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

Cal shakes his head no, “How did you pin that guy so quickly? He’s huge. I could’ve done it, but you’re so,” he looks me up and down, “small.”

“Thanks,” I mutter. “I’m fast and agile. I just dodge and take my shots. After hitting him in the temple he fell over,” I shrug like it’s no big deal.

“Oh,” from this point on, I think Cal has a little more respect for me.

We drive off down the highway, again, except this time as group.

Chapter Four

We keep driving the five hours, when we enter California. A large sign on a fancy board says ‘THE GOLDEN STATE’.

I smile to myself, and look at the setting sun. What a boring day, the drive was on;y interesting when we drove through towns. We ate at a little shack with crab and shrimp.

Dev threw it up later. Apparently, he doesn’t stomach sea food that well.

Cal motions in the air to pull over to the side of the road, “What?” I ask when we’re pulled over,

“First hotel we see, we’re getting a room. I cannot stand sitting on this bike any longer!”

I ask the dreaded question, “How much money do you have?”

“Around $5000 dollars, but I can’t use our credit cards because they all say Sherwood on them. They could easily track that, don’t they know the name?” he asks Dev.

Dev shakes his head yes, “Yea, they know. Before we left they told us that Sherwood was the old name you were going by.”

“Yea, just like we thought,” he mutters.

I gesture back to the road, “Should we be going then? My legs hurt,” this is the first time I’ve complained out loud the whole trip.

“Uh, yeah,” Cal starts his bike, and Dev takes the rear this time.

As we drive through northern California, I start to see large field full of wine grapes. Little cottages with tables and chairs sit high up on the hill; wineries.

Dev speeds ahead, next to Cal. How could they possibly be talking on a highway?!
I speed up also, trying to interfere. They don’t notice me, I just look like a idiot.

Other people on the road around us, stare at the two huge guys and puny girl riding the motorcycles. Cal sees a Bed and Breakfast house to our left, he tells us to turn by pointing.

We park the bikes, “Really? A bed and breakfast?”

He shrugs, “I said the first hotel I saw, so here you go!”

“Okay, can we sleep? I feel like I could sleep for years!” Dev heads towards the doors.

Cal and I follow, “So,” I say.

“So?” he says back. Well, this is a great conversation.

I start again, “Why’d you choose to stay back?”

Cal shrugs nonchalantly, “Well, I was the obvious option, I guess.”

“Why is that?” I furrow my eyebrows.

“Because everyone thinks I hate them,” he says with a chuckle.

Staring at him, “Do you?” I ask.

He looks at me intently, I shy away from his gaze, “Not really, it’s more of a general annoyance.”

I laugh at his attempt at a joke, I feel bad, “Boy, am I glad you did stay though. The others might not have taken us in,” I smile, but he frown.

“Yea,” he mutters, “but the others wouldn’t have almost choked you to death.”

“Hey,” I try to console him, “it’s not really that big of a…” he cuts me off.

“It’s a huge deal! I almost killed you! I feel awful,” Cal whispers the last part.

I sigh, “It hurt a lot, and I was pretty angry, but I’m over it. I probably would have done the same thing,” Cal holds the door open for me, “is I was in your situation. Being in that house by myself, being hunted none the less! I know I’d be terrified, but you’re older than me aren’t you?”

“I’m twenty.”

“Well, I’m eighteen, so not too far apart,” I find my self rattling off random stuff, trying to make him feel better.

I’m still talking when they open the door to our room. “Wow, I’ve been talking a lot haven’t I?”

“Yes!” Dev cries to me as he flops down on the bed. “But it’s okay, I still love you honey!” he plays the fact that we are ‘married’.

Cal shrugs, “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Dev rolls around on his bed, he’s singing a song about being happy. Cal flops down on the second bed.

“I’ve got the floor, don’t worry about me!” I shout as I sit on the floor.

Dev offers first, but not what I expected, “You can share with me, dear!” He laughs, “We are a couple you know.”

I awkwardly sit on the very corner of the bed. Dev comes up behind me and hugs me, “I won’t snuggle, I promise.”

Even though he says that, he still wraps his arms around me and lays down. I’m ram rod straight.

And for the first time, Cal gives a real hearty laugh, not the little fake one or the menacing one; but a sweet deep laugh.

“You think this is funny!” I cry. I elbow Dev in the gut, and sit on top of him.

He closes his eyes, “You’re not very heavy, you know. It’s like a little kitten sitting on my stomach”

“A kitten, huh?” I punch him in the chest.

He catches his breath, “Uph! Like a baby,” he smiles weakly. I move off of his stomach.

“Okay, I’m going to sleep now, wake me up when you’re ready to leave. And if you don’t, I will punch you for real!”

I lie down, and fall asleep easily. The conversations that I had this evening were easy and fun. I haven’t had a conversation like that in, well, ever.

The sun wakes me up, not the boys. When I come to my senses, I see the room is empty. Leaping up to my feet, I search around the room. Nothing.

I fling open the door, and run smack into Cal. “Morning,” he says gruffly.

Punching him in the chest, I yell at him, “I told you to wake me up when you were ready to go!”

“I just went to the store to get these,” Cal holds up a bag. I take it from him.

Inside are a blue T-shirt, black jeans, a gray sweatshirt, underwear (embarrassing) and puma running shoes. “Oh, thanks.”

He nods, “No problem,” Cal looks back over his shoulder.

“You didn’t need to spend so much money on these clothes, though,” Cal smiles sweetly.

“It was nothing, I can’t have you looking like a homeless person, can I?” I laugh, he does too.

Dev walks up behind Cal, and Cal’s expression is immediately stony. Why can’t he be happy? I wonder.

“Ready?” I ask them both.

“Yea!” Dev cheers and heads down the stairs.

I tap Cal’s shoulder, “How long is it going to take to make the documents”

“Probably three days or so, it’s definitely a longer process than I wish.”

We mount our bikes; I start mine up first and turn it around. “Getting better, kitten!” Dev calls.

I growl at the nickname ‘kitten’ and, oddly, so does Cal. But I ignore it and tear out of the parking lot. I’m leading the group this time, and it feels great.

Cars surround me, but don’t make me nervous. A blue car, full of boys, drives up next to my bike and rolls the windows down.

They cheer and whistle; I ignore them. I hear one of the bikes from behind my speed up, the roar of the engine distinctive. The second bike comes up too.

Both bikes, Dev in front, zoom past the blue car, and ride in front of it. They slow their motorcycles down, the car does the same.

I laugh, and speed ahead, I keep going and going. Again, the roar of the engines come up behind me and they both ride on either side of me. “Great move!” I yell into the wind.

Cal takes the lead, since he knows where we’re going; we keep driving and driving. By the time we’re pulling into some sort of town it’s 4:30, and I am sore.

Cal leads us down a back road that winds and winds. “Where are we going?” I ask since we are going relatively slow.

“To my family’s friend, their house back up to the ocean, it’s pretty sweet,” I nod, but how often do you hear Cal say ‘sweet’.

We pull up to a house that is two stories, and faces the beach. The siding is light pink, and had cream shutters. “Wow!” Dev says. “It’s a girls dream home, huh, Brim?”

“No, not all girls want a pink house,” I mutter.

The three of us park our bikes, and head up to the front door, Cal knocks.

“Hello?” says an older woman’s voice. “Who’s there.”

“Ms. Perkins, it’s Cal Holloway, is your daughter home?” Ms. Perkins opens the door, and stares at us.

She sighs, “Yes, she’s, um, upstairs. Where are your brothers and parents son?”

“They’re away,” he simply says.

She smiles at Cal, “Well, come give me a hug anyways.”

Cal blushes, and shrugs, giving the older woman a hug. “Go ahead on up, just knock.”

We follow Cal up the wooden staircase, and down a hallway. He taps on her door, a girl about thirteen years old opens the door. She screams with excitement, “What’s up, buddy?” she give Cal a hug.

Cuz? Dev and I awkwardly shuffle our feet. “Oh,” the girl turns to us, “who are you two?”

She glares at me, and turns to Dev, smiling, “I’m Br,” Cal stops me short.

“We need new identities, Samantha,” she rolls her eyes dramatically.

Samantha sighs, “Alright! But, first, you’re taking me to dinner, and a date!” she smiles up at Cal, fluttering her eyelashes.

“How old are you?” my voice is snarky, I don’t mean for it to sound, well, so mean!

Samantha glowers at me, “I’m fifteen, idiot. Why? Jealous?” she smirks as my cheeks flare red.

“No! I was just asking,” Samantha shrugs.

“How old are you?”

Dev answers for me, why, I have no idea, “She’s whatever age she tells you she’s going to be, which is…”

I roll my eyes, “Make me….” I act like it’s a hard decision, “twenty-two.”

She nods, “So you’re really eighteen,” I open and close my mouth like a fish.

“How’d you know that?!”

Samantha just laughs at me, “First, you just confirmed it. Second, every one always starts with twenty one. If they’re seventeen they stay at twenty-one, if eighteen twenty-two, if nineteen twenty-three, and so on,” she waves her hand like it’s common sense.

“So, date?” Cal moans.

“Fine, want to come with us?” Cal pleads us with his eyes.

Dev grins, and starts to shake his head, “No,” I smile evilly, “you two kids have fun!” Cal glares at me.

“Jerks,” he coughs as he passes us, holding Samantha’s hand.

Dev looks at me and frowns, “Really? You just had to give up our restaurant dinner and movie!”

“They’ll be more of those if we’re staying here four days. Plus, it’s not helping that Cal is parading around town.”

He picks up one of her picture, “I don’t think it much matters. The name of this town isn’t even on the map; I checked. So I’m sure we’ll be fine for four days, Brim.”

I stare at the picture of her and another girl. Both girls have freckles, but Samantha’s hair is blonde whereas the other girl’s hair is red. Samantha’s about my size, but definitely thinks she’s six foot. “I wonder how the Holloways found her?”

“I don’t think it matter’s much. What I’m wondering is how she makes these documents?! There isn’t even a printer or super-high-tech computer!” Dev starts pressing on the walls.

I touch his shoulder, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. They’ve worked for them,” I use logic, and Dev shakes his head up and down.

“I can’t believe he’d just leave us like that, though. We don’t even know these people!” I complain out loud. Second time I’ve complained out loud.

Dev looks at me, “Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves if we’re going to be staying here four days.”

“I guess,” I say unsurely.

The two of us head down the wooden steps, the woman who answered the door is in the kitchen.

Dev is a little more conversational than I am, so he starts, “Hello, Mrs…?”

“Mrs. Lambert.”

“Well,