Beneath The Moonlight

Chapter2

The Second Coming

Aria

Twelve Years Later

“Aria, I saw Dr Gerald on my way up. "He asked that we check on the patients that came in over the weekend,” Mary, the lead nurse, instructs as I walk beside her down the clinical hallway. I’ve been helping out at the small clinic in Hunter’s Creek since I was sixteen, and while I’m no expert nurse, I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years.

“What are you waiting for? "Chop chop, get a move on!” She scolds, gesturing me away from her.

“Yes ma’am,” I mutter, instantly swinging into action. Two hours later, I’m finally done making the morning rounds and attending to all the overnight patients.

“Aria, we got a patient with some small scrapes on his elbow. He insists he needs immediate medical attention. "You can handle that, right?” One of the other nurses asks me coyly, no doubt shifting her responsibility to me.

“Yeah,” I nod.

“Douglas Claren, ward four.” I can’t help the small smile that lifts my lips at the mention of his name. Doug is one of the few friends I have in town. If it were up to him, we would be more than friends. He shamelessly flirts with me every chance he gets, showing up at the clinic where I work with the most dismissive injuries, just so he can flirt with me a little more.

He’s one of the few people in this town who look at me, and not through me. After my parents were killed and the rest of the town was left in shambles to rebuild what was left, most people blamed me and my brother for what happened. They didn’t say it, but I could see it in their hateful stares. We were the reason the wolves attacked, and they feared we would be the reason they attacked again.

But they’re wrong. What would creatures of such power want with a fragile, weak little human like me?

“Mr Claren, I want to say it’s a pleasure to see you again, but under these circumstances, that would hardly be appropriate, would it?”

“It’s always a pleasure to see you, no matter the circumstances,” he says softly. I will myself not to smile, opening his folder.

“Maybe, but I would still prefer less dire circumstances,” I say mindlessly, continuing to scribble.

“Maybe one day it will be,” he responds.

“So, tell me, what’s the matter this time?” I inquired.

“Uh, it’s my elbow. I was working with some equipment earlier today and I got a scrape,” he pulls back his hand to show me the spot. The area looks red and slightly swollen, but his life is not at all in danger.

“That must’ve hurt, sorry. Well, the skin around this area is irritated and will sting, but I’ll give you something for the pain. It looks like a surface injury, so I think you’ll live,” I conclude.

“Thank goodness,” he chuckles.

“It was smart to come get it checked out instead of slapping a bandage on it yourself,” I say.

“Uh, yeah. "I’m a bit old-fashioned, I like to let the professionals do it themselves, you know,” he shrugs simply.

“Of course,” I quip.

“Yeah. A small scrape could quickly become something else, you know. Could get infected. I've got to have it checked out by a nurse at least.”

“Yeah, definitely,” I say, scribbling a few things down.

“Okay, so I’m just going to–” Suddenly, the door flies open, May bursting through the door. Her hands clasp the door knob shakily, wild panic in her eyes.

For reasons that I can’t explain, my heart leaps into my throat, a tight ball of nerves forming low in my belly.

“May, what’s wrong?”

“Something’s – something’s happening in town,” she breathes shakily.

“Wh–what do you mean?” I ask, unease filling my chest.

“Ravenwood. "They’re here. "They’ve searched the entire town, and they’re on the way here too.”

The blood freezes in my veins at the name of the pack that has made my life– all of our lives-a living hell. Once upon a time, I thought werewolves were just a figment of an overactive imagination, but after watching my parents get slaughtered by creatures that I cannot explain to this day, I know that everything is possible.

Ravenwood is the pack just outside my town. For years, they haven’t stepped foot in our town, but we know they’re there. We don’t dare forget. If they’re here now, then–

“They’re looking for something. Or someone. I– I don’t know,” May mutters shakily, a thin layer of sweat breaking out across her forehead.

“Who?” I fire.

“I don’t know!” She yells.

“I have to go get my brother,” I whisper, pushing past the tight ball of fear that fills my chest and makes it almost impossible to breathe.

“No! No, don’t go out there. They–” A loud thud from downstairs causes us both to jerk, the fear almost crippling me now.

“They’re here,” May whispers, backing away from the door slowly. Her skin is as white as paper, terror darkening her jade eyes.

“I have to find my brother.”

“No, Aria!”

Without wasting a moment, I darted out of the room and into the hallway, heading straight for Ethan’s ward. I’ve just rounded the corner when I see something that halts me dead in my tracks.

A lone, intimidating figure stands there in the center of the hallway, his back to me as he stares through an open window. His raven hair is styled to perfection, not a single hair out of place. Hands in the pocket of his tailored midnight suit, he exudes an air that causes my very soul to quake. My knees threaten to give out underneath me, but I force myself to keep standing. I don’t dare breathe.

Eyes averted to the ground, I don’t even so much as look in its eyes. It may appear to be human, but I know better. I know the monster that lies within, and I’ve seen the damage that it can do.

I stand there, frozen in terror as this monster in the form of a man takes slow, calculated steps towards me.

His feet halt in front of me, and then, I feel the gentle stroke of his hand against my hair.

“How peculiar. Silver hair that bears a striking resemblance to the moon. I have been searching for you.”

His voice washes over me like fire and ice, a shudder racing down my spine.

“Look at me,” he says. His words are sharp, tone-cutting. Even as my entire body trembles with terror, I slowly raise my head to look at him, and all I can manage is a gasp at the sight that meets my eyes.

I fell weakly to my knees before him, mouth hanging open. Standing right there in front of me is not only a monster of the night but also the very same face that has been in my dreams every night for the last three years.

For a moment, I forgot about the fact that this man could end my life with just a single flick of his wrist. All I can focus on is the fact that it’s… him. The memories from that night, three years ago, filled my mind, blurring my vision.

I want so desperately to blink and see a different face, but it’s him. Those same sea–blue eyes that watched me from across the room and stalked my every motion are staring back at me. Only now do they lack the warmth that they held that night. Now, they are the eyes of an animal, and the door to death itself.

“How can it be you? "You are just a weak and defenseless human. "I could snap your neck right now, and you would be powerless to stop it,” he muses to himself, brows furrowed tightly.

“How could you be the solution?” He asks again, but I don’t have an answer. I can barely even breathe. Hot tears stream down my face, my silver hair sticking to my sweaty forehead. I try to pick myself up, but my limbs feel like they’re made of jelly.

Suddenly, the thudding footsteps of a dozen men shake the floor. They appear behind him, eyes dark and sinister. The breath eludes me, panic coursing wildly through me.

“Take her. "She’s the one,” he says dismissively, turning and walking away from me.

“N–no, no, no p–please!” I begged, my pleas becoming more frantic as the men started to approach me. The screams tear past my shriveled lips, unfamiliar even to my ears. I scream and thrash against the hands that lift me into the air, but I’m powerless to stop them. Suddenly, a hand comes down upon my nose, the kerchief in it scenting vaguely of wildflowers. One breath of it, and the edges of my vision start to blur, darkness creeping in slowly.

The last thought that fills my mind as my eyes slip shut is… Ethan.