IN THE FULL MOON

chapter 1

Chapter One Harvest Moon

It began underneath the haunting glow of a

full moon.

I was deep within the woods with my

boyfriend, Nash, my best friends, Ivy and Abby,

and their boyfriends, Jake and Dylan, all of us

huddled around a campfire and telling ghost

stories. It was unusual for us to venture off into

nature, as we spent most of our time in the

safety of suburbia. The guys were acting brave,

but we girls were cringing with fear. We were

totally isolated - no hikers or campers were

anywhere in sight. The fire pit and a few

flashlights were our only sources of light in the

dark night. I was snuggled against Nash, Abby

was holding her boyfriend Dylan's hand, and Jake

had his arm around Ivy. The logs crackled and

the heat from the fire kept us warm in the crisp,

late-autumn air.

"This is so freaky," Ivy whispered to me. "I

still can't believe you convinced us to come out

here. There isn't a store for miles."

Ivy was out of her element and doing her

best to assuage her discomfort by sipping a latte

and snuggling up to Jake.

"If only it wasn't so dark," Abby said,

stretching out her long, lean legs on a blanket.

"We could hike, too."

"I can think of better things to do in the dark

than hike," Dylan said, tickling her waist.

"That's the whole point," I said. "Isn't it

more romantic, underneath the moon and stars?"

With winter approaching, it was only going

to become darker and colder, and I wanted to

take advantage of being outdoors with my friends.

"Romantic?" Ivy sighed. "I'm cold, in the

middle of nowhere, and frightened to death by

these ghost stories. This is your idea of

romantic?"

I didn't have to respond. She already knew.

"Of course it is." Ivy grinned. "Always the

dreamer! I guess that's why you're my best

friend."

"Hey!" Abby said, sitting up.

Ivy and I had been best friends before Abby

joined our clique. Sometimes Ivy forgot her

manners.

"I meant to say best friends," Ivy corrected.

"You both are."