MOON: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 3

The turbocharged inline six engine of Sarah's blacked out Mercedes is muted once the door latches shut as we go from zero to sixty in less than five seconds. My heartrate slows as I sink into the insanely comfortable and smooth ride. We don't speak, I let her concentrate on speeding through the back wood roads of our charming town Red Fox, Wyoming.

It's not until she breaks the silence that I realize we have slowed down. "Did you get a good look at them?"

"Sure," I say as I lift my brow and cut a sideways glance at her. "Was I supposed to?"

"I just want to make sure you know who they are." She takes her hand of the wheel for a moment to toss me her phone. "Open my Insta App."

I don't hesitate, taking her phone I swipe to the app and open it up. "it's open." I say.

"Go to Colton's account." She instructs, turning the wheel down a familiar street.

I do as she says, tapping on her boyfriend's account and up pulls photos of him and her, along with other teens with jerseys. Football jerseys. "Okay." I respond, once it's open.

"You see the ones in the jerseys?" She asks.

"Yeah." I answer tapping on a photo that has Colton and seven others in red and gold jerseys. "They are the ones from the party." I add as I recognize the smiling faces.

"Yes," She lets out a heavy sigh. "When you start school tomorrow, I need you to steer clear of these guys. No matter what."

"Okay." I don't have to ask why. Sarah doesn't tell me to do anything unless it's for my own good. Like walking out of the hospital in only my gown.

We sit like this for along moment, the two of us and her ominous warning before the headlights illuminate a three-story modest middle class family house. Ah, home sweet home.

I watch my friend's movements carefully as her shoulders fall forward until her forehead smacks the top of the steering wheel with a loud frustrated sigh. My right hand comes down on her back between her shoulder blades and moves in slow circular motions, just like she use to do at the hospital whenever she thought I was upset.

She turns her head to the side to face me. "Please don't hate me. Okay?"

I give her a small smile. "Wanna share what that means?"

"Remember what we talked about last Friday?"

"Is this a test?" I cut a sideways glance at her.

She waves that away. "No, it's about my summer school incident."

"Oh, you mean the three-hour special you hosted on the Drunk Rant Show, highlighting Locker Accessories and top reasons why you should not store vodka in Starbuck cups." My sarcasm on point. "My favorite part was the special guest appearance by the Vice Principle." I added with a smirk.

"Yeah, he was supposed to have the day off." She groans. "He called my mom and said the hallway still smelled like espresso and alcohol." I was about to say So? Her mom isn't going to do anything. She was probably more upset about spilled vodka before she hastily continued. "My older brother overheard... So, he agreed to the first month suspension to the new term."

Fuck! Silence stretches between us, and I take in Sarah's last comment. I let out a hot breath of air. "Well, I can't say I was not expecting something like this." I love Sarah, but the irrational and impulsive way she goes about expressing herself goes without consideration of others. More specifically me.

"I'm really sorry Raven." Her voice soft and sad.

"Don't worry about, it's not like I can have you or The Major at my side at all times." I point out. "I gotta start doing things on my own."

"I won't leave you high and dry on your birthday." Sarah adds. "I will spend all day with you tomorrow, while you're not at school. Hey, I can even take you to and from school."

"That's better than nothing."

"You should probably head inside before Sargant Major starts to worry." She says, while leaning across to give me a hug. "wouldn't want to invoke his inner John Wick."

She isn't wrong. The Major, is not only skilled at combat but he is also extremely intimidating. Even the word does him no justice, The Major looks like he can kick your dad, your boyfriend, and your boyfriend's dad's ass, and still have enough strength to wrestle a damn bear. "This town would be fucked." I chuckle while opening the door to step out into the cool autumn night.

Something prickles under my skin to slam her car door shut but I don't and force myself to send her off with a wave. What the fuck is happening to me? I think as I hop up the porch steps, twisting the knob I head upstairs without turning on any lights. By the time I close my bedroom door behind me, I notice I am fidgeting.

I need to go for a run or workout, something to release the lingering agitation from the news Sarah dumped on me. My thumb taps to an impatient rhythm against my thigh as I make my way back downstairs, to the makeshift gym that The Major put together in the basement.

I settle on the new sensation now, coursing through my veins as I wind flexible medical tape between and around my fingers. Preparing my stance, I position my footing to a proper fighting pose, because any fighter worth their salt will know a punch, is only as strong as your stance. The methodic combination of right, left, left, right flow easily as I wait for the pain to kick in.

Waiting for it to wear away the emptiness that has been constantly linger around me since I woke in the hospital. I let my mind wander and wonder what tomorrow will bring as I walk the halls in the shell of my former self. Is anyone going to remember me? Will I be able to blend in or will they see right through my mimicry to the broken girl with no memory. Right hook. Left jab. Left jab. Right hook.

"Trouble sleeping Little Moon?" I nod, but don't stop my fist as The Majors voice comes from somewhere behind me. He continues. "Before you head into an unknown situation what are considerations you can always count to act upon?"

The Major always trains with a mental capacity as well physical. "Regardless of moral law, all life is sacred." I begin to huff out as The Major steps in front of me with padded gloves. I switch from the punching bag to him, and I continue answering as he begins to move around the gym, keeping me on my toes. "The surface does not define what's below. Make use of any helpful circumstance over and beyond the ordinary rules."

"Good." He gives me a single nod of approval and sets his gloves down. "Fifty ups, squats, and crunch. Rest 30 and repeat twice-five at most. That should get you some decent sleep tonight." Stern and to the point, he pats my head and turns away leaving me to workout in silence. That is about the extent of The Majors emotional capacity which is enough for me. The Major is the only person that has really tried to reach me, to get past the darkness and have some control in a world I know nothing about.

I concentrate on my breaths and let my mind wander through his lessons as I relish in the burning pain that slowly soaks in after the third set. If there is one thing I can truly understand, it is pain. It's simple, pure, and a raw direct physical responds that over stimulates whatever confusing tug of war my sanity is going through. It silences the muddled voice of violence that tends to speak in random volumes, sometimes its muddled by the noise around me other times it separates from the mess of my thoughts and pushes its way to the center of my attention. Pain sedates it. The physical burn is real and something consistent that I can link my sanity to because I feel so utterly and hopelessly... lost. No.

I shove that thought away. I am Luna Raven Moon, I am strong, a fighter, and most above all I am a survivor. My muscles scream for reprieve as I finish up, the echo of my workout touch my thighs with every step as I climb the stairs to my room.

After I have changed and laid down on my queen size bed, I take note in how my eye lids are heavier than usual. The Major was right-like always-with the workout routine. It wore me out. I fight sleep just a little longer because I don't like what comes next, when my shadowed demons come crawling out of the depths of my damaged conscious. Exhaustion wins and my lids finally close, I know I am asleep but aware of my surroundings.