Moon Song

Capture the Flag

Chapter 9

This afternoon they were taking a break from music classes to play a game of capture the flag with the whole camp, including the teachers.

It was high voices verses low voices. Sopranos and Tenors, verses Altos and Bases.

She, Melody, and Kayla were on a team together. Jenny with her Alto saxophone and Cristofori with his enchanting bass voice were on the other team.

The game was simple. Get the other team’s flag and get back to your safety zone. Everyone had a sock full of flour. If you got hit with the sock, which covered you in a large puff of flour, you were out. There was no deniability of getting hit this way, and a sock was easier to carry around than waterballoons.

There was no real plan of action. People just scattered everywhere.

Lydian took off on her own behind the student recreation center. There was a huge park behind it that cornered onto the Ultimate Frisbee course. She figured the flag woukdbe somewhere over there but she stayed to the perimeter where she coukd hide behind buildings, bushes and some old oak trees.

She saw the low teams flag in the gazebo by the wedding chapel.

"What an obvious hiding place." She thought.

The highs had found a water pipe that was mostly underground to hide their flag. You had to be right on top of it in order to see it, but it was still visible from the ground to anyone with great vision and excellent observation skills.

There was a hedge of bushes surrounding the pipe that made perfect cover for one of the tenors, lying in wait with his flour sock, ready to take out anyone who got remotely close.

The lows had assigned Cristofori to guard their flag. No one was getting near it. He didn't need to stay hidden. He had lightning quick reflexes and was a freaking Titan fighting off everyone who was coming at him.

Lydian snuck over to the chapel and hid behind a bush there. The flag was only feet away from her with only wooden lattice between her and the flag. The lattice was too small for a hand to fit through but if she could fashion some chopsticks with some strong twigs, she could grab it and pull it through while Cristofori was busy warding off her teammates from the front.

She found some sticks that would work. They were stiff and dry and perfect for her task.

She waited for the perfect opportunity, but she hoped it wouldn't come too quickly. She was enjoying her view of Cristofori far too much to rush to the flag.

She could tell he wasn't only watching, but listening as well. She would need to be extra quiet.

She saw two of her team mates coming at him at once while a third was planning to come from the side while he was distracted. It was too open of a field though and she knew he would catch them all easily. It did however, create the perfect opportunity for her to make her move from behind.

She crept slowly behind a main beam of the wooden gazebo, and reached up with her makeshift chopsticks. She poked them through the small hole. She just needed the smallest bit of fabric so she could pull it through. Her chopsticks easily snagged the fabric and she pulled gently. She reached up to grab the fabric with her other hand and just as she started to tug the fabric through a strang hand caught hold of her wrist. She kept hold of the fabric as he brought her hand down. She quickly tossed the flag to another teammate who ran towards her team's safety zone.

Lydian laughed and was getting ready to celebrate IN HIS FACE when she saw him staring at her wrist in horror. His face was twisted in disbelief.

He was looking at her scars. She tried to pull her hand away from him, but he held it tight.

“What the f**k, Lydian. What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Lydian Shouted. “I-it's nothing! just forget it."

"I can't." he breathed out heavily. "Did you do that to yourself?"

"It's none of your business!" she shouted at him. "Leave me alone.”

She yanked her hand away from him as hard as she could. His hand didnt move.

"Let me go, now, or I'll scream." she seethed. He dropped her hand and Lydian turned and ran towards the girl’s dormitory. She had to get away, but he was so much faster than she was, and he beet her to the door.

“Lydian, wait! Please! I'm not trying tonscare you or hurt you, but that looks recent. What happened? Talk to me!” He said blocking her entrance to the building.

Lydian stopped and glared at Cristofori angrily. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s really none of your business. I hardly know you. I’m not going to divulge me deepest darkest secrets to someone who is practically a stranger!”

He stepped back like she had struck him, gasping in surprise.

“You know I care about you Lydian.” He said quietly. "Maybe more than I have any right to."

“And how am I supposed to know that? I’m just a fellow camper. You’ll never think of me again after this summer.” She spat back angrily.

“I don’t know what will happen at the end of the summer, but I can tell you right now that I have thought of nothing but you since I saw you standing in the registration line on the first day, and I treasure every single one of those thoughts.”

It was Lydian’s turn to gasp in surprise.

“Why-Why would you be thinking about me?”

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked.

He reached for her hand. This time she gave it to him freely. He brought it to his mounth and gently kissed her scar. “Because you’re absolutely amazing in every way I can think of. You’re beautiful, and talented, and kind, and you’re a little bit lost, and I want to help you find your way.”

She blinked back tears. “What if I’m a lot lost?”

“I’ll find you and guide you home.”

"I didn't do it to myself." If that's what you think." I can't say what happened, because I don't really know myself. I was really young. The memories come in flashes, and don't make any sense."

The sun was setting, and she could hear her team celebrating their win in the distance.

Cristofori didn't say anything.

Lydian didn’t know what to do. She stood there for a moment, hardly breathing. She felt stupid for telling him that. She had never told anyone that before. It was honestly easier just letting people think she was self harming.

It was different with him though. She wanted him to know her,to find her, herr and now. Let him truly find her.

She wanted him to mean what he had said. She was drawn to him completely. She couldn’t help herself.

Almost as if gravity was pulling her into him, she leaned into his arms. He wrapped them around her, and she laid her head on his chest. He smelled like sandal wood and sage. Comforting and a little spicy. She felt so safe. She looked up into his eyes. No matter how dark it was his eyes always seemed to glow. Like the moon.

She was mesmerised by his intense stare. His eyes were filled with warmth.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked.

Tears sprang into her eyes again. She loved that he cared enough to ask her permission. She was safe with him. He wouldn’t hurt her. Just like that, the walls she had built around her soul came crumbling down.

She nodded. “Yes, please.” she said.

He lowered his lips to hers and placed a gentle kiss on her perfect pout, like he was testing the waters, and found that the water was great, so he went in deeper.

Her mouth responded to his, parting slightly so his tongue could taste her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to her, moaning quietly into him.

That was all the encouragement he needed to pull her even closer into him and take her mouth. Those soft plump lips were his now. He never wanted to kiss another pair of lips ever.

The moon had risen, and was bathing them in its light, almost like a blessing from the moon goddess herself.

He didn’t know how long they had been kissing for, but when they pulled away, his lips were tingling, and her lips were swollen with his kisses. He was sure she was feeling the tingle as well.

She giggled. “That was amazing. Best kiss I’ve ever had.”

He smiled. “That’s the only kiss I’ve ever had.”

“Wow! You’ve never kissed a girl before? I assumed you would be all sorts of experienced.” She looked shocked.

“I uh...” He had no idea how to explain about mates, and the moon goddess, so he explained it as best as he could in a way, she would hopefully not freak out about.

“I’m kind of religious. I was saving myself for someone really special.” He prayed that was Lydian because there was no way he could let her go now.