Selena Rose, Daughter of the Moon

Chapter 12

Selena and Dwayne arrive at the park right on time to meet with Gabriel for the visit with Kya. There was no sign of Gabriel.

Dwayne asks, "Should we let the kids out to play and wait a bit to see if he arrives?"

From the back seat two young voices "Yes please!"

"I think we have to, there may be a mutiny if we don't."

Selena and Dwayne laugh and get out of the truck, letting the children out to run into the park while they followed at a slow walk. Dwayne and Selena talk about recent happenings in town and with mutual acquaintances as they watch the children play while they sit on a bench off to the side. Selena feels eyes on her back and stops mid-sentence to look for the person staring so hard. Dwayne looks around too, curious what made her stop speaking. Selena's eyes land on Gabriel at the edge of the parking lot, his face mottled, lips pulled back from his teeth and his fists clenching over and over until he saw she was looking at him. It all melted away as though it had never been. Selena cut her eyes toward Dwayne and he shook his head so slightly only she would see it. She pasted a smile on her face and waved at Gabriel. Standing she walked to meet him midway.

"Kya is over playing with Nathan, I thought she might be more comfortable getting to know you if she had a friend with her."

"Oh? Is she uncomfortable around me?"

"A little, yes. She has no knowledge of you and has only just met you. She is smart, and I have no doubt that she has figured out that you took off. She knows you weren't aware of her until now and though I haven't told her anything more than what she has asked, I know she has put more of the story together."

Gabriel shifts a doll from his left hand to his right, "I suppose that is fair enough. I am going to go ahead and go say hi to her. Uh, could you hold the doll for a bit? I didn't bring anything for Nathan, I didn't know he would be here..."

"Sure, go meet your daughter and be gentle. Don't push, she won't tolerate it."

Selena heads back to sit with Dwayne carrying the doll Gabriel brought for Kya. The doll feels strange in her hand, almost as if it had something in it trying to grab onto something. There are other people in the park so she tries not to look strange as she lifts the doll to get a better look at her with her witch senses. She sits next to Dwayne still looking at the doll while he watches Gabriel with the children.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I'm not sure. I think it has a spell in it but I haven't felt anything like this before. There is a lot of magic I haven't felt before though. Ugh. Ok. Let's see..."

She focuses on the doll, looking past the physical to what lies underneath. "I see something, it is a sickly green and red, the colors are continually swirling within and around each other. It feels... like... a love spell? Ew." Realization dawns on her, "He put a charm in here to make Kya love him! That slimy piece of—"she looks around to see who might overhear,"mierda!"

Dwayne looks at her wrinkling his nose, "I can put a barrier around the doll to keep that inside but still allow him to gift it to her as though we are unaware. It seems odd that he asked you to hold it first."

"Yes, do it. I could destroy the stupid thing but he might notice that so close. Kya will go along with my lead and she'll see what you have done. This is not going to help him earn her trust. Damn him! Why couldn't he just be a decent person? If he had even asked about her," she looks around at the people near them, "abilities, he would have known that she will see this immediately."