t hog the bed, okay?”

The cat didn’t even twitch.

Kicking off my boots, I shimmied out of my jeans and crawled underneath the covers. Burrowing into the sheets, I studied the stripes running through the mysterious cat’s back before switching off the lamp.

There was no such thing as monsters. Hallucinations brought on by exhaustion, however…

Chapter 5

The next morning, the cat was gone.

After a frantic ten minutes searching for him, I couldn’t find where he’d gotten out. All the windows and doors were locked tight. Scratching my head, I began to wonder if he was a mirage like the man at the pub had been.

When I opened the front door, double-checking for cat-sized escape routes, I saw a package shoved underneath the cheery welcome mat.

Bending over, I slid it out and saw my name written on the orange paper. Glancing around the garden, nothing stirred apart from the odd bird flitting across the lawn searching for fresh worms to feast on.

Taking the envelope inside, I turned it over, but there was no postmark or indicator as to who had left it. It had been hand delivered by someone, and I was positive it hadn’t been there last night.

Sitting at the kitchen table, I tore the parcel open and tugged out a stack of papers. It was paperwork for Irish Moon. Robert must’ve left it.

Reading through the various reports and tax returns, I was surprised at the figures. The takings were rather healthy for a little crystal shop in the middle of nowhere even if it was on the so-called tourist trail. Aileen had really built something here, but what was I supposed to do with it? Stepping into my mum’s shoes and picking up her life as my own wasn’t exactly something that had crossed my mind. It also sounded weird. I didn’t want to be Aileen version two.

If I wanted to, I could sell up and go back to Australia. I wouldn’t have to worry about getting a job straight away, not with the money that now sat in my savings account. Or I could travel for a while and see the world. With nothing and no one to hold me down, I could go anywhere.

The cottage and everything in it would fetch quite a bit considering its proximity to the village. Then there was Irish Moon and its inventory. What was I going to do with that?

“Shoot!”

Scraping the chair back, I grabbed my jacket, phone, and keys and ran from the cottage, slamming the door closed behind me. Hearing the latch lock into place, I legged it through the garden, leaped over the fence, and bolted to the street.

Mairead was leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I exclaimed breathlessly, fumbling with the keys.

The Goth girl looked rather cute today in a black dress, black boots, and her matching black hair done up in twin French plaits. When I appeared, she smiled brightly.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Sundays are quiet. Church is in the mornin’, and the buses don’t usually come until late if they come at all.”

“Why aren’t you at church?”

She made a face and gestured to her outfit. “Do I look like I subscribe?”

“Point taken.”

Unlocking the door, I let us inside. Immediately, I was drawn to the little tubs of tumbled stones—amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, snowflake obsidian, and more—and dug my fingers into the colorful array while Mairead turned on all the lights and busied herself with opening the store.

I wasn’t really into running a shop—at least, not right now—but she seemed to really enjoy it here. Maybe I should ask her if she would like to take on more responsibility. At least until I figured out where my heart lay. I thought about it for a moment, and it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. She knew the ropes and said she needed the extra cash.

“What did Aileen pay you?” I asked.

“Nine euro an hour,” Mairead replied, retrieving a feather duster from behind the counter.

“That doesn’t sound like a lot,” I said with a frown. “Is that minimum wage here?”

“You can pay me more if you want,” the girl said with a grin. “I won’t mind.”

“Right.” I admired her tenacity. “Would you help me out this week, then? Full-time until I can work out what I’m going to do. That should help you out, right?” I did the math in my head. “Four hundred for the week? Then we can talk next Sunday‬.” ‬‬‬‬‬‬

Mairead’s eyes lit up with dollar signs—or was it euro signs?—and she nodded enthusiastically. “I won’t let you down, Skye.”

I felt uncomfortable being in the power position, so I just shrugged. “You’re helping my clueless ass out.”

“If you want to take some time off, I can handle things here today,” she added, swatting a large crystal with the feather duster.

Thankful for the chance at a break to gather my thoughts, I left Mairead to handle things at Irish Moon.

The sun was out today. Finding my way behind the row of shops, I followed a path that wound through a pretty copse of trees before opening up to a lush field and the tower on the hill. Dew