Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber Read Free Book Online

what is on the outside.”
    My beaming friends exited the shop.
    Then, suddenly, Dr. Meadows turned to me and grasped my shoulder.
    “Celeste,” she said vehemently. “Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.”

Chapter Seven
East Meets West
    D r. Meadows’s words haunted me. Her messages to me were so specific yet, at the same time, mysterious. My reading had not been anything like my friends’. It wasn’t about my personality but rather about events. The snow. The woods. Howling. The moon. A kiss? Not only did I get a crazy fortune, but I’d blown my allowance for the entire week on foolishness.
    As we dished by the car, Abby and Ivy cracked up.
    “I thought she was great!” Ivy said. “She was so right on with me.”
    “Well, it wasn’t hard to figure out that you are athletic,” I said to Abby. “And that you are a fashion diva,” I stated to Ivy.
    “Then how do you explain yours?” Ivy asked.
    “Hocus-pocus,” I said. “She had to throw in something to get our money’s worth.”
    “I can’t wait to tell Nash what she said,” Ivy said. “He better stay away from you and the woods.”
    “Oh, great—I’m going to be late to volleyball practice,” Abby said, checking her phone. “If I’m late, I’ll have to do extra laps.”
    Ivy didn’t have time to drop me off. Instead she would have to take us all back to school. I wanted some downtime and wasn’t in the mood to travel back to Legend’s Run High.
    “Are you sure?” Ivy asked when I announced I was going to walk home along the bike trail.
    “It’s just up the road. I can almost see my house from here,” I reassured them. My home was less than a mile away, and I thought the cool air in my lungs would perk me up.
    “I don’t want you walking home alone,” Ivy said. “Please come with us.”
    “We don’t have much time to argue,” Abby urged. “She’ll be fine. Her house isn’t that far away.”
    I nodded in agreement.
    As my friends departed, I followed a bike trail that ran between the Westside woods and the main road. As long as I stayed on the path, I’d be home within twenty minutes. I began walking, enjoying the sights of endless trees, the smell of November air, and the sounds of geese flying overhead. Birds’ nests high atop a few of the naked trees were clearly visible. I took out my binder and jotted down a few notes, wanting to remember these elements for future stories. What I didn’t anticipate was the snow.
    It began with a few flakes. Tiny frosted crystals started to sprinkle down, tapping my fur-lined boots and knit gloves. I was delighted; it made my rural journey that much more enchanting. I loved fresh snow, gentle and whimsical, coloring the sky and trees bright white. The flakes hit my worn binder, dampening my pages, so I stopped and placed it in my backpack. I held out my hand and captured a few flakes in my glove. They didn’t dissolve right away; I could see the tiny, intricate crystal formations. I didn’t remember a snowfall forecast and assumed it would be a light sprinkling for the next few minutes and enjoyed the tapping of snowflakes against my cheeks.
    As I continued on, the falling flakes grew bigger, dotting the road and grass. The wind picked up and the now quarter-size flakes flew into my hair and face, tickling me. I covered my head with my fleece hood. The wintry scene was beautiful; I could have walked in these conditions for days. But it wasn’t long before the wind blew with huge gusts. I zipped up my hoodie and walked on. The snow increased and pelted down while the wind picked up speed.
    Instead of the elements painting a blissful picture, they began to fight against me. It was more difficult to view the trees in the distance, and I was annoyed that it was growing colder and getting harder to walk. Within a few minutes, the road was caked with snow. The sky was completely overcast—gray-and-white clouds engulfed it. The trees I could easily make