By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (5 page)

How could he pretend it never happened?

"Don't do this to me, Ty. We haven't spoken
since that night, so don't play stupid. Now your cuts...and
Kim...and the other night at school, I..." My voice faltered.

His face remained blank and unmoved.

"Please talk to me," I said.

"I'm busy." With that, he lowered the shield
and grabbed a blowtorch of all crazy things. With a click of the
sparker, it lit with a soft whoosh. He adjusted the flame and bent
down to his work.

Stunned, I simply sat there for a few
minutes, not knowing what to do. When it was clear he wasn't going
to stop—even for me—I stood.

Before leaving, I turned and shouted at his
back. "Your mom sent me to get you! Dinner's ready!" Feeling I'd
done my duty even though he probably couldn't hear me, I backed
away.

"One more thing," I whispered. "I miss
you."

o0o

When pressed by our mothers as to whether he
was coming, I shrugged. "I told him it was ready."

Just as we sat down to eat, Ty slipped in
through the back door. He had changed into a clean T-shirt and no
one would've guessed what he'd been up to.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, and took his usual
seat beside me.

For the next hour Ty seemed to be back to his
old self. The switch was startling, to say the least. He spoke
easily throughout the meal, and by the time we finished, I thought
for sure we were on the road to solving whatever problems were
between us.

My mom served an apple pie for dessert. So
caught up in having Ty back to normal, I had momentarily forgotten
about Kim. "Mom? Is it really true about Kim?"

She paused, a piece of pie on the verge of
falling off her spatula. "This isn't the time, Makenna." Exchanging
a worried glance with my father, she continued serving up
slices.

I paused with a bite half way to my mouth,
deciding I simply had to know. "Is it true what they're saying
about the way she died? Was she really ripped to shreds?"

Ty choked on his pie and my father pounded
him on the back. With a stern warning on his features, he spoke
firmly. "Not now, Makenna."

I glanced around the table. Everyone's face
had gone completely pale, Ty's included. "Sorry, Dad. I just...it's
a pretty scary thing, you know?"

My mother laid a reassuring hand on my arm.
"We know, honey. But we don't know everything yet either."

I nodded, pushing my dessert around on my
plate.

After dinner, our parents adjourned to the
living room. I motioned for Ty to follow me up to my room. His
footsteps padded softly behind me. I closed my door behind us. He
took a seat in my papasan chair while I opted to sit on the
floor.

"I'm glad you came to dinner," I began.

"Me too." He leaned forward, elbows on his
knees, and stared at the ground. "Listen, Mac. I'm sorry I've been
such a jerk lately."

It felt like a weight lifted off my
shoulders. "I'm just glad you're here. I have so much to talk to
you about." I hesitated, not knowing how to form my words. "I know
this is going to sound crazy, but I think whatever killed Kim tried
to attack me."

He froze. "What?"

I recounted my experience for him. As I
spoke, he seemed to withdraw further into himself.

"What do you think?" I asked, relieved to
have told someone.

He cracked his knuckles and looked out the
window. I followed his line of sight; it was almost dark outside.
Something in his eyes set my nerves on edge. He seemed wary of what
he saw.

"Ty? Please be honest with me. How did you
get those cuts?"

His attention swung back to me, and he patted
the space beside him in the chair.

"Come here."

We hadn't done such a thing in a long time.
Not since the days when we'd sit in the dark watching horror
movies, Ty laughing as I muffled my screams against his
shoulder.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I
snuggled in next to him. My heartbeat accelerated at the feel of
his warm body pressed against mine.

He turned toward me, his lips a hair's
breadth away. "I've missed you, too."

His words startled me. Was it even possible
he heard me above all the noise he'd been making in the tool
shed?

Green eyes locked with mine. "There's a lot I
want to tell you, Mac. Just not now."

"But..."

"Sssh. I promise everything will be
okay."

He pulled me closer, and I rested my head on
his shoulder. In that moment, nothing else mattered. In my
weariness, I half-convinced myself things would work themselves
out. No one had attacked me, and Kim's death was a tragic accident.
Most importantly, Ty and I would be okay.

I awoke some time later and found my room
bathed in moonlight. Ty was gone. After a quick stretch, I rubbed
my knuckles across blurry eyes. At last my digital alarm clock came
into focus. It was a little after two in the morning. I shed my
clothes and pulled on a T-shirt before crawling into bed.

As I started to drift off, I made a quick
mental note to talk to my dad. I needed to let him know there must
be coyotes in the area. It had been one of their howls that awoke
me in the first place.

Feedback pierced through the air as Mrs.
Kramer stepped up to the microphone set up in the center of the
auditorium stage. She lightly tapped against it while a student
from the AV department adjusted a few knobs on the soundboard.
Eventually the screeching subsided, and the kid flashed a big
thumbs up. Chattering voices slowly quieted as she took to the
podium again.

She cleared her throat, her eyes traveling
around the audience. I wiped slick hands on my jeans and waited in
nervous anticipation. With her posture ram-rod straight, she gave
the distinct impression of trying to appear composed, but even from
a distance I saw her hands trembling.

"Good morning," she began. "I apologize for
taking you away from your classes this morning."

"Like we care." David shifted in his chair
beside me. I shushed him. He threw me a dark look, but remained
quiet. I bit the inside of my cheek and tried to focus on Mrs.
Kramer.

"I'm afraid I have distressing news to share
with all of you. I'm sad to announce the death of one of your
fellow classmates. Kimberly Urwin, a senior here at Eddington, was
tragically killed this past Saturday." She paused to take a deep
breath.

"Does that mean there's a killer on the
loose?" A voice carried from somewhere in the balcony. Necks craned
to find the person, but whoever it was didn't materialize. Murmured
conversations broke out all over the place.

My body tensed as coldness surrounded me. I
shivered and drew my sweater tight.

Mrs. Kramer raised a hand to silence the
room. "I know this comes as a shock, but I want to assure you that
the police have the matter well in hand and you have absolutely
nothing to worry about."

"What does that mean?" asked a sophomore in
the front row. I recognized her as a member of the marching
band.

"It means that Ms. Urwin's death has been
classified as a tragic accident. Foul play of any kind has been
ruled out." Mrs. Kramer folded her hands on the podium. "I know
this is all very shocking, but I want to assure you that the matter
is under control."

"Yeah, other than there's some wild animal on
the loose doing a Freddy Krueger number on people," David
muttered.

"Is it true she was attacked by an animal?" I
gulped, surprised to find I had been the one to ask the question.
The fact I had stood to do so, shocked me even more. All eyes
rolled in my direction, and I quickly ducked back into my
chair.

"Thank you, Ms. Wilhelm." Mrs. Kramer's
clipped words prompted me to slide down even further. David
chuckled beside me.

"As I was saying," she continued, "the matter
is well in hand."

She introduced several grief counselors who
would be available to students. After they all filed forward to
introduce themselves, a police officer made a short announcement,
reiterating the point that we were all perfectly safe. Somehow, I
wasn't reassured.

Mrs. Kramer returned to the podium. "At this
time, I would like to take a moment of silence in Ms. Urwin's
honor. I'll ask that you bow your heads."

I pulled a knee to my chest and concentrated
on a small tear in the upholstered chair in front of me. The
seconds seemed to last forever as an inexplicable grief washed
through me.

Before closing the assembly, Mrs. Kramer
announced the time and place of Kim's memorial service and funeral.
"Our thoughts and prayers will be with Kim's family.

"Be safe. Remember I will be available should
any of you need to talk. Now...I'll ask you to return to your
fourth period classes. Thank you."

Students started filing out the doors, the
respectful silence they had maintained during the assembly slowly
fading. Nervous banter began and then an occasional laugh
interjected above the growing buzz. I lingered in my seat,
muttering to David that he should go on without me.

I felt sick, my body taut. It could've been
me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs.
Kramer approaching. A student stepped in her path and they spoke in
low tones. Saying a silent prayer of thanks, I took the opportunity
to slip out of the side door of the auditorium. It led to a small
stairwell, and I descended the steps to stand on the lawn below. In
the distance, the football field and surrounding stands loomed. I
tried to steady my uneven breathing, the fear threatening to take
control.

The scratch of a lighter being sparked
interrupted the moment; I whipped around to find Caleb Martin
leaning casually against the school building. He lit his cigarette
and snapped the silver lighter closed with a flick of his wrist.
Dark eyes studied me while he took a deep drag, his expression
somewhere between annoyance and amusement.

I shifted uneasily, ready to make a quick
escape.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked, a
slight edge to my voice.

He shook black hair out of his face and
squinted into the bright sun. Dressed in torn jeans and a black
long-sleeved T-shirt, he seemed out of place amid the brilliant
fall colors surrounding us. In lieu of answering me, he shook a
cigarette loose from his pack and offered it to me.

I shook my head quickly. "No, thank you."

The pack disappeared into his front pocket,
but still he remained silent, watching and thinking Lord knows
what.

In the same school since his family moved to
town during the fifth grade, our crowds might have been on separate
planets for all the times our paths crossed. There had been that
one time, of course—back in the 10th grade. The memory wasn't a
pleasant one. After a stint of tutoring him in math, I'd been
shocked when he unabashedly asked me out. I'd had to say no. My
friends never would've forgiven me if I'd dared to date someone
like him.

Caleb tried to play it off like it wasn't a
big deal, but I'd seen the hurt in his eyes.

"You think you're too good for me, but you're
not," he had said.

"That isn't it," I said, face burning. But in
reality, he had hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Angry, he turned and stomped off, his black
hair bouncing against his jacket.

We hadn't spoken since. For all I knew, he
still held a grudge against me. It wasn't one of my finer moments
in life.

Despite that, here was the perfect
opportunity to rectify the situation. And for a good cause.

I dug my fingernails into my palms. "Is it
true you found Kim Urwin?"

"Why?"

"I-I heard you did, and I was sort of hoping
you could tell me anything you saw."

He didn't bat an eye. "Why?"

I swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. "She
was a friend," I blurted out, the lie rolling off my tongue all too
easily.

He laughed then and took another drag off his
cigarette. With fluid movements, he pushed off the wall and
approached me. He was almost as tall as Ty, and his close proximity
forced me to look up at him. I struggled to maintain eye contact,
knowing deep down that his speaking depended on it. I caught a
whiff of car grease, no doubt picked up from the gas station where
he worked.

"Well?" I said.

"I've seen you, you know?" His eyes burned
into mine. "You're lying. You and your little friends didn't have
time for girls like her."

His words dinged home beneath what little
armor I had left. Shame rose up my neck. "You don't know anything
about me."

"That's where you're wrong. You treated her
like garbage—worse." He paused and his words sank in deep. My chin
trembled slightly, and I fought to keep control.

"I'll ask one more time. Why do you want to
know?"

When I didn't answer, he flicked his ashes
and laughed, no humor in the sound. "Run back to your friends." He
smiled then, and a chill swept over my skin. "Safety in numbers,
right?"

o0o

Caleb's words haunted me when I returned to
class. With talk of the assembly and Kim's death still buzzing in
the air, no one paid much attention as I slipped into my seat. Was
he behind the attacks? No. He couldn't be. Whatever had been in
that hallway with me, it hadn't been human. It had to be the same
animal responsible for Kim's death. But then, why couldn't I shake
the feeling Caleb knew more than he let on?

"Ms. Wilhelm, can you answer problem number
five?"

I stared at Mrs. Spradling blankly, my face
burning with embarrassment as she repeated the question. Unable to
collect my thoughts and focus, I mumbled a quick no. She gave me a
disapproving frown and moved on to the next student.

I slid down in my chair and kept my head low
for the remainder of the period. When the bell rang, I uttered a
hasty apology to her before rushing to my locker. Lunch was next,
and I quickly stuffed my books inside and slammed it closed. I
needed to find Ty.