A Winter Moon

by S. J. Smith

  “You don’t seem like you need any rest or recovery time…” Erin muttered sleepily.

  “Well, not really…” Courtney agreed. Then suddenly, her face and tone of voice turned serious. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you, Erin.”

  Erin felt the gravity in her voice, which made her sit up in bed and pay attention.

  “Chad told me last night that when the rain had begun pouring, Kale had still been preparing our dinner right beside him. But after a few minutes, he turned around and poof! Your dear stepbrother had vanished!”

  “He probably rushed outside to see how we were,” Erin said, not the least bit bothered. “Or maybe his hearing’s so good he heard all of your screaming for help.”

  “Maybe,” Courtney said, shrugging. “But it’s just so weird how he was able to get to the middle of the lake so fast! I mean, it wasn’t really that far from the shore, but Chad had dashed outside too after he saw that Kale had disappeared. By the time he reached the dock, he said I was already there lying on the ground and Kale was pulling you up from the water.”

  “So?” Erin asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “So… he’s way too fast!” Courtney hissed. “And he’s way too strong. How could he have hauled us both through the water within a short period of time and pulled us up on the dock without a boat or any help?”

  Erin was quiet as she thought about it. She then remembered how the snake had retreated after wrapping around Kale’s neck. She also recalled that first night she’s seen him vanish into thin air. Was it all her imagination? And was it possible for a human being to do what he’d done the previous night?

  Aloud, she simply said, “Let’s just be grateful that he saved our lives, Courtney.”

  “Yeah, I know but…”

  Erin changed the topic immediately, dragging her friend back into the kitchen to enjoy breakfast with their special men. Nobody mentioned the accident again. What mattered was that nobody had gotten seriously hurt.

  After the meal, Chad and Courtney had to go. “Take care,” Courtney whispered, giving Erin a tight hug before leaving. Erin didn’t know if the short statement had meant much more. But she did not like to dwell on these doubts about Kale. Besides, they did not make any sense at all.

  She soon forgot about it as she lost herself in the fun-filled summer days by the lake. It was like she and Kale had an entire paradise of their own where they could be themselves completely without a care in the world.

  As Erin watched Kale chop some carrots one evening, she wondered how she’d been so lucky to have found this marvelous man. However, she did not know where their relationship was going. Not yet, anyway. And frankly she didn’t really want to think about it at the moment.

  “So what are you cooking, Kale?” she asked excitedly, positioning herself behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “It’s my secret recipe,” he answered, trying to sound mysterious.

  “Ooh sounds yummy…” she said, laughing and tightening her embrace while trying to look over his shoulder. He was too tall so she had to lean on his right.

  “Ouch,” he suddenly muttered, dropping the knife.

  Erin stepped back when she saw the blood ooze out of his finger. She took his hand quickly and examined the wound, which turned out to be a deep cut. But he immediately pulled back and just placed it under the running water. “It’s alright,” he insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

  He headed to the bathroom while Erin followed him with her eyes curiously. “Let me get some bandages…” she offered, going inside the master bedroom.

  When she came out again, she was surprised to find him almost done with the cooking. “Let me see your wound. Is it not bleeding anymore?” she inquired with great concern.

  “It’s fine,” he said firmly, not meeting her eyes.

  They started dinner in silence, with Erin wondering what had happened to the deep cut she’d seen. As they were eating, she saw that there was no sign of the wound anymore. But later, she got distracted by the delicious dish he’d prepared and the stories he was telling about his childhood.

  “Do you miss your mom?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course,” he replied honestly. “We were really close even when I was already in my teens.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She, uh… went missing.”

  “Oh, my gosh! Why? You never found her again?” Erin asked in shock.

  He opened up then about his mom being some sort of police agent or investigator who was assigned to protect someone. But when she failed in her mission, she suddenly disappeared and they never found out where she had gone.

  “That’s so sad,” Erin said, her heart going out to him. “It must have been so painful for you and your dad.”

  He nodded silently. “What about you? How did you cope as a little girl after your dad… passed away…?”

  “It was difficult,” she said. “Mom was a wreck. And I didn’t talk for months after that. I withdrew from people, I guess. But somehow our relatives and friends helped us recover.”

  “That’s good.”

  Silence followed.

  Suddenly, they heard the front door swing open. The sound was followed by two pairs of excited footsteps. When Erin turned around to face the living room area, she was shocked to find her mom standing in the center with outstretched arms.

  “Erin, my princess, my baby!” she exclaimed. “Come here and give me a hug!”

  “Mom!” Erin said in shock. “What are you doing back here?”

  Jillian folded her arms across her chest, frowning in a joking manner. “Is that the way to greet your mom whom you haven’t seen for some time?”

  Erin gave her mom a hug, though still astonished.

  Meanwhile, Winston came forward with their luggage and greeted everybody. All of a sudden, the room had become livelier with Jillian’s excited chitchat. She and Winston were thrilled to get home early so they could be one big happy family before the summer break was over.

  Later that evening, as Erin was moving her things to the guest room, she could not help feeling awkward and a little bit guilty. Here they were supposedly celebrating as a new blended family, while she and Kale were keeping their relationship a secret.

  Suddenly, reality was creeping in, slowly sinking into her. Kale’s my stepbrother, for crying out loud! she screamed in frustration in her mind. Images of their various sexual encounters and sweet gestures suddenly came rushing back to her.

  It’s just for the summer, she told herself. After this vacation, everything will go back to normal. This whole affair will seem like a dream.

  Thinking that, she did not know whether to feel relieved or miserable.

  *****

  Kale was sound asleep in the sofa. Even Jillian and Winston were already snoring, probably tired from the long day of travelling. But Erin was wide awake, pacing back and forth in the room. Because she could not sleep, she decided to fix her clothes in the closet. She turned on the light and started arranging her shirts, jeans, jackets, and accessories.

  That was when she stumbled upon an odd-looking jewelry box. It was a simple rectangular box covered with genuine leather. Imprinted on top was Kale’s name. At first, she thought of just setting it aside and giving it to him in the morning. But her growing curiosity made her open the lid.

  “What are these?” she whispered in horror as she dug through the piles of photos that showed her as a little girl with her parents. There was also a newspaper clipping about the car accident that had killed her dad but which she’d miraculously survived. Then she saw other pictures of herself as she was growing up. There was even one of her and Arnold, as well as one of her with Courtney.

  “Oh, my God,” she hissed, fear and doubt gripping her heart. “Oh, my God. He knew them all this time. He’d been stalking me?!”

  At that instant, a sound from the doorway made her turn around. Kale was standing there with a serious expression on his face that she could not
decipher.

  “Let me explain, Erin,” he started.

  But she exploded right then and there. “All this time, you’d been lying to me! What’s the meaning of all this? Are you some crazed stalker?”

  “No, Erin, listen…” He tried to reach out to her but she stepped back quickly.

  “I can’t believe it, Kale! I trusted you!” she cried, her heart breaking terribly. She knew she was becoming hysterical but she didn’t really care at that moment. “Did you and Winston plan all this?!”

  Suddenly, her mom was standing behind Kale. She’d probably awoken because of all the commotion. Beside her, Winston simply looked apologetic and worried.

  “Mom, did you know about these?” Erin demanded, throwing the photos and other items onto the bed.

  Jillian looked down on them and then looked up again with a remorseful face. “I’m so sorry, Erin. I think we all have to sit down and explain to you the truth about Winston and Kale. You two were so close when we got here, I assumed he’d told you…”

  “Told me what?” Erin almost screamed, looking from her mother to Kale. “What’s going on??”

  Her mother led her out to the living room where they all sat together and waited for her to calm down. Winston prepared tea as they gathered round the table.

  Jillian took a deep breath then plunged into the story. “I met Winston online because he was working for the government. He and Kale are… helping the space research department.” She paused, looking at the two men who were giving her encouraging looks. “We fell in love even before we had seen each other face to face. But when we finally got to spend time together, I noticed some strange things happening. He could heal fast, he could vanish and reappear whenever he wanted to…”

  Erin gasped. “Kale too…” she murmured with dread.

  “Yes, Erin,” Jillian said, nodding and holding her daughter’s hands. “You see, they’re not like us. They are from… far away…”

  “From where?” Erin wanted to know.

  Kale spoke up then. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time, Erin. Winston and I are from a community of guardians or what some also call protectors. Each one of us is assigned to a human being on Earth, sort of like a ‘guardian angel’…”

  Erin was shaking her head in disbelief. Her mom did not seem shocked by the story at all. Did she really buy this?

  “Erin, I have pictures of you because… I… I’m your protector,” Kale finally finished. He was breathing heavily, obviously worried about her reaction.

  Erin’s eyes widened, but she could not think of anything to say at that moment.

  “It’s true, Erin,” her mom said, sitting beside her and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Kale is the one who saved your life during the accident.”

  “But… but… what about Dad?” Erin asked, her voice barely a whisper. Tears began forming in her eyes as she recalled the traumatic accident. “If this is all true, why wasn’t Dad saved like me?”

  “It was my fault, Erin,” Winston said in a grieving tone. All eyes were on him now. “Your father’s protector was my… former wife… We’d had an argument right before the accident. She was very distracted and was not alert enough. It was too late… And because of that…” He paused, trying to speak clearly despite beginning to choke on his words. “She… she… she had felt so guilty and so bad that she went away and never showed herself again. Many believe that she’d banished herself from our community because of her great shame.”

  Tears began to fall down Jillian’s cheeks. Erin too could not help crying. She felt his sincerity and his deep remorse. But more than that, the memory of her father was making her heart constrict. These revelations were also making her feel so lost and confused.

  “I vowed to protect your mother, Jillian, with all my life for the rest of my life,” Winston continued. “I left my post as senior trainer of the guardians because I knew it was the right thing to do.”

  “So… what are you guys, really?” Erin whispered, dreading the answer but needing to hear it once and for all.

  Kale was the one who faced her and said it. “We’re aliens.”

  *****

  It was one thing to fall in love with her stepbrother. It was an entirely different ballgame to love a stepbrother from outer space.

  Yes, that was how it turned out to be for Erin as her summer vacation came to an end. She’d wanted to run away after that night of revelation. She’d wanted to hide in the city and never be part of that family again. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t turn her back on her mother and on the man who had made her feel loved again.

  As a favor to her mother, she stuck it out. Anyway, there was only a week left of summer before she had to get back to her reality.

  At times, they were like any other blended family trying to adjust to one another and to the new situation. But more often than not, it was plain awkward for her to mingle with these aliens whom she must now learn to accept.

  At least she and her mom did not have to worry about being in danger ever again. They had protectors to make sure they were always safe and secure.

  And on the brighter side, at least she did not have to worry about having an actual relationship with her stepbrother. As far as she was concerned, their summer affair was long over. It was good while it lasted, and she was thankful for that.

  A few times Kale had tried to reach out to her, but she had simply brushed him off. Soon he stopped trying. Perhaps she wasn’t that important to him, after all. And it was all for the best, anyway.

  After saying goodbye to the beautiful lake house she would never, ever forget for the rest of her life, Erin forced herself to drive away and go back to the city where her life was waiting. But as she was heading down a steep road, she somehow lost control, causing the car to skid fast towards a huge tree on the side of the road.

  Erin screamed, hitting the brakes just in time before she hit the tree. She sat there, breathing heavily, scared out of her wits.

  “Glad to know you saved yourself,” somebody said from the passenger’s seat.

  Kale had suddenly appeared inside the car. He was gazing at her so intensely that she felt like she was going to melt. Despite her resolve to forget about him, she could not keep her heart from soaring into high heavens upon seeing his ruggedly handsome face and deep, beautiful green eyes.

  “As I’ve told you, I don’t need any saving,” Erin responded, trying to keep calm. “You can go find someone else to protect. I’m not a damsel in distress.”

  “I know,” Kale said, his lips turning up in a slight smile. “You’re very strong, Erin. You’re the knight in shining armor, and I’m the damsel in distress.”

  “Are you playing with me?” Erin said irritably.

  “Oh, no, no…” he quickly replied. “I’m serious, Erin. I need saving. You see, there’s this woman who captured my heart and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to get her out of my mind.” He paused, leaning closer and making Erin’s heart race wildly. “I’ve fallen hard,” he whispered sincerely.

  Erin’s heart seemed to skip a beat. “But Kale…”

  “My dad and Jillian have already approved,” he quickly said.

  “You told them?!” Erin exclaimed incredulously.

  “I told them that I’ve fallen hard for my stepsister, but that I’m not sure if she’s willing to pick me up and face the future with me…Will you help your stepbrother?” he asked hopefully.

  “How?” she whispered. “How can I help you when I’ve fallen hard too?”

  Kale gazed into her brown eyes, smiling and lifting his hand to caress her cheek. “Tell me you love me, Erin. Save me… because I am so damn in love with you.”

  Tears welled up in Erin’s eyes. “Oh, Kale… I do love you!”

  He leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She kissed him back eagerly, her heart overflowing with joy and relief.

  She understood then that what they had for each other was more than just a momentary a
ffair. It was something worth fighting for, something worth saving. It was love, for sure, for real.

  THE END

  Bonus Story 25 of 40

  Taken by the SEALs

  Samantha Fry knew that Jack was returning tomorrow. Jack Plainview was the boy she had known all through her childhood, the boy who had always been picking up sticks and pretending they were guns, the boy with whom she had lost her virginity, the boy with whom she had smoked her first cigarette, the boy with whom she had first stopped being a Good Girl. She didn’t know this because he had contacted her. They had stopped talking about five years ago. They had just drifted apart in that inexorable way that happens between childhood friends who choose different paths. No, she knew because Barkton was a small town and in small towns news traveled fast.

  She had been in the store buying some milk and eggs when Miss Hag (her real name was Miss Hobson, but Samantha thought Hag worked better) sidled up to Samantha with a witch-like grimace and shoved a pointy stick-thin finger in her face. “That boy is coming home from the war tomorrow,” she barked. “That Jack Plainview what went off to the war some three years ago? He’s coming back. I remember you two as little kiddies, thick as thieves. You’ll be giving him quite the welcome?” The Hag licked her lips in a sickening caricature of feminine lust. “I bet you will.”

  Samantha had restrained the surprisingly strong urge to punch the Miss Hag in the nose. Now, home from her exciting, exhilarating, and massively fulfilling job of waiting tables at The Spatula, she lay on her bed in her one-bedroom apartment and looked up at the ceiling. She found herself wishing her parents were here. Her father had died four years ago, when she was twenty-four, and her mother had died a year after that. That her mother had died of cancer and her father in a car crash so soon afterward was a cruel punishment which Samantha didn’t feel deserving of. But it had happened and there was no point bemoaning it.

  She traced the pattern on her ceiling lazily with her eyes, wondering how changed Jack would be. She didn’t know why they had stopped talking. It had just sort of happened. He had gone off to the SEALs and she had never bothered to contact him and he had never bothered to contact her. And now most of her friends had moved out of Barkton to bigger and better things, and were so changed by their new lives that Samantha barely recognized them. The cities had taken them and warped them into pretentious cocktail-drinkers.