Moonlit Nights

Chapter 1- Sage

I wake up to the sound of pots crashing and my father cursing.

It might be liquor bottles, but I'm not awake enough to comprehend the noise accurately. The sun is barely up, tired as I am. Well, if my father is up, that means I have to be up too. I drag myself out of bed and start walking down the hall to the kitchen, being quiet as to not wake up my brothers. I have two brothers and three sisters. As the oldest, most of my childhood has been wasted acting like a real parent. Clove, my sister and the second oldest, acts like a mother.

The mother and father we should have had.

As I enter the doorway to the main area, I see my father out cold on a sofa and a pile of broken liquor bottles and pans strewn all around the room. I was right in both of my guesses. I grab a broom, and see Clove grab the dustpan. We clean as good as we can, shoving the waste into an already too full garbage can. This mess lost us time to make breakfast and lunch for the little ones. We never have a lot of food to go around, so most of it goes to our little siblings, if we can keep our parents from having it all.

Breakfast is plain bread that went moldy, but if you cut out the mold, it barely gives you stomach pain at all. Once I go to school, I'll work up money so that all of us can live together without having to depend on anyone else. I start today. It pains me that It's a boarding school, and I won't be able to help as much anymore.

My sisters come out of their room, still slightly drowsy. Clove woke them up. Chamomile and Pepper are their names. They each take a seat while Clove nudges me to wake up my brothers, Mace and Basil. I knock at the door and hear a slight thud as Mace drops down from the top bunk. He opens the door just enough so I can see one of his hazel eyes, the eyes we all share.

"We'll be there in a second, don't wait up for us," Mace says with a slight annoyance in his voice.

"Actually, do wait for us, Sage. It's your last day and I wanna see you off, " I hear Basil call out, probably still in bed.

I smile and go back to the table, my heart already regretting my decision to go to the Academy. A few minutes later as I am just about ready to depart from the house, I see all of my little siblings at the door. I really don't want to cry, and I am worried that the tears might fall without permission. But I don't. I have to stay strong, for them. I can cry on the bus ride to the Academy.

"Sage, have a nice journey. When you come back, you better be the best Hunter in all of history, okay?" Mace's eyes are glistening. I give him a hug and fluff his hair.

"Yeah! and- and don't forget about us! and come home for winter and summer and write us notes!" Chamomile chimes in.

"But you can't even read," I say softly, caressing her face. I was lucky to have even learn to read.

"Clove can read it to us!" Basil replies with a determined look on his face.

"That's true. I guess I'll have to, then."

Clove looks at me, never saying a word. She holds Pepper in her arms, cradling her. Pepper can't speak, she's too young- barely a year old.

When Clove does speak, she speaks softly. I barely catch what she says:

"Be safe."

I nod my head. I'm worried that if I reply, the tears will start and I won't be able to stop them. Clove promptly places Pepper in my arms, and starts rummaging through her pocket. She pulls out a crumpled note and a small box and places into my hand while taking back Pepper.

"Open this when you're at the Academy," Clove says in a hushed voice," Never before that."

I give her a quick hug and wave them goodbye. My journey starts now. My journey to become the best Hunter in all of the world.

The best Vampire Hunter.