Harmony of Lady Shadow Moon - DhNAi Divine (books for 8th graders txt) 📗

held together by a very elastic rubber band, with tattered gloves on.

“Hey,” she greeted, carefully standing up.

He shook his head. “You don't have to get up. Is it cool if I come sit next to you? I need a break before I finish.”

She couldn't immediately respond so she bobbed her head and took a seat first. He threw his gloves where he was standing, then came to Aanu's side.

Aanujah quickly looked over his body, then settled her eyes on his face. She was embarrassed because he saw the whole thing. They both looked away shyly, swallowing a smile.

“So,” Aanu clears her throat, “what are you doin' out here so late?”

“Oh me? I'm out here every week gatherin' wood for my granddad. I chopped down a bit further in,” he points back. “My granddad insist on keeping the fireplace burnin', even with electricity.”

“Aah smart man, save some cash.”

“Yeah, well if that's how he feel he should be choppin' his own wood.” The two laughed together.

The laughter abated and the two sat in silence for a few minutes. Aanu broke the silence, asking, “What's your name? And how you know mine?”

He was taken aback that she questioned his identity. “Unakie (Uh-nah-kie). We use to play together every time you came here when we was younger.”

Aanujah neared his face with her mouth open in surprise, then sat back. “Oh my god. How could I forget that? Oh my god, Unakie.” Aanujah pulled him into a hug as though they're just meeting for the first time.

He replied once their hug broke. “Yeah Unakie. I guess I'm not that memorable.”

Aanu smacked her lips and touched his hand. “It's not like that. I just been on one this entire trip here. And you know you stopped comin' around. You became a stranger. Why'd you stop comin' around? Was it somethin' I said or did?”

He shakes his head and intertwine his fingers with hers. “Naw, it wasn't you. I guess our lives just started to take different paths, you know. I use to miss you somethin' fierce back then.”

She slowly pulls her hand away and says, “Really?”

“Yeah.” He looks her in her eyes. “Even if I wasn't locked in your memory, you was locked in mine, for what seemed like an eternity.”

Aanu turned away, biting her lip. She took a deep breath and tries to change the subject. “So um, where you been? I mean its like I'm just seeing you again.”

“Well, I left town for a while. College. Wasn't feeling it, so I chose to come back home. Guess I'm a regular down home kinda fella, huh?”

“I guess so. Sheeit, me, I woulda went crazy in this little old town. It's nice and all, but I don't know.”

“Yeah.” He reaches out to caress her face. He says low, “In time you get use to it and even grow to love it.”

Aanu slightly smiles, but tucks it away. “I...I still don't know.”

“What I do know; you grew to be a beautiful ass woman and wit' some serious courage.”

“Why do you say that?”

“What? That you're beautiful?”

“No, the courage part.”

“Oh,” he says, with a smile, and he lets his hand fall away. “You came out here by yourself. And if I may, why are you at the edge of the forest near night with a werewolf off his leash? Going stupid.”

Aanujah's brow furrows and her head cocks to the side. “You don't really believe that?”

“Sure, I do.”

“Well, I don't...I don't want to at least. My dreams led me here.”

He lit up, but kept her from seeing it. “Oh yeah,” he replied casually, “what kind a dreams?”

She readied herself to tell him some of the crazy dreams she'd been having. Before she could really begin the sky darkened, covering the rising moon and the stars. An aggravated low growl came from the trees.

“Did you hear that?” Aanujah asked.

Unakie got closer to Aanu, turned his head towards the trees where he knew Anubis was. He winked at the darkness with a smile he tucked away before he answered Aanujah. “I'm sure it was nothin'.”

Track 7: Third Circle of Seven

Aanujah knew she shouldn't utter a word about what happened during her trip into the forest, but she couldn't help it! The next night, a day before her birthday, she took Saki by the hand to the front porch.

“What?” Saki shouted as Aanu dragged her out the door away from granny's ears.

“Gurl! I got somethin' to tell you!”

“Okay, I'm right in front of ya face, I can hear you.”

Aanujah laughed and even as the laughter subsided she kept a huge smile on her face. “Whoo S'hkmanyu. Okay, I been a bad girl. If I tell you, you gotta promise me you won't say nothin' to Nai-Nai or Aaron.”

Saki smacked her lips and said, “I hate yo brother, you know this. What I can't tell Nana?”

Aanujah raised her head and pouted her lips. “You gotta promise me or I won't tell you.”

Saki cocked her head to the side. “Fine, I promise. Whatsup?”

“Well,” Aanu replied, “I took a lil trip to the edge of the forest.”

“What!”

“Keep yo voice down.” Aanujah peaked inside the house to make sure Aniyla didn't hear her best friend. Aanu turned to Saki and pointed at her. “Remember you promised.”

“Okay, okay. Talk to me.”

“Mm, girl. That sexy motha was out there sweaty, shirtless, choppin' shit. Mm! Aww man Saki, I can't believe I forgot we use to play together as kids. Unakie is his sexy name.”

Saki's eyes bulged, she did a little hop and shouted, “Gurl! What went down?”

“Nothin' too big, just a lil flirtin'. He touchin' my face, gettin' close. He is so flippin' hot. Let me tell you that trip in the forest was worth it.”

“Hell yeah it was. You do not have to worry, this our little secret.”

“Just thinkin' about him make me wanna quench my thirst, cool myself down. You want somethin' to drink?”

“Naw I'm good, just hurry back.”

Aanujah went in the house, hurried to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. As she exited the kitchen she saw the back door open. She walked to the door to see who her brother was talking to.

“Timothy B!” Aanu ran down the steps to give him a big hug.

“Aye lady,” Tim exclaims, hugging her back.

“I see ya papa ain't beat you too bad.” Tim smiles, Aanu gave him an even bigger grin.

“You have to tell her now,” Aaron said, looking at Tim.

Tim lowers his head, then nods. He grabs Aanujah by the hand and takes her into the forest. Once Tim felt he was a good distance away from the family house he stopped. Aanu looked back, thoroughly confused at why she was brought here.

“She told you the truth,” a voice deep and booming entered her ears.

Aanujah turned to see if it actually came from the only person it could have. Timothy was no longer wearing his glasses, they'd been crushed in his hands. Aanu took a few steps back, preparing for anything.

“I told you,” the voice still deep and it just couldn't be coming from Tim. “I don't wanna hurt you, never again.”

Timothy's body bulked, adding solid muscles to his slim frame, threatening to rip apart his shirt. His burnt orange-brown skin becoming perfect in the moonlight. His body towering even higher over the shocked Aanujah. All in all, Aanujah had to say he was fine. And that blue aura she felt from her first meet with him began to glow over his body once again.

Gone was the nerd she's known all her life, replaced with a very alluring, sexy entity.

He came closer. “I wanted to tell you this the very minute you entered Nkosia, you always come to me in the best shell. But I gotta say this one by far is the greatest. The tasty inner qualities make me wanna yelp like a little puppy dog. This shell is almost identical to your very first, when we ruled.”

Aanujah put her hand up to his chest, pushing him away. “You're the wolf in human form. How can that be? Gran-Nai use to always have you over. You killed my fuckin' grandfather.”

“Timothy Barnis is gone, love. Dear sweet, but very dangerous Aniyla doesn't know everything. No, I can't enter her space or any female of the moon, including ya mama without permission. But I never came around as Anubis.”

Aanujah cut him off, asking, “Are you tellin' me Tim is his own? His own soul and his body, but you can take it over, like it was a car.”

He slowly nods. “Timothy and his family has ties to our world so I chose him. Do you remember how you all met Tim?”

Aanujah thought back to the encounter when they were kids. Timothy never was invited, Aanu didn't ever want him around. Aaron was cool with it, but she wasn't too much of a fan of him. In time Tim became a friend and a presence she learned to love having around.

Anubis lightly chuckles. “The little brat wouldn't catch a clue. I guess you can say I had a little hand in that.”

“You,” she points at him, “you're the reason he likes me so much.”

“No,” he threw his big hands up, “I would have to say I'm innocent on that charge. He had a thing for you ever since y'all were kids. You was a part of his motivation to keep comin' around and never give up. Because of him I was a silent spectator, able to see you up close and personal. And your Nai-Nai never once suspected it. Perfect, huh?”

Aanujah's face was balled up and she took a step back. “Not for Tim. If I released you, what happens to Tim?”

He shrugged. “I haven't decided yet.”

Aanujah got in his face, a threat brewing in her eyes. “Let me tell you somethin', you hurt my Tim any more than you already have, you can forget me doing anything for you. You'll be sealing yo own fate.”

“So,” he crooned, “you remember?”

She backed up from him, looking away. “I remember it all in theory, not the experience.”

“Don't worry you'll feel it, sooner than you know.”

Aanujah's head snapped towards Anubis. “What do you want now? I heard all I needed to the other day.”

“Tomorrow will be the High Full Moon, pregnant.”

Aanu cut him off. “It's full now.” She pointed at the sky still looking at him.

“No, the moon will be full in the Underworld, the gray zone between worlds, and this one. Linking the triple moon. And it'll be your birthday. Your third cycle of seven. You must make a choice, come here tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night or what?”

Anubis's eyes glowed with intensity. “Or it may very well be the end of us and the world whence we came.”

Aanujah blinked her eyes, frozen at how fast Anubis changed. He restored Tim's glasses, laid them upon his face and went dormant, reducing the bulk of his body, restoring Tim's slimmer body.

Tim blinked his eyes, looking at his surroundings. “Aanu,” he muttered. “why we here?”

Aanujah shook her head and let her breath out. “I don't know Tim. Is it somein' you wanted to tell me?”

“Yeah,” Tim started, but stopped when he saw Saki approach them.

Saki had her hand on her hip. “Tim, you ain't tell her yet?”

“Tell me what?” Aanujah looked back and forth between her friends. “Come