Midnight Moon’s Embrace

Chapter Two

Just as Jess returned with the drinks, she found Mara in tears and immediately inquired about her distress. Mara, shaken, pointed towards the scene, but Jess couldn’t discern what Mara saw, prompting her to lead Mara away from the club.

Amidst Jesse’s confusion and attempts to console her, Mara insisted on the reality of what she had witnessed, her conviction unwavering despite the disbelief surrounding her.

Her thoughts kept hitting back due to the statement she got from him. It just wasn’t about him killing, it felt like there was more to it but she just couldn’t figure out.

As Jess attempted to summon a cab to take Mara home, their conversation took on a tense undertone. Jess gently suggested that Mara had misunderstood or misinterpreted what she had witnessed, urging her friend to consider alternative explanations.

However, Mara remained resolute in her belief, adamant that she knew exactly what she had seen. Despite Jesse’s attempt to reason with her, Mara’s conviction remained unshaken.

Their disagreement lingered in the air, a palpable tension between the two friends as they grappled with Mara’s unsettling revelation and its implications.

Jess called her brother Grey to come over and take Mara home as she didn’t want to deal with her current state any further.

Grey calls and took Mara home. He leans in to hug her and comfort her in front of her door. Just as she was about to go in, he pulls her again and kissed her on her lips, not knowing Mara’s mum saw them from the window.

Mara finally got into the house. She tiptoed into the house, her movements cautious as she closed the door gently behind her. With a careful hand, she set the keys down on the table, mindful of the sleeping figure in the dimly lit parlor.

Her mother (Debby), exhausted from the day's events, slumbered peacefully on the arm chair. Mara’s heart softened at the sight, a surge of tenderness washing over her.

Without disturbing her mother’s rest, Mara reached for the nearby blanket, tucking it snugly around her sleeping form. With a gentle touch, she ensured her mother's comfort before slipping away, her footsteps light as she made her wave to the bedroom.

As Mara roused from sleep, she ambled towards the window, a yawn escaping her lips. However, her drowsiness quickly dissipated as she noticed the dirt smeared across her hands.

Perplexed, she glanced around the room, her eyes widening in alarm at the sight of the wolf footprints scattered across the floor.

A sense of unease crept over Mara as she surveyed the room, her confusion deepening at the presence of sketches depicting the mysterious symbol she had been unwittingly drawing. With a furrowed brow, she moved about the space, studying each footprint and sketch with a growing sense of trepidation.

Fear prickled at Mara’s senses as she frantically began to clean the footprints, her mind racing with questions and uncertainties. Yet, despite her apprehension, she felt compelled to document the evidence before erasing it entirely.

With trembling hands, she snapped photographs of the remaining footprints and carefully collected the sketches, turning them away in her bag.

Hurriedly slipping on her jacket, Mara rushed towards the door, her movement frantic with urgency. “Are you okay ?” Her mother’s concerned voice halted her in her tracks.

“Yeah I’m fine” Mara replied, her tone strained as she attempted to conceal her agitation. Her mother’s gentle inquiry was met with a dismissive wave of words.

“You’ve been sleeping all day,” her mother observed, her voice tinged with a hint of reproach as she struggled to rise from her chair. “And you did come home late last night.”

“I’ll be home early,” Mara assured her mother, her mind preoccupied with her own plans. “Where are you going?” Her mother inquired with curiosity, lacing her tone.

With frustration bubbling beneath the surface, Mara’s response was sharp. “I sold one of my books and I wanted to celebrate with you,” her mother revealed, her voice hopeful.

Mara's retort was laced with bitterness as she vented her frustrations. “To what ? To one buyer? Who’s this person anyway?” She questioned, her skepticism evident. “It’s probably one of those people that are into you and wants to get to you. I’m sure you’d just string him along as you did with Anthony.

Caught off guard by Mara’s outburst, her mother’s response was measured. “Do you really want to have this conversation?” She countered, a note of warning in her tone.

Mara’s confusion and defensiveness mounted as she faced her mother. “ what’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded, her gaze locking with her mother’s, uncertainty and tension hanging heavy in the air between them.

“Grey,” Mara’s mother said with concern.

“He’s like a brother to me,” Mara replied, her tone girl with a conviction.

“I doubt he feels that way,” her mother countered. “ You know, I’m just going to go,” Mara responded.

“No, no, no you can’t go,” her mother insisted, moving to intercept Mara as she reached for the door. “This is ridiculous,” Mara exclaimed, frustration mounting.

“Where are you going?” Her mother questioned, attempting to block Mara’s path. Mara pushed past her, determined to leave. “I’m just going to the mall,” she replied, her voice strained with irritation.

As Mara struggled to open the door, it suddenly swung open, revealing Grey standing on the other side, holding the doorknob. “Jesus,” her mother exclaimed, startled by the sudden appearance.

“It’s just me,” Grey reassured her, a casual smile on his lips. Mara wasted no time, reaching out towards him. “Grey c'mon let’s go,” she urged, her hands outstretched.

But her mother persisted, a sense of urgency in her voice. “There’s something I want to tell you about Mara,” she pleaded, trying to detain her daughter.

“We can talk about this later,” Mara brushed off her mother’s words, determined to follow Grey. With a final glance back at her mother, she descended the stairs, Grey at her side, leaving behind a flurry of unresolved tensions and unspoken truth.

With a sense of urgency, Debby burst into her daughter’s room, her eyes widening in shock at the sight before her. The footprints on the floor and the sketches scattered across the table revealed a chilling truth, mirroring the astonishment etched into her expression.

Meanwhile, at the mall, Mara’s fingers trembled as she eagerly flipped through her phone, desperate to show Grey the evidence she had stumbled upon. “Look at all these footprints,” she exclaimed, her voice betraying a mixture of confusion and mounting dread.

“I don’t understand what’s happening . I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

As Mara’s gaze swept over the crowded mall, the weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over her once ordinary world.

In the midst of the bustling mall, and vibrant store fronts, a sense of foreboding lingered, signaling the beginning of a perilous journey into the unknown.

Just as Mara’s heart began to steady itself amidst the chaos of the mall, she caught sight of the man outside through the glass door. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched, disbelief washing over her like a tidal wave.

“God, this isn’t happening,” she muttered, her voice trembling with fear.

Beside her Grey furrowed his brow, scanning the area for any sign of danger. “What’s that?” He questioned, his confusion mirroring Mara’s own.

Unable to tear her eyes away from the ominous figure outside, Mara felt a surge of panic rising within her. “This isn’t happening’” she repeated like a mantra , her grips tightening on Grey’s arm as if seeking solace in his presence.

Grey’s concern deepened as Mara’s distress escalated. “Now you’re freaking me out,” he confessed, his voice laced with a mixture of unease and bewilderment.

With a shaky breath, Mara turned away, burying her face in her hands as she struggled to make sense of the surreal situation unfolding before her. But when she dared to glance back through the door, the man had vanished without a trace, leaving Mara to grapple with an unsettling mystery that had invaded her reality.

“Who’s this guy?, why do I keep seeing him?” She said to herself, in the midst of her confusion. Grey tried to bring back her attention to him.

For a moment Grey thought, is what Mara saying true or she being attracted to someone else while I’m here?.