Full Moon 2 by Elaina H (top ebook reader TXT) 📕

I hear the door behind my slide open, and Cal’s shoes enter my vision as I stare at the wooden floor. “You okay?”

“What do you think?” I mutter harshly.

He takes a seat across from me, “I imagine you feel awful, but I also think that you should get over what Lydia said.”
I look up, my eyes watering. Chanting the chant, I speak, “I should.”

“Yes, because, obviously, no one was listening to her besides you,” Cal crosses his arms over his chest, and leans back; the chair cracks.

I sigh, “You’re going to break the chair.”

“Come here.” Rolling my eyes, I shake my head no. He rolls his eyes, and grabs my arm.

Next thing I know I’m sitting on his lap, “I feel like an idiot, Cal. Can I please go back to my own chair while we have whatever conversation you’re planning on having?”

“No.”

“And why not?” I tease.

Cal smiles and holds my hand, “Because I like you sitting on my lap, and I don’t want you to sit all the way over there.”

Butterflies take off in my stomach, and I quickly look away as my cheeks flush bright red, “Okay, let’s talk,” I murmur.

“You do know that we’ve only known each other a short time, and everyone here thinks the only reason I like you is because I was ‘sheltered’.”

“I’m not quite sure how this is helping?” I reply drily.

He shakes his head, “Be quiet, Brim,” he says playfully. “But, anyways, they’re wrong and I know this because when I saw an,” he moves his head from side to side, gauging, “attractive woman,” I cut him off.

“Still not helping.”

“Be quiet, Brim. Anyways, when I saw and attractive woman,” his lips quirk into a smile, “I thought they were decently pretty, but I only thought one woman was beautiful. I found myself comparing them all to you. Even when your hair was so knotty that I thought I might have to sheer it off. Even when your face had so much dirt on it that I thought it might take five showers to get it off. You were always more beautiful than any one could ever be.”

My ears go red along with my cheeks, “You’re just saying that. Besides,” he raises his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Nothing, but,” I pause sucking in a breath, “why me? Why did you find yourself warming up to me?”

Cal laughs, “That I can’t tell you, it’s a secret, but I’ll you something else in exchange.”

The chair creaks, “And what would that be?”

“I love you.”

Finally, the chair gives, and Cal’s grip tightens around be as we fall to the ground. As if nothing happed at all, Cal kisses me.

I find myself falling deeper into the kiss, and falling deeper in love with Cal.

My hands tangle in his black hair, and I feel completely and utterly safe.

“What the heck was that noise!” shouts Aaron. I hear him stop in front of the sliding door.

He laughs out loud, and I pull away. “Oooo! Cal, what would your brooding buddy say with that kind of smile on your face?”

“She’d say shove off, Aaron!” Cal says jokingly.

Aaron chuckles, “Brim, you might want to fix your hair before you come inside. And Cal, get the grin off your face before somebody else notices.”

Cal purses his lips as Aaron walks away, “Keep the grin,” I whisper as I lean in for another kiss, “I like it.”

Chapter Eleven

We decided that we’d try rescuing first.

It wasn’t easy to convince everybody, but Cal had a pretty good handle on threatening people. I didn’t exactly stop him from doing so either.

Eric continued to blab his mouth continuously, and I decided that I might as well shut him up for a while since he didn’t really have a real say in the matter.

I punched him.

After the matter was settled, I figured we should all go to bed. Cal started leading me toward the room I would share with Dev; talk about extremely awkward.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the couch?” Cal says at her glares at Dev’s sleeping form.

I take his hand, “Don’t worry, we’ll only snuggle a lot.”

Cal squeezes my hand, “Seriously, Brim. You should take the couch.”

“Yeah,” I scoff, “right across from Eric. It doesn’t really sound much better.”

“Oh, why isn’t he staying in here with Dev, and you get the couch?” Cal tries to solve the ‘problem’.

“Cal, it’s not that big of a deal. Your parents have a room, Lydia, Gwen, and Alice have a room, and you, Fynn, and Aaron share. Eric will sleep on the couch, and Dev and I can squeeze into here,” I start walking in.

He doesn’t immediately let go of my hand, “Cal,” I whine, “I’m tired, come on.”

“Sorry,” he drops my hand and starts to head toward his room across the hall.”

I feel guilty, “Gosh,” I say under my breath. “Do you want to talk for a bit?”

“Not if you’re tired,” he says with a smile.

“Not one bit.” Cal turns around, and sits on the end on my bed. “Just lay down. I really could care less, but if I fall asleep you leave. Got it?”
He rolls his eyes, “Yea, I got it.”

“So,” I say with a yawn as a lay down next to him, “what are we talking about?”
“I don’t know, let’s see?” his voice trails off as I curl up, and fall asleep.

I’m running through the cornfield again, and my little sister screams in front of me. “Penny! Penny! Oh no, Penny please don’t hurt me!”

My paws slam against the soft, tilled dirt, and I howl.

My eyes search in the full moon’s light.

My teeth tear into my sister’s flesh, and I enjoy it.

When the moon fades away into the sun, I come back to my senses in the cornfield.

Rocking in a ball, I scream aloud into the open space, and I sob into my blood red palms.

I awake. I snap up out of bed, and I’m sweating. “No. No. No. No.” I say over and over.

“Brim?” Dev whispers from across the room. “Are you alright?”

Feeling the skin on my face, I nod. “Yea, I’m fine. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

“Okay, than,” he says suspiciously, and I hear him roll back over in bed.

The next morning, I wake up and shuffle into the kitchen, where I hear the others making food, talking, and arguing. “Lydia, please stop complaining about everything,” Aaron says.

“Shut up!”

Shielding my eyes to the light, I enter the room. “Morning, Sunshine!” Aaron greets.

“Rough night?” Gwen asks as she pours coffee.

“Huh?”
Gwen blushes, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean, I only meant that your scream last night. I hope it was nothing.”

I rub the back of my neck, “Oh.”

Cal, who was moments before shoving buttered toast into this mouth, stops and looks up at me, “You were screaming?” there’s a general look of concern on his face.

“No, it was a scream. There’s a difference, and I was only a petty nightmare.”

Eric snorts, “What, boyfriend, how’d you miss the girlfriend’s scream?! I pretty sure that means you’re failing at your job.”

“Yea, Cal?” Lydia snarls, “where did you go last night that would have caused you to not hear the scream?”
Fynn and Cal glance at each other; worried expression cross their face, Gwen glares.

She stalks up to Fynn and points a finger at his chest, “You better start talking or I swear I won’t talk to you for a week!”

Her threat must have been empty because Fynn grabbed the hand that was waving in his face and kissed it with a smile. “Just like you wouldn’t talk to me last time? Because I pretty sure that lasted five minutes.”

Gwen’s look is fierce, “Don’t play with me. I told you it was too dangerous to go out by yourself, especially with The Lab on our butts.”

“By my self. I went with Cal,” Cal snarls at Fynn for ratting him out.

“You can’t just go on your evening runs anymore, not when they’re searching for us!” she lowers her voice. “What would I do if you were taken?”

Fynn looks at his feet, and doesn’t meet her eyes, “Sorry,” I says so quietly that only the people nearest to him can hear (myself, Aaron, and Cal).

“Pukefest!” Aaron shouts, “Did I just hear Fynn apologize?!”

I ignore is sixteen year old boy banter and look at Cal with a raised eyebrow. He gets up from his stool and comes over, “I’m real sorry,” he whispers it lightly.

“You better be because next time you go and you don’t take me I will leave you with a bald spot!” I put my hands on my hips, and everyone looks at me.

Fynn chuckles, “Wow Cal, looks like I’ve been replaced; no one’s going to stop you from going,” he gives a side glance to Gwen.

“Yes there is,” says Jennifer. “Cal you’re not to go, and if you do I will strap you to your bed at night. How embarrassing that would be!”

Cal tosses his plate in the trash, “Mom, I’m fine. Besides I’m a bit too old to be told what to do.”

“You think so?” she taunts.

Gwen, Alice, and I snicker as she chastises all three of her boys about never outgrowing their mother’s rules.

I sigh, happy, but still disgruntled about last night’s nightmare. I smile as Cal looks over at me with his beautiful eyes.

I’ll do whatever they need me to do, I think, I’ll do it for Cal, I’ll do it for those at The Center still trapped, but most importantly, I’ll do it for me.

80

Text: Elaina
Editing: Elaina
Translation: none
Publication Date: 09-21-2013

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To Lia, as always, because you're who I write my books for! I love you!