Full Moon Hike by Julie Steimle (ebook e reader TXT) 📕

I was done with that hunter anyway. If there were other hunters out there, I could not detect them anymore. No blood. No loud imps except for the ones now shouting for the punks to jump me. However, the punks were too afraid of me to do that.

I crouched down and whispered to them as the bodyguards to the Deacons’ continued to drag the hunter away. “You guys trashed a place that doesn’t belong to you. I want you all to go back to that cabin and clean it up. Scrub off the paint. And if you can’t do that, then pay for the damages. Otherwise I’ll send those ghosts after you again.”

I heard a chorus of breaths draw in. They ducked even lower. One tried to crawl away. That one I ripped the sheet off of, peering down at a man covered in red, green and black spray paint. He was holding a shotgun, which I grabbed the barrel of and wrenched the entire thing from his grip.

“You,” I said with a snarl, “better leave this place tonight, if you know what’s good for you—you traitor.”

The ranger popped his head up. “I didn’t sign on to work for a werewolf!”

Every one of the punks gasped.

I turned to them, shouting. “I said go fix up that cabin!”

They sprang to their feet and scrambled with all their might to their cabin. Whether they were going to clean up or to get their things, I did not know. All I cared about at that moment was facing that awful forest ranger. I rounded back on him before he could get away.

“Your job was to protect the wildlife in this area.” I took hold of his painted shirtfront, getting green and black paint on my hands. “You were also supposed to protect the lives of the campers up here. By letting those hunters into this area you betrayed both parts of your job. My family was put at risk because of you! I got pushed off a cliff because of you!”

I shook him hard, tearing his shirtfront with my claws, and then I dropped him to the ground, kicking at him to go.

“I don’t want to see you ever again. Get out of here!”

He scrambled onto his feet, gaping at my face with a horror I had seen several times now. I was still not used to it though, but this time I didn’t care. People I loved had come to harm because of him, and the surging feelings inside me shouted at me to bite out his throat. Sparing his life seemed to be the last kind thing I could muster with all the rage boiling inside of me.

“You didn’t bite him.”

I turned and looked.

Mr. Deacon stood on the gravel wearing a house robe, his face hairier than when I last saw him as human. Chops went down his cheeks to his jaw, though he was mostly human. He was wearing house slippers.

Turning around completely to face him, I gave a small bow and said, “I don’t…I don’t like hurting people.”

“I believe you,” he replied.

His words had an effect on me that I had not expected. My knees buckled. I nearly fell down. He jogged over to me, surprised, and he caught me. I could hear him chuckle from amazement. “My heavens. You really do care about what I think. Don’t you?”

I gazed up at him and nodded, trying to catch my breath. “Are you kidding? I meet the first… whatever…that can understand me, and it killed to see that you hated me.”

“I didn’t—” He sighed. “I was just worried for my friends. I’m sure you understand how precious some friends are.”

I nodded, regaining my balance. He helped me stand up straight, peering at my face as if he just couldn’t figure me out.

“I’m sure your family is worried about you right now,” he added.

Chuckling, I nodded once more. “Yeah. But they’re waiting for me.”

He smiled. “You’re lucky. More than you realize, I think.”

I blinked at him, tilting my head.

“You have what many ordinary humans do not have,” he said. His smile broadened. “A family that loves you unconditionally. Take care of them. People like that are getting rarer each generation.”

Nodding back, I drew out my wings and pushed off the ground with a strong flap. He had stepped back, still watching me with an amazement that I did not quite understand. I waved to him with an honest smile. “Thanks!”

And I took off.

I was sure Mr. Deacon and Rick were out of danger now. My heart felt at ease, and flying back was restful. Even most of the imps down below were silent. Perhaps most of the campers were fast asleep.

When I reached my family’s cabin, I landed on the porch, retracted my wings and walked in through the front door. They were all there. Mom and Dad rose from their seats and my brothers and sister got up, searching my face for news. When they saw my smile they all exhaled with relief.

“Let’s go back to bed,” my mom said, reaching out for me.

I let her put her arm around my shoulders, leaning close to her. “Yeah. I’m tired.”

Reconsideration

 

“Eve, are you going to sleep in strange places from now on?” Will asked, standing over me.

I blinked and looked up at him. I lay on my bed, but my feet were up against the wall and my head hung over the side. I felt rather lightheaded, and I couldn’t quite figure out why I was sleeping like that.

He gestured with a smile for me to get up. “Come on. Breakfast is ready.”

I righted myself and rolled off the bed, said a quick prayer, and then hastily rushed out of Dawn’s and my shared room into the open cabin. Everyone was sitting on the floor eating cold cereal with the remaining bananas. I skipped to an open spot on the floor as my mother passed over a spoon, showing me the options I had. They had bought those kid-sized cereal variety boxes that you could tear off the cardboard and the waxed paper, pour in milk and voila! Eat. I grabbed the puffed corn cereal, leaving the marshmallow puffy stuff and the frosted flakes alone. I couldn’t understand why those things were considered eatable anyway.

As we ate, already discussing our trip to the canyon where we would take pictures before heading home, we heard a knock on our cabin door. All of us turned, though Dad rose.

“Come in.” He stepped to the door.

The front door opened. One of the bodyguards entered, then Mr. Deacon, then Rick, then the other bodyguard. Rick was grinning while Mr. Deacon looked pleased.

“This is unexpected,” my father murmured, giving me only a slight glance.

Mr. Deacon’s bodyguard closed the door behind them. Both men stood to the side as Mr. Deacon and his son stepped further into the cabin.

“I hope I am not interrupting anything,” Mr. Deacon said.

All of us looked up at him, still chewing our cereal. Rick winked back at me, grinning broader.

“No, no. We were just having breakfast,” my father said. “We will be leaving today. So, you have nothing to worry about.”

“About that.” Mr. Deacon took another step closer to my family. “I need to apologize to you. I jumped to conclusions without really knowing you or your daughter. I had assumed things that I now see are not entirely so.”

He then looked to me.

“You saved my son’s life and mine many times this full moon.” He lowered his eyes as one embarrassed. “It is very rare even among people like ourselves to find someone so honestly helpful. And, I was thinking about your particular predicament. Your curse…”

I rose, listening more intently now.

“…You know, I always though that the only influences on the vimp was that of the vampire and the trouble causing imp,” he said. “But I never considered the soul of the sacrificed virgin, that she might be trying to make things right.”

I shivered, the chills running up my arms and over my entire body, blinking at him.

He pointed at me. “I feel that her spirit largely abides in you. The Seven is also unusual this generation. So is the increase in supernatural phenomena, though most humans around don’t notice it because they don’t believe in it. You, I believe, may bring about the end of the curse, or at least change it for good. God may allow evil men to act without interference, but I also believe he allows curses to abide so that good men have opportunity to act and stop them. I think this is what is happening with you, Eve McAllister. And if you really do wish to attend Gulinger Private Academy in New York, the school for unusual people like us, I’d be willing to enroll you myself and pay all your tuition.”

“New York?” my mother murmured, rising. “But that is so far away.”

Mr. Deacon smiled but shrugged. “Yes. It is. But I am offering it in case you have no other option. My son let me know you were having troubles in your hometown with the locals. If this could ease your burden—”

My father shook his head. “I would like our family to fare this out together. I don’t want Eve to feel like an outcast.”

Tears formed in my eyes. I hopped over to my father, hugging him. “Thank you, Daddy!”

“If you want to go to New York,” my father said, “It is your choice. But I would miss you.”

“Me too,” Will said, walking up to me and setting a hand on my back.

“Me too.” Travis punched me in the side.

Dawn hung her shoulders and rolled her eyes. “And me too, you goody-goody.”

I laughed.

Mom came over, also crying as she reached out for a hug. I embraced her, crying and laughing in her arms.

Mr. Deacon and Rick stood sheepishly, feeling like they had walked on something very private. However, when my mother and I parted, wiping our eyes, Mr. Deacon looked to Rick and shrugged. “Ok, then is there any way I can repay you?”

Dad gave him a sly sideways glance. “Maybe. Can you perhaps call City Hall for us? Talk to the mayor? Vouch for Eve. Right now they are trying to decide what to do about her. She has not hurt a soul in town but pretty much has them nervous since….”

I rolled my eyes and said it straight. “They found out for certain that I was not human this last spring. I’m sure you understand they’re upset.”

Nodding, Mr. Deacon chuckled. “Yes…I can imagine. And, I’ll do what I can.”

We all sighed with relief.

“Are you really planning to leave today?” Rick asked us, mostly looking at me.

My father nodded. “It was in our original plans. I run a dentistry. And if I still have customers when I get back, I will have work to do. And most of my children have summer jobs.”

I liked that he said most and was not specific. No one in town would hire me, and I was still hurting from that.

Rick grimaced though. “Too bad. We really didn’t get to do anything together, and I wanted to hang out with you more.”

“Then why don’t you come to the canyon with us!” Dawn said, hopping over to him, and grabbed his hand. “We’re going to