The Blood Moon Awakening

Rain began falling even before I had a chance to leave the comfort of my house; it started lightly, and then it got harder and harder as though it had finally made a decision. When I covered my head with my hood and stepped out into the street, the sky had already become gloomy and the air smelled damp and chilly. Water drops hit my shoulders, slipped through my sleeves, and in no time soaked through my sweater. I sighed and tried to hold my bag a bit tighter; somehow I was supposed to save the precious books inside of it from being spoiled by rain. But as usual nothing worked the way it should. Long puddles formed on the road leading to my school, and I tried not to step into any of them. But as always, I failed miserably. Suddenly, a car flew by me, throwing water on my legs. I paused and gazed at the muddy mess all over my jeans. "Well, great," I mumbled to myself, although nobody around would hear me. However, I continued walking since nothing else was left for me to do except return home and tell my teacher that rain prevented me from accomplishing anything today. Believe me, I have considered doing just that before. As far as I am concerned, rainy days somehow slow everything down. The streets become empty, and the entire city seems silent, like everyone is waiting and watching what will happen next. Generally speaking, I find that quite relaxing. Nevertheless, for some reason, it was difficult for me to feel peaceful today. Perhaps, it was the rain that kept intensifying or the way the wind seemed to whisper something mysterious into my ear. I shook my head, pushing the thought away. I read too many books. That’s probably the problem. When you spend most of your time buried in stories, your brain starts turning normal things into something else. Like now, for example. It’s just rain. Just a road. Just another boring walk to school. Nothing strange about it. Nothing at all. Still, I couldn’t stop the small feeling in my chest, like something was slightly off. Not wrong. Just… different. A single droplet of water trickled down my forehead into my eyes, causing me to blink rapidly while wiping it off. "Alright, enough," I whispered, despite knowing that the raindrops would not heed my warning. It never did. I quickened my steps, trying to make it to school without fully drowning in the rain but, as my pace increased, so did the weight of my bag. The books inside moved around, and I let out a quiet sigh. Some were surely wet. Another wonderful day at school for me. As I approached the corner that would bring me closer to the school gates, I realized there was someone standing in front of me, partially covered by a tree. I could not make out the face, owing to the pouring rain, but the posture of the person seemed rather ominous. Still. Too still. As if waiting for something. I frowned slightly but continued walking, reminding myself not to act crazy. After all, people often wait beneath trees on rainy days. Absolutely normal behavior. As I approached, however, the shadow made some movement, and for a split second, the strange feeling returned to me. The same feeling, but much stronger this time, like an invisible force trying to draw me. Not a painful one, just something very disturbing. Something that my body noticed, yet not my mind. Quickly looking away, as if I had not seen a thing, I passed by silently. I could feel it all the same. I could feel their presence, that sense of being observed. Like this person sensed me too. When finally I dared turn around, the shadow was gone. Just like that. I stopped in my tracks, gazing into the emptiness under the tree while the rain was beating down on me. "Okay… That's a first," I muttered softly to myself. Yet I didn't turn back, not even once. It was by the time that I reached the school gate that I was drenched in water; my hoodie was sticking on my arms, hair on my face and shoes making noise every time that I stepped forward. Students were already waiting at the entrance, some laughing, others grumbling, all trying to remain as dry as possible from rain under their shelter. I joined them, brushing off some water droplets from my hood and exhaling a soft sigh. "I hate rain," I uttered softly, even if I was lying. I love rain. Only when it is pouncing upon me. I re-positioned my bag and leant against the wall for some minutes of peace. My heartbeat has been going on slightly faster than what I used to hear. It may be because of the run, the weird sensation that I had or the tiredness. The last answer seems more appropriate, so I accepted it. Hi My name is Lyra Hale. I'm seventeen years old and I attend a very average high school. In fact, my entire life is average – or that is how I like to see myself. I prefer to spend time with books rather than with people – particularly those filled with fantasy.