The Sun Will Rise (Moonlight 1)

Chapter 32-Into The Wild

The light filters onto my face through the crack in the curtains of the window. With a groan, I roll over frowning finding the other half of the mattress empty. I focus my hearing but can only hear heavy snoring. I sit up and notice that Michael's still asleep, his arm hanging out over the bed. I can't help but find its funny that Michael's asleep as he had been the one to tease me about sleeping in. The top bunk is vacant though. Calum seems to be gone as well as Ashton.

I pulled myself out of bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It only took one step out into the corridor to be able to smell the aroma of pancakes and coffee from down the hall. I followed my nose to the kitchen where Emily and Calum are in the kitchen cooking and Ashton's watching the morning cartoons with Pip on a small television set in the other room.

"Morning Luke." Emily smiles as I enter. Her eyes turning from a cookbook on the kitchen bench.

"Morning." I nod, as I let out a yawn.

"Hey Luke, Is that sleepy head Michael up yet?" Calum asked looking up from the batter he was mixing. "Emily wants to talk to us."

I shook my head. "He was asleep when I left."

There was a loud yawn from behind me, I turned to see Michael standing there in his pyjamas, "No, Luke the Elephant just woke me up."

Calum rolled his eyes, "I was about to come and get you both anyway. This is important."

Emily nodded as she pulled an aged looking rolled tube out of the cupboard and flattened it out over the table. I realised that it was a map. Emily's place had been clearly marked, the town was depicted as well as a large section of forest. A thin jagged red lined shape drawn in marker outlined a large section of the map. Michael, Calum and I crowded around her. Ashton leaves Pip at the TV, and joins us, taking Michaels other side.

"So, look at this," Emily pointed along the map, her finger tracing along the inside of the red line, "This whole area is covered by the agreement we have with the hunters." Her hand slid just outside the boundary, "Go outside that and you will no longer be protected by it."

"So basically, we step outside of it and the hunters will try to kill us?" Michael frowned realising what she meant.

Emily nods, "Possibly, I saw them watching me from their side of the border this morning when I went for a run. I think their waiting for you four to leave."

I frowned, I couldn't help but feel as though we would be confined in these boundaries until the hunters either gave up or we found a way to sneak out. As nice as Emily's place was, I don't know if we could stay here for long, but if the hunters were camped out on it we might not have a lot of choice. It appears now the hunters were after us that the borders marked the line between life and death.

"That's okay, we're going to be staying here for a while, if that's okay with everyone?" Calum asks, looking a little nervous. We'd intended to stay if we liked the place. I'd had a comfortable sleep last night, and Emily's place had to be a lot better than continuing our road-trip and sleeping in a tent.

After a moment's thought the three of us nodded. Besides, it was too much of a risk leaving if the hunters had the border surrounded. I looked at the map, noticing there was a large patch of forest that fell inside the border. Would we be able to shift into wolves without the fear of being caught? It seemed so. I knew the full moon was approaching, so at least if we stayed here we could shift without the fear of being caught.

"Excellent," Emily smiled, as she rolled the map away, "I better give you boys the tour so you can recognise the border then. You in?"

"Can I come too?" Pip asks as she stands on tip toes and looks over Ashton's shoulder, I hadn't even noticed she was there. It was clear from everyone's expressions including Emily's that they hadn't either.