Under the Blood Moon by Jenny Garcia (golden son ebook txt) 📕

"Ok well go in the house and lay down for a bit your Mom is going to need your help in a little." I turn on my heels and make my may through the large living room with a stone fire place. The sectional couches are still covered in white sheets, just the way we left them. Dust has claimed every inch of the house. I can see now why my mom wanted to clean before our guests arrive. There is no television; just a pool table by the front windows and bookshelves lined the back wall. I love to read. My father filled that case for me with all of his favorite books that he has read over his lifetime. I love to sit for hour’s just absorbing story after story, trying to loss myself in the fantasy novels. I wish it was real sometimes. I feel like to would fit in better.

The cabin is musty since the windows and doors have not been opened in sometime. I walk to the front windows and open them as wide as they go and fresh air pours into the living room. I left the front door open to air out the house. I walk down the hall way passing the guest bedroom on my right, which isn’t much of a room since there isn't a bed. We have never had company in the Lake House so there was never a need to have a bed in there. When I was younger the guest bedroom was my safe haven from my parents. They watched me like a hawk all the time. The spare bedroom is the only place they would let me be alone. I would pretend I was a great actress and I was acting on Broadway or a princess in one of my father’s Fantasy books. I giggle to myself as the memories flood back to me.

The second guest room is technically my Dads office. When we come to the Lake House he still needs to work on his Novels. He seemed to get more work done here then at home. I guess the solitude helped. No phones ringing or T.V. in the background to distract him. I would sit in his office for hours as he read new chapters of his Novel asking my opinion. Even though most of the time he didn't use my ideas, I didn’t care though I just loved hearing my dad’s work.

I looked down the hall to my parents’ room and then take a left to my room. Opening the door I see my queen size bed and run to it. Jumping on, I lay down looking out the window that is directly in the middle of my bed. I would stare out this window at night looking at the stars and wishing for my special someone to come rescue me. I have given up on that thought. Derek has ruined my faith in love and especially men. There is no way that I want to feel that sting of love ever again. It’s a cruel joke and no one gets the punch line. My desk is covered in dust and my small love seat still has a large white sheet covering it. I sit up on the bed and walk over to the love seat. I love this chair, perfect for two even though there has only ever been me in it. Which I have come to realize is even better. I tear away the white sheet and dust fills the air making me cough. I sit down laying my head back on the arm throwing my legs over the other arm. Instantly I relax and I can feel my eyes begin to close.

I drift off into a relaxing nap. I feel a cold chill so I open my eyes and I am back in the dark forest...not again. I am still standing by the edge of the lake looking at the island. I have never seen the lake so still before. It almost looks like glass. Staring over the lake I feel the fear melt away as I get lost in the beauty of the water. Looking out, I see the island about a half mile off the coast. It looks different then it normally does, it’s almost…glowing. Soft white light flows off the tree tops and the shore. There are people standing on the shore staring in my direction. Are they looking at me? There is the bright light I saw earlier and it is right in the middle of all the people staring at me. It’s just hovering above their heads staying in place. It almost looks like a star. For some reason I get the feeling that they are waiting for me. I start to walk down the shore staring at the island. Something is drawing me to it. I have the desire to get to the island. There is something there and it’s for me. I see someone in standing on my side of the lake, on the edge of the shore with their arm stretched out towards me. I begin to walk towards them. As I get closer I can tell that it is a man. He is very tall and I get a scent of cologne wafting into my nose as the breeze swirls around me. I feel the sense of desire building inside me. The feeling takes me over and I continue to walk to him. The full moon casts light down on his face. He has golden brown hair and emerald green eyes. I can’t focus on his face to see what he looks like. It’s just his green eyes burning into my memory and marking my soul. He looks as if he has been waiting for someone. I have never seen a man like this before. There is something about him that draws me to him and I want nothing more than to be his. I want to be in his arms forever. I stop walking towards him and he reaches out his hand. I reach back towards him. Our finger tips touch and I feel the hot pulse of desire. The back of my neck begins to burn and…"Niki, Where are you?" I am snapped awake by my Mom yelling down the hall. "What Mom? I am in my room."

"Can you please come out; I need help cleaning the house before our guests arrive." I let out an annoyed sigh. I hate cleaning. Especially for people in don’t even know.

Who was the man by the shore? I couldn’t see his face but I knew that he was gorgeous and I wanted him for myself. His smell was intoxicating. I have never been able to smell in a dream before. This dream has become more than a nightmare. It has become my own personal fantasy.

I get up from my love seat and walk out my room, down the hall where I see my mother frantically ripping the white sheets off the couch and other furniture. "Mom relax, you look like you are going to have a panic attack." She turns to me, with an unhappy look on her face. She doesn’t like jokes when they are about her. "Will you please stop the jokes and just sweep the deck off" she snaps back. "Ok jeez". I grab the broom from the cleaning closet in the kitchen. I walk out on the deck and begin to sweep. Hundreds of dried leaves have covered the worn wood. I can't help but think about the man and island in my dream. Why would the island be glowing? There is something about that dream that is confusing me. It seems so real when I am in it and at the same time I know it’s not. I could feel the breeze on my face and smell the scent of fresh flowers and the man by the shore. I felt drawn to the island, like I needed to get to be on it and he was going to take me there. There is something for me there...I know it.

I look off the deck over to the island. It’s covered with a grove of redwoods. Its looks like it normally does. There are no people on it and there is no soft glow. There never is anyone on the island. I don’t think that anyone cares what is on that island. I am the only one that I know that has been there. You have to either swim or paddle there. I swam one summer and sat on the shore. I looked out to the lake house and watched my mother and father search for me frantically for an hour. They didn’t think it was funny and I was grounded for 3 months. But there was nothing on the island. I explored it and all there was were trees and rocks.

            I come back into the house after sweeping the deck and my mother snatches the broom from me and begins to sweep the living room floors and kitchen. Why is she so nervous about seeing this woman? I know it has been and long time, and it seems that they had a falling out of some kind, but she is acting like these are her last days and everything must be perfect.

"Is there something else you need help with, Mom?"

“Yes, get the air mattresses and blow them up. Put one in the spare bedroom and one in dad’s office please." Her words are straight and to the point. She doesn’t take her eyes off her task of sweeping. I can see the sweat begin to bead up on her forehead.

"Alright" I turn and head out the front door to get them out of the back of the SUV. I open the tail gate and grab the mattresses. As I walk back into the house I get the overwhelming feeling of fear and hate. I take a deep breath shove these feelings to the back of my mind. I don’t know why I keep getting this feeling. I am starting to get the feeling that this is a warning.

I go into my dad’s office first throwing one of the mattresses in and then the other into the spare room. I take the mattress out of the box and it smells of brand new plastic. I don't think that these have ever been used more than two times. I plug in the electric pump then the nozzle into the mattress. It begins to inflate slowly. I look around my dad’s office at the pictures hanging on the wall. There is one photo that I have never noticed before. It’s of two little girls about 10 years old with their arms over each other’s shoulders. One has black hair that stops at the top of her shoulders that is dead straight with bright green eyes and the other red wavy hair with similar length and creamy brown eyes. Big smiles are across their faces and both have one or two missing teeth. I don’t recognize the red head but I swear the little girl with the black hair is my mother. I wonder if this little red headed girl is Denise. Why would there be a picture in my dad’s office?

            The mattress is full so I unplug the pump and start for the spare bedroom. Opening the door, I can hear my mother through the wall in the kitchen talking to my father. It's muffled so I place my ear on the way hoping to