Moonlight Lies

Chapter 4-Starting

Cadence stepped away from the door slowly, feeling as though she should take another look out but instead she dismissed it. She turned and was surprised to see Nathaniel looking at a picture that rested on a stand in the hallway. Sensing her gaze he looked up and sent his own questioning glance her way before asking,

“Is this your family?” Cadence stepped forward toward him and took the picture from his hands gently, looking at it lovingly. It was a picture she and her parents had taken when she was thirteen. “Yeah…It’s my dad, mom and me. Can’t help but miss him a lot.”

She could feel his eyes studying her before he asked, “What happened to him?”

Cadence’s grip tightened a bit on the picture before she said calmly, “He died when I was fourteen. He got really sick and he…He couldn’t hold on anymore.”

She tried to keep her voice steady and even but her voice cracked alittle. She put the frame down with the picture facing down, hiding it from view. She felt a pang of pain in her heart but instead of showing it, she motioned for Nathaniel to follow her with a smile. Moonshine whined sadly and bumped his head against her knee before trotting toward the warm kitchen. Cadence chuckled softly still amazed by how smart the adolescent wolf was. Sighing though, Cadence followed behind the wolf and entered the warm atmosphere of the kitchen. She noticed immediately that the note she had left for her mother was gone meaning she was awake.

 Motioning toward the island that resided in the middle of the kitchen she said, “Take a seat there. Is there anything I can get you? Something to drink?  Eat?”

Cadence dug in the refrigerator as she spoke and jumped alittle when she heard Nathaniel’s voice so close to her. “Juice please.”

 Cadence looked up to see him standing right beside her and gulped alittle before pointing to the refrigerator and asking, “Apple or orange?” He chuckled and grinning at her said, “Apple.”

Nodding her head she breathed heavily when he walked away from her and to the island, taking a seat on one of the stools there. Getting their drinks and sitting down across from him with Moonshine at her feet she handed his drink over. They spent a few moments together quietly, just drinking their drinks and Moonshine dozing off. Finally, Nathaniel asked Cadence curiously,

“Why were you out in those woods? They’re kind of dangerous to go into alone.”

Cadence arched her eyebrow at him and said teasingly, “And yet you were there all by your lonesome.”

She blushed unable to believe she had just practically flirted with him. But Nathaniel chuckled and said, “So I was, wasn’t I?” But he said no more than that and instead put his juice down, propped his elbows on the table resting his head on his folded hands and looked at her. Blushing Cadence sighed, looking down at her own apple juice filled cup and said,

“I thought I saw someone looking at my room when I woke up and then run off into the woods…I went to follow.”

Cadence was shocked at Nathaniel’s face when she looked up to face him. He seemed angry and…was that fear she saw, Cadence couldn’t tell but she suspected that’s exactly what it was. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but he said, “Don’t go into the woods alone, Cadence. There’s been some bad things happening lately and people have been going missing before coming up dead.”

Cadence looked at him in disbelief and then remembered the talk she had had with her mom about the girl from her childhood. Suddenly, Nathaniel’s voice became soft and he said, “I’m sorry for scaring you Cadence but this isn’t the same town you grew up in. Things have changed around here not everyone has stayed the same. Cadence, if you ever need to go to the woods or need something. You’re welcome to come to me or my family.”