MoonNight

by Thacker, Renee

  “So what’s this party for?” Jason asked.

  “It’s... um... supposed to be a... surprise.” I gave a fake smile.

  The car ride there was difficult for me. We finally made it to the parks lot. We would meet in the clearing.

  “I don’t see a party.” Lea clutched her teddy bear to her chest once we got out.

  “I know it’s up ahead just through the trees.” I pointed out. “Just follow me.” I walked the four of them over. We, well, I, tripped and fell swearing bullets. Until we made it to the clearing.

  “I still don’t see the party,” Lea whimpered still holding her teddy.

  “I know let’s just-”

  A deep growling sound came from deep within Jason’s throat. His face darkened.

  “The girl lied,” he growled. I knew he was talking about me. How did he know?

  “Lea!” Heather desperately called out. She was nowhere. Just then Alex came out of the trees holding a knife to Leas throat. The sweet vampire still clutched her teddy bear yelling, “Mommy! Daddy!” Behind Alex snaking her hands around his shoulders. She brought her lips close to his ear and whispered something.

  “Yes, she says she still want your death for killing her Damen. I’m guessing your other werewolf friends didn’t tell you everything about our transformations. We can transform at any time we want, but we’re still forced at the full moon. So once I change you I am no longer responsible for you.”

  “Leslie?” Leas sweet high-pitched voice rang out in the silence. “Is it true?”

  “Tell her,” Tarun slithered flicking her tongue like a snake. “Tell them you’d rather be turned then save them. Tell them you planned this out. Now we get the vampires and i get your death to myself. What does your lover-boy think? Does he know of this? Don’t you think that if he really loved you he would turn you himself?”

  I tried no to show that her venom in every word had stung me, although they really did.

  “He loves me,” I said. “He told me.” My voice was cracking.

  Tarun burst out laughing.

  “Enough!” The other protector barked. “Alex you will give the girl what she wants and me and Tarun will take care of the vampires.

  Alex handed the knife along with Lea over to the protector. In a split second he had me pinned up against a tree, loomed close, then forced me to the ground. He knelt by me, placing his mouth on my neck and an iron grip around me. I could feel every pair of eyes still in the clearing trained on me.

  “Is this what you really want?” HIs raspy voice asked.

  “Yes,” I tilted my head back revealing my neck.

  He bit down just as Carson Lund entered the clearing.

  “Nooooo!” He screamed.

  The bite was a pain beyond belief.

  All hell broke loose. Jason tackled the protector, knocking the knife from him, and stowing Lea safely in a tree. Leaving her teddy bear behind. It was all so fast with their super natural speed abilities. Heather was Tarun off. Carson knocked Alex off of me. Rifle stood frozen. Staring at me with complete horror.

  “No Leslie,” I heard him say. “I won’t let you be one of them.” He ran towards me. I knew his intentions.

  “No!” I screamed at him. “Don’t Rifle! Please! Please! Please!”

  It was hopeless. He lowered down and bit me right on tip of Alex’s bite. What? Had? He? Just? Done? Quickly I scrambled to my feet. My shirt snagged a branch tearing it, exposing my stomach and back.

  “Leslie!” Carson yelled. “Get out of here!”

  I just fell to the ground having a seizure. My whole body was convulsing until I curl up and lie there motionless. I could feel myself dying. Watching the chaos around me until my last breath. Tarun was pouncing everywhere in her Victorian dress and that gruesome grin. Carson was now shouting at Rifle for what he did. He was mad beyond belief. Deep crimson as they both threw blows at each other. The two protectors were trying to fight off Jason while Heather snuck away with Lea. I managed to pull myself forward still on my stomach and reached the stuffed animal. But someone yanked me to my feet. Carson.

  “Leslie I need you to run now.” His voice was thick.

  “No.” I wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

  “Get in the car and get the hell out of here.”

  “No.”

  “Leslie you walked us in to this and I’m going to get you out.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense!” I shouted.

  “I know it doesn’t! Just run!” He swung his fist at the right moment, missing Alex by mere inches.

  By this time I could barely lift myself up. The venom from Rifle and the bite from Alex were killing me. I needed to get to the car where my phone was so I could call for help. Just then Dimitri, Jeremy, and Loren burst through the tree line. Loren crouched low. Bared her teeth, cocked her head letting her red hair spill out in front of her saying, “You wanna go?”

  The two protectors retreated. Tarun hesitated giving me a very meaningful look before swishing her dress around and leaving. Carson picked me up like a child. I clung to him as he tore through the forest insanely fast.

  He laid me in the back seat, jammed the keys in the ignition, and sped away. All the way to his house. Carsons strong gentle hand pulled the shirt from my neck causing me to cry out in pain.

  “Shhh,” he hushed me.

  The sting from my neck wound spread through my body, making me feel like my blood was acid. I made it over to the mirror and took myself in the mirror.

  I had paled. My eyes darkened. Hair lengthened and lightened in to a dirty blond. The scar that run down the side of my face was now gone. On my neck were two new scars. One from a dangerous man and the other from a rather seductive vampire. When I parted my blood red lips it revealed two fangs. A new hunger came over then me. One that did not include a cafeteria lunch...

  In the distance howls erupted. This must be the changing at the full moon. I turned to Carson but he was not there. I looked down. There stood the most beautiful, gorgeous, mesmerizing wolf of all time. Carson Lund. The one who entered my life and led me in to a whole new dimension. Did he hate me now? Now that I was the forbidden enemy? Would Rifle be the one to turn to? Were there more vampires out there besides the Ricolis? I was eighteen in two weeks. Which didn’t mean I had to go home to explain to my parents I didn’t eat food. No matter what, even if it meant the end of my existence, I refused to drink the blood of a human being.

  Chapter 8

  I sat cross legged on Carson’s bed. The wolf rested his head in my lap as I gently stroked it. Sleeping was out of the question now. In fact now that I was a vampire I couldn’t sleep. An eternity of this. Of Carson. Of I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do.

  When the first sign of dawn began to break Carson jumped back and shifted back in to his human form. His expression was so, I don’t even know. But he has never looked at me with that much disgust.

  “Go now.” he ordered. “Never come back. Never talk to me again. We can never ever be back together so just go.”

  “But-”

  “Now!” he shouted with so much rage it frightened me.

  Tears stung my eyes. This was beyond cruel. It wasn’t even fair!

  “But I loved you.” I whispered.

  “Go,” every single muscle in his body was vibrating. “Take my car and go back to the school?”

  “Never again.”

  “Never again what?” He angrily demanded.

  “Just leave like that.”

  “It’s different this time..”

  “You always say that.” I gritted my teeth and jumped off the bed.

  “Don’t come any closer.” Carson held his hands up.

  So I didn’t. I just turned around without looking back once. Heartbroken. Slowly turning the keys in the ignition of the red convertible, heading back to the school. Taking a long shower. Thirsty for something. For blood. For my old normal human life again. For all of this to be over. But now my destiny was chosen. And I had an ete
rnity of it. But right now I needed blood. So after the shower I got back in to the car and headed back to the clearing at white claw park.

  Lea’s teddy bear was there along with the knife. I picked up the blade driving it deep into the dirt. Placing the teddy bear against the knife. I kneeled down and cried some more hopelessly calling Carson.

  That’s when my senses kicked in. I smelled it. My fast reflexes had the snow white rabbit by the tail in no time. It seemed so disgusting to bite in to. But that blood. That blood I was craving so much that I lowered my mouth to it and bit down. It was so regurgitating yet so rejuvenating. My senses were sharper. I had strength, agility, speed, all of it. Thinking back to everything I don’t know what it is that I really did want.

  When I got back to the school It was morning. Kids were scarfing down unappetizing plates of food. I looked over to the table I normally ate at with Loren. It was all empty except for Tarun. Tarun! What could she do in a school cafeteria though? I sat across from her, both of us without plates of food. It was strange to see her in normal clothes again.

  “So we meet again.” She said coolly.

  “Yes but this time we’re at a truce.” I nodded.

  “Ha! When have I ever hurt you?”

  “You tried but failed. Twice.”

  “You will not talk about this.” She told me. “I will never forgive you for any of it. So don’t even try to play kiss up with me.” She paused. “When we’re outside of school your throat has my name written all over it.

  “Why?” I emphasized. “You don’t have to be like this.”

  “You don’t understand my world.” She threw back the exact words Carson had once spoken.

  “I am part of your world,” I told her.

  “Vampires have nothing to do with werewolves!” She snapped. “You belong dead. That’s why Carson can’t be with you. Rifle bit you.”

  I gulped, “I’ll find a way.”

  “With who?” She exclaimed. “With werewolves? Highly doubtful. The Ricolis? After all the hell you put the them through? Well I’ll be damned if they ever accept you again. And I’ll bet your senses are to week at this point to track down others of your kind.”

  Others of my own kind? So there are other vampires out there. But how close? Tarun refused to give me any further information. When I got to math none of the other werewolves were there. Except for Dimitri. For a second I could still see the old friendliness on his eyes. Then it was gone. Replaced by a sad cold look. The stick figure drawing was still hanging on the whiteboard. Wow, nice way to bring back all the pain. The school day went by long and boring. After I got back to my dorm Emi comforted me by trying to teach me yoga, with a few popcorn breaks. She had no clue what was going on (I envied her) all she knew was I was down.

  The computer in the corner reminded me of my mom’s emails counting the days until I would come home. Twenty one days. Exactly three weeks. My phone vibrated in my pocket. Signaling I had a text. The caller ID said it was from someone unknown named Galen Serecue. It read:

  MEET ME IN THE PARK AT 9:00 TONIGHT

  There was no way I was going to get played into another trap.

  DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU, I replied.

  Seconds later the phone rang. Caller ID: Galen Serecue.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Oh hi. Is this Leslie woods?” His voice was deep, mature, serious.

  “What’d you want?”

  “You of course.”

  “Look I’m done with tricks and games so don’t waste your breath.”

  “It’s not that,” he continued. “I know what you are and I’m one too. I was wondering. Well I need to teach you some things. What I’m saying is, I’m a vampire. You’re a vampire. Let’s face it, you have no one to turn to.”

  My phone clattered to the floor.

  “Leslie are you okay?” Emi gasped.

  “Yeah I’m fine.” I picked up the phone and hung it up quickly before texting him I’d be at the local park at 9:00. This is what I needed after all. The time read 7:49. The park was a five minute drive. But since I didn’t have a car, I had to walk. Carson. The one who ripped my heart in half and flipped my world upside down. I know I still yearned for him. I was irrevocably in love with him.

  The empty road leading half a half an hour walk was torture. Carson was on my mind the whole way until I got there. That’s when I first laid eyes on him. He was a Californian dreamer. That blond hair and light skin. Everything except for the dark eyes. His feet remained spread apart as he stared off in to the distance. When he looked at me that half smile about killed me. I thought he was an older man like Alex but he looked my age, If not younger.

  “Leslie,” he acknowledged when I made it over. “Come on.”

  I thought maybe he was going to lead me somewhere. But instead he sat on a swing and gestured to the one next to him. It was dark and thank god there were no children.

  “So why do you need me?” I asked.

  “Who said I needed you? I was just accepting a new vampire.” Galen replied.

  I stayed silent.

  “Well as you know, it’s hard to adjust.” He told me. “So maybe I was just wondering if we could go try out some skills in the forest...?”

  “Skills?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Vampire skills!” he was quick to say.

  “And is this a trick?” I asked him.

  “No but let’s just go somewhere else and talk.”

  Galen led me over to the sidewalk curb. We both hugged our knees and sat there silent and peaceful in the dark of night for a moment.

  “So how’s life treating you?” He asked.

  “I don’t know,” I shrugged. For some reason there was something about this guy that I could trust. Maybe the sparkle in his eyes. Or his beautiful dreamy features. “My mom’s a lawyer; she lives in a world of black and white. She would never understand. My dad, he’s not really the type to talk things through with. Plus they live in Los Angeles and I’m almost eighteen. I can’t rely on my parents forever. So...” I trailed off.

  “Anyone else?” He asked.

  “Well long story. My-well I met this guy werewolf- quite a few of them actually- then I turned in to this.”

  “And that’s why I’m here.” Galen finished off on Cue.

  “Yes Mr.’ Psychiatrist,” I laughed like a lunatic.

  Galen’s expression darkened. I followed his eyes. Carson Lund was standing there on the bridge of the playground.

  “I’ve got to go,” Galen said sternly.

  “What- why?”

  “Two men don’t fight in front of a lady.” He got up and left in to the darkness.

  Carson and I just stood there staring at each other. I didn’t know If I should be happy that I was once again staring into those beautiful green eyes or mad because he was the one who shouted at me to leave. I opened my mouth to speak a couple of times but couldn’t. I was frozen, shocked.

  “What’s your problem?!” I shouted.

  “Les-”

  “You can’t just tell me off like that then-”

  “Les-”

  “Come back when I am clearly trying to t-”

  “Les-”

  “To another man. Now it’s my turn to tell you to leave and you’ll know how I feel. You have no idea the p-”

  “Leslie pl-”

  “Pain I’ve been going through because of you.” I stopped to gasp for air, then turned around and started to walk away.

  Carson turned me around to face him. This was a fight I couldn’t fight.

  “It’s not that,” his breathing was heavy.

  “Don’t do this to me,” I whispered hotly through tears, adjusting my eyes to his tattoo.

  “You’re becoming more popular.”

  “Oh great so now you want my autograph.” I threw my arms in sarcasm.

  “No it’s nothing like that. First the werewolves wanted you and they wanted you pretty bad. But now you’re a vampire. No human being has been bitten
by a vampire and survived it for six thousand years. Let alone a vampire and a werewolf bite in the same night. They want you. The werewolves want you. The vampires want you. It’s a tug of war.” He was dead serious.

  “So what Is it this time? The Ricolis or some other innocent family?”

  “No. I just want you to stay close to me. It was my fault I didn’t keep a closer I on you. And I couldn’t stay away from you. It’s way to hard.”

  Right now I was thinking two things. Galen. Carson. Vampire. Werewolf. Reluctantly I turned around and followed him to the car. Before I left I saw a little sparkle by a tree. Galen was leaning against a tree waving his phone at me. As a message. I nodded and looked away quickly so Carson wouldn’t notice.

  “Put your seat belt on.” He told me.

  “You never do,” I reprimanded.

  “That’s because I’m a werewolf.”

  “And I’m a vampire.”

  “Don’t.” He gritted his teeth.

  “That’s like discriminating blacks. Look Carson, I’m a vampire.”

  “We’re two different species.” Very quietly he said something my new vampire senses allowed me to hear. “Maybe you really do belong with Galen.”

  “Then why did you pick me up?” I asked.

  “Because I want you.” He pierced me with those green eyes.

  “You’re confusing,” I sighed.

  “That’s what happens when you’re in love.”

  I stayed silent.

  “Coffee?” Carson suggested.

  I stayed silent.

  “Are you going to talk to me?” He asked.

  I stayed silent.

  When we got to the Starbucks he opened my passenger side door. I headed to the entrance. Carson hadn’t budged.

  “Leslie,” His usually strong voice cracked.

  I turned around but didn’t walk any closer.