Under the Moonshine

Eight | Manhunt

Taren's elbows were propped up the mattress, his chin resting on his palm. His eyes were focused on her face, memorizing every angle and every edge while silently listening to her faint snores.

He noted her long eye lashes, her small pointy nose that matches her small face. Her skin was so pale that he was beginning to claim that she was his personal sunshine. It seemed only yesterday that he was only gazing at her through a photograph tacked to the wall of Sebastian's lab, and now, he could touch her and feel her.

Emily stirred and tightly hugged her pillow, her breathing getting even. Taren felt something inside his stomach, fluttering like a pest, a bit too hard to ignore. Whether he admits it or not, he knew that the girl in front of him had gotten under his skin and he quite didn't know what to make of it.

As the clock ticked five o'clock, Emily slowly opened her eyes, her body clock waking her up.

She looked at Taren, the moon still shining up the sky sipped through her glass window, subtly providing light for the both of them. Realizing that their face was only inches apart, she sat up and leaned back, creating distance.

"Did I wake you up?"

She rubbed her eyes and pulled her blanket up her chest. "What are you doing in my room?"

"I heard you crying in your sleep," he said.

Yes, she'd been crying, still grieving.

"I'm gonna be fine."

Taren looked up to her, reading her thoughts. "It's okay to cry, Emily," he replied.

She said nothing, letting his phrase sink in. That was one of her father's lines.

But then, the rebellious part of her, the part she got from her mother, told her that crying means being weak. And she didn't want to be weak. Nuh-uh, not at all.

She glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, 5 am. "I-I should prepare for school," she stuttered and quickly locked herself in the bathroom.

- - - - -

The stillness of Sebastian's room made him uncomfortable.

Family pictures were tacked to the wall, a remembrance of every memory. He was mesmerized at how those photos preserved the happiness igniting in each image, so alive and amusing. Emily was always placed in the middle, her parents on both sides, protecting their only child. A twinge of envy throbbed in the middle of his gut, knowing that his own past has long been gone, faded away by time, never to come back again.

Taren brought his hand to his head, deep in thought. Who was he? Hell, he didn't know. No idea at all.

It made him angry not to know his own self. A beating pulse seemed to remind him that he was not just an ordinary human. There was more to him than he imagined. Something beyond human intellect. Something unexplainable like magic.

Looking at the huge picture frame on the wall, he stared at Sebastian as flood of memories drowned him in that moment.

The man was his first mentor. His saviour. Seven years seemed too short but for Taren, it was his whole life. The life he only knew. He learned things from him. They learned things together. Like a father to a son, a two-way relationship.

As the gush of wind reached his nose, he grimaced at the scent lingering the area. A scent that had triggered his hunger. Walking towards the window overlooking the front door, he saw an unfamiliar man pressing the doorbell. His chest pounded, excitement rolling in.

A moment after, Max barked, alarming the quiet house and ran toward Taren, showing his fangs.

"Guard the house," Taren ordered and silently opened the window.

The stranger picked up his cell phone as he stepped back and locked himself in his black BMW and drove away. Taren jumped down from the second floor and began to trail behind the speeding car.

His rage started to corrupt his mind, the scent too foul to ignore. He knew that scent well. That was the scent that lingered in the lab right after Sebastian took his last breath. He wanted to avenge the man he considered family, the only man who constantly fixed him up.

Saliva melted inside his mouth as he jumped from trees to another, stealthily tracking the black BMW from the side street. His speed matches the car, muscles flexing at every sway, his eyes turning the darkest of yellow. Something inside him alerted him of the situation, making him calm but his desire to kill was too much to deny.

He let out a low growl, his pulse racing as he continued the manhunt. There will be blood today... Today, he'll have vengeance.

- - - - -

New Elton International School was one of the prestigious campuses, famous for their high-end facilities and world class teaching technique. They didn't just offer theories but also hands on application. Engineering students were huddled to the right corner, wearing the same shirt, their booth colored with green.

There were balloons tied on some railings of the buildings, banners were hung, the auditorium full of decorations and blasting music. Foundation Day, that was the celebration.

Emily shifted, her mind going back at Taren.

She could still feel her cheeks warmed at the almost zero inch between them just mere hours ago. She wanted to distance herself yet wanted to know more about him. His existence put chaos in her mind, just to be honest.

"Are you even listening, Emily?"

She snapped out of her stupor and shot Ruth a look. "Yeah?"

"You're not listening."

Emily just shrugged her shoulder. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that."

"What I'm saying is, you should've brought Taren with you today. We don't mind a hot distraction."

She wrinkled her nose. "He's really not used being in public places. He's a very private person."

Amanda chimed in, eyes dreamy. "I wonder if he already has a girlfriend."

"Won't be surprised if he already has," Ruth answered.

"Yeah," Emily nodded her head. "He told me he already have a girl." She smiled smugly to herself. She wasn't the selfish kind of friend, especially to her two best friends, but she didn't want to share Taren because he might be a danger to their lives.

Or is it really the reason?

A girl walked towards them and cleared her throat. "Can we talk?"

Emily looked at her and shoved her hands to her jeans pocket. "Hi Bree. What is there to talk about?"

Her shiny eye shadow and extended eye lashes made her looked like a princess- just the villain type. Her very presence sucked happiness in the air, Emily commented.

"My mother's inviting you for the Facundo Corporation's twenty-fifth anniversary," she handed her an invitation.

She took it without a glance. "Yeah, sure," she said.

Stiffed air clouded the ambiance. Bree ran her hand to her big curls, her white shirt fitted her Barbie-like body. "I'm sorry for your loss," she whispered.

Emily let her phrase sink in and felt her chest constricted. She had to look away, and so she did. Just like her relationship with her mother, her shared memories with Bree, her ex-bestfriend, has long been gone.

Bree turned and walked away, never looking back.

Both of them didn't know how a healthy friendship turned into a poisonous relationship. All Emily knew was everything that had gone wrong in her life was caused by her mother. Her mother who had seduced Bree's father, breaking their family apart.