Luna

Chapter 5

"Are you okay?" I ask Em as we drive out of the pack territory.

"Yes," she replies in a tiny voice. She sniffles once again, forcing me to look at her through the rear-view mirror.

I can barely see her, but what I do see breaks my heart. She's leaning her head onto the window, and her hair covers most of her face. She seems lost in thought, and so am I. When she rubs her eyes with her hand, I realise I need to find a place to stay the remainder of the night. Then it dawns on me, I have no idea what the time is.

A look at the clock on the dashboard indicates it's just after 4a.m. It won't be long until the sun rises, so all we need really is a place to sleep for a couple of hours.

"Where are we going?" she asks. So innocent. So sad.

"I'm not sure sweetie. For now, lets just look for somewhere to sleep."

"Can we go to Tyler?"

Ah, yes. Tyler. I haven't heard from him in three weeks. He was a senior when I started school at Crescent Moon. At first, he ignored me just like everyone else, but the day he bumped into me in the school hallway a month after I arrived, everything changed. We had some sort of connection. It wasn't love or friendship. It wasn't anything I could describe really. It was just... a connection. He became the only person I spoke to at school. Well, if hello is considered a conversation. I didn't have it in me to talk during that time. Being fourteen and depressed isn't something you can talk about.

I always thought he suspected something was wrong. He never asked, and I never reached out. But on particularly hard days, he often made sure no one made the effort to pick on me. He was my guardian angel.

When I eventually left school to take care of Em, he was the only one who reached out. We stayed in contact for a few weeks, but I eventually stopped all forms of communication. I had to. Dave was meaner during that time. Mom had just left, and I had to take on so many responsibilities. I couldn't have any relationships that could potentially compromise my position with Dave. I was in constant fear he would kick us out of the house, but I discovered soon enough, that the house quickly became a prison.

It wasn't until about five months ago when I ran into him in the store, that we got to talking. I found out he had been watching out for me from a distance, and he constantly worried. So, when he finally opened up about his fears, I didn't hesitate. I told him I needed an out for Em and I, and he has been helping me ever since.

Why hasn't he responded to my messages though? His silence bothers me more than anything. I haven't depended on anyone in a long time, and this was the first time I leaned on anyone. I trusted him with Emily's life, so his silence angers me more than anything.

The last time we spoke, he told me he was reaching out to other packs, trying to find us a place to call home. He has family in some of the surrounding packs, which gave me so much hope. But that was three weeks ago. What the hell has happened in the last three weeks?

"I don't know princess. I don't think so."

"Why?"

"I don't know if he will say yes."

"Can you ask him?"

"I will. But right now, I need to find a place for us to rest."

My lungs are burning. It's getting harder and harder to breathe, and I feel like I'm slowly losing control. Is this a panic attack? I have to – need to get off the road, and fast. When we finally exit the pack territory, I go directly to the only open diner I trust. Ha! That makes it sound like there are more diners here than expected. But in fact, there are only two. One is notorious for its rather conspicuous activity among the supernatural world.

It's the place to go for thrill seekers. The other is family friendly. It caters to both humans and the supernatural. We, the supernaturals know about this little detail of course. But humans are non the wiser.

"Are you hungry Em?" I ask as I pull into the parking lot.

"Yes," she responds sweetly while looking out of the window, peering into the diner. "Okay, I'm going to grab a few things from the trunk, then we can go in."

Her gaze shifts from the diner to me as I exit the car and slowly make my way to the trunk. I'm limping from the pain, and using the car as a crutch. I don't want her to see my pain, but there's no way of hiding the increasingly excruciating agony. Whatever is happening internally must be worse than anticipated. I've been running on adrenaline since I woke up to the fuss in the house, and as it slowly fades, the ache becomes more prominent.

Once by the trunk, I search through the duffle for a small backpack I had stashed with all the important documentation, money, and photographs. I need to keep it close at all times. Between dads will and Tyler's help, I have just over twenty thousand dollars. It's not much, but its enough to start our new lives. For now, anyway... When I find the bag, I'm out of breath, so, I sit on the edge of the open trunk, close my eyes, and try to regain serenity.

I must have taken longer than expected, cause when I raise my head, Em is stroking my hand, concern filled in her eyes. She's clinging onto her stuffed rabbit; holding it close to her chest. In her pastel pink pajama top and shorts, she moves closer to me, shielding herself from the light but chili early summer morning breeze. Shit! She must be cold. I scurry back into the duffle and pull out a pair of sweatpants and hoodie for her to wear, then help her get dressed.

Once she's done, I smile – a strained smile and stroke her cheek with the back of my hand, followed by my thumb.

"Ready to go in?"

She nods her head in response, and I grab the closest jacket for myself and the backpack before standing up. I know I should probably put something over my pajama shorts, but that's currently out of the range of my abilities. I don't care if people see me in my skimpy shorts. The only important thing to me is that we made it out. When I almost lose my balance, Em quickly grabs my hand. The worry on her face is palpable. She's scared, and there aren't enough words in the world that could soothe her at this moment. She squeezes my hand slightly, and examines me carefully.

"I'm okay princess," I promise.

"You don't look it."

"That bad huh?" I ask with a small smile.

She doesn't respond, instead she stares at me, trying to gage what this really means. I straighten up as far as my body allows me, close the trunk, and walk hand in hand with her into the small cozy diner.

Its quiet at this time, with one other customer sitting by the counter. My eyes scan the rooms slowly as I search for the most private booth, and they land on the seating in the far-right side of the diner.

"Choose a seat, and I'll be right with you," a voice calls from the other side of the counter.

My eyes shift to the direction of the voice, and spot a rather beautiful woman walking towards the counter, coffee pot in her hand. She's wearing a black dress I think, with a white apron tied around her waist. Her brown hair is tied in a messy bun, and I catch a glimpse of shiny metal by her ear, meaning she's probably wearing earrings. She's watching us; watching me.

I ignore her gaze, nod my head, and walk slowly to the booth in the back-right corner of the diner. Once there, Em jumps into the bench with a joy I can never get enough of. It's the first time she's eating out, and her excitement fills me with delight. We never had the luxury when we lived with Dave. I like that word... lived. This is one of the many advantages that will come with being absolved from being the punching bag of a constantly angry, and controlling man.

One of many I intend to enjoy for the rest of my free life.