Page 7 of Lunar Bound
By the time she arrived at Pete's, the fire was out and the crowd had dispersed, but the energy lingered. Standing near the doorway of Pete’s shop, looking in at the scattered crystals, Poppy closed her eyes and let her other senses take over.
Cold. Dark. Watching.
The impression came so strongly that it made her gasp. Someone observed from the shadows. Not malevolent, but different. Like nothing she'd ever felt before.
"Pretty wild, right?" Pete appeared beside her, grinning through his singed beard. "Told ya they'd come eventually."
"What exactly did you see?" Poppy asked, keeping her voice neutral. Pete was a true believer with a tendency to embellish.
"Ship came down right on my roof," he said, pointing up at the blackened rafters. "Three of 'em came down after the crash, right before it went up in flames. Well, four if you count the little one."
"Four beings?" she clarified, her skin tingling.
"Yep. One was bright, like he was made of sunlight. One was dark, kept to the shadows. And one in between, kinda purple-ish. Little guy looked human-ish but weird with a giant head. They took off that way." He pointed toward town.
Poppy nodded.
"Your shadow stones survived," Pete added, handing her a small cloth bag. "Thought you might want them, considering."
"Thanks, Pete." She slipped the bag into her pocket. Black tourmaline, her specialty. She resold them at the local market and kept a collection for herself. They were especially good for protection and grounding negative energies.
Throughout the afternoon, Poppy followed the energy signatures through town. The bright presence was easy to track. It left a trail of electrical disturbances and flickering lights. The shadow was harder, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, but she could sense it when she quieted her mind. Once she'd almost gotten close to finding the source of the dark energy, but an injured cat took her on a side quest to the clinic.
By evening, she found herself drawn to The Crash Zone, Duskrock's tackiest alien-themed bar. The irony wasn't lost on her that real extraterrestrials might actually visit a place decorated with inflatable aliens and UFO string lights.
Inside, the usual Friday crowd was amplified by tourists and locals eager to discuss the day's excitement. Stephanie from the yoga retreat was holding court, showing everyone her viral video of “I definitely caught aliens” while collecting free drinks from wide-eyed believers.
Poppy ordered a seltzer water and found a quiet corner to observe. The bar's dim lighting and neon accents created plenty of shadows, and she let her awareness expand outward, feeling for that distinctive cold presence. A shiver worked over her as a chill slipped past the overheated interior of the bar.
There.
Her senses followed it outside to the alley behind the bar. Waiting.
Setting her untouched drink aside, Poppy slipped through the crowd toward the rear exit. The night air felt cool on her skin after the stuffy bar interior. She took a deep breath, centering herself.
The presence was stronger now. Hiding in the deepest shadow against the wall, where the security light didn't reach. Most people would walk right past, seeing nothing. But Poppy had never been limited to physical sight.
"Don't run away. I know you're there," she said, keeping her voice gentle. "I followed you from the clinic. I felt you watching me."
No response, but the energy shifted slightly. Surprise, perhaps?
"It's okay," she continued, taking a step toward the darkness. Fear wasn't even an option in her mind. Whoever was hiding there wasn't a threat to her. "I'm not afraid. You don't have to hide."
The shadow remained perfectly still, but she could sense its focus intensifying. Studying her. Trying to understand how she'd detected it.
"I'm Poppy," she offered, trying to establish a connection. "You're one of them, aren't you? One of the visitors who arrived today."
She'd been sensitive to energies since childhood. Her grandmother had been the same way, talking to ghosts and holding seances. It was a mixed blessing in a town like Duskrock, where the veil between worlds felt thinner and energy signatures from tourists overwhelmed her until she learned to filter them out. But this was different. This energy was truly alien in a way that resonated with something deep inside her.
The shadow neither confirmed nor denied her words. But she knew. Of course, she knew.
Reaching into her pocket, Poppy pulled out one of the black tourmaline stones Pete had saved for her. It was perfect for someone who lived in darkness, who might need grounding in this chaotic world of humans.
"A peace offering," she explained, placing it carefully on the ground between them before stepping back. "It's a shadow stone. Black tourmaline. For protection and grounding. You seem like you could use both."
She smiled directly at the presence she couldn't quite see but absolutely felt, then turned and walked away. The encounter felt incomplete, but pushing further might scare it away. Better to establish trust slowly.
As she rounded the corner of the building, her heart raced with excitement and validation. After a lifetime of sensing things others couldn't, of being called too sensitive or over imaginative, she'd finally found proof that her perceptions were real.
