CALL OF THE MOON

Chapter 9

“Samantha!” my dad cried in relief when I walked through the door.

I smiled weakly, and I could tell by the look on his face that he was really worried about me after I had run off like I did.

“Are you alright?” He asked, and I nodded as I held my elbows.

“Do you want to ride with me and Corey can bring the truck home?” I shook my head as I put my arms down, and Corey took me by the hand.

“It’s okay, dad. I’m alright,” I said reassuringly.

He looked at me and noticed Corey and I were holding hands. He sighed and then looked at me.

“Well, Bill, we knew this might happen,” my dad said as he turned his gaze on Corey’s father. Bill looked at us and smiled widely.

“Yeah, sooner or later,” he stated, and my dad shook his head.

What did they know? I wondered as I looked at them, shocked.

“I have to get up early tomorrow, so I am heading home. Will you be home soon?” My father asked me, and I nodded as I noticed a younger looking version of Bill in the room.

“Thanks for dinner, Bill,” he said, and then looked at Corey.

“Corey, son, behave yourself around my daughter.”

Corey straightened and cleared his throat. My face turned beet red in embarrassment.

"Dad!" I whispered, and he smirked at me.

“Of course, Mr. Wilcox.”

“Good kid,” my dad said as he walked out of the door, and I rested my head on Corey’s arm, embarrassed.

Bill looked at me as we heard my dad as he backed out of the driveway and drove off.

“Sammy.”

I picked my head up and looked at him, and Bill’s eyes gleamed.

“So, how was it?” He asked with a half-crooked smile. I smiled an ear to ear grin.

“Amazing really,” I beamed, and he laughed a hearty laugh..

“I bet. Welcome to the family, kid, officially,” Bill greeted.

"Sammy, this is Elliot," Marta said as she gestured to the young boy.

He had to be about twelve years old, with dark hair and eyes the color of pure honey. He smiled at me.

"Hello Sammy,” greeted Elliot, and I smiled at him.

"Hi," I said as I smiled up at Corey and he chuckled, then his features changed to serious as he looked back at his father.

“Dad, the vamps are rising in numbers, so we are expecting more pups to arrive soon.”

Bill looked at him and nodded. He then turned in his wheelchair and wheeled into the other room. I looked at Corey and squeezed his hand. He looked down at me.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

I pouted at him. I didn’t want to go straight home. I didn’t have to be home at a certain time. He leaned into my ear.

“I didn’t plan on leaving right away,” he whispered.

I bit my lip and looked at him as he pulled back. He smirked and pulled me to the door. We walked outside, and the others were on the porch. They were laughing about a joke Carly had just told them, and we smiled at them as we headed to my truck.

“Y'all have a good night,” called Izzy, and I turned and smiled shyly at her.

Corey and I got in my truck and headed to my house.

*****************

We sat in the driveway for a moment. My dad had already gone to bed. Corey cupped my face and kissed me.

“I’ll meet you at the window,” he whispered.

“Okay,” I whispered back.

I quietly walked inside and closed the door. After that, I crept upstairs and went inside my room. Quietly, I closed my bedroom door and walked over to the window. I leaned out, and he was nowhere to be found, as I pulled myself back inside, I felt his chest against my back.

“Looking for someone?” he whispered in my ear, and shivers went down my spine.

“Mmhmm.”

He then pulled my hair from my neck and kissed it.

“Did you find them?”

His voice, there was something different about his voice, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Swiftly, his muscular arms came around me and my fingers curled around his arms. He gently bit my neck and made me squeeze his arms. Suddenly, I realized his arms were not very warm, but seemed cold and stiff, and that is when I smelled a horrible stench.

“I like the willing ones,” he purred.

My eyes flew open, and I turned in his arms. Horrified, I looked at him with wide eyes. It was Collin. I pushed him hard and ran to my bedroom door, opened it. Frantically, I ran down the hall to my dad’s room.

“Dad!” I shouted, and I saw my dad crouched in the corner of the room.

The smell hit my nose like a ton of bricks. It was a fresh, rotting smell, almost like the smell of a freshly hit deer that was crossing the road in front of an unaware driver.

“Dad! Come on, we have got to go.” I cried, and he turned around. I gasped.

My dad had pale white skin and looked much younger than he had been earlier that night. He grinned at me with sharp fangs.

“What’s wrong, honey?” He sneered, and I screamed as I sat straight up in bed.

Sweat dripped from my face as I desperately gasped for air.

Where was I?

I felt a hand on my back, which made me scream in terror. I pushed at the person to get away from them. A loud thud let me know that the person was real and that he had landed on my bedroom floor.

“Ow! Sammy!”

I heard Corey’s voice. Surprisingly, I must have pushed him hard enough that he fell off the edge of the bed. I was breathing heavily.

“Dad!” I exclaimed and scrambled off the bed.

“He has already left for work, it’s six in the morning,” Corey said when I reached the door.

I turned around and saw Corey climbing back up on the bed.

“You’ve been here all night?” I asked breathlessly.

“Yeah, we fell asleep together, don’t you remember?”

I shook my head.

“You were supposed to meet me at the window.” I told him, and he looked at me, confused.

“Sammy, we came in the front door together?” Corey explained, and I walked over to my bed and sat down.

“We did?”

He nodded as he reached for me, and I curled up in his arms.

“I’m sorry I pushed you,” I mumbled, as he cupped my chin and made me look at him.

“No big deal. You are stronger than I expected. My brothers can’t even push me down,” I laughed.

“You know what?” He asked.

“What?” I asked.

“You are a perfect fit, and fit in right here.”

He pulled me closer. I grinned at him. At that moment, we heard a knock at the door.

“Expecting someone?” He asked, and I scowled.

Who could that be? I wondered.

All of my dad's friends knew he was at work, and anyone that knew me would have called. I sighed.

“No.” I said and pulled myself off the bed unwillingly.

I went downstairs and answered the door. There was a woman standing there that I had never seen before.

“Hello dear, sorry to bother you two. I am Libby Bannerson. My son and I just moved in next door,” she said.

I didn’t realize that Corey was standing behind me, so it confused me when she said “you two”. Quickly, I turned around and saw that he was standing right behind me, and then I turned back to the woman and smiled.

“Hi, I'm Sammy and this is my boyfriend, Corey. My dad isn’t here right now, he has already left for work.”

“Samantha.”

I looked out onto the driveway and saw my dad getting out of the car. ‘Damn busted.’ I thought and turned to look at Corey and to my surprise, he was fully dressed like he had just gotten there.

“Hey Dad,” I said, a little longer in tone than I wanted to.

I was so confused. How did Corey move that fast?

“Dad, this is Mrs. Bannerson, she and her son just moved next door,” I said as I waved my hand at the woman.

She turned to my dad, and he smiled at her.

“Hello, I’m Bob Wilcox. I am the chief of the EMS department here in Castor,” introduced my dad, and Libby smiled.

“I’m Libby and my son Jamie is over there unpacking the moving truck.”

“By himself?” Asked Corey, and she nodded.

Corey nudged my arm, and I looked at him as he made a face at me.

“Why don’t you go put some clothes on? Maybe we can help.”

I made a face back at him and ran up the stairs. I didn't want to go help my neighbors. I wanted to go back to sleep in Corey's arms. My dad looked at Corey.

“Corey, what are you doing here so early?” He asked suspiciously, and Corey smiled.

“I was going to take Sammy for a run on the beach,” he lied.

My dad looked at him and mumbled to himself as I walked downstairs. I thought my dad would be happy that Corey and I got together, but he didn't seem to be.

“Thank you, kids,” said Libby.

“No problem,” I said and looked at my dad.

“Be nice, or I’ll make you cook dinner from now on,” I scolded.

My dad straightened, and I made a funny face at him. He looked up at the sky and mouthed the word ‘why’ and then shook his head. I laughed, and Corey and I walked next door.

“We will cuddle some more later,” Corey said when we were more than earshot away.

I smiled and nodded. We walked up the neighbor's driveway and saw a guy our age unloading a large moving truck.

“Hi.” I said, and the guy turned around and smiled. He was tall, thin, and muscular, with dark hair and dark eyes. His skin was light, but not pale, and he was handsome.

“Hi,” he said.

“Are you Jamie?” Asked Corey.

"Sure am,” he said as he lifted a box.

“This is Sammy, and I’m Corey. We came over to help you.”

“Great. This stuff can be heavy. Thanks for the help.”

“Sure.”

I smiled. It only took us a couple of hours to get everything that was on the moving truck into the house. After a while, my dad and Libby joined us and brought some ice-cold water.

“Here kids, figured you could use something cold to drink,” said my dad cheerfully.

“Thanks dad,” I said as sweat poured down my face.

“Awe, honey, don’t overwork yourself. You just got out of the hospital a few days ago,” he said, and I looked at him like why would you say that in front of strangers?

It was none of their business. I stopped my thoughts immediately when I realized I was getting angry for nothing, as I took a few gulps of my water and smiled at my dad.

“Nope, not me dad,” I joked. Libby looked at my dad.

“Why was she in the hospital?" She asked, concerned.

"There was a party I went to, and a fight broke out," I lied, and my dad shot me a disapproving look.

I shrugged my shoulders at him. It was none of their business. Libby looked at me gently.

"Dear, you should be resting,” said Libby, with concern in her eyes.

“Well, the real story is, there was a party down at the beach and some kids went rogue, and they tried to hurt the students. Some casualties, but my daughter pulled through,” explained my dad, and I smacked myself in the forehead.

Obviously, my father didn't understand how to shut his mouth. Jamie laughed, and I noticed Corey had walked off to the shade, and the whole time we were helping Jamie, he was acting strange, like he was on edge. I looked at him and sighed. What was going on inside his head? I wondered. He looked at me and waved me over. I walked to where he was standing, and he grabbed me, pulling me close. Corey acted like he was going to kiss me, and then I felt icy cold water being dumped on my head.

It ran over me, down the front of me and down my back. It was ice cold, and I squealed as I pushed him away. He laughed. I squeezed my water bottle, spraying him with the rest of my ice-cold water. He looked at me, shocked, and I grinned at him. I then took off running while I laughed at him. He chased me and caught me, and we were both laughing hard.

“I am glad that they have finally gotten over their stubbornness. They have been in love with each other since they were kids,” my father sighed happily, and Libby smiled as they both watched us.

“Adolescent love,” said Libby, dreamily.

Corey pulled me close and kissed me. The water from his hair dripped on my face.

“Samantha, I have invited Libby and her son for dinner tonight,” my dad called to me, and I looked at my dad as I wiped my face. Corey and I walked over to them.

“Yeah, what ya cooking?”

I stuck my hands in my back pocket and gave him a thoughtful look. I knew my dad didn’t cook. He laughed.

“I thought we could order pizza,” he suggested.

“Okay,” I said and nodded.

“What time?” Asked Corey, and I looked at him.

“Why, you got a hot date?” I asked him, rocking on my feet, and he smirked at me.

“Actually, I do,” he said as he laughed, and my mouth dropped open.

“With whom?” I asked, and he laughed.

“This girl that I am crazy about,” he said with a happy smile.

“Yeah, who is she?” I asked offensively.

He smiled again. I didn’t get the joke.

“You might know her. She has got long, beautiful auburn hair, and gorgeous blue eyes. I have been crazy about her since we were kids,” he explained.

I immediately felt dumb. He was talking about me. I shook my head and laughed.

“You’re a funny guy,” I said.

He laughed at me and the rest joined in the laughter.

“I get off of work at five, so I was thinking about six,” said my dad, and Corey nodded.

“Okay.”

Corey looked at me and then back at my dad.

“I’ll be over as soon as I am done helping my dad,” Corey told my dad, and my dad nodded.

I looked at Corey, and he looked back at me.

“What?” I asked.

He never told me he had to work today. Besides, it was Saturday. He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the end of the driveway and out of earshot of everyone else. He stopped and looked at me.

“We have got three new pups that we are training this afternoon,” he said in a low voice.

I looked at him for a moment, and then his eyes lit up.

“Come with me tonight!” he exclaimed, and my eyes lit up.

He wanted me to go with him. I couldn’t believe it.

“Really?” I had to ask because I didn’t want to slow him down or distract him from his training.

“Yes, let’s do this together,” he said, and my heart soared.

“Meet me at Gilly’s bar tonight at nine.”

I nodded.

“Do you have to go now?” I asked.

“In a few minutes,” Corey said as he looked at his watch.

“It’s four now. Maybe your dad won’t have you work tonight.”

I looked back at my dad.

“Yeah, he’s on call tonight. Maybe we can order early.”

He nodded, and he then pulled me close to him.

“Come to me soon, I miss you already,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead to mine, and I smiled.

“I miss you too.”

He kissed me a little longer than I expected, but I didn’t mind. He then said goodbye to my dad and disappeared into the trees.

**************

We ended up ordering at five, and we ate.

“Are you going to go meet up with Corey tonight?” asked my dad.

“Yeah,” I said as I took a sip of my lemonade.

“Maybe sometime you could take Jamie down to the reservation and meet the rest of the pack.”

I looked at my dad oddly when he said the word pack. I knew he didn’t know what we were, but I found it odd that he would use that word. Reluctantly, I nodded and looked at Jamie.

“Uh, sure,” I said, and gave him a quick nod.

Jamie spit out his drink, and Libby looked at him, embarrassed.

“Please, call me JD. My mother is the only one that calls me Jamie.”

“Note taken,” I said.

“But I would love to go with you sometime,” Jamie added with a handsome smile, and I smiled back.

We were all sitting on the back porch. I pulled my knees to my chin as I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost eight o’clock.

“Dad, I’m going home to change and head out. Don’t drink too much,” I said, eyeing his beer, and he smiled at me.

“Go. Have fun. Tell the boys I said hi, and Corey best behave tonight,” he said, and I rolled my eyes, as I got up from the chair I was sitting on, and kissed his forehead.

I walked over to my house and went inside. Likewise, I ran upstairs, took a quick shower, and got dressed. Excitedly, I slid on a black strapless dress and pinned my hair up, and I put on a little makeup, slid on my calf-high boots, grabbed my keys and headed to Gilly’s.