Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book 1) (22 page)

                                                        Chapter Thirty-Nine

When Luna slapped his hand away, the contact had been brief, but it had been long enough. She was waking up, and he could feel his character being ripped right out of DreamWorld. When he awoke, he was in terrible pain as if he had been lit on fire. His chest seemed to be tearing open under the sudden pressure. The pain ripped through him again, wave after wave, and he knew perfectly well what was happening to him. He hadn’t imagined it would feel
this
bad.

Finally, when the pain reached its peak, and Chance was on the verge of passing out, the pain subsided all at once. He blinked, feeling different in a way that he couldn’t explain. He knew that he’d be able to put his plan into action. No more smoke and mirrors, this was the real thing.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~

Luna stared at her reflection in the mirror as she combed absently through her hair. She had deep circles under her dark eyes. She looked tired and stressed. She was prematurely aging. All the dreams were having more of an effect on her than she had thought possible.  She sighed and set the brush down on the sink as she left the bathroom. She went into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets for something to eat. David was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. When she walked into the room, he set it down on the table in front of him. She could tell he had something on his mind.

“Any plans for today?” he asked her.

“Not really. I was gonna go for a walk in the park, but that’s about it,” Luna said without looking at him.

“Alone?” he asked.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. “Of course, why?”

“Well, Chance called about an hour ago. I thought you two had plans for today,” he said.

She sighed and turned her attention back to the cabinet as she pulled out a box of cereal. “How did he get our number?”

“What did I tell you about that attitude, Luna?” he asked. “I gave it to him a while ago to keep in touch when you were grounded.”

Luna grabbed a bowl and poured cereal into it as she answered him. “There’s no reason for you to have to stay in touch with him.”

“There is a reason to keep in touch,” he argued.

“Name one,” she said crossly.

“You could use a friend sometimes, Luna. I barely ever see you talk to anyone. It worries me a bit,” he said.

“Yeah…well, so what? I’m just not very social. I don’t want any friends, and if I did I could find my own. I don’t need Chance to shadow me. Besides, I have Violet remember? She’s my best friend,” she said as she set the bowl on the table and poured milk into it.

“If Violet’s your best friend, then why is she never here?” David asked.

She sat down and took a bite of the cereal before she spoke. “She’s busy. Being a senior entails a lot of work. I talk to her a lot at school, you know.”

“Well, whatever the case, I think you could use a boyfriend, Luna,” he said uncertainly as he looked down at the table. “I mean you’re a senior in high school, and you’ve never had one. I think it would make you not so pessimistic.” 

She stared at him in disbelief as she remembered that Chance had said he was her boyfriend before. Had that been
David’s
fault? She frowned as she stared at her Dad. He and Chance had been plotting out her life for her. How could she trust anyone when her own father had been consorting with her enemy behind her back?

“Dad!” she said finally in disbelief. “
That’s
what you’re trying to do?
That’s
why you want me to be nice to Chance?”

“Now, Luna, no need to get upset,” he said.

“Does
Chance
know that you’re trying to do this?” she asked him as her anger flooded through her veins.

David looked thoughtful. “Yeah, he was okay with it.”

“No! You’re plotting with a kid that I
hate
to force me into doing things that make me so angry I get physically ill! And I have no reason to get upset!?” Luna yelled at him and felt her throat burn with the anger.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting?” David asked calmly.

“No, I don’t. You know what? Forget this! You never believe me anyways! No matter what I say, you listen to Chance instead! It’s like he’s your kid, not me!” she said angrily. “You want him instead then that’s fine by me.”

“Luna, that’s not what I want,” he said.

“Yeah, it is. Don’t worry, I’m gone!” she said standing up to stomp over to the front door.

“Where are you going?” he asked standing up as well.

“Mind your own damn business for once,” Luna said as she opened the door and stepped outside into the warm air.

She slammed it behind her before David had the chance to respond. He had no right to interfere in her life. She was old enough to take care of herself! As soon as she graduated, she was definitely moving. She gritted her teeth in anger as she walked down the sidewalk. She didn’t know how she could get rid of it.

Luna knew she didn’t want to go home the rest of the day, but where could she go? David was right in some perspective, Luna didn’t have many friends. Max was in the hospital, Violet was tired of her, and she didn’t know Amy enough to ask her for something like that. Luna kept walking and barely paid any attention to where her feet were taking her. She realized she had reached the park, and her anger had all but dissolved away. She padded carefully across the shaggy grass to the swing set.

The cool air that blew over the open ground was calming and the slight chill seemed to help cool her down. She sat on one of the swings and looked up at the sky as she let the silence engulf her senses. The sun sat at its highest peak in the sky and shone down on her brightly. It was hard to believe that there was virtually no one present. She guessed the chill was enough to scare most people off. The only people in the entire park were her and a group of teenagers on the opposite side that all stood crowded together next to the slide. She narrowed her eyes as she recognized one of the faces among the rest.

It was Chance and a group of cheerleaders.

He had his arms wrapped around a small brunette as he locked lips with her. Luna snorted at the sight of it. Why couldn’t he do that all along instead of bothering her? As she looked at him, she realized he was acting like any other teenager.

She frowned; she knew perfectly well that he was far from being normal. Beneath his perfect exterior lay a monster of twisted and dark ambitions that nobody but her and Max knew about. Susan had known too and it had cost her. He hid his true self well. She could understand why no one listened to her when she tried to convince them that he was bad.

Luna heard one of the cheerleaders giggle suddenly, and she looked towards the group again. Chance had sucked all of those girls into his spell, and if they weren’t careful, they’d end up the next victims in his satanic plot.

She sighed and turned around on the swing so that her back was to Chance and his group. She hadn’t gone to the park to see him. She wanted to forget her problems and he was one of them. She kicked her feet gently and moved the swing a bit as she thought. She didn’t know how much time passed, but she noticed that the sun was a bit lower in the sky. Suddenly, she heard giggling nearby and flinched as three cheerleaders passed her. They had been the same ones that had been around Chance.

One of them looked at Luna and whispered something to another one. She laughed at her before they all laughed again. Luna rolled her eyes at them as they walked away. They could think what they wanted about her, she really didn’t care. At least she saw Chance for what he was. If they weren’t careful, they’d wind up dead anyways.

“So, are you following me now?” Luna heard a voice say behind her. “I knew you’d end up missing me.”

She flinched and stood up off of the swing to face Chance. “No, I’m not following you. I came here to get out of the house, because I was tired of David. How was I supposed to know you’d be here looking for your next victim?”

He shrugged passively. “I called earlier, but you didn’t answer. David said that you’d call back.”

“I was sleeping like most people do on Sunday morning.”

Chance stepped around the swing and pushed it away from him so that he was standing against her. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you implying that I’m not normal?”

She swallowed unevenly at his tone. She looked at him as he glared at her and then around at the deserted park that surrounded them. They were the only ones in the entire place, and she knew he didn’t have to keep his sweet persona. He could –and would- easily turn into the monster that she was so used to seeing.

The one that threatened to tear her to pieces.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” she said looking up at him defiantly. “You’re Satanist, and you hide that from everyone. You live in an old rundown house, you’re emancipated from your parents, and you faked being drunk to get me grounded. I mean, who does that?”

He stepped closer to her. “I’m not normal, congratulations on figuring that out. But you’re not either.”

“Just get away from me!” Luna said pushing against him. She didn’t like the demented gleam that had suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Chance stumbled backwards a few feet away from her. He didn’t fall, but something fell from his pocket and landed in the dirt beside him. She looked at it, and her eyes widened in horror as she recognized the snake-handled dagger from the dream. The blade was covered in dried blood. Next to it on the ground sat a white ribbon that was splattered red with blood just like the dagger.

She stared at the ribbon horrified knowing it was Susan’s beloved hair ribbon. Luna could guess the blood belonged to her as well. She lost her balance at the shock. She was sitting on the ground, and her eyes were stuck on the bloody objects that had fallen out of his pocket. Chance bent down to pick up the knife and the ribbon. He slid the ribbon into his pocket as quickly as he could though he held the knife out to her.

“This is nothing, really,” he said waving the blood-stained knife in the air.

“Just stay away from me!” she said standing up.

She had seen enough to know she had been right…to know that she had
always
been right. Before had been nothing but speculation, but the last minute of her life had given her the physical evidence she was after.

“You can’t leave now,” he said bitterly.

“Just don’t come by me,” she said and turned and ran as fast as she could.

Luna didn’t hear footsteps behind her as she ran, but when she turned, Chance was following her slowly with his eyes like hardened sapphires. The dagger was gone, and she guessed he had hidden it in his pocket along with Susan’s ribbon. He had definitely killed Susan with that knife, and to make it worse, he hadn’t even bothered to clean it off afterwards. She ran as fast as she could, making sure she didn’t fall over her feet. For a minute, she considered screaming out for help, but Chance would just act innocent the second that someone came to her aide.

She was on her own.

She heard a dog howl in the distance, and felt her muscles tense. That wasn’t a normal dog. She knew instantly it was Chance’s dream dog coming to his aide to help him hunt…just like he had told her his dogs had done for him before. It was the dog that had nearly killed Max.

Luna kept running until the park was far behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and realized that Chance wasn’t behind her anymore. She let out a sigh of relief at the chance to take a break. She felt a chill run down the length of her spine. She knew why he had been following her. He wanted to scare her into silence because the blood
had
belonged to Susan Cross. 

                                                                      Chapter Forty

Luna kept running though she didn’t see Chance anywhere behind her. He knew where she lived so it wouldn’t be hard for him to follow her. Her stomach twisted in an uncomfortable feeling at the thought. She couldn’t go home. She skidded to a stop as she reached a road.

Luna needed to find a place to hide, and she needed to find a place quick. Behind her, she knew Chance was closing in. She suddenly knew what it felt like to be hunted. The panic, the desperate need to live sparking that fight or flight reaction that rose so strong it was like bile threatening to make her vomit. She snorted to herself, just another reason to hate hunters. She looked up and down the road in panic. Suddenly, a deep red car the color of blood slowed down by her.

She watched it nervously. Was it one of Chance’s friends? The window slowly rolled down, and she held her breath until she saw Amy peering at her. She stared at her in disbelief and let out the air she had been holding.

“Luna, are you okay?” she asked, and Luna could see she was worried.

Luna stared back at her for a minute, completely speechless. How could she explain to her what was going on? She heard a rustle in the bushes behind her and knew Chance was close.

“No. I need help,” she replied finally as she looked at her desperately.

Amy popped open the passenger door. “Get in, Luna.”

Luna nodded and climbed into the seat, closing the door behind her as fast as she possibly could. Amy stepped on the gas and began to drive down the road. She leaned back against the chair in relief. She was safe. She looked in the side mirror as she noticed Chance emerge suddenly in the place she had been standing by the side of the road.

Amy noticed him too. “Is that Chance?” she asked in her small voice.

Luna nodded weakly as she noticed the angry look on his face as his figure grew rapidly smaller. She had successfully gotten away, but she knew it would be impossible to run forever.

“What happened to you?” Amy asked finally.

Luna looked at her as she tried to think of an idea that would cover all of the things that had happened.

“Well, I got in a fight with David, and I ran away from home this morning. Chance’s dog was loose, and it was chasing me. I guess he hasn’t found it yet,” Luna said trying to sound normal.

Amy looked at her sympathetically. “You didn’t get bit by it, did you?”

She shook her head back and forth. “No, I managed to outrun it, but I might not have been able to if you hadn’t shown up when you had.”

“It was no problem. So, I guess that means that you don’t have any place to stay tonight?”

“No, I can’t go home, and I don’t want to risk staying outside with his dog loose.”

In her mind, Luna knew that wasn’t a lie. She didn’t want to end up falling prey to one of Chance’s cruel dog or Chance himself.

“Well, you can stay with me as long as you need to,” Amy offered.

“Really?” she asked in surprise. Of all the people she knew, she hadn’t expected her to be the one to offer something so generous.

“Yeah, I live with my sister, and there’s plenty of room at our house. I’m sure she won’t mind,” Amy replied shrugging.

“I would really appreciate that.”

“Then it’s no trouble at all.”               

Luna looked at her, glad to have such friends that were willing to help her.

                                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~

Chance emerged from the bushes in time to see Luna crawl into a red car that quickly sped away. He clutched the handle of his dagger is frustration; he had been so close. She was scared from what she had seen, and he was sure that if she got the chance, she would tell. He hadn’t planned to kill her but scare her into silence like he had done to Susan. He watched the car speed off down the road. Felix came to a halt by his side and Chance reached down to pet the big mangy dog between the ears.

“Don’t worry, Felix, she only got away for now,” he said to the mutt.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~

After about twenty minutes, they reached Amy’s house. Luna was glad to see it was a normal house in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. Her house had a red tiled roof, and a tiny porch with a couple steps. It didn’t look very big, but it looked comfortable.

Amy pulled up in the driveway, and they climbed out of the car. She led the way up to the door (which had a path that led to it with flowers growing along both sides of it) and pushed it open. Luna stood in the doorway as Amy disappeared into an arch that she could see led into the kitchen. Luna was glad to see that the house was artificially lit, and the furniture was clean of dust and cobwebs. It was the opposite of Chance’s house in every aspect. Luna was standing in the living room, and she could see a hallway that led to a lit bedroom at the end of it. There was a staircase in the corner of the living room and a wall that separated the living room from the kitchen. She was right, it was a comfortable house.

She peeled off her muddy boots and set them beside the door as she took an uncertain step inside the house. Suddenly, Amy reappeared in front of her with a much taller girl walking beside her. The girl resembled Amy with the same flowing brown hair and eyes, but Luna could tell she was older, if only by a few years.

“Luna, this is Michelle, she’s my sister,” Amy explained.

Luna nodded at her and then turned to Michelle. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

She nodded in response. “Same to you. Amy told me the situation. I understand it completely. I remember when I was a teenager, I had problems with my parents all the time. They’ll blow over eventually, but until then you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you’d like.”

Luna smiled at her politely. “Thank you, that’s very kind.”

“It’s no problem,” she insisted. “We love the company. I’m making dinner, and you’re more than welcome to join us.”

“Please,” Luna agreed.

Michelle smiled, and she turned and walked away to disappear back into the kitchen.

Amy looked at Luna. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” she said thoughtfully. “What do you like to do?”

“Come on up to my room, and I’ll show you.”

Amy turned and led the way up the stairs, and Luna followed her. Upstairs, she opened the first door that they passed in the long hallway, and she followed her inside. She flicked on a light, and Luna realized they were in her room. She looked around in amazement. On the other side of the room was a fluffy white bed with a light blue dresser beside it.  A window sat above it and white carpet stretched across the floor. The walls on every side, along with the ceiling, were pink. There were huge canvases of white paper stretched out on every wall with detailed cartoon drawings on them.

“Did you draw these?” Luna asked her in amazement.

Amy nodded. “I love drawing cartoons. It’s my favorite thing to do when I get the time.”

“They’re really good,” Luna said in amazement as she stepped up to the closest paper to look at the cartoon elephant she had drawn on it.

“Thanks. I hope I can make a career out of this.”

“With this talent, it’ll be no problem for you.”

“Thank you, want me to show you how to draw one?” she asked curiously.

Luna turned to look at her and noticed she was digging through her closet on the other side of the room. She re-emerged clutching a box of colored pencils and a small sketchpad. She looked so full of life, different than the way Luna was used to seeing her at school.

“Of course,” Luna said smiling at her.

They sat down on her bed, and Amy held a pencil to the paper as she drew out a cartoon slowly and explained every step of the process. Luna watched her with amusement. It was like she was meeting Amy for the first time. She wondered if this was how everyone was once school got out.

Was this how Kate and her friends had been out of school? Had they had promising potentials that had been cruelly ripped away from them? Finally, Amy finished the drawing and held it up. A smiling dog stared at her from the paper, and she looked at it proudly.

“Not bad for a quick drawing,” she said.

Luna smiled at her again. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Amy! Luna! It’s time for dinner!” They heard Michelle call from downstairs.

Instantly, Amy set down her newest drawing and stood up. “We should go down there right away. If you wait too long she starts to get anxious. She has this weird fear that people hate her cooking even though she’s brilliant with food.”

“That is a bit strange,” Luna agreed and followed her as she led the way back downstairs.

Michelle was placing three plates of Salisbury steak on the table and the smell of food was enticing. The bowl of cereal Luna had eaten that morning seemed miles away. Luna sat down and began to eat the food. Amy did the same as she sat beside her. Michelle watched both of them scoffing down the food with a pleased look on her face.

“This is really good, sis,” Amy said to her.

Luna didn’t compliment her because she was too busy eating. Amy’s comment said it all, her food really
was
good.

Michelle looked even happier at her comment. “Thanks, it’s a homemade recipe. I tried to not miss a step. What do you think of it, Luna?”

“It’s really good, thank you for letting me have some,” she said smiling up at her as she finally managed to swallow the large bite she had taken.

Michelle looked proud as she sat down in front of her portion. Suddenly, a knock rang out from the front door cutting through the silence. Michelle looked frustrated that she hadn’t gotten to eat a bite of her food yet.

“I’ll get it,” she said and she stood up.

She disappeared into the living room as she answered the door. Luna could hear her voice mumbling as she talked to someone. Suddenly, she reappeared back into the kitchen. Trailing behind her was Chance. The bite of food Luna had taken stuck in her throat. She forced herself to swallow it. She coughed, and he looked at her through eyes gleaming with satisfaction. How in the world had he found her?

“Luna, this boy says he’s here to take you home,” Michelle said.

Luna stood up uncertainly. “That can’t be right.”

“Oh, come on, Luna, David’s in the truck, and he’s worried sick about you,” Chance said. “He wants to talk to you.”

Michelle and Amy looked at her at the same time like they couldn’t decide who to believe. She was on her own again.

“Well, it looks like you have to go,” Amy said. “It was nice having you over, and I hope we can do this again sometime.”

“Come by anytime you like,” Michelle added. “You’re a nice guest to have.”

If they let her go with Chance there might not
be
another
time for her. She looked between both Amy and Michelle as fear pierced through her. They obviously believed that he was sincere. Luna swallowed the fear, she shouldn’t be scared of him, she should be facing him.

Gathering her courage, she walked up to him, head raised like a lioness, and looked him in the face. “Okay, I’m ready to go.” 

  He smiled at her and gently grasped the top of her arm to lead her to the living room. When Michelle and Amy were out of sight behind the wall that blocked the kitchen, he threw her ahead of him and opened the door before he thrust her outside. He closed the door behind him and turned to her.

In the time she had been at Amy’s house, the sun had risen to its highest point in the sky, and then sunk again to slip beneath the horizon line. It was dark, and the moon was a mere scratch in the sky with the stars a light glitter around it.

It was hard for Luna to see Chance, and she knew that it would be harder for anyone going by to see if she needed help from him. That thought inspired panic in her, but she wouldn’t let Chance know that.

“Okay, what do you want from me?” Luna asked him bitterly. “How did you know I was here?”

“Just get in the truck,” he said and his tone was calm.

“No,” she said standing to her full height. “You can’t make me.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I can,” he said and put his hand to her back.

He pushed her gently towards the truck, and her feet dug at the ground the entire time. When she stood beside it, she could see that David was sitting in the passenger seat. She realized that Chance hadn’t been lying about it. She wouldn’t be with him alone. She felt relief pierce through her. He wouldn’t do anything to her with David there.

“Get in the truck,” he said again.

Luna turned to him and glared before she opened the door and climbed into the seat behind David. She was safe for the moment, but what would happen the next time that Chance was alone with her?