The Blood Moon

Her life was simple.  Being the daughter of a local policeman and a first grade teacher.  She was perfect in every way.  Red hair that fell in perfect waves down to the mid of her back.  Dark green eyes that can show compassion and innocence while staying mysterious.  Cheek bones that any girl would kill for and lips that every guy wish he could kiss.  Nora McAffray was the perfect person.  Her life, her personality, her friends, her house, nothing was misplaced about her.

Going into her junior year at Westridge High School, she was one of the top academic students.  Graduating a year earlier, and going to school to become an archaeologist, she had her life planned and she was excited to get it started.  Taking classes that were only offered to freshman in colleges, Nora knew that she was going in headstrong.  Wanting to make it out on top, to become the best she can be.

It was a late October day, she was headed to her favorite spot in the forest that was next to her house.  No one knew about it, or the secrets that it held.  It was her safe haven.  The only place where she could go to leave her perfect world behind and do what she truly loved to do.  Sing.  Sitting on one of the fallen trees, Nora opened her guitar case and pulled her acoustic out.  Falling in love really wasn’t her thing, but she knew how to write about it in a way that nobody else understood.  She strummed the first cord to the song she had just finished writing.  Excited that she was able to come up with cords as easily as she had come up with the words.  However, she didn’t just come up with the words and wrote them down, she dreamt them.  The words, the cords, the feelings, and even the guy she was singing it to.  But she had never seen the guy before.  Only in her dreams, numerous of times.  So much that she was able to make out what he looked like.  Black hair as black as night, perfect rounded face, piercing dark blue eyes and a strong jaw that would make any girl who saw him melt.  She wondered how her mind could create such a godly like character. 

“I have found my love and I won’t let you go.  Me, you and the blessed dark road.  Sing to me softly as I’m wrapped in your arms.  Don’t let me go darling and hold me close…”  She sang her notes softly, loud enough for only her to hear.  She didn’t think she sang well, but the truth was, she had the voice of a fallen angel.  Her voice and lyrics always held so much emotion in them that sometimes she would cry when she was singing.  She wasn’t paying attention to the man standing off to the side of her, since she was so proudly strumming the cords to her lyrics.  As soon as she finished her song he spoke, sending shivers down her spine, her heart into overdrive and butterflies in her stomach.

“That was an absolutely beautiful song.”  He said with a raspy seductive tone.  Honey dripping down his words causing her heart to nearly stop and her breathing come to a hitch.  “Don’t worry love.  I won’t hurt you.  I was just walking and I heard you playing your guitar, and I followed the beautiful sound to you.”  He said sending her a kind smile.

 “W…who are you?”  Nora asked trying to get her breathing to calm down.

“Well, I’m new here and my name is Ezra Jones.”  He said pronouncing his name with so much pride that it made Nora smile.

“Well, welcome to Westridge, Ezra.  I'm Nora McAffray.  But if you don’t mind me asking, when did you move here exactly?”  She asked with what she thought was a little too much curiosity.  “Sorry, if I sound a bit nosy.”  She said with a sudden rush of pink to her cheeks.

“Oh, no need to apologize.  I came here from Odessa, Washington about three or four days ago.”  He said proudly.  “I hope you don’t find me rude asking, but why were you asking?”  He said with a kind tone to show that he really didn’t mean it in the way he had put the words together.

“Your voice is very Victorian and superb.  Like you came from the Victorian era.”  She said adding a smile at the end because she had complemented him. 

“I guess I like that era enough to start speaking as if that were so.”  He said avoiding her gaze.  He didn’t want her finding out his secret.  Why he was really there talking to her.

“I wish I was born in the Victorian Era.  My mother and father actually got my name from that era.  Did your parents do the same?”  She asked packing her guitar back into its case. 

“I guess you can say that.  They basically grew up with that era.”  He said with a nervous smile, thinking ‘no pun intended’ since his parents were born a couple of decades before the era started and basically died shortly after.

“Wow!”  She said so etched into hearing how into the era his parents loved learning about.  “Oh, shit, I mean crap!  I have to be heading home!  It was nice meeting you Ezra, and hopefully you will be attending Westridge High School!  At least you made one friend.  So the transformation into this school won’t be as hard on you!”  She said giving her best smile she could possibly make on her face.  Her conscience kept screaming at her that he looked familiar, she just couldn’t place her finger on it. 

“I guess I shall be seeing you there, Nora.  Thank you for the welcome and I hope we have some classes together.”  He said holding his hand out.  When she went in for a handshake, he lifted the back of her hand up to his lips and placed a sweet kiss on her soft skin.  It took Nora by surprise but she instantly blushed.  She also felt instant sparks as soon as he kissed her hand.  She didn’t mind.  Ezra was a good looking fellow.