Wish by Moonstone Read online

  Wish by Moonstone

  by Vanessa Haberkorn

  Wish by Moonstone

  By Vanessa Haberkorn

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

  Copyright 2015 Vanessa Haberkorn

  Book cover by Vanessa Haberkorn

  Visit my website at http://moonstonesofareth.com/

  Chapter 1

  For Samantha Palin, college life wasn't so bad. Yet to be fair, her life often seemed like one full of exceptions and the unexpected. Besides being born with a twin brother, she was also part of the small band of high school students who had saved the day two and a half years back, when their city had been in chaos from the enigmatic Tranludes. She, her brother Evan, and their friends had been regarded as heroes, even by the town mayor.

  But now, here she was. Twenty and attending Crest University for a degree in biology and a minor in history. She wasn't the unsure kid she used to be. She was about to be a professional soon, hopefully eventually getting that job in paleontology that she so wanted. She currently roomed with her brother Evan and their friends Joby and Oliver. Sharing an apartment with three guys wasn't as bad as her mother had made it sound. She might as well have been one of the guys herself.

  Samantha was finished with classes for the day. As she typically did at this time, she headed for the on-campus restaurant. While their specialty was sandwiches, they also served pizzas and chicken. It was casual with no fancy lighting or services, and only a radio to entertain, but Samantha enjoyed the active air. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday she met up here with Evan to have lunch. It was the twins' main chance to get caught up and talk without Joby and Oliver butting in.

  Today she found Evan sitting near a window, his face in a piece of paper. It was more his neat red hair and blue plaid shirt that gave him away. Samantha always felt like a slob when next to him, so she sat across from him instead. "Studying?" she asked.

  "Why do all her tests have to have one hundred questions? Multiple choice or not. Gah..." He shoved the paper back into his book bag.

  "Can't you analyze her? You should be a psychology expert by now."

  "That lady makes no sense to me. She seems bipolar some days!"

  "It's called premenstrual syndrome."

  "Who asked you, biology-freak?"

  "Because it is biology related, not psychology. You know, PMS?"

  "Oh, oh. That thing."

  "Yes." Samantha giggled. "That thing."

  Evan tossed his napkin at her, making a dry face. "Don't forget. Later today is when those kittens get homes."

  She straightened up. "Yeah... I still don't think this is the best way to do it. I mean, letting just anyone take them away... They are feral cats."

  He shrugged. "But it'll kill two birds with one stone. They'll get homes, and we also won't have to be the ones chasing them down."

  She said nothing.

  "C'mon. I think this is one of Oliver's better ideas."

  "Whoop-dee-doo. Depressing to be him then."

  Evan sighed. "PMS..."

  She threw the napkin back at him.

  Their apartment had four small bedrooms, a living room area, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. Samantha, Evan, Joby, and Oliver all split the monthly payments. It was nothing fancy, but it was home as far as Samantha was concerned. They could come and go as they pleased, and they didn't have to abide by their parents' rules.

  It was freedom...along with the heavy burden of being entirely self-sufficient. The complex was often cluttered and dirty, and dinner was typically noodles, frozen food, or sandwiches, as none of the four were particularly outstanding cooks. Off in a corner of the living room was a litter box, for the feline occupant of the building. At least Noodles the cat lived a sanitary, pampered existence, as Samantha regularly tended to her. Noodles' current nest of interest, inside a kitchen cabinet, even had a sweater there for the orange creature to lie on for hours at a time.

  Hearing Samantha and Evan come through the door, Noodles trotted over to them with a mew, her tail held high in greeting.

  "Hi, Oods." Bending down, Samantha stroked the cat's side, admiring its curly fur. "Did you have a good nap?"

  A tall, skinny guy came over. His gold hair was gelled up into pointy spikes, but his smile was warm. "Noodles got a roach before!" Joby laughed.

  Samantha put her hands on her hips, frowning. "I told you not to let her do that."

  "I know, I know. But she made this funny noise at me when I tried to carry her away."

  From the couch, Oliver looked up from his book. Like Evan, he was also a psychology major at Crest University, and the two of them had been close friends for many years now.

  "I can't study another minute!" Oliver shoved his book away as if handling a corpse.

  "Oliver, what time did you tell everyone to show up for those kittens?" Evan asked.

  "Uh, around three this afternoon." Leaning back, he folded his arms behind his head. "Told them all again that they're free to keep as many kittens as they can catch, and there'd be free food too."

  "Who'd turn down a free kitten and a free pizza slice?" Joby chuckled. "A buncha people are coming!"

  Sighing, Samantha scooped up Noodles. "They need to understand these kittens are wild. They'll need to be patient and gentle with them at first. It's a shame we don't have the space to keep them."

  "This isn't our fault," Evan said. "That feral cat just had to give birth right outside our door."

  "I still think someone was feeding her." Oliver shot Samantha a look, getting a cough in response. "Those little fuzz balls are lucky we're even arranging this for them. Anyone else here could do it, but nooo... It has to be us."

  "Well," Joby said, "whatcha expect with the crazy cat lady here?"

  "I prefer animal rights activist." Scratching Noodles under the chin, Samantha added, "Isn't that right, Oods?"

  "Just keep her indoors," Evan said. "Unless you want someone to get a free Noodles sample too."

  Three o' clock rolled in, bringing a gathering of people with it. Most of the people seemed to be parents with their children. The idea of searching for and snagging a kitten for their brats must've been too heartwarming to pass up, but it only annoyed Samantha. She wanted the kittens to go to responsible homes. She doubted houses with whiny kids would be the best way to coax a feral kitten into a life of domestication.

  But what could she say about it? It was true that the kittens needed homes pronto, as they were costing the four roommates a lot of money in kitten food. The mother cat could be fixed afterwards, so she could continue to mooch food off kind-hearted people.

  Soon it was time. Samantha, Evan, Joby, and Oliver all piled outside their apartment door, balancing pizza boxes and packs of sodas with them. Glancing around the small area, Samantha didn't see the kittens out playing. She knew they often messed around under parked cars, much to her horror. They were probably hiding somewhere.

  The four arranged the pizzas and drinks on the hoods of their cars.

  Oliver leaned in his car and gave his horn a quick beep to get everyone's attention. "Hello, and thanks for stopping by! Come help yourself to some refreshments or begin searching for the kittens right away!"

  "There are only six of 'em!" Joby said.

  Some of the kids starting hopping up and down, a few yanking on their parents' pant legs. Samantha resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  "Okay then... Go!"

  People took off, scatter
ing in all directions. Half of them went straight for the food.

  "You guys slice the pizza," Oliver said to the twins. "Joby and I'll keep an eye out for cheaters."

  "Make sure they aren't rough with any of them," Samantha said.

  Oliver sighed before walking away.

  But Joby nodded. "Nobody'd hurt those little guys... But I'll be watching. So don'tcha worry." He jogged off.

  Evan made a face. "I think we've been demoted..."

  "Hey!" A lady came over. "Where's the free food?" Her legs looked too fat for the shorts she was wearing, but Samantha decided against telling her this.

  "Pepperoni is here." She glanced down at her box, before turning Evan's way. "He'll get the cheese slices. Two lines, please!"

  "Oh, oh!" The woman hovered in the middle. "Cheese or pepperoni... How to choose? Unghhh!"

  Other people formed up behind her, groaning and shooting glares at her back.

  "You can't go wrong with either," Samantha said.

  "Yes, I know but..." The lady sniffed at both boxes. "Can I get one of each?"

  As more people grumbled, Samantha and Evan each sliced a piece and shoved the plates at her.

  As the woman left, the next man up asked, "So, can I get one of each too or is she just special?"

  Seeing where this was going, Samantha grimaced. "This is mostly about the kittens, you know."

  "What! Why can't I get two slices like she did!" The man pounded on the table, making all the silverware clatter. "Sexist!"

  "This isn't sexist," Evan finally spoke up.

  "But why else did she get ―!"

  "Okay, okay! Just take it!" Samantha shoved a slice in the guy's red face.

  "And that's all!" Evan threw in his own triangular glob of cheese.

  Samantha was relieved once she and Evan finally ran out of pizza. Not only did they not have to deal with hungry people, but now she could focus on watching out for the kittens herself. The way some parent and kid duos were charging around it seemed more like a scavenger hunt than a search for a new pet.

  One kitten's episode of the zoomies was ended abruptly by the corner between the steps and the building, and a teenage guy was soon walking off with a new, squirming fluff ball in his arms. His huge grin and the way he kept trying to stroke its chin made Samantha smile some herself. She could imagine the kitten eventually lounging out on the kid's open textbook, distracting him from his studies with its sweet golden eyes.

  Next a mother managed to snag two kittens, one for each of her young daughters. The two kittens ― a pair of calico sisters ― almost seemed to resemble the two girls with their huge round eyes.

  The next kitten caused quite a bit of controversy. According to Oliver, a girl had grabbed it and put it in her pocket to leave with, only a second girl had pick pocketed her out of the black cotton swab. The second insisted it was the first girl who had stolen her cat. However, Oliver managed to clear things up, much to the second girl's annoyance.

  The fifth kitten was lured out from under a car by an older lady. She had ingeniously used her scarf to play with and eventually entice it out into the open. This kitten was carried away still dangling from her scarf.

  And finally, the last kitten was herded into a car by a group of fellow roommates. Before leaving, one of the guys told Samantha they'd name it Silver Missile, both for its fur color and its agility.

  With the pizza and kittens gone, the remaining people soon left. The four friends were left with the task of cleaning up and trying to avoid the scrutinizing eye of the mother cat, who'd suddenly appeared. Samantha felt a bit hollow inside, but she knew they had done the right thing.

  "There were more people there for the pizza than the kittens," Evan complained.

  "But the kittens are all gone now." Oliver smiled. "And we didn't even have to do anything."

  "Easy for you to say. You didn't have to deal with those lines."

  "It was just slicing pizza, man! I didn't think it was asking too much!"

  Evan and Oliver both went back inside, still bickering.

  Samantha eyed the stretched shadows across the grass. There was always a certain calm to spring afternoons. The warm glow of the sky, the more subdued orangey colors... The breeze was gentle and soothing.

  She noticed Joby watching her. "What?"

  "Ah, nothing." He glanced away. "Nice weather."

  "Yeah. It's supposed to be nice this weekend." She paused. "Feel like doing something?"

  Joby chuckled. "Well, that's awfully vague. Something as in...?"

  "As in camping."

  "Oh. Well, okay. Not what I was thinking...but that might be fun too." He winked at her.

  She frowned at his flirty implications but otherwise ignored it. "Since you don't have a job and the rest of us have all next week off for spring break, it might be a good time. We could go camping for nine days if we wanted."

  "Yep. Think Evan and Oliver will wanna come?"

  "Well, there's only one way to find out."

  Chapter 2

  Evan wasn't even sure why he agreed to the camping trip. He'd been looking forward to a week of relaxation and a break from all his class work. He wasn't even a big fan of the "great outdoors." In fact, he found many aspects of camping out as being inconvenient. No water and electricity meant cold food and being dirty. Sleeping without a bed meant aches and having strange critters scurrying across his ankles all night. Tents were often too cramped for comfort.

  But, for whatever reason, he still decided to come. Maybe because he found himself having a hard time saying no to his sister. She had a way of being both adamant and harmlessly pleading at the same time. He wasn't sure if he was a softie or just a pushover when it came to her.

  Oliver also decided to come, but insisted that his girlfriend be allowed to join them as well. Beatrice, or Bee-Bee as the four roommates all took to calling her from Oliver's lead, was also a student at Crest University. But, as Oliver made very clear: she was a complete city girl. Evan knew this wouldn't be a good idea, but there was no swaying Oliver.

  On a crisp Saturday morning, the five all arrived at Spiceberry Forest, just a brief drive from Crest University. The area was swallowed in tall trees and their shadows, and the air was fresh, if scented a bit like damp dirt.

  After finding a parking spot for the twins' dashing green Whiplash Comet, the group next had to lug all their belongings to a suitable open area. This took almost as long as setting up the tents eventually did. By this point, Evan was ready for a lunch break, but Samantha and Joby were more interested in exploring the area.

  It wasn't until afternoon that they all had a chance to relax around the campfire, roasting hotdogs and talking. Everything seemed to taste better to Evan after the busy day. He was also hoping, if he kept his mouth full, that people would be less likely to make small talk with him. While he felt comfortable around Samantha, Oliver, and Joby, he didn't know Beatrice too well and worried about saying something stupid. Her being pretty didn't help, but even Evan had to admit the hot pink against her dark skin was too much. Like a walking optical illusion.

  "So, Bee-Bee. How was your first camping trip?" Oliver asked.

  "Oh, it was so different from what I was expecting." Her smile seemed a little forced to Evan, but this was lost on the others. She and Oliver kept glancing at their bond bands, pink and red respectively. It was customary for couples to wear these metal bands on their secondary hands to encourage faithfulness. The different colors had meanings too, but Evan never cared enough to look into it.

  "Camping's great, isn't it?" Joby said. "And we still got eight more days left!"

  "Heh heh. Yeah..." Beatrice's hotdog slipped to the ground. "Oh, darn."

  "You can have one of mine." Oliver seemed thrilled to forfeit part of his dinner for the day. Evan wanted to sigh at his love struck friend. Apparently Cupid's arrow caused brain damage.

  "Aren't you majoring in education?" Samantha asked.

  Beatrice nodded. "I want to be an element
ary school teacher someday. Kids are the best!"

  "The kids will love her," Oliver had to add.

  Evan coughed once before stopping himself. Joby caught his eye and grinned at him.

  Oblivious to this, Beatrice asked, "And you're a biology major, right, Sam?"

  "Yeah." She smiled.

  "Oh, let me guess. You must be planning to be a science teacher!"

  "Oh nooo... Kids aren't my thing." Samantha cringed. "But I want to be a paleontologist. I really like dinosaurs and prehistoric times."

  "Oh." Beatrice thought about this for awhile. "Oh, I get it. You're about preserving the past while I'm about ensuring the future."

  Samantha shrugged and smiled. "I guess you could say that."

  "Bee-Bee, that's right!" Oliver was beaming ever so proudly. "And you'll be the best teacher ever!"

  "And you'll be the best psychologist ever, my Ollie-Wollie!" The two practically rubbed noses.

  Evan caught Joby's eyes again and made a disgusted face. Joby made kissy motions back. They both stopped when Oliver suddenly looked their way.

  Beatrice seemed to just remember them. "Oh, but that's nothing against you, Evan. You and Ollie will both do great." She gave Oliver's arm a squeeze.

  "Uh, yeah. Thanks." Evan frantically searched for another hotdog.

  "Are you in abnormal psych like Ollie, or..."

  "Social psych." Locating one, Evan shoved it into his mouth, even forgetting to roast it first.

  Samantha eyed him. "I don't think he's in any position to be telling the other crazies how to live."

  Evan elbowed her, mumbling, "Freak of nature."

  "Ew! You spitted on me!"

  Joby burst out laughing.

  "Sooo," Oliver started. "Should we tell ghost stories?"

  Beatrice made a face. "I don't like those."

  "It's just for fun. Who wants to go first?"

  "I do!" Joby popped upright. "Once upon a time, in a faraway place..."