THE BOY WHO WATCHES THE MOON [werewolf]

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

 Although it wasn't officially Halloween yet, I could feel it in the air.

His presence just gave me this frosty, glassy, cold, out-of-this world feeling. This feeling that began deep in my lungs and sank into the pit of my stomach, nearly burning a hole right through.

I watched him from behind, hiding in the scruff of the woods. Anxiously, I peered out from behind one of the shrubs toward an outing, but... he had to have known I was there, didn't he?

He's got to know.

I quietly pulled my grey hood over my head to shield my ears from the burning wind. It was far too cold for me in the woods, let alone him in the bared outskirts. Maybe he'd been out there for so long that he couldn't feel anything anymore.

His clothing was hardly a layer of cotton and a pair of blue jeans. I peered out, observing quietly; in awe, although I was hesitant to admit it. His hair looked shiny in the moonlight, but not grossly; it was like he had used some special elixir to wash it. Unhuman. I watched, all the while being teased by the constant paranoia of being revealed to him.

All in all, I really couldn't name off any good reasons for me to have been there in the first place. Curiosity, or perhaps the natural proclaim for adventure my gut was always calling for, telling me there was something truly extraordinary out there that awaited me. I couldn't argue, this was quite something.

Oddly enough, this wasn't the first time I had come across the shadowed figure; I had seen him the same way as I precariously trailed through the small patch of wood within my new neighborhood. He was in the same position, and the same sort of clothing he was now, odd all the same considering the weather. He was facing away from the woods, looking up the hill on his knees. His face wasn't visible, which inspired me even further to come back again. I watched only for a moment before wandering away.

And so I went back the next day, and that's where I stood then, that moment.

I wouldn't be able to stand there much longer, I hadn't the patience. Should I risk the approach? Or just back away into painful mediocrity, the way I had for my entire life and would continue to do? Inhaling for a deep 8-count, the way Deb had always instructed me to in uncomfortable situations, I took a daring step forward, causing the leaves to crunch and the subsequent bite of my inner lip, but my brain willed me to utter a single word.

"Hello?"

He wasn't fazed, evidently. His neck seemed to jerk a little before it swerved completely, and in single moment, our eyes met. His eyes, they nearly scared me half to death! Their blueness and depth sunk into me and poured into my body. I felt like I was floating, like a balloon or something. They were brighter than anything I'd ever seen before.

He said nothing. My lips parted, but soon after closed; I hadn't anything to say. Rather, I just fumbled with my belt loops like an idiot, waiting for my brain to process something even closely related to English.

I watched, and his eyes slowly grained into a honey brown. Rather than the blank and cold stare he held before, his eyes were now warm. Perhaps all the warmth he'd retained throughout his body had all flooded back to his iris; he was shivering. His fingers reached to rub his temples, eyes closing tightly. His body wobbled, like he'd lost his balance after a night out at a bar. I watched his scalp as he leaned over toward me, clutching his stomach, subsequently trying to face me as he rose again.

"How long have you been here?" He asked dimly, almost making me feel guilty for being there. But what reason had I to be guilty, all I'd done was take a walk through the neighborhood...

"Uh... just a few minutes, I think," I started to respond, "I was just on my way home." I referred to where I was headed, brushing my hair away from my face yet again. He'd now advanced, standing a few feet away from me, hands shoved down into his pockets.

"I'm sorry that you, uh... saw me like that. Don't come back here at this time of night, alright?" He looked up, his eyes greeting mine warmly, matching a little smirk beginning at the corners of his mouth. "Aren't you afraid a kidnapper is going to snatch you or something?"

I chuckled, looking down at my feet. It's really fucking cold out. "I don't recall anyone informing me that you owned the neighborhood woods."

"It's cold outside," he snapped, "and tomorrow's Halloween. It's supposed to get down in the thirties at this time of the night. Pretty girls like you don't need that."

I rolled my eyes, gazing from the moon back to his eyes. They were soft. I put a hand on his arm. "I like the cold, the rain, and I'm not afraid."

"I'm telling you, if you come back tomorrow you'll be scared out of your mind."

My hand slid away and back to my side. "Why did your eyes glow like that?

His smile dissolved, only to hint at a new smirk after his next petty remark. "Run along. If you get involved, you might chip a nail,"

My cheeks turned crimson, and I felt my hands pull out of my jeans pockets to ball into little fists. "I have a name, it's Chase. And I'm not scared of you, I'm not scared of anything." My finger poked his chest, causing him to stumble backward for a moment, then catch himself. He was saw through my façade and both of us knew it.

"I've got a name too, it's Dustin. And I'm telling you, come tomorrow and you'll regret ever saying hello," He dared a step closer, his face only a foot away.

"You don't scare me, really." I shrugged.

"You think you're some badass?"

"I prefer 'adventure seeker', but I guess that works too,"

"If I see you tomorrow, I will stab you."

"I would like nothing more."

He shook out his hair before flipping his hood up over his head. "I hope you aren't afraid to die." It was silent as he turned around and started back up the hill.

At any last attempt to cover up my undeniable cowardice, I leaned forward on my toes. "Still not afraid!" A chuckle echoed in the distance, setting my heart even further on its own destruction.