Moonshine: A Novel by Alaya Johnson Read Free Book Online

for the Evening Herald .
    "And my young friend here," Iris said, after they had finished catching up with each other, "has already made quite a name for herself. She teaches a night school on the Lower East Side, if you would believe it, filled with all sorts of vampires and demons and skinwalkers. She is quite fearless."
    Lily gave a bit of a wide-eyed glance at the poster we were carrying, and I shrugged my shoulders at Iris's unthinking hypocrisy. I understood how hard it was for even those who fought for their equal treatment to regard Others as anything besides dangerous animals.
    "Zephyr Hollis, right?" Lily said. "They call you the vampire suffragette."
    I could hardly contain my wince. "I'm late to the party, apparently. I heard that for the first time this morning."
    She gave that small, knowing smile again. It was certainly smug, but held enough humor for me to warm to her slightly. "And?" she said.
    "I shall strive to take it as a compliment."
    She laughed at that, and it was such a beautiful, refined ladylike little thing that all my warm feelings vanished in a sudden freeze. God's blood, but I felt like a braying wildebeest next to this paragon. So, of course, Iris immediately suggested that she take us both out to lunch and refused to be gainsaid, even when I pointed out that I had taken my bicycle to the rally. Apparently, she knew of a method by which a bicycle could be affixed to the back of a car with some rope and little trouble. She hailed a taxicab while Lily and I stood on the street corner, forced to engage in mutually wary small talk.
    "Where are you from, originally? Surely not New York? You have a bit of an accent."
    I was reminded of Amir's comment the night before, and blushed. "Montana," I said, briefly. "The town of Yarrow. And you must be from Long Island."
    She arched those perfect eyebrows. "My," she drawled, "however did you guess? Manhasset, to be precise."
    I just looked at her, carefully taking in the patterned silk scarf, pearl ear bobs, and countless other testaments to generational wealth and privilege, and smiled. We locked gazes for a moment and then she looked away, which I counted as a victory. Over her shoulder, I caught a brief glimpse of a tall figure, standing still in the milling crowd. I could only see the back of his head and just a bit of his cheek, but for a moment I was convinced that it was Amir.
    I gasped a little and wondered if I should call out to him or run over. My mother's voice chastised me that it would be unseemly to appear so eager--though, so eager for what? Someone momentarily blocked my view of him, and when I could see again, he had vanished. Which was odd, because Amir was quite tall enough to stand out in any crowd.
    "See someone you know?" Lily asked.
    "I . . . I thought so, but I was mistaken," I said, ignoring her hauteur. By this time Iris had found a cab, and I reluctantly followed Lily into it.
    Lily engaged Iris in an exclusive conversation for the entire trip, on subjects she knew I could have nothing to contribute. Well, who was I to refuse a free meal because of social awkwardness? I couldn't say I minded being left out of the conversation. My thoughts had fastened onto Amir and refused to let go. Had he really been to the rally? And if so, why? If he contacted me today, surely I would have to give my final answer to his request for help. And even though I knew what the prudent response should be, I found I was still inclined to be reckless.

    After an only minimally awkward meal where Lily and Iris dined on some outlandishly priced prime rib and I ate cucumber sandwiches with potato leek soup, Iris excused herself to go "freshen up" in the facilities. Left alone again with Lily, I was made exquisitely aware of how much our posh surroundings complemented her, and how out of place they made me. The boy might have ruined last night's conservative shirt collar, but I had more where that came from. I yearned for Lily's fashionably low V-neck blouse