Full Moon Kisses

by Ellen Schreiber

  THIRTEEN

  a few good friends

  A few days later, I was becoming anxious again with the full moon fast approaching. I caught up to my friends in the girls’ locker room. Abby was getting ready for volleyball practice, and Ivy was using Abby’s locker mirror to touch up her makeup.

  “I have to ask you something, and I know you guys will think I’m crazy,” I said.

  A few of the other athletes shut their lockers and headed out.

  “Sure,” Abby said. “But you’ll have to make it quick.”

  “On Saturday night,” I began in an ultra-happy tone, “how about you guys come to my house for movies?”

  “That’s the day of the Werewolf Fest,” Abby said.

  “Yes, can you make it another day?” Ivy asked, puckering her lips in the mirror.

  “No,” I replied gently. “It has to be that night.”

  “Well, we are going to the fest. Aren’t you?” Abby asked.

  “I was going to. But I thought it might be fun to have a girls’ night instead.” I tried to be lighthearted about the matter.

  “On the biggest night of the year besides prom?” Abby said.

  “The Werewolf Fest only happens every ten years.” Ivy turned to me.

  Even though I’d read in Ryder’s journal that he was after me, I knew the other guys were also looking for girlfriends. I wanted to make sure my friends were not in harm’s way, too. “No way am I missing it,” Abby insisted.

  “You can’t go,” I said with a forceful whisper. “It could be dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?” Abby laughed. “Get out.”

  “Those guys who have been bugging us are going to be there,” I protested.

  “So?” Ivy asked. “What’s the big deal?”

  “What if they bother us again?” I asked.

  “Jake and Dylan will kick their—”

  “What if they can’t?” I interrupted. “What if these guys are stronger?”

  “Than Jake, Dylan, Nash, and Brandon?” Ivy said. “I don’t think so.”

  “And me,” Abby said. “I can defend us, too.”

  “I’m not going to let them keep me home,” Ivy said.

  “I think they are after me, and maybe you, too,” I whispered. “And I think we’ll be safer if we stay home that night.”

  “You are kidding,” Ivy said.

  “No, I’m not. I got Ryder’s journal.”

  “Where did you find that?” Abby asked, interested.

  “They were camping out over by the woods in my neighborhood,” I said.

  “Where you live?” Abby wondered.

  “Yes, that’s what I was trying to tell you,” I replied. “Only Brandon convinced them to go to his house to camp out—so he could watch them.”

  “That was nice of him, but really,” Ivy went on, “they didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “You saw them following us at the mall,” I said. “And then that time they snuck up on me when I was walking Champ? Now they show up camping near my house?”

  “Yes, but that was all,” Ivy replied.

  “Fortunately,” I said, still pressing my point. “But I think they are planning something for the festival.”

  “I’m not saying we should marry them,” Ivy said. “I’m just saying that I’m not going to let them stop me from going to the best event in our town’s history.”

  I took a deep breath as Abby shut her locker and pulled up her volleyball socks. “You just have to believe me,” I pleaded. “It’s for our own good.”

  “I think you are just being overprotective.” Ivy patted me on the back. “Everyone will be there. Nothing will happen to any of us.”

  “It will be a full moon,” I warned them.

  “I know, that’s the point,” Ivy said. “It will be so cool.”

  “It won’t be cool. They aren’t like us.”

  “Thank goodness. I wouldn’t look good covered in tattoos.” Ivy giggled.

  “I think you would,” Abby thought aloud. “You could cover yourself in designer labels,” she teased.

  “I’m serious,” I said. “They are really different. More different than you can imagine.”

  “What are you getting at?” Ivy said. “If you are asking us to miss the fest, there must be a good reason. So just come out and say it.”

  I leaned in and spoke softly. “Because they are werewolves,” I said.

  My friends stared at me for a few seconds.

  “What?” Ivy asked.

  “You are crazy!” Abby said.

  “I knew you’d think so.”

  They both laughed. “Is that all? That they are werewolves?” Ivy asked. “I thought you were going to say convicts or something.”

  “Yes, or runaways from an asylum,” Abby said.

  “So you believe me?” I wondered.

  Abby began to leave, and we followed.

  “I believe you are afraid of werewolves, but I don’t believe in them,” Ivy said. “There are tons of underground weirdos like that. I’ve seen shows on TV about that.”

  “They think they are werewolves because they want to scare girls,” Abby told us. “It’s the oldest trick in the book. Just like on Halloween, guys dress up as monsters. They are just getting in the spirit of the fest. Like Trekkies. Only these guys aren’t nerds.”

  “They’re wackos!” Ivy added.

  They both laughed.

  I wasn’t getting the response I wanted from my friends. I knew they wouldn’t believe me, but I had to try. “Let’s just say they might be taking it too far.”

  “Like a certain someone who wears a Superman cape,” Ivy said, “but doesn’t want to take it off?”

  “Something like that,” I said.

  “So they are going to howl at the moon?” Ivy asked.

  “They want to turn us into werewolves.”

  They both laughed again.

  “I’ll already be one,” Abby said. “I’m dressing up.”

  “Have I ever lied to you before?” I finally asked them when we reached the gym.

  “Uh…no,” Ivy admitted.

  “Not to me,” Abby said. “You didn’t lie to us about dating Brandon. You just withheld the information. That’s not a lie.”

  “Have I ever tried to get in the way of your fun?” I asked.

  They paused and both shook their heads.

  “You have to believe me. This once,” I said. “I never ask anything from you guys.”

  “But you are asking us to miss the best event in this town’s history because of three pranksters,” Ivy whined.

  The coach blew her whistle.

  “I gotta run,” Abby said.

  I grabbed her jersey. “I’m your best friend. I never ask anything of you guys. And once, I ask something of you both—for your own good—and you ignore me. Fine. I warned you, like Dr. Meadows warned me. But I didn’t listen and so many things happened.”

  “Don’t go all ‘crazy girl’ on us,” Ivy said.

  “Like when Dr. Meadows warned you and then those wolves stalked you in the snow?” Abby asked.

  I nodded.

  “All right,” Abby relented as I let go. “I’ll come over.”

  “You will?” I asked eagerly.

  She high-fived me and ran off to join her teammates.

  I was left standing with Ivy.

  “I guess I’ll come, too,” she said resignedly.

  I put my arm around her shoulder. “You are the greatest!”

  “Yes, but if we miss anyone else being bitten, then I’m really going to be mad,” Ivy teased.

  I was relieved. “You won’t regret this.”

  “You better have some amazing movies and piping-hot pizza for us,” Ivy said.

  “I promise.”

  “We are all set,” I told Brandon when I saw him later that day at Willow Park. We decided to meet by the lake—so we could be alone and talk. “Ivy and Abby have agreed to come to my house for a girls’ night. They can’t bother us if w
e are at home, right? We have a security system, and I’ll keep all the lights on. If Ryder and his crew can’t hide under the cloak of darkness and other costumed werewolves, then his plan is blown. Ivy and Abby can stay the night, and in the morning the full moon won’t be an issue.”

  “You are a good friend to them,” Brandon said.

  “They think I’m nuts.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Here they were the ones dragging me to Dr. Meadows, and now I’m the one talking about sixth senses.”

  “I do have some good news,” he said.

  “Good news? Tell me.”

  “My dad called and said he’s sent another vial of werewolf antidote. Nash will be able to take the one I already have. And I had a thought about the other vial.”

  “You’ll take it the following night?”

  “No—Ryder will first. My dad said this batch is really potent. It will work by taking just one sip. ‘There will be no excuses this time for you not to take it,’ he said. But if we cure Ryder, then our problems will be just about over. And we’ll have enough serum left for me.”

  “And Leopold and Hunter?” I asked.

  “Perhaps there will be enough for all of us…” he said, hopeful.

  “That’s awesome. You’ll tell Ryder about it?”

  “No, I can’t. I can’t let him know that I know about his condition.”

  “But I think he’d be okay with it since you have a cure. I read his journal. He’s not happy being a werewolf.”

  “And you think I am?” he asked.

  “I didn’t say that,” I said.

  “I know. I’m just on edge.”

  I held him close. “It’s okay. So much is going on. The fest. Ryder. Nash. We never even get a chance to talk about what you are going through.”

  We sat down on a nearby bench.

  “We haven’t had time for anything else,” Brandon said. “And now I’m worried about the full moon—I can’t imagine what Ryder will be like. And all I think about is making sure you are okay.”

  “I will be—we will be.” I tried to reassure him, even though I wasn’t sure myself.

  “Saturday night is the fest,” he said. “Then, after that, hopefully they will leave and go back to Huntington.”

  “And everything will be back to normal,” I said, hoping it was true.

  “I’ve honestly forgotten what normal is,” Brandon said.

  FOURTEEN

  the brave one

  Nash was stoked all day before the first night of the full moon. I knew that he’d be going to Brandon’s for the cure as soon as the sun began to set. He acted like they were best buddies at lunch and the rest of the day at school.

  “Please, can’t you wait one more day?” I asked after final bell. I still worried that Ryder and his guys would cause trouble and Brandon would need Nash’s help in the werewolf department.

  He slapped me on the back. “You’re so cute with your questions. I’m off for dinner, then catching up to Brandon at his house at dusk. You can kiss my werewolf lips good-bye,” he said, puckering up.

  I ignored him as I had since we stopped dating. I was incensed that he was so gleeful about taking the serum when there were other potentially dangerous werewolves in our town. I left him standing alone as I, frustrated, slipped away into the crowd of students.

  I was waiting with Brandon outside his guesthouse when Nash’s BMW pulled into the driveway. Brandon held the serum as Nash hopped out of the car and headed for us. I’d never seen him so happy as he sauntered up to us. But as the sun set behind us, I could see the fear rising in Nash. Perhaps it was too much to ask for him to wait to be cured of his condition—even for one more day.

  “Here—” Brandon said, handing the serum to Nash. “You’ll have to take it after you change. And good luck.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Those are the only instructions my father gave me.”

  “What if he loses control after he’s turned and can’t take it?” I asked.

  “I won’t lose control,” Nash assured me. “Now that I remember everything, I’ll remember why I have it.”

  “And I’ll be here,” I said, offering my support. “I’ll remind you.”

  “I’ll come back as soon as I change, in case you need my help,” Brandon said.

  “I really appreciate this, guys. More than you’ll ever know,” Nash said sincerely. “And I hope Dr. Meadows was right when she talked about a cure. She said, ‘When the opportunity is revealed to you, the answer is yes. Take it. You will be normal again.’” Nash was excited about the possibility of being cured, and Dr. Meadows’s prediction gave him some comfort. But there still was a risk, and he fidgeted anxiously.

  The sun completely set and the full moon glowed behind us.

  Nash started to breathe heavily. He lurched away from me and leaned against a tree.

  When I turned back to Brandon, he had already disappeared.

  “Get away from me,” Nash said. Suddenly his eyes turned blue gray. He held the serum in his shaking hand. I was afraid he’d drop it and spill its entire contents.

  Against his wishes, I crept close to him.

  His hair was now long over his shoulders. He glanced away from me as I took the vial of serum from his now finely haired hand.

  He stood in full werewolf form. He turned back to me with lonely eyes. “I know what’s happening to me, Celeste. And I hate every minute of this. Please. Let me have that!”

  I held the serum in my hand.

  “Please,” he said. And though he could pounce on me and rip it from my hands easily, he didn’t. He waited for me to decide.

  I couldn’t deny him what he wanted—what he truly needed. I held out the serum to him.

  His fangs appeared golden in the moonlight. He reached for it and examined the vial.

  He gulped it down as if he were a starving man finding food.

  When he finished, we both looked at each other, wondering what would happen next. But nothing did. I was concerned, and Nash was enraged. He howled fiercely and I covered my ears.

  Brandon, in his lycan form, stepped out from behind a tree and raced over to protect me. He was breathing heavily, too.

  Then the hair on Nash’s chest began to disappear. His wild beard became shorter before, all at once, it was gone. His eyes went back to their natural color.

  Nash smiled like he’d won the Heisman Trophy.

  There was a bit of sadness emanating from Brandon as he stood as the lone werewolf.

  Nash hurried over to me and gave me an excited hug, swinging me around with delight.

  “I won’t be a werewolf anymore!” he shouted.

  I’d never seen him so relieved and happy.

  Tears welled in his eyes. He went over to Brandon. “I have to thank you, man. You really saved my life.”

  Brandon seemed pleased at Nash’s words. He gave Nash a brilliant smile, his fangs flashing in the moonlight. Then it hit us all: Nash was cured and Brandon was not.

  “I can’t leave you here,” Nash whispered to me. “He is a werewolf, you know.”

  “Yes you can,” I said loudly enough for all to hear.

  Brandon nodded his head.

  “He’s not going to hurt me,” I said, defending him. “He never has.”

  “You’re not going to hurt me—are you?” Nash asked. “You’re not mad that I’m normal and you’re—”

  “Perhaps it’s time for you to go,” I said.

  Nash backed up, and I took Brandon’s hand and leaned against him.

  As my werewolf boyfriend held me, Nash took off for his car. When he reached it, he paused.

  We heard a howling coming from deep within the woods. It was followed by another one, and still another one.

  Brandon perked up.

  “I have to go find them.”

  “I’ll go, too.”

  “No, you have to go home,” he stated adamantly.

  “I want to see them as well. I’ve seen you and Nash. I can deal with t
hem.”

  There were several distant howls again.

  “Who knows what they are up to?” Brandon wondered. “I have to go.”

  But I wasn’t about to leave his side. “I’m coming, too, Brandon.”

  I tried to run alongside Brandon, but he was faster, and he could see his path before him where I was blinded by the darkness.

  I fell behind, and I stumbled. I hoped I hadn’t twisted my ankle.

  Brandon stopped and came back for me. “See?” he said. “This is no place for you to be.”

  “Wherever you are is the place I’m supposed to be,” I said, rubbing my ankle.

  “Are you okay?” He guided me to a thick, broken tree branch where I sat down. He lifted my leg and checked my ankle.

  “I’ll take you home.”

  “No, I’m okay. Really.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. I rose, but then hobbled. My ankle was sore. I could walk on it but not run.

  The sounds of the howling came closer.

  “Go on,” I said.

  “Are you crazy? I’m not leaving you here. Who knows what they’ll do.”

  He scooped me up easily, as if I were a small child, and hoisted me on his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hulky chest, his long hair draping over them. He ran through the woods as the howling followed close behind.

  Before I knew it, we were racing down the hilltop and heading toward my car. He opened the door and slid me inside.

  Brandon hurried around to the driver’s side and hopped in. I locked the doors and handed him my keys.

  I could see the outlines of three figures with long hair standing on the hilltop.

  Brandon drove me home safely and walked me to my door. I kissed him long and held him tightly. There was no place I felt more secure than in his presence, especially when I was nestled against him. He was truly impressive under a waxing or waning moon—but under a full moon he was the hottest werewolf I’d ever known. I didn’t want to let go and be away from him even for a minute, but I knew our eventful evening had come to an end. I unlocked my front door and opened it and when I turned around he had already disappeared into the night.

  The following day, it was Saturday, the day of the Werewolf Fest. I was on my way to meet Ivy and Abby at the coffee shop when I saw a shaggy blond and a fiery redhead lurking by Dee’s Restaurant a few shops over.