Lunar City

by Samantha Cross

  “You sound chipper,” I said.

  “I’m dead to the world until at least noon. Judging by the area code from the call and your ridiculous cheerfulness, I’d say this is Cora.”

  “You don’t recognize my voice by just how much I annoy you?”

  “Hold on.” There was a very long pause, followed by a banging and slight grunting on Priscilla’s end.

  “What are you doing?” I pried.

  “I’m blow-drying my nails.”

  “Why?”

  “Uh, because they’re wet?” she asked in her typical catty tone. “I can’t exactly put my shoes on until the polish has dried.”

  “You’re using a hair dryer on your toes while talking to me?” I cackled, envisioning her with one foot propped up on the bathroom sink while she pinned her phone down to her shoulder using her ear.

  “It gets them done quicker.”

  “Just seems like an odd thing to do in the morning.”

  “Is that why you called? So I could give you details on my morning ritual and for you to rate it?”

  “No, I called because I wanted to tell you what happened with Dana.”

  “Spill it,” Priscilla said promptly, the irritation in her voice gone in the blink of an eye.

  “Dana may know where Max is.”

  “How?”

  “Apparently, when she’s in wolf form she can hear a pack of wolves twenty miles from where she is. She says she recognizes one of them as Max.”

  “Didn’t she only see Max once?”

  “She claims it’s him, and I believe her. She hears him every single month, so she’s gotta be familiar with him to some degree. Besides, how many werewolves named Max are living around here?”

  “Max sounds like a common dog name.”

  My face went sour, and then got even sourer when I realized she couldn’t see me. “It’s the first lead I have, so I’m going to act on it.”

  “So, you’re going to search for him?”

  “I have to. I couldn’t live with myself if another one of my friends were put in danger because of this werewolf fiasco.”

  We both went quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. I don’t know if she didn’t know how to respond to me, or if I struck a nerve. It was a weird topic for the both of us, and overall I think we were both just so awkward about it.

  “What else did she tell you?” Priscilla asked.

  “I’m a little hesitant to give you too much information. If I’m being honest, my visit with Dana got me a little spooked.”

  “Why?”

  “It made me feel like there’s this underground world that I’m not fully aware of, and that I might be overstepping my boundaries.”

  “What kind of gossip is this if you won’t even dish on the good stuff?”

  “This isn’t gossip, like, if Gretchen kissed Geraldo.”

  “Those are terrible names.”

  “This is the kind of gossip that could get us both in trouble, and you did say you wanted nothing of this world.”

  “I don’t want to be a part of the world, but I will gladly hear details.”

  “If it’s details you want, there’s no better seat than the one in the car with me.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m leaving for Lunar City. Tonight.”

  “That’s where Max is, Lunar City? That’s actually its name?”

  “Yep.”

  “Not very subtle for a bunch of werewolves in hiding.”

  “I don’t even know if they’re in hiding or not. They’re not public, that’s for sure. Then again, even if they wanted to be out in the open who would believe them? I’ve actually seen them in action and I still have a hard time digesting the story.”

  “They probably live in some sewer chained to the walls.”

  “That’s an attractive image.”

  “You’re going to have to find it attractive if that’s your boyfriend’s new living quarters.”

  “This isn’t about that.”

  “Right, like you would travel to another city for a guy you weren’t interested in sleeping with.”

  I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “He’s being hunted down by what could be dangerous men. I warned Dana and now I’m going to do the same for Max. Not everything has to be so primal all the time.”

  Priscilla scoffed. “You’re the one into a beast.”

  I groaned. She couldn’t see my face, but that was at least something she could hear. “I just need to wake Melanie up so I can head out already.”

  “Still passed out drunk? How shocking.”

  “She’ll wake up, eventually. Either I’ll drag her out of bed or housekeeping can roll her up with the linen.” I paused and then attempted to ask the question that had been festering in the back of my mind. A question I had hinted at already, but she didn’t pick up. “You know, since it feels like a bit of a vacation and you’re nearby, I was thinking… maybe you could come with me.”

  “No, no, no, no, no, I did the werewolf thing. Never again.”

  “Come on, we could make a road trip out of it. We could pig out on Doritos, play ninety-nine bottles, blast some 90’s Sheryl Crow.”

  “What, so we can have some horrible female bonding moment before we drive off into our death? And oh, eww, Sheryl Crow?”

  “I just need somebody by my side.”

  “I’m sorry, but that person is not me. I left that town for a reason. I can’t see myself actively seeking out danger. I’m good with the occasional mugging where I live.”

  “We could have played I spy…” I pouted.

  “If you really want someone to go with you, why don’t you ask your cousin?”

  “What? Take my cousin on a road trip? No. Are you sure you’re not drunk, too?”

  I may not have seen her, but the visual of her rolling her eyes was crystal clear to me in that moment. “She’s already with you, and from her drinking habits, she’s probably jobless or about to be, so she has all the free time in the world. Just ask her.”

  I moaned and groaned in the most over the top fashion that annoyed even myself. I didn’t want to go alone, but taking Melanie was about the last thing I wanted to do. She was a hassle just going out for a few drinks. If it were just the two of us in a city where we knew no one, in a city where danger lurked in every corner (and not in a Detroit kind of way), I couldn’t guarantee that her recklessness wouldn’t get us into even further trouble.

  “I’ll think about it,” I told Priscilla.

  “You’ll take her. You always cave.”

  “I’m capable of standing my ground, you know.”

  “Well, I have yet to see it.”

  “You’re such a sweet person. Truly.”

  “Sweet’s my middle name.”

  “Ha, ha. Since you’re so sweet, you think you can do me a favor?”

  “Depends. What is it?”

  “I need you to watch Biggie Smalls.”

  “Huh?”

  “My cat. I brought him for the trip to see Grandma since he hates being left alone for too long, but I had no idea I was going to be on this… venture into the unknown. I can’t guarantee I’ll find a motel that allows pets, and even if I did, I don’t think it’s safe for him to be in Lunar City. I’m afraid some werewolf would sniff him out and kill him or something.”

  “What a stupid name for a cat.” That’s really all she took from what I said?

  “Thank you for that insightful comment. Now are you free to watch him?”

  “How hard can it be? Show up, water the little sucker, and be on my way.”

  “He’s not a plant, he’s a cat.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Not whatever. Can you do it, or would I be sending my cat to death row?”

  “I guess he can stay at my place for a little bit.”

  “Really?”

  “That surprises you?”

  “I never took you for an animal person.”

  “Cats and I actually have a few t
hings in common. We like to be left alone, we like our food served to us, and we like to keep our nails long.”

  “When you put it that way…”

  “Dammit!”

  “What?”

  “I dropped the blow dryer.”

  “Then we better end this call before you drop it into a water filled bathtub or something. You sure you don’t want to come with me?”

  “The amount of sureness I’m experiencing right now is so massive it could devour the sun.”

  “So, I take it that’s a no?”

  She scoffed. “Goodbye, Cora.”

  I hung up the phone, disappointed. Priscilla was such a gossip whore I thought for sure she’d want to tag along, but at the same time, I couldn’t exactly blame her for staying someplace safe, someplace not crawling with werewolves. Even the city’s name, Lunar City, suggested that this place would be overrun with them. Was I really crazy for considering this trip? And was Priscilla right, was I really going after Max because I was worried about his safety, or was it because I just missed him? Maybe the feminist in me wanted to believe I’d never pack up the car and go scouting for a guy just because I liked him, but what else is worth relocating to another city, if not someone you care about?

  I returned to a passed out Melanie on the bed, and I shoved my foot into her leg with one hard thrust, nearly knocking her off the mattress. Biggie yawned and crawled out from the bed he had created with her hair, rubbed against my leg, and then hopped onto the sofa I had been seated on. After my minor distraction over his cuteness, I returned to jabbing Melanie until she awoke. Finally, she did, and when she looked at me her face was nothing but a puffy, drool covered mess. “Yo,” she said casually and then ripped a hardened piece of hair from the corner of her mouth.

  “I’m checking out, so you have to leave.”

  “Already?

  “Yep. I’m leaving town and I want to get an early start.”

  “Going home?”

  “I have to make a pit stop first.”

  “Ooh, where?”

  I get annoyed quick. “Nowhere.”

  “Sounds like a strip club. Can I come?”

  “Don’t you have, like, somewhere to be? A job, maybe?”

  “I had one of those. It didn’t work out.”

  “Why not?”

  “Found out my boss was married.”

  “Why would that make you lose your job?”

  “I was sleeping with him.”

  I groaned.

  “Hey, I was technically single at the time. I was lonely, and he had a really nice car. How was I supposed to know he had a wife and kids? Stupid bastard. I should have clipped his balls like you did Biggie.”

  “Cover your ears,” I said to my cat, and he tilted his head to the side with one ear flattened and the other straight in the air. Sometimes I think he understood human dialogue. It’s probably the main reason he hates almost everyone.

  “Come on, tell me where you’re going,” she pleaded like a dog.

  I caved. “I’m visiting an old friend.”

  “Anyone I’ve met?”

  “No, it’s just this guy I know.”

  “Ooh,” she said with a big smirk. She sounded like one of those horrible pre-recorded audiences watching a sitcom every time two of the actors kissed. “A guy, huh? You dirty hoe.”

  I rolled my eyes. I knew she’d make this dirty. “It’s nothing like that. We met when I was staying with Grandma for the summer and we…” Her eyes were as large as plates with this shit-eating grin on her face like she was enjoying watching me squirm. “You know what? Forget it.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know why you want to go. You don’t even like me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Oh, really?”

  She stammered and then said, “Yeah. Besides, it’s your friend who suggested asking me.”

  It was my turn to stammer. “How did you hear that? You were asleep.”

  “I was in between. I wasn’t awake, but I could hear everything going on in the room.”

  “So, you were in sleep purgatory.”

  “Come on, just let me go. You know I’m your favorite cousin.”

  “Actually, no, that’d be Sparky.”

  “But Sparky hates me,” she said, sounding completely baffled.

  “And your point is?”

  “Don’t be such a stick in the mud. You know I’d make your car ride hella interesting.”

  “Seriously, why do you even want to go?”

  She shrugged like she had no genuine clue. “I have nothing else to do this week. If I go home today, I’m just going to be alone in my apartment with nothing to do. At least this way, I’ll have something to keep myself busy.”

  Suddenly, I felt this overwhelming sense of guilt fester in the pit of my stomach. Maybe her persistence to tag along wasn’t because she was a partier looking for an adventure or she secretly enjoyed annoying me, but that she was simply lonely. Melanie always had a boyfriend or husband living with her and this was her first time really on her own. I couldn’t understand the divorce aspect, but I could relate to the fear of being on your own for the very first time. The first year away from my parents I slept with the light on in my bedroom every single night.

  Priscilla was right, I was going to cave.

  “All right,” I said. “You can come.”

  Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Really?”

  “Yes. But let’s not go overboard. There will be no bar hopping, man chasing, or mailbox smashing.”

  “Mailbox smashing?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Okay, maybe that was just my thing. Point is, we’re going because I need to meet up with him. It’s not a party trip.”

  I got the impression my warning left no impact on her brain, because this dizzy smile came over her face as she got to her feet and stood up on the mattress. “Road trip! Woo hoo!” she shouted, her hands straight up in the air like she was riding a rollercoaster. She bounced off of the bed and got her foot tangled in the sheets and nearly fell onto her face.

  Oh, yes. Woo hoo, indeed.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Melanie and I were all packed and ready to go, and when we swung by Priscilla’s place to drop off Biggie, Priscilla gave me an all knowing smirk, proud of herself that I did in fact cave, as she put it, and allow Melanie to tag along on my trip. I hated when she was right.

  I kissed and hugged Biggie for a furious ten minutes, and after I mangled his face with my lipstick I gave him and Priscilla a wave, and watched as she carried him back into her building like she was holding a toxic dirty diaper.

  The car ride proved to be just as dreadful as I imagined. Melanie’s feet were propped up on the dashboard, shoes off, one arm hanging out the open window and the other elbowing into me. It was like being stuck inside a vehicle with an octopus. The backseat was packed full with baskets of clothes and boxes of items that were stacked right up to the ceiling. I was expecting a cop to see this and pull me over, considering the windows were completely blocked off. I had to rely on my rear view mirror so we didn’t, you know, back into another vehicle.

  Melanie groaned, bored. “Can I change the station already?”

  “It’s not a radio station, it’s my playlist.”

  “You mean you’re actually choosing to listen to this crap?”

  “It’s not crap, it’s the eighties.”

  “The eighties were terrible for music.”

  “How can you not love an eighties power ballad? They’re catchy, they’re heavy, they have awesome choruses. It’s pretty much our decade.”

  “We were born in that decade, that’s it. Besides, you have to learn to move forward and live in the now. Can’t we get some JT up in here?”

  “JT?”

  “Justin Timberlake. He’s practically my husband. His voice sneaks into my head and makes passionate love to my brain.”

  I stare at her long and hard. “You two sound serious.”<
br />
  “So, am I going to inject some life into this car ride or what?”

  “Fine, but nothing from his boy band phase, okay?”

  She smiled with satisfaction and then unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself over the seat to dig through one of the boxes in the back. We were so confined inside my tiny Bug that she had almost no room to stretch and her butt was in my face. The frills from her skirt tickled my nose and I swatted it away with my hand.

  “Would you sit down? We’re going to get pulled over,” I griped.

  “Here it is,” she announced, and plopped back down in her seat with a CD in her hand. “Time for some sexy sounds.”

  “Just the type of music for cousins stuck in a car,” I said with an eye roll.

  Once Melanie started blasting her JT, I focused on the freeway ahead of me. The closer we got to our destination, the darker the sky turned. These were definite rainclouds—long streaks of gray with just the tiniest bits of white light poking through. I didn’t see a speck of blue anywhere. It felt almost symbolic in a way, how the further I drew into the unknown the colder and darker it became. I had to say, it put me on edge.

  Melanie was beside me, dancing in her seat, completely oblivious to the bundle of nerves I was as I steered this little car full of her junk into an abyss of gray and black. It was only the afternoon, but the lack of sunlight made it look like we were well into the evening, and I absolutely hated it, because I still didn’t know what I was getting us into. Everything seemed worse in the dark.

  As soon as Justin Timberlake was finished crooning, we arrived. A gorgeous silver sign tangled up in a blossom tree read: Lunar City. I had to admit, I was half expecting to discover this city was a mere myth. I had never heard of the place, and given its name and the type of people rumored to inhabit it, it felt like something ripped out of a horror film.

  A couple miles down and we were taken into the city. Despite the gorgeous blossom trees at the entrance, this city lacked any kind of tree or plant life. It was wall to wall buildings, some so high they felt like they reached into the heavens, all painted a similar shade of silver or brown that they blended together perfectly. Because of how gloomy the weather was today, the details of the buildings were hard to make out. The only things visible were the lights pouring out from the windows, and from a distance, the city appeared as though someone had speckled glitter into the night sky. It was a very metropolis setting and it was absolutely gorgeous.