The Blue Moon by Madeline Gottlieb (top ten books to read txt) 📕

Zach, returning to the small pond and kneeling down beside it. "I prayed to the Gods that they would send someone to help me, to protect me from the horror that is coming. I hoped that they'd send someone who I could trust, someone I knew," she turned her attention back to Zach, "not some random ass stranger who has dreams about me!"

"It was not my choice to dream about you! I don't even know you, so why would I?" He spat, annoyed. Calm down man, before she does kill you.

She narrowed her eyes again. "Listen, if you're here because the Gods sent you, fine. But I don't need you, so leave, now." Her eyes met his and Zach knew she wasn't playing. As he opened my mouth to speak, she shook her head. "Leave, now, before something bad happens."

Might as well listen to her, man, sounds like she means it, Zach nodded, unable to speak, as he backed away from the pond as she continued to stare at him, her eyes full of hate and worry.

As he left the clearing, the only sound Zach could hear where the sobs of a lonely girl, asking the Gods for help. The dark clouds covered the sky once more as the rain poured and lightening struck in the sky and over all of that noise, Zach could still hear her sobs.

--

Zach stared at his ceiling, thinking about how he'd left Eiko out there on her own. It was for the best anyway, she would've killed you. When he'd told her how he knew her name, her walls seemed to fall around her and it was like she was breaking from the inside, if only for a moment. As he thought about Eiko, Zach could feel himself drifting off into sleep, and for once, he was okay with it.

--

She ran ahead of him, her long black hair flowing behind her. "Eiko, please stop!" He called after her, struggling to keep up. Ignoring him, she ran faster until she reached the clearing that Zach had saw her at today. Coming to a halt, she stopped in front of something on the ground and fell to her knees.

Zach slowed and came up behind her slowly, hoping to not scare her. When he touched her shoulder she didn't do anything but stare at the body in front of her, and that's when he realized who it was.

Covered in blood, Zach looked no different. His dark brown eyes were fluttering shut, blood all over his face and in his hair. His breathing was slow and came in gasps. Eiko placed her hands on his chest and pressed down, blood coming out faster and faster.

"Please, Darek, don't die, please..." she cried, tears streaming down her face. Zach stood there, watching as she attempted to save the boy in front of her once more, not noticing that he was actually behind her. Though Zach heard her call him Darek, he knew that somehow, the two were related.

The boy on the ground looked at her and smiled sadly. "I've done all you need me to do, Eiko. I came to you like the Gods promised and I protected you. There's nothing more you need me here for." He gasped.

A small chuckle escaped from her lips as she touched his cheek, tears falling faster now. "Darek, I need you forever, I promise. Please, don't leave me."

He coughed once, twice, three times, blood coming out each time. He grasped her hand and squeezed it, the smile still on his face. "Do you remember the first day we met in the clearing, when you told me that you didn't need me? I knew you were lying. Just remember that I will always be here for you."

Eiko's hands were shaking now as Zach watched her cry over the boy who was slowly dying. "I remember. I always thought that trusting someone like you was suicide."

He let out a small laugh. "Listen to me. You will find someone who you can trust with your life, and who loves you as much as you love them, I promise."

"I've found him already, Darek. He's here, right now. But he's leaving me." She replied quietly, rain staring to drop slowly.

He managed to lift himself up high enough to kiss her once more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him up, her tears mixing with his blood, everything in that moment sweet and heart breaking at the same time. She pulled away.

"Eiko, I love you." Those were the last words he spoke before his chest stopped rising. Her cry echoed through the forest, louder than the rumbling thunder itself and he flinched, wondering if what Zach thought were dreams were actually different futures for him.

"Trusting someone like you was suicide," her words rang through his head, realizing that she trusted no one, not even herself and he knew what he had to do now.

Better Hurry

Zach sat outside on the grass in front of his house. The sun was setting; red and orange covering the sky inside of any clouds. His mind was wondering on its own, thinking about everything that had happened today, and his dreams. His parents had called earlier to remind him that no girls should be in the house and all the other rules.

As he got lost in his thoughts, Zach wondered if it was a good idea to leave Eiko on her own out there, especially when she said something about horror coming.

"So you're the boy, are you?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked up, trying to figure out who she was. Her ice blue eyes stared at him hard, showing barely any emotion. "Are you?"

Zach rolled his eyes, annoyed by her question. "Who are you?"

She raised one perfect light red eyebrow, twisting her curly red hair in her finger. Licking her lips, she bent down by his ear and whispered, "I'm the one who brings you in your dreams, Zach. I'm the reason you've met Eiko, the reason you are here now." She squatted so she was face to face with him. "I'd be careful, Zach. Dreams aren't always what they seem. And reality isn't either. Things have changed."

"Can you explain to me what you're talking about? Why am I having dreams about Eiko? Why does she need me to protect her?" Zach asked, hoping she could give him the answers he wished to find.

She shrugged. "The answers are not mine to give." As he opened his mouth to argue, she started to speak again. "Go to Eiko at midnight and help her. You will know what you'll need to do when you get there."

It was then that Zach realized she had a slight accent that he couldn't put his finger on. "What do you mean help her? Why can't you people just give me straight answers?"

She smiled. "Farewell, Zachary Hunter. May the Gods be right about you." Zach blinked and she was gone, leaving him wondering about everything she said. He checked the time on his phone. 10:51. An hour and nine minutes before Zach was supposed to see Eiko.

Whenever he thought of her, his heart skipped a beat, which was totally unusual for him since he'd only just met her. Zach let out a breath and decided to go shower since he hadn't since last night. He walked slowly towards the bathroom, throwing his shirt onto the couch and shutting the door behind him. Making sure the water wasn't too hot, he stripped fully and stepped in, warmed by the refreshing water.

Zach stood there, allowing the water to run down his body as he closed his eyes, letting his mind wonder by itself. After a few quiet moments, he cleaned himself as slowly as possible, trying to make time pass faster. When he done, Zach stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist, running his hands through his hair as he walked into his room.

His clock read 11:34 and he let out a sigh, ready to see Eiko. Zach opened his closet door and grabbed boxers, black skinny jeans and a white v-neck, along with his huge hoodie. Slipping on his clothes, Zach put his vans on and headed out the door, deciding to head on to Eiko.

As soon as he got out the door, his cell phone rang. Pressing answer and putting it up to his ear, he said hello.

"Zachary Hunter, how nice to speak to you, although, I think Eiko would rather want you to be here right now, since she needs you." The man chuckled as there was a faint scream that sounded like Eiko, followed by more laughing. "Better hurry, Zach, before it's too late." There was another scream and the phone went dead.

Not hesitating, he took off in a run, his heart beating twice as fast as he ran into the forest. The laughing was ringing in his ears, and any time there was a scream, he flinched. His phone beeped as the time changed to midnight. The forest became quiet, all laughing and screaming gone, the only sounds he could hear were sobs.

Zach burst through the clearing as shadows disappeared into the night, leaving the small body in the middle of the clearing by itself. He rushed over to her and gently lifted her up off the ground. Something wet hit his hand and he ignored it, setting her in his lap so he could slip my hoodie off. She shivered and squirmed as her eyes opened, panic showing all over her face. When she saw him, she tried to back away, her eyes wider than before.

"Eiko, stop, it's okay. It's okay, I promise. It's me, Zach." He whispered, trying to calm her down. It took a few minutes, but finally she stopped moving away, slowly making her way back to him. When she was close enough, Zach slipped his hoodie over her, finally noticing the blood that had soaked through her dress.

Worried, he picked her up bridal style and started to walk away from the clearing, despite her protests and kicking. When they reached his house, she'd gotten quiet, her hand twisted in his shirt and her head on his shoulder. He kicked open his front door and walked through, kicking it shut before heading up the stairs. As he started to set her down on his bed, her grip on his shirt tightened and she mumbled something he didn't understand.

"Eiko, speak up." Zach said, sitting on the bed with her.

When she spoke, it was barely a whisper. "Don't leave me, please."

He smiled at her, brushing her hair out of her face. "I won't. But I need you to take off your clothes, so I can see how bad your wound is." He said quietly, staring at the blood on their hands and her dress. She simply nodded and took his hoodie off slowly, wincing slightly. Zach looked away as she took her dress off as well and slipped on the giant shirt and boxers he'd given her.

"Zach, you're kind." She said quietly, lying back against the pillows.
He shrugged, not sure how to reply. "Eiko, might hurt, okay?" She stared at him for a moment, her eyes deciding whether or not to trust him with what he was about to do. Eiko finally nodded and Zach sighed. He