Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 2

4 months later

Alex returned from university just for the weekend, to celebrate Howell's promotion with a family dinner. Family—a word that feels almost bitter now, with my lip still swollen from Howell's punch. But I'll dive into that properly in a moment; first, some background. 

Alex mentioned he'd eaten something bad on the three-hour trip home. Home. Another word that's lost its warmth. He locked himself in his room when he arrived and ignored all of us, not a single reply. It wasn't surprising to see him ignore me, but it was surprising to see him give Alison and Howell the cold shoulder on such a happy occasion. 

I'll never forget the way the full moon looked that night, casting an otherworldly glow as the three of us left the house, almost as if it was watching us with big invisible eyes. Howell was whistling Oh Happy Days under his breath, Alison was perfecting her lipstick in the mirror. We had a reservation at  Sa Caleta, a Spanish restaurant, I spent all night reading reviews of their food online and was extremely excited to try their salmon croquettes, savory and irresistible.

I wore a long red dress that night. Nothing tight or devilish, just simple. But even that would be enough to condemn me later.

Dinner was a mix of laughter and clinking glasses. Howell raised his for the fourth time, laughing as he slurred slightly, "To new beginnings! To promotions! And to... to the two of us!" He grinned, throwing an arm around Alison. "Oh, and you too, Skye," he added, chuckling.

"Oh, thank you, sir," I replied, raising my water glass in mock formality. "I'm honored to be included."

"Skye, you're part of this family, too!" Alison said, her eyes sparkling as she reached for another piece of bread. "Aren't we lucky to have found such a sweet girl?". But I didn't feel like I was part of the family, not when I couldn't remember a single detail about my old life, except for that scary dark figure and the teeth barring at me. It felt pathetic of me to cling onto this just because I have nothing else to cling to. 

"Wouldn't call it luck," Howell muttered, still smiling, but there was something hard in his eyes. Alison shot him a look. 

I shrugged, trying to laugh it off. "I'm just here for the croquettes, honestly."

"Oh, you and me both!" Alison winked, raising her wine glass in a quiet cheers.

On the drive home, Alison took the wheel, navigating the quiet roads as Howell leaned back, rambling to himself.

"You know," he said, staring out the window at the moon, "this is gonna be a big change for us. A lot of responsibility. Skye, you don't know pressure until you're responsible for a team of twenty eight people." He pronounced it slowly, eyes wide. "I mean, that's a whole lotta people."

"You'll be amazing," Alison assured him. "You've been working for this forever, Howell. You deserve it."

He grinned sloppily, then looked at me through the rearview mirror. "See that, Skye? That's a woman who believes in me."

I managed a small smile. "She has good reason to."

As we pulled into the driveway, I noticed the moon, now tinged red. Alison chuckled as she parked, glancing up at it.

"Witching-hour moon," she said playfully, adjusting her lipstick one last time. "Bad omens, maybe?"

"Oh, stop," I replied, rolling my eyes. "There's nothing scary about a full moon."

But as soon as we opened the door, a chill filled the house, cold and heavy, settling over us in an instant. Howell stumbled a little, blinking at me.

"Whoa," he mumbled, shivering. "You feel that?"