Under the Moonshine

Twenty Four | Taren

"Mom!"

Emily tried her best not to overthink. But her nerve seemed to get the best out of her. Every-awful-time. She just came from school and dropped her bag on the floor, suddenly feeling empty.

"MOM!" she called out again, a thrill on her voice. Max's footsteps rushed down her direction, tongue lolling from his mouth. The Labrador jogged inside Taren's room, sniffing his bed and stood beside the opened window. He barked, trying his best to explain to his best friend that Taren sneaked out through the window.

Emily tried to decipher what the dog was trying to say. But before she could think of any idea, Olivia headed her way, with tiny Candice on her arms, still half asleep.

"He's gone," she whispered, as if afraid what she was saying was true. Of course she didn't want Taren to just vanish, as if he had never existed. "Mom, he's gone."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Emily, maybe he just went out somewhere and will be back soon. Don't jump into conclusions."

She shook her head, paranoia pulsating in her head. "No. He will let me know if he's going out. And it's almost dark, he should be back by now."

"Don't be absurd."

"But- "

Candice started to cry, getting Olivia's attention. She huffed and patted the kid.

"You're just making everyone nervous," she said. "He'll be back soon."

Emily just held up her hands in the air. "What if he didn't? What if something bad happened to him?"

Her mother let out a high pitch laugh, but it didn't last long. She knew her daughter's stubbornness came from her. "You're forgetting who he is, Emily. Taren's not just a boy. Of all people, you should be the one to know that fact."

She watched her mother walked away, still clutching Candice in her arms. Max barked once again, shaking her from stupor. Emily knew that Taren wouldn't just leave without a word. She needed to know where he was, who he was with and why he sneaked out.

A lone piece of paper on the bedside table suddenly caught her attention. She wasn't sure if it was Taren's penmanship.

Emily, I'll have to stop my kind.

The werewolf attack suddenly appeared in her head. Taren wasn't the only one in his kind. Bree's words made its way to her head, filling it with anxiety once again. Emily pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number.

"Bree?"

She nodded her head, as if agreeing with her old best friend.

"I'll be there in 30," she said and hurried to her room, Max trailing behind her.

- - - -

Bree's hair was in a neat ponytail. She wore a blue leggings and loosely white shirt. Emily mirrored the same, except that her curly hair was secured on a tight bun.

New Elton International School was almost deserted now. The sun started to set, gray clouds gliding above them. The security guards made their rounds to check on the place, making sure no student got left behind after class hours. Since the werewolf attack had happened, the bright and warm surrounding from the school quickly turned into gloom. Security was tight, professors were wary and students were afraid.

Max sniffed Bree's behind, earning him an annoyance from his best friend. "Stop it, Max!" Emily whispered with a clipped tone.

"Now, we just have to go to the parking lot and we'll go straight to basement 4," Bree whispered while checking out a piece of paper in her hand.