CHAPTER ONE

Luna

Oh my god! I can't freaking believe it! 'Mom!'

I yelled at the top of my lungs, I simply cannot believe it.

I mean wow! Dad really got me this time, I was expecting gifts and surprises tomorrow! Not today, I mean my birthday is tomorrow but dad surprised me with the car he got me. A freaking car, and not any other car but a Tesla! not even Josh got a Tesla and he is definitely more responsible than I am.

'Sweetie what is it' mum says in her perfectly sultry voice.

I jumped at her as soon as I saw her come out to the garage because I could tell, I could just tell from the way her voice was, it was way too cool and knowing. As I jumped at her, she caught me and held unto me easily, my mom is a 6th-degree black belt holder on both taekwondo and judo. She’s really freaking strong especially for a woman of 45 years with more than fifteen years as a defense attorney. She is the calmest person I know; nothing seems to shake her confidence, absolutely nothing.

I once saw her grab a client by his family jewels because he hit her assistant in a fit of rage, then she threatened him calmly and colorfully, it was really weird because, by the time she let him go, he was wimping in pain and apologizing all around, he eventually ended up asking her out and then he and my mom’s assistant dated for a bunch of years before they finally got married last year.

Anyway, I took a deep breath just in case she didn't hear me before.

'DadgotmeaTeslacanyoubelieveit?' I squealed in delight as I hugged my mom jumbling everything in my excitement.

She slightly turned her head to the left the way she does when considering something then she smiled saying, 'are you that happy that he really did get you that car in particular or that you are getting a car at all?'

I nodded happily, too excited to say anything of import at the moment.

I realize though, now that I think about it, why dad and Josh had been pushing me to get my driving license, I mean sometimes on our way back from school, he would let me take his truck for a little spin. Yes, I know my brother isn't like most brothers.

He's super sarcastic and can be a jerk but he's also super protective and a lot of times he goes out of his way to make me happy, even when it's obvious he's not really feeling the love.

Anyway being the insomniac that I am, I was the last one up, although I was waiting for dad to get back so I could jump him as I did mum.

Eventually, I heard the key turn in the lock, dad finally showed up sometime around 11 pm long after dinner was done with, I was in the living room, watching reruns of my favorite Japanese anime and mouthing the words along with the facial expressions when he came home. I know his routine, it is something he never deviates from, once he comes in, he'll remove his shoes and his coat and hang them on the coat hanger we have next to the door before he turns his attention to walking into the living room. so for me, the moment I heard the key turn, I was on my feet, by the time he walked clear of the little passage into the living room I was in the right spot to jump on him, he wasn't surprised to see me and he caught me even more easily than mom did earlier in the day.

'How did you like your car?' he rumbled as he scratched my ears, we hugged and talked together while I went into the kitchen to make him a quick sandwich.

while in the kitchen (he came to eat his dinner in there rather than at the dining table), I thanked him again and again for the car and then proceeded to promise on my life to care for Becca. I had already named the car.

He was really tired though so I let him head up, on the other hand, I was too wired to sleep anyway so I kept on watching my anime.

That night after mom and dad went to sleep I watched TV for a couple more minutes and decided to go scrounge for something to eat. I am the nocturnal one in the family and so they were used to the noises I'd always make every time I am awake in the middle of the night.

I was in the kitchen, trying to make a cucumber sandwich to go along with the Earl Grey tea I had already made. With my head buried in the refrigerator, I heard a strange clunking sound and at first, dismissed it as some tiny creature trying to get into where it isn't supposed to.

However, the noise came again in a rhythmic sort of way, almost like someone throwing pebbles on the glass.

Wait, pebbles on the glass? That better not be who I think it is.

Carefully, noiselessly I pad towards the door leading to the outside of the kitchen. it is locked, the bolt is already driven in.

As soon as I step in front of the door, I hear a shuffling sound like someone trying to be stealthy but not succeeding very much at it. My heart starts to beat faster as I quietly stretch to flick off the light switch and stand very still for a few heartbeats wondering if the ‘person’ outside will voice any complaint. The person did not, but I heard very clearly as the person moved closer to the entrance, I begin shaking in fear, this is beginning to feel a lot like my nightmares. In them, I am always being pursued and every time; I wake up feeling like I was almost caught, like waking up is what saved me.

It’s why I hardly sleep, my parents when they first found out about it they were so worried, that they tried everything they could to help me; doctors, hospitals, psychiatrists, psychologists, and so on. My situation remained unchanged though, and with time we all got used to the fact that I am a night owl. Of course, they didn’t stop searching for a cure to help me; it became our little family thing. No one in my family ever made me feel like I had an insurmountable problem, rather we treated my inability to sleep as a weird little quirk, something that I’m known for within the family.

In time I also, adjusted and sometimes I can go for days without sleeping but I can catch catnaps during lunch in school or at any other time of day.

I try not to worry them about the actual contents of my dreams but they are usually very disturbing. One thing is a recurring theme though, I always see a woman, the most beautiful creature that I’ve ever seen actually, in my dreams she never looks at me, sometimes I feel like she’s aware of me but pointedly ignoring me, other times I feel like she is hanging on to existence by a very bare thread. One thing is certain though every time I see her in my dreams I feel a need to reach out to her, to help her, she doesn’t seem to be suffering but sleeping instead.

Although thankfully, on the week before my birthday and the week immediately following, somehow inexplicably I am always spared the worst of the terrors, then, by the time my birthday has passed, the night terrors usually come back with a vengeance. It is like the dreams are trying to make up for time lost. It’s only thanks to the help of my family that I haven’t gone insane yet; I guess to a degree it’s understandable why they are all so protective of me.

I am standing still at the door wondering who is actually there, not everything is about my terrors, someone from my class or one of my friends could actually try to prank me, probably, I know am trying very hard to convince myself that what’s out there cannot hurt me. I breathe in very slowly and move towards the door, slowly, creeping, hoping that whoever is there is a friendly person, at the same time I feel like I can maybe finally get this over with.

Without allowing myself any time to think or doubt, I surge toward the door and pull it open in one movement. Then I am out the door and it's closing as I whirl to face the person who had been standing there.

Startled, the person moved towards me, but before they can get any closer, I moved again, this time, I run to close with the person, my body barely strained from years of training and constant running, as I get closer to the person, I lower my body instinctively, to present a lesser target, the would-be intruder is backing away from me fast, he or she is rather large but at this moment, I feel no fear and no worry, only the adrenaline, and the thrill of battle.

It seems the person doesn’t know whether to fight or run, they seem sort of confused as my body makes a weaving movement as I rush the person. I am about to launch myself in attack when I hear my name from a very familiar sounding voice.

‘Luna, hold on it’s me!’

I stop, instantly, steeling myself, I take two steps back from the would-be intruder, so as to be able to look around and find the one who called me so familiarly while still keeping this intruder standing before me in my line of sight.