Moon Risings

Moon Rising

  "He is soooo cute isn't he?" Kimberly said to thin air....I knew she didn't want an answer, she was just head over heels for the new guy and well, I couldn't care less. He was a golden boy, blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and strong. Apparently he was 'kind and sweet' too but I didn't believe any of them, it seemed every girl in the whole school was totally in love with him and he had only been here for two days.

  "Don't you think he's cute?" this time she actually wanted an answer, but she already knew mine.

  "No Kim, I don't think he's cute, I think he's full of himself; I mean look at him" turning to face his locker just in time to see him strut down the corridor towards us; every girl turning to follow him and all the guys trying to be his new best friend.

  "I know right, he is just so good to people, he lets everyone talk to him", she said it dreamily and I rolled my eyes and took it as my cue to walk away. I had enough problems in my life to think about without the new guy getting involved.

  The bell finally rang for the end of the day; I wish it had come sooner, tonight was the full moon and If I had to see that golden idiot one more time I think I might scream. Today was not a good day to get stressed out, I just had to get home, get my food and sleeping bag and then take off to the woods. But apparently that wasn't going to happen, Golden Boy was waltzing down the corridor towards me, his newly formed posy of friends tailing him. So I did the only thing I could, I took off as fast as I could to get to my bike. My bike was my baby, my Kawasaki Vulcan 500  I call 'Fugio' was my 16th Birthday Present from my dad, he knew I had had my eye on one for years and on the big day I found it parked outside with a huge silver ribbon against its red body. I walked swiftly up to it, took the helmet from the handle bars and began wrapping my hair up in a high ponytail, I thought I managed to get away before Golden Boy annoyed me anymore but  just as I was about to put my helmet on he appeared, out of nowhere.

  "WHAT THE HECK!" I yelped as I turned around and bumped straight into him, he was standing so close but I hadn't even noticed him.

  "Sorry, I just wanted to say...nice bike" He sounded nice....suspiciously nice.

  "Yeah, thanks, he was my Birthday Present"

  "It's sweet, mind if we go for a ride? I have my own helmet" I so didn't want to be rude but I really had to get back to the woods before the moon rose.

  "Erm sure hop on, but I'm driving" I began to put on my helmet as he disappeared to fetch his own. I didn't have much time to think because he was back and ready to go, so we hopped onto the bike. Putting his hands on my shoulders I started Fugio, his rev reminded me of freedom and soon we were speeding off down the road. The high school was at the far edge of our town, a large straight road, lead out and directly to the opposite side of town, the residential side but the road was the best way to get home and it was the perfect road for driving fast. So I sped away, at this time of the day there would be little or no traffic and feeling the wind blowing past you was the best feeling in the world. We reached breezed out way to the end of the road as it headed out of the town and I began to slow, I noticed Golden Boys' hands had moved from my shoulders to around my waist, as we pulled up at the edge of the woods at the opposite end of town.

   

  "Alex your bike is amazing" He was being truthful apparently, his eyes wide and excited, but how did he know my name.

  "How do you know my name?"

  "I don't know I guess I must have picked it up somewhere” I began moving away from him back to my  bike, the sky was getting darker I needed to get him back before the heavy rain started.

  "Well then Golden Boy, we need to get you back to your own ride, so I can go home" I shoved my helmet on, not making any eye contact. I think he must have put his helmet on because I felt the bike sink under his weight and his hands on my shoulders. I attempted to rev the bike but nothing...I tried again only to hear the horrible splutter that no biker ever wanted to hear. Leaping off Fugio I knelt down beside it, my attempt to fix him failed miserable, I was never a big mechanic but even I could see there was nothing wrong.

  "No...No Fugio, Please start, I have to get back, please" I knew pleading wasn't going to work but this was officially not a good day. Hopping back onto the bike I tried again, but ...nothing.

  "Do you want me to have a look at it?" He was now standing beside me, trying to look for a mistake in the perfect looking engine.

  "Yeah, if you could, I really have to get going", and at that, I thought nothing could get worse, till the rain clouds above us flashed and flared and released their downpour. Looking up the storm I knew this was it...."How am I going to get home in time now?" I said it to myself but he answered anyway.

  "I don't think we can how about we stay here, find something to shelter against and then try to get it started once the storm passes." 

  "No its going to get dark soon we are going to have to camp out"

  "Camp out? How? We don't have any stuff". That brought a smile to my face, here; in the woods was my world not his.

  "You might not...but I do", I gave him a knowing smile before propping the bike up, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the woods. The woods were as far from the centre of the town as you could get...they were wild and huge, spreading out for miles in every direction. Many people have gone missing, some have never been found but since I was small my dad had always taken me out to the woods, I knew almost every part and could survive for weeks, if not forever. My family life had always been sketchy; when I was five my mum found out that I was different from other children and dumped me with my dad. Afterwards she disappeared to New York, since then my dad had taught me how to survive on my own and given me a life I loved...well most of the time.

  I let go of his hand, before clambering under an old log to pick out my hidden rucksack encasing my safety supplies: sleeping bag, food, tea, coffee, spare clothes, knives, a tent and some other added extras. I was used to living in the wild for a night or two.

  "How do you have all of this stuff?" He was following obediently as I lead him further into the woods.

  "I live here sometimes" I tried to keep it vague, as vague as possible.

  "You live here, in the woods?"

  "Yeah in the woods, look can we just keep moving before the......" And then the rain began again, hard and constant. I grabbed his wrist once again and ran as fast as I could, dragging him behind me. I only slowed once I saw the shallow cave created by an old rockslide. I crawled in followed closely by Goldy, before ripping out the tarpaulin and tying it up in the hooks I had attached to the roof of the cave many moons ago.

   

  Looking around, the cave was just as I had left it....a shallow, with a fire pit in the front centre stocked with wood for my next visit and enough room for two to sleep in the back. 

  "Whoa...is this where you stay?" I ignored him for a minute while I checked my watch; 5.30pm I have two hours till the full moon rose and all hell would break loose.

  "Goldy, I need you to promise me something" I turned to look at him, his perfect features appearing more rugged than before, with all the people and popularity stripped from him I could see him as he truly was. And it was different that I had expected

  "My name is Kailen, but what do I need to do?." he looked cautious and who wouldn't be, he had been in Canada for two days and I had dragged him into the woods for a camping trip with a difference.

  "Something strange is going to happen tonight, and no matter what you have to protect yourself" I handed him one of my knives. He looked up at me, completely lost for words.

  "Something strange?" 

  I nodded, not giving too much away, the less he knew beforehand the better. “Can you light the fire, I'm going to go get some water?" he picked out the fire lighter from the rucksack and began creating
sparks over the small pile of wood in the fire pit.

  Collecting water was simple, a few hundred metres from the cave was a small oasis, ferns and tropical flowers managed to grow in this small area and in the centre of all the greenery and flora was a pool of water, a widening in a small stream that allowed animals to drink and me to fill my bottle. I couldn't take this....my mom had found out about what I am and gave me away and she was family; what would a complete stranger think when it all started, but I had to keep going, I couldn’t leave Kailen in the woods alone with the wolves. So I went back to find him curled up next to the fire. Food was easy to make and soon we began friendly conversation....and then it started, right here, right now it began. So I ran for Kailens life........