Everything Underneath the Moon

Stephanie looked sideways at her daughter who had her earphones plugged in her ears, her head bobbing to either the music she was listening to or the slightly bumpy road.

“You know it’s not going to be that bad, honey,” she said putting her eyes back on the road. “You should both be excited.” She got no response.

“Tasha,” she called tapping her knee. “I was talking to you.”

“What?” Natasha asked removing the earphone.

“I was saying Edgewater’s going to be nice. It’s a good place to start all over again,” she smiled.

“Yeah,” Natasha replied dryly. “Except some of us don’t want to start all over.”

“Yes,” her sister concurred from the backseat putting down her phone.

“So you can both agree on this. It’s a win for me,” Stephanie said eyeing Maeve from the rearview mirror. “You should both be excited about the new friends you’re going to meet, the new school, the new everything.”

“I heard everyone in Edgewater is a werewolf,” Maeve laughed at a meme as Natasha and Stephanie caught each other’s eyes almost instantly.

The black SUV pulled up the driveway. Their mother alighted as the girls looked at the exterior aesthetics. They watched their mother walk to the door making a call signaling them to come.

“I get to pick the room with the bigger bathroom, Tash,” Maeve said hanging her bag over her shoulders as she alighted from the car walking to Stephanie who was already getting vexed with whoever she was talking to over the phone.

They sat at the table eating silently all waiting to be done to go to bed after unloading boxes from the vehicle to their respective rooms.

“If you’re full you both can just go to bed. You have school tomorrow,” Stephanie said looking at their pitiful faces. “I’ll do the dishes.”

“But you also have work tomorrow,” Maeve munching heavily on her last piece of steak as they both watched Natasha stand up from table to her room.

“Can you do me a favor and keep an eye on her?” their mom asked concernedly squinting an eye.

“Sure,” Maeve answered not looking up from her plate she was clearing noisily with her fork. “You said your shift starts tomorrow?”

“It does,” she answered standing up to clear Natasha’s untouched meal.

“Great then, I’ll join you with the dishes,” Maeve said rising up after emptying her glass of water.

***

“Natasha Atwood,” the teacher said as the pretty brunette swung the door open.

She nodded.

“You’re welcome. Please take a seat, young lady,” the middle-aged woman gestured continuing her lesson.

Natasha walked to her seat avoiding faces as she put her bag down to seat.

The bell rang. The students all rose chattering as they went into the hallway.

“Natasha Atwood,” someone called from behind. She looked back to see a scrawny looking boy with hair so blond it was almost grey. “Petyr Chernenko,” the boy introduced extending his hand for a handshake which she took.

“Mrs. Myales asked me to give you a tour of Edgewater High,” he said adjusting his glasses while grinning with his diastema out in the open.

“Okay,” she said tentatively as he awkwardly stares at her with his bright blue eyes. He then gets distracted as the sound of cheering erupts.

“Fabrizio Raynor. Everyone calls him Fabs,” Petyr said. “The captain of the football team.”

Natasha watched as the tall dark haired handsome athlete was welcomed and celebrated for an away win. There was a girl who had his hand wrapped around her shoulders.

“Who’s she?” Natasha asked.

“Who? Her?” Petyr asked. “Cara. Trust me you don’t want to go close to Fabs. She’s real nasty.” They watched as the couple walked past them both eyes on Natasha.

“Okay, the school’s stadium is this this way,” he said finally. “Here. This way,” he grabbed her hand excitedly leading her through the hallway.

***

“How was school today?” Stephanie asked pouring Maeve a glass of water.

“I got to meet the president of the literary club,” Maeve answered after taking gulps of water.

“You?” Stephanie asked pouring Natasha her glass of water.

“Great,” she answered.

“Nothing happened?” their mom asked again.

“I was given a tour,” Natasha sighed holding the cup to her mouth. “I saw the stadium. T’was nice.”

“How was work?” Maeve asked mouthful when the atmosphere went silent.

“Me? Ehm…” their mom said, taking her seat. “It was nice. The work ethics is a bit different from New Orleans but it’s nice regardless. Met new people, patients, doctors, fellow nurses. It was really nice.”

“Nice,” Maeve said. “When’s your next shift?”

“Tomorrow evening till the following day,” Stephanie answered.

“Oh. Okay.”

***

“Ugh!” Natasha ran down the stairs to Maeve. “Do you have service?”

“Yes. Why?” Maeve replied without looking up from her phone.

“Ughh!” Natasha cried in frustration as she held her phone up walking around the sitting room. She walked out of the house with her phone still held high above her head.

She stood on the porch getting herself in all angles but nothing was working so she went down the porch towards the bushes.

“Yes,” she muttered to herself at the sight of progress and ventured deeper into the woods for some more. Then she heard something.

She looked around to realize she had gone deeper into the forest. She turned around to return back then she heard a twig snap.

“Hello?” she called turning on her phone’s flashlight. “Anyone there?”

Something whooshed behind her. No one was there. She was getting scared and had to go back as soon as possible. She grabbed a stick on the floor.

“Come out, you!” she yelled ostentatiously backing wherever the sounds came from.

It came out but she couldn’t make out what it was except for the eyes. It shone red. Immediately she took a dash for it, but it appeared in front of her before she could blink. She backed away then tripped over and fell as the creature growled approaching her.

It attacked her with a bite leaving her with a scar at the side of her abdomen and disappeared. It was so fast that she didn’t feel a thing. She went on all fours breathing heavily as she searched for her phone amidst dead leaves and branches. She rose with her phone in her hand as she headed back home briskly grasping her wound.