Moonlighter

3 The Lovers Curse

Kye had his face inches from mine. His eyes were staring directly at me. I had a look of terror when he said, "We are going to go inside where he can't get you. Understand?" I nodded in agreement, what other choice did I have?

"Okay, quick." He let me go and pushed me into the house. He closed the door behind us.

I bent over trying to catch my breath. "What was that?" All I could feel was my heart racing.

He peeked through the blinds. "He's gone now. You're safe until tomorrow."

The light in the hall went on. Crap someone's coming! I shoved Kye down the opposite hall towards my room. We slid in and I closed the door. My mom was going to the kitchen for something. I'm glad I realized it when I did. I can only imagine how she would react to having a random man in my room. I looked over and saw Kye fiddling with one of my books. Seriously.

"You have to tell me what the heck is going on." I snatched the book from his hands. It was not time to mess around.

He gave me glare then walked over towards the window. He looked outside, as if he was looking for something or someone.

"I'm a Moonlighter Grace. I'm not among the living... anymore. My time has long since passed." He was being serious. My jaw dropped. This can not be happening.

He knew I did not believe him, so he continued talking, "I'm cursed. Long ago an enchantress who lived on this land lost her lover. She cast a spell to bring him back to life," I watched his lips as he talked. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. "Ever since then, if anyone passes away in the neighborhood, they become a Moonlighter."

I sat on the bed frozen with fear. He walked over and sat next to me. It was quiet for a while. I did not know how to respond. He could be lying. Why would he make this up? I did see that dark thing outside. He couldn't make that up.

"It's not me you have to be afraid of. It's the one who walks among the living that you have to worry about." I looked at him for the first time in a while. I was terrified and he could see it in my eyes.

He laid back in the bed with his hands behind his head. "Don't worry. He can't come in." He said calmly. "As long as I'm here." He eyed me for my reaction.

I didn't even know Kye. How could I let him stay? How did any of this make sense and how was he so calm about it all?

"Those are our rules Grace." He said, "We can not stay forever. We can stay if we take the souls of the living. We can only take a soul if we are invited in."

He heard me gasp. He sat up and put his hand on mine. "Don't worry," he smirked, "I'm not one of them."

"Why not?" I asked trembling partly in fear of what he had just said and partly because his hand was on mine.

"I don't mind it. I am ready to see what's on the other side." It would have been romantic if he wasn't talking about death. "When I first became a Moonlighter I did not understand what was happening. The enchantress came to me and explained what I had become. She told me of the others and of my choices." As he said this his eyes flickered gold. No human could ever do that. I was starting to become convinced.

"What about the others?" I asked afraid of the answer.

"Most of them are waiting like me. Some of them play tricks on the living. One of them has been here a long time. He takes souls to stay." He looked at me. "It's always been the elderly though. When they pass no one really notices the circumstances. Then again there never has been a family quite so young as yours."

"Is that what was outside Kye?" I remembered the dark figure coming towards me as I got goosebumps. He wrapped the blanket around my arms.

"Yes, but he's gone now." He said.

"You said until tomorrow?" I reminded him.

"I did, didn't I?" He smirked again.