Moonlight Kingdom

Chapter 1

"Delivery on West Side," Cameron—an older man with a receding hairline, beer belly, blonde mustache, and jolly smile—informed Ray. "Shouldn't take you too long. 'Bout a fifteen-minute walk."

Ray—a twenty-three-year-old woman with a desire to get out of New York—took the pizza boxes with a sigh. "Someday," she smiled toward her boss as her black bangs fell into her deep brown eyes, "I'm getting out of here. Mark my words."

"You've been saying that for years, kid. Hurry up now." Cameron turned away from Ray, but he continued to smile. She was his only daughter in the closest way she could be. Ray's parents abandoned her as a child, and Cameron took her under his wing. Not only have they been best friends since she could remember, but he was also her confident, boss, and town gossip. If anything was out on the street, Cameron knew about it. Nobody was fooled by his receding hairline, for his brains were still full of information.

"See you in a few," Ray sighed as she slipped on her black baseball cap that read Galactic Pies and left the restaurant. Among the crowded Manhattan streets where pedestrians wore neutral or dark tones, she stood out among the crowd with her neon red polo and white pizza boxes. Although she wanted to find her family, wanted to get out of the stuffy atmosphere, she genuinely adored delivering pizzas to people. She was usually always on time and received a fair tip in return. There were always those few that demanded free pizza claiming she was late, but there wasn't a sticky situation Ray couldn't talk herself out of—or so she thought.

The west side of Manhattan was a part of the city hidden within. There were a few different west sides, but the directions Cam taped to the box told Ray that this was the west side she needed to beware of her surroundings in. Not only was it filled with different types of gang and crime leaders, but it was also filled with fugitives and mischievous people. Not all of West Side was corrupt, but Ray knew a large part of it was.

The assuring pressure of her pepper spray in her jean pocket against her leg caused her to relax, but she still checked her surroundings as her Dr. Marten's hit the pavement with every stride. There was something about the effect of the New York street that breathed energy into her lungs. She felt free as she delivered pizzas, for the rushing of the people, the honking of the horns, the sounds of the cars—this was her home. Even though she wanted to get away, wanted to find her family, and wanted to find out who she was—right here was everything.

The breeze was cool as she made her way past Main Street into the crossroads of the city. She knew that she would be there in a few short minutes, but the few short minutes of a walk is what caused her to worry. There were certain parts of the city that had questionable reputations, but the West Side deserved every rumor it owned. After all, crime was higher this year than ever, and it was higher especially in that part of town.

Staring down into one of the bleaker alleys, Ray let out a large sigh as she let her shoulders fall back into a slump. She cracked her neck and shook out her ankles. To the people passing it looked as if she were getting ready for battle, but to Ray, she genuinely was. There was a West Side delivery about twice a year, for nobody lived there that ever desired a five-star pizza delivery. After all, Galactic Pizzas was the most prestigious pizza parlor in the entire city. Apart from the bright uniform and casual dining, the restaurant was on the pricey side, but the guests were always satisfied with their reward in food. However, the West Side usually consisted of people ordering from Four-Star Pizza—that was far from four-star worthy.

"Breathe, girly, you can do this," she told herself as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Cam didn't usually allow her to make the West Side deliveries that appeared every now and then out of the blue, but it was an early hour and the restaurant was understaffed. She didn't mind getting to be the one that delivered the pies, for Ray knew she could do it. The pepper spray in her pocket and pep in her step was a clear reminder.