Along Came a Luna

Chapter Ten

It was finally the end of another week and I was conflicted. I hate school, but I also hate being at home with that monster. Coming to my own conclusion, I decided that it would be best to leave the house. Maybe I could find a job, scavenging for food isn't really my style. I got up and attempted at combing my hair but ended up just giving up and chucked it into a messy bun. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and was baffled by what I saw. My eyes – sunken and dull – and my face looked exhausted. My thoughts then went to Logan. Why has he been staring at this for such a long time? Especially when Jade Mathews, the head cheerleader, is sitting at the table directly across from me and nothing about her appearance seems 'dull'. I said appearance, not personality.

I heard a glass shatter from downstairs and a bunch of profanities following after it. No way in hell was I facing that. I walked to my window and looked down. Two story house? I can jump down safely...right? I sat on the windowsill and tried to prepare myself for the fall. My hands started to shake with anxiety. I started to weigh the pro's and con's and let's just say that there was a hell of a lot more pro's if I jumped out of the window. So that is what I did. I leapt from the window sill and landed on the ground with a soft thud. A sharp pain went into my ankles from the force and I had to sit on the grass for a few seconds to recover. I had made it.

Quickly rushing to my feet, I started to walk down the street. Time to find a job. Once entering the town, I found a cute bakery next to a little book shop that had the sign "EMPLOYER'S WANTED" and a small smile graced my lips. I walked into the store to see a middle-aged woman behind the counter. I walked up and was kindly greeted, "Hi! What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Hello. I saw the wanted sign outside and wanted to apply," I replied. She smiled and stated that no one else had come to apply in the past few weeks and, since she was the manager, just decided to interview me herself.

"Okay. My name is Grace and I am the manager of this beautiful little bakery. What is your name?"

"My name is Arabella," I stated.

"Your age?"

"17."

"Why do you want this position?" she asked.

"Well," I started knowing full well that this interview was definitely going to be a stretch of the truth, "I really wanted to start helping my father with the rent and groceries and since this is a new town for me, I really wanted to meet new people. I feel as though working here will provide me with all of that."

After a few more questions a large smile spread onto her face and she suddenly stood up.

"Congratulations Arabella. You got the job. Please be here Monday afternoon so you can retrieve your uniform and your schedule. It was lovely to meet you," she said.

"Thank you so much, Grace! You have made my day. I will see you then." I walked out of the café and I let the breath I was holding in, out. I did it. At least now I will be able to afford some actual food and pay the rent before we get evicted. I started my walk home and noticed that it was late in the afternoon. As I was nearing my street, I heard a low growl emit from the woods across the road. My body froze, and fear started to flow through my veins. I saw bright yellow eyes shine through the darkness and I think I almost wet myself. Staying completely still, the animal slowly crept towards me. Please don't eat me, I won't taste good. I thought of ways to get out of this situation, but I knew if I screamed or tried to run away this animal wouldn't be very happy.

As the animal crept towards me, I had noticed that it was a wolf and every hair on my body stood on end. As it took a step forward, I took a step back. As soon as it noticed I was walking away from it, it growled, and I stood still. Before I could comprehend what was happening, the wolf ran forward and jumped on my chest causing me to fall onto the ground. I screamed and covered my face in fear. Just as I thought it was going to bite me, it licked me instead. Maybe it is just trying to figure out if I am tasty enough. My thoughts were then cut off by the animal whining and I felt my heart ache. What the hell was that? Out of instinct, I reached my arm forward and began to pat it. What the hell am I doing? Arabella, I swear to god! If you get eaten...

As soon as I touched it, my nerves seemed to drain out of me and I all of a sudden felt extremely calm. I kept patting the wolf and sat up with its head on my lap. The sun setting in the background, it was magical. I was completely bewildered at how strange yet perfect this moment was. I heard a howl coming from the distance and the wolf had tensed up. I stopped patting it and it seemed to have groaned in annoyance. The wolf had stood up and come face to face with me. Nose to snout we stared into each other's eyes and I felt electricity start to flow through my veins. I couldn't look away. The wolf, big and black with the most mesmerizing green eyes. This moment feels so familiar. There was another howl and the wolf licked my face before running off. That was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me in my whole existence. I stood up and shook the dirt off my pants and continued my way back home.

Before entering my house, I looked up at the moon and sighed. One last thought popped into my head before I turned the handle.

There is saliva all over my face...