Moonlight: Stars, Eclipses, & Full Moons

Of Creeks and Secrets

Sehun's POV

"And you're sure he never came in from recess? There's no way he could have slipped inside without being noticed?" Luhan paced back and forth in a line as he talked to Seungjoon's teacher on the phone, worry and panic radiating off his whole body. 

Only a little over eight months had passed since we officially adopted him, but he seemed to adjust rather quickly. We helped him as he developed his own routine and did our best to make sure he knew he was loved and cared about as he took his time to adjust to his new home. But I knew better than anyone that receiving an abundance of love later in your life never completely fills the hole that was left in your heart from the love you didn't receive before. So I expected the transition to be hard for him no matter how happy he appeared to be. All we could do was hope that he felt safe enough to come talk to us when he was feeling upset.

Evidently, though, we didn't hope hard enough. 

Luhan let out a disappointed sigh. "Okay, yeah, please keep us posted. Thank you." He hung up a few seconds after that, laying his phone on the island counter. 

"They really have nothing besides he didn't come in from recess?" I asked, having easily overheard the conversation. 

"Apparently not," he replied as he briefly widened his eyes. He groaned and tried to take a deep breath. "I have no idea where he could have even gone. I know he and the other kids like to play outside a lot, but our land isn't exactly tiny. He could be anywhere. He could have even wandered off to some other pack's land and oh god--what if they hurt him because he's human and they think he's trespassing?"

"Okay, alright, let's try not to get ourselves too worked up right now." I stood up and walked closer to him, gently placing my hands on both of his arms. "I'm sure the others will help us go search for him, and the school agreed to call back if they found out anything else, right?" He nodded, but his face was still riddled with worry. "Then just make sure you keep your phone on you in case they call, and we'll go out to look ourselves." I gave his wrists a little squeeze. "I'm sure wherever he is, he's fine."

Luhan nodded his head. I wasn't sure if he really believed me--nor was I certain I believed myself--but I hoped it would calm us down enough that we'd be able to have clear-ish minds as we searched for him. We split up and set out immediately after telling the others. Chen, Xiumin, and I started our search in the woods west of the main house. The longer we searched with no results, the more worried I became. Even our heightened senses weren't very helpful; none of us could hear him or pick up on any trace of scent. 

Searching for him like that brought me back to my younger days, when I could disappear for hours and no one would blink an eye. I suppose being the youngest of twelve didn't help that. Sometimes after I'd finally get back, I'd be worried that I had caused an uproar and that I'd walk through the door and be given an air-sucking hug while simultaneously getting scolded. But that never really happened.

I remember being pretty much on my own from the time I could walk without any help or supervision necessary. I think that's when I first realized everyone else was too busy for me, when I had successfully walked from one couch to the other and turned around to see that no one had even noticed. I don't fully blame my parents, though. Twelve children were a lot even for a family from a traditionalist pack. My dad worked all day, and since that left my mom alone with all of us, she rested whenever she got the chance. Unfortunately for me, that was the only time I would have been able to get her sole attention. It only took being told no once for me to back off entirely, and I decided that keeping to myself was the best way to live. I was able to become pretty independent from that experience, though, so when I decided to leave the pack before I was even legally allowed to, I was confident it was the right thing to do. I could tell my parents were hurt by the news, but they knew why I was leaving. Or at least I hope they did.