Dark Side of the Moon

Dark

Side

of the

Moon

Copyright © 2015 KN Faulk

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This is a work of fiction.  All characters in this publication are fictional, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

ISBN-10: 
1503111199

ISBN-13: 
978-1503111196

Chapter 1

For the past hour, we’ve seen nothing but trees.  I didn’t think there were forests this large left in the country.  “If I don’t see a building soon, I’m going to lose my mind,” I muttered.

“Moonlight Falls is going to be different from Charleston, Selina,” my mom said.

“But why did Dad have to accept a job in the middle of nowhere on the border?”

“Because this is a great opportunity for him.  He’ll have more room to grow at the Fairbanks firm than he did at Hershvitz.”

“I don’t have a problem moving, Selina,” my younger brother, Dan, said.  He was only fifteen, and the biggest pain in my ass.

“That’s because you’re a weirdo, Dan,” I countered.

“Please don’t start fighting now.  You haven’t said anything hateful to each other this whole trip,” Mom scolded.  “Besides, we’re almost there.”

I looked out the window to see a wooden town sign telling us we were entering Moonlight Falls.  Though it was wooden, it wasn’t a tree.  A moment later, the trees finally gave way to civilization.  And it wasn’t completely off the map.  We passed many mom and pop shops as well as a few modern shopping centers.  Okay, this might not be so bad.

“There’s the firm your father’s joining,” Mom said, looking to the right.  As we passed the building, we saw several men mounting “and Scott” between “Fairbanks” and “Law.”

I didn’t know he bought half of the company he was joining.

We passed two intersections before my mom turned into a neighborhood.  They looked normal enough, but there were a few log houses that didn’t fit in with the modern landscape.  We took a few more turns in the neighborhood before I saw the moving truck.  My dad was standing by the front door of the house, telling the movers what to do with our belongings.  We had houses on either side of us, and woods just beyond the back yard.

Mom pulled onto the side of the road in front of our house, and turned the car off.  “Alright, let’s go see how it looks.”

Dan and I got out of the car with Mom, and headed to the front door.  I noticed a few of our neighbors looking at us from their windows, and it kind of made me mad that they were spying on us.  Had they never seen a new family moving in to one of their neighboring houses before?

When Dad saw us, he smiled.  “Did the ride go okay?” he asked us.

“Yes, but Selina is still a bit apprehensive,” Mom answered, causing me to roll my eyes.

“Most of your things are in your room.  Why don’t you go unpack?  Might make you feel better,” he said to me.

I scoffed, and brushed past him to go inside the house.  The only way I’d feel better was if we’d return home to Charleston.  The large furniture had already been unloaded, and boxes were scattered everywhere.  A staircase separated the living room from the kitchen and dining room.  I figured my room was upstairs, like it had been at our last house.

But when I arrived on the landing, I discovered otherwise.  One of the rooms was empty, and the other room contained my parents’ furniture.  So I descended the stairs, and went in search of my room.

Behind the living room were three doors.  The first on the left was the bathroom.  The second door on the left had my bedframe in it.  That meant the door on the right was Dan’s.  My mattresses had been placed on the bed frame, and everything I owned was still in bags and boxes.  Taking a deep breath, I set to work opening everything.

Closing my door for some privacy, I listened to my MP3 as I worked.  Thankfully, my family left me alone.  They knew that I didn’t want to be uprooted in the middle of my senior year, taken away from my friends and forcing me to attempt to make new ones while maintaining grades.  They tried to counter that Dan didn’t mind the move, but he wasn’t me.  I didn’t take to drastic changes easily, like when I tried to bleach a strand of my hair and ended up bleaching half of my head.  I wore hats and wouldn’t let anyone see it until I was able to dye it back to its original brown.

After hanging my shirts in the closet and putting the rest of my clothes in my dresser, I took my picture frames out and set them on my dresser.  They were of my friends back home, and I took them a few days before we left.  I had known Miranda since we were little, and now I wasn’t going to get to see her every day.  We’ll have to call each other after school so I could stay in the loop with our friends.

Stupid job, forcing us to move across the state.  Why couldn’t he have waited until I graduated in May?  It would have been easier on all of us.

I had just made my bed when there was a knock on my door.  “Selina?  If you’re finished, would you like to help decorate the Christmas tree?” my mom asked through the closed door.

I really didn’t want to be around my family since I was still pissed off at them.  “No, I’m not done,” I told her.

“Oh.  Okay.  See you when you’re finished, then.”

But I didn’t emerge from my room even after I finished setting up my room.  Instead, I blasted my music even louder, sat on my bed, and doodled in my sketchbook.  I contemplated calling Miranda, letting her know that we arrived in Moonlight Falls, but she didn’t answer when I finally dialed her number.  Brushing it off that she was in class or busy with something, I just sent her a message, telling her we had made it to our new house.

It wouldn’t be a home for a long while to me.

My mom eventually returned to let me know that we were going out for dinner.  She’d have to go to the store tomorrow to stock up on food so she could cook.  So, I put my headphones in my MP3, and followed them out to the car.  While they spoke, I assumed, I just stared out the window.  Even though it was December in the Appalachian Mountains, it wasn’t as cold as I expected it to be, and there were a lot of people walking around the little shopping centers.

The restaurant we pulled up to wasn’t one I recognized.  Hopefully it had good food considering the parking lot was packed.  I didn’t speak to my family as we ventured inside, putting my MP3 and headphones in my pocket.

Dan and our parents were lively while we dined.  I didn’t join in because I was still pissed and didn’t want to talk to them.  I just focused on my food and texting Miranda and Jocelyn; she had been in class and studying for a test until now and Jocelyn had been in band practice.  I knew we were going to drift away from each other, but I didn’t think it would be this soon after I left Charleston.

Their silence and disinterest in talking to me fueled my anger.  After we arrived back at the house, I couldn’t help storming to the bathroom. I found that someone had unpacked my things as well as Dan’s.  Well, that was a little convenient.  After grabbing a towel from the linen closet, I turned the hot water on, stripped, and climbed into the tub.  Apparently, I had to go to bed at a descent time because we had school in the morning.

After I dressed in some pajamas and dried my hair, I camped out in my room again, doodling and listening to music.  My drawings and paintings weren’t very good, but tried my hardest to make everything I did perfect.  Tonight, I was trying to recreate the outside of my old home, Miranda, Jocelyn, and I standing in front of it with our arms around each other.  All I wanted to do was go back to the way things were before Dad left his old company.  I didn’t want to be here, away from my friends and what I’ve known all my life in a small town that I was going to get away from.

Several hours had passed before exhaustion eventually set in.  The drawing wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be, but it would have to settle for now.  After setting my sketchbook on my nightstand, I turned out the light, and crawled under the covers.  I was not looking forward to tomorrow, introducing myself to people that I didn’t care about.  It was going to be a nightmare.

When I woke the next morning, I was sluggish, mostly on purpose, partially because I didn’t go to sleep until two or three in the morning.  I didn’t want to go to a new school, and moving slowly was my way of protesting this new place.  Dan and I emerged from our rooms at the same time; he had just woken up later than me, and wasn’t moving sluggishly.

As we entered the living room, our dad came down the stairs, fully dressed in a suit, his usual attire for the office.  “Alright, kids, the bus should be here soon.  Here are keys to the house, and some money for lunch,” he said handing each of us a key and a couple bills.  Dan nodded, and headed for the front door.  I was about to follow him when Dad stopped me.  “I know you’re unhappy about moving, Selina, but please try to make the best of it.  You never know who you’re going to meet at your new school.”

“Yeah, but why did we have to move now?  Why not wait until after I graduated and when off to college?”

“Because the company I’m partnering has a large case that they need my help with, and my partner’s son isn’t thinking about going into the family business.  The case may have to go to trial, and he wants me to assist, especially when I bought half the shares.  I’m sorry it’s not to your liking, Selina, but that’s life for you.  Now hurry before you miss the bus.”

I didn’t say anything as I walked through the front door.  The bus had just pulled up in front of our house, Dan climbing the stairs.  I didn’t change my pace as I approached it, still protesting even though it wasn’t working.  After I climbed the stairs, I found Dan sitting a few rows back, and urged him to scoot over by practically sitting on him.

“Don’t take your anger out on me, Selina,” he said, scooting over to the window.

I didn’t respond to him and listened to my music the whole ride to school.  And after we arrived, Dan and I had to go to the office to get our schedules and locker combinations.  The school was about half the size of my old one, and I did wonder how many kids went here.  Dan and I went our separate ways after we left the main office of the school.

English was first, followed by American Government, study hall, lunch, Math, Chemistry, and Art.  It was pretty much the same schedule I had at my old school.  It took me a few minutes to find the right classroom, and when I did, I found that the room was half empty.  I wasn’t sure where to sit, so I made my way to the teacher’s desk, where she was sitting, looking over her lecture notes for the day.  A couple people were whispering on the other side of the room, but I paid them no mind.

“Hi, I’m Selina Scott, the new student,” I said to the teacher.

Looking up from here lecture, she gave me a small smile.  “Hello, Selina, I’m Mrs. Riley.  Here’s your text book, and take a seat on the back row.”

I nodded and took the book from her.  After I took my seat, the bell rang, and about ten people darted into the room.  I tried to not look at them as they took their seats.  I was still pissed, and just didn’t want to talk to anyone.  Especially the guy that sat to my left.  He kept staring at me, even after Mrs. Riley called the class to order.

“You got a problem?” I said to him, pissed that he was still staring.

His brown hair fell to his ears, and his blue eyes seemed to be full of surprise.  Has he never seen a new student before?  Looking away from me, he shook his head, and turned to face the front of the class.

That’s when Mrs. Riley asked me to introduce myself to the class.  Instead of going to the front of the room, I just stood at my desk, and said, “I’m Selina Scott, and I’m from Charleston.”  After I sat back down, Mrs. Riley tried to get me to say something more about myself, but I refused.  I didn’t want to be here, and I didn’t think she’d want me to say that to the class.

This was going to be a long day with me being the new kid.