Silver Moon (7 page)

He’s close enough that I hear what he says.

“Creatures of the dark they come…”

I cry out for help, surprised my legs can run for this length of time without cramping.

“Killing humans one-by-one…”

No. He can’t reach me. I won’t let him. I can’t die.

“If you hear them howl at night, lock your doors and windows tight.”

Howl? Like the dog? Something ahead of me whimpers. Its cry echoes against the trees. The man behind me stands still.
 

Blinding white light explodes before me.

I bolt up in bed. Sweat trickles down the back of my neck and the sides of my forehead. My breathing is harsh and erratic.

When I finally calm down, I slide off my bed and open my window. A cool breeze wafts in, rolling over my sweat beads and causing me to shiver. I look up at the bright moon, hanging low in the sky. I almost have the window shut, when something moves in the shadows of the trees below
--
a black figure.

My mind races, as does my heart. I can’t think straight. So many questions come to mind. I’m sucked into a trance, unable to will my body to move.

My breath fogs the window. The stranger stares back, never moving.

Don’t do anything stupid,
I tell myself, but it’s hard not to run outside and confront him. I’ll be dumber than a frozen pea if I attempt to leave the safety of this house. Every ounce of energy drains from my body, leaving me with only adrenaline to run off of.

This can’t be happening,
I think.

But it is.

This is my one chance to find out who he is, what he wants and why he haunts me in my dreams. I swing open my bedroom door and rocket down the stairs. The deadbolt on the front door makes a swift clanking noise, and the door itself creaks. I open it enough so I can slip through and dart outside.

Nothing.

He’s gone. Vanished.

           
“Candra? What are you doing out here?”

           
It’s Beth. I freeze.

           
Oh, shit.
She’ll never believe me in a million years. Think of something good—quick!

           
I put on my best zombie face and start mumbling. “The bird…it fell…they tried to eat it.”

           
“Oh, dear,” Beth says.

           
“What’s going on?” Randy asks, as he steps outside.
 

           
“I think she’s sleepwalking,” Beth whispers. “We need to get her back to bed. She could go into shock if we startle her.”

           
Beth leads me inside, as I continue the mumbling act. Randy follows behind her. She slowly opens the door; it creaks louder than when I opened it. She walks with me step-by-step until we reach my bedroom.

           
“You just go back to sleep, sweetie. Nobody’s after your birds. I’ll protect them,” Beth says, her face oh-so-serious.

           
I try my hardest not to laugh. Her forehead creases, causing deep lines. I can pretend to go into shock, but once Beth finds out I’m joking, she’ll send me off to a deserted island or something. Instead, I pretend that subconsciously I know what she’s talking about.

“
Elizabeth
, when are we going to tell her?” Randy asks.

Am I dreaming again?

“Soon, dear. But not now. Let her get adjusted first,” Beth replies.

“The changes are happening
now
. There’s no time to wait. She needs to know,” he argues.

Beth shushes him. “She needs her rest.”

My bedroom door clicks shut.

What do they need to tell me and why are they waiting to do so? Great, something else to worry about. And what
changes
?
Something tells me this isn’t the type of change a kid experiences during teenage years, like a girl going through her first cycle.

Pushing that thought aside, I think about
him.
How did he escape so quickly? More importantly—what does he want with me?

Rolling onto my side, my eyes flutter—heavy from lack of sleep. I can’t pretend anymore. I am exhausted.

~*~

Dawn breaks, and sunbeams warm my eyelids. I roll out of bed and throw on some clothes. My window’s shut. Beth must’ve closed it last night. I glance outside, but don’t see the familiar yellow eyes watching me from the tree line. My body is sluggish, and it takes every part of me not to call the school and say I’m sick.

The whole day drags, and I don’t notice anyone—not even Benjamin. All I can think about is who the person from my dreams is and what he wants with me. How did he become a reality?

I arrive early to Geography. Jana and Blake are in their seats, looking beat.

“What’s wrong with you two?” I ask.

“We were up late,” Jana mumbles. She slumps further down in her seat, refusing to look at me directly.

“Partying?” I question.

“No,” she grumbles.

“Okay…” I don’t pursue the conversation further.

Mr. Williams walks into class. “Just to let everyone know, we’re having a fire drill, so don’t think the school is actually on fire.” He turns to the board.

Two minutes later, the red bulb above the classroom door lights up, and the deafening sound rings through the hallways. I practically jump out of my desk. Mr. Williams assembles us into a single-file line at the front of the classroom, so we can walk out “as a class.” We look stupid, in my opinion. Filing out of a high school like we’re twelve again.

Classes move outside and to the street across from the parking lot. I stand with Jana and Blake as we wait for the fire department to arrive. Each teacher checks their students’ names off of a list, noting whether anyone lags behind.

A few groups down from where my class stands are Cameron, Ethan, Benjamin and Lily. Lily plasters herself against Ben. His arm loosely drapes around her waist. I growl in annoyance. Cameron glares at me. I want to get inside his thoughts. I know he hates me—that’s apparent—but I want to know the reason.

Karma’s my only conclusion. I can’t think of anything else I’ve done to cause this. Maybe it’s from putting my parents through hell. Maybe it’s from staying in trouble. I really don’t know.

My mind’s still racing with questions, as the fire chief signals an OK and the flock of students wanders back to the school.

Chapter Seven

I
decide things will only get worse—if I let them.

Benjamin talks to me in English. Nothing significant, just small talk about the stupid play we’re reading. I don’t want to get attached to anyone, especially not to him if he’s truly dating Lily. My emotions are still shattered because of what my parents did to me, and the fact that, if I’ll eventually go home, there is no way I could pull off a long-distance relationship.

“As soon as I get a job, I’ll pay you back,” I tell him, mentioning the other night at the movie theater.

He shakes his head. “Think of it as a gift.”

“For what?”

He shrugs. “Because I’m nice like that.”

“Shouldn’t that be money you spend on your girlfriend?” I ask sarcastically.

He stares straight ahead, his jaw clenches. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

I play it cool. “Really? That’s funny. Because I went shopping with her yesterday. We dropped her off at your house.”

“You were at my house?” He whips his head around to face me, his eyes growing wide.

“Yeah, why?”

He rolls one shoulder in annoyance, which matches the look on his face. “Candra, you can’t go there anymore. I’m not trying to be rude. It’s just, don’t go there, okay?”

I play with my pencil, rolling it between my fingers. “Sounds like you’re being rude to me. By the way, you might want to check on your dog. The poor thing wouldn’t stop whining.”

The bell rings, and I grab my books, already getting the hang of stacking them together five minutes ‘til. When I look back, Benjamin still sits in his desk, watching me intently. My body shudders.

I hate it when he looks at me like that.
 

In the hallway, I run into Jana.

“Where are you headed?” she asks.

“Lunch. But first, my locker.” I shake my books in the air.

“Ah, I see. Do you want to sit with me and Blake? We’ll save you a spot.” She bumps me with her hip.

“Yeah, go on. I’ll catch up in a sec.”

She disappears around one corner, and I disappear around the next. As I open my locker door, chaos ensues somewhere behind me. I glance over my shoulder and notice two boys fighting down the hall. One’s back faces me, while the other is on the ground, arms shielding his face. The crowd around them grows. Everyone stands back against the lockers to get out of the way.

Teachers race when they hear the commotion. They peel the two boys off of each other. One is escorted down one end of the hallway, and the other breezes past me. When he looks up, I see who it is. Cameron.
 

His hair is roughed up, but other than that he doesn’t have a scratch or bruise on his body. Not that I can see, anyway. His eyes meet mine and for a split second, I swear they flash yellow.
  

I don’t realize how intently I’m staring, until he breaks free of the teacher’s grasp and rushes toward me.
 

He slams me against my locker. My head crashes into it, causing a vibrating echo. The teacher tries to yank him off of me, but he’s stronger.
Way
stronger. He shoves the teacher to the ground, and then turns back to me.

I’m frozen in place. My mind runs through a list of self-defense actions.
Kick him in the groin. Poke his eyeballs. Head-butt him.

Okay, maybe that last one won’t work.

He looks at me in a way that nobody should be looked at, with pure hatred and evil. I’m certain he detests me, for whatever reason.

“Got a problem?” he asks, finally getting around to his point.

His eyes are dark, filled with no hope. Looking into them depresses me.

“N-no problem,” I stutter, shaking my head.

“A staring problem, maybe?” he suggests.

I shake my head again. He’s in my face now. I can almost taste his humid breath.

The kids in the hallway observing the previous fight inch nearer to the tiny cluster around him and me. It seems like, in one collective breath, they’ve sucked the air out of the hallway as they wait for one of us to make the next move.

Adrenaline swims through my bloodstream, causing a temporary high. Every hair on my body prickles to a fine point. My hands clench tightly at my sides, but I’m almost numb to my fingernails digging into my palms. Closing my eyes, I attempt to push aside nausea churning in my stomach.

It doesn’t work.

Whispers circulate the hallway, burning my ears. Nobody believes in me. Everyone has
his
back.

Foolishly, I think of clicking my heels, but know that won’t work. I won’t magically be transported home.
 
I’m here to stay away from trouble,
I tell myself.

But trouble just found its way back to me.

“I’m not going to fight you,” I tell him, my voice shaky even while I try to control my nervousness. Opening my eyes to look into his, I have to show him I can stand my ground.

He doesn’t say anything at first, only watches me. His eyes lighten, as a rich chocolate brown replaces the black, but they still hold a threat. “You won’t last here,” he says.

“Excuse me?”

He cocks his head to one side, running his eyes up and down my face. They land on my neck. I’m scared. Like really, really scared. He leans in close…and sniffs me. Gross. Who does that? I try to duck under one of the bridges his arms make against the lockers, but to no advantage.