Rising Beneath The Blood Moon

The afternoon sun warmed the garden. Alisa knelt beside her grandmother in the dirt, pulling weeds with her bare hands . The repetitive work kept her hands busy and her mind quiet. that was exactly what she needed before tomorrow. "You're thinking too loud," her grandmother said without looking up. Alisa's hands stilled. "I don't want to go back." "I know." Her grandmother responded. "Then why do I have to?" Her grandmother sat back on her heels, wiping soil from her palms. The lines around her eyes deepened with something that looked like sympathy. "Because hiding never made anyone stronger." She said. Alisa pulled another weed, harder than necessary. "I'm not hiding. I just don't see the point of going somewhere I'm not wanted or have anyone who sees me as equal." "You have Ethan." "One person," The words came out bitter. "One person out of an entire school? it doesn't make it better." "One good person is worth more than a hundred shallow ones," her grandmother said firmly. She reached over and stilled Alisa's restless hands. "Not everyone is meant to like you Alisa. And that's perfectly fine. You don't need to be friends with everybody. You just need to be yourself. Not minding what anyone else think" "What if myself isn't enough?" "It always has been for me honey." Something in Alisa's chest loosened slightly. It has always been enough for me. I'm sure others will see your worth one day too. They worked in silence until the sun was almost down. When they finally went inside, her grandmother made tea while Alisa washed the dirt from beneath her fingernails, then moved to the dinning. "One year," her grandmother said, setting a cup in front of her. "That's all you have left. Then you can go anywhere you want or stay wherever you want to be." Alisa wrapped her hands around the warm ceramic. One year. It sounded like forever. But she nodded anyway. The next morning came too quickly. Alisa stuffed clothes into her duffel bag with more force than necessary, trying not to think about the year ahead. Another year of whispers. Another year of being invisible until someone needed a target. A car horn beeped outside. Her stomach twisted. Of course Ethan was early. She grabbed her bag and headed outside. Her grandmother waited by the door, arms already open. "Be kind to yourself," the old woman whispered into her hair. "I will try." "And call me." "I will." She said. The hug lasted longer than usual. When Alisa pulled away, her grandmother's eyes were bright. "Go on, Don't keep that boy waiting." She said, shooing her toward the door. Ethan leaned against his car, old but reliable, just like him. He straightened when he saw her, a grin spreading across his face. "Ready?" "No." "Perfect. Let's go." He took her bag and tossed it in the back while Alisa climbed into the passenger seat. Her grandmother waved from the porch. Alisa waved back until the house disappeared from view. The radio hummed quietly between them. Ethan drove with one hand on the wheel, relaxed in a way Alisa envied. "So," he said after a while. "The crestwells will be throwing a party this weekend." Alisa's stomach sank. "No." She said without hesitation. "Come on" "Absolutely not." "You don't even know what I was going to say." "You were going to say I should go," Alisa said flatly. "And I'm saying no." Ethan drummed his fingers against the wheel. "You can't isolate yourself forever." "Look at me." "Alisa." She turned to look at him. His expression was gentle but determined, the same look he got whenever he was about to be annoyingly persistent. "One party," he said. "That's all I'm asking. If you hate it, we leave." "I will hate it." "Then we will leave early." Ethan said. She stared out the window, watching trees blur past. Part of her wanted to say yes just to make him stop asking. The other part knew exactly how it would go..whispers, stares or someone making a mockery comment loud enough for her to hear. "I will think about it," she lied. Ethan's grin returned. "I will take that." The school parking lot was already half-full when they arrived. Expensive cars lined the rows..sleek sedans and luxury SUVs that cost more than Alisa's grandmother made in a year. She climbed out of Ethan's beat-up Honda and immediately felt eyes on her. "Oh my God, is that the same car from last year?" someone said, loud enough for her to hear. "I think it's older than she is." Laughter rippled through a nearby group. Alisa kept her head down and grabbed her bag from the trunk. "Ignore them," Ethan muttered. "I am." They walked toward the main building together then Ethan went the other way to say hi to the guys, leaving Alisa alone. All around her, students bragged about summer vacations in Europe, private islands, yacht trips. Alisa had spent her summer in the garden, pulling weeds. "I went to the Maldives," a girl announced to her friends. "Daddy rented an entire resort." "We toured Italy for three weeks," another chimed in. "My mom took me shopping in Paris". "Hey, Alisa!" She stopped and looked slowly. Lydia Crestwell stood with her usual entourage, all perfectly styled and smiling like sharks. "I didn't know they let people bring their parent's work cars on campus," Lydia said sweetly. "Or wait..is that even yours? Ohh..I heard you borrow it." Her friends giggled. "She probably doesn't even know what a luxury car smells like," one added. Alisa's jaw tightened, she walked away without saying a word. Behind her, the laughter followed. By lunch, Alisa had heard three different conversations about the Crestwell party. Who was going with who, What everyone was wearing, Who got asked out by which guy. She sat alone in the library, pretending to read. "So I heard Jake asked Emma to be his date," someone whispered at the next table. "No way. I thought he was into Claire." "He is. But Claire is going with Zach." "Ugh, Zach is so hot" Alisa's attention drifted. She didn't care about Jake or Zach or whoever Emma was going with. "Can you imagine Alisa getting a date?" Her focus snapped back. "Ohh please...No one wants to be caught dead walking with her." "She is such a loser." "Even the charity cases have some standards" Alisa closed her book and stood abruptly. The girls at the next table glanced over, smirking. She walked out without looking back. Ethan found her after school, leaning against his car. "So," he said casually. "About that party," "Still no?" "What if I made it worth your while" Alisa raised an eyebrow. "How?" He smiled. "Be my date." She blinked. "What?" "Come with me as my date." He said it like it was simple and easy. "You don't have to decide now," he said quickly. "Just think about it. Please?" She wanted to say no, wanted to tell him she would rather do anything else. But he was looking at her with those hopeful eyes, and she felt herself wavering. "I will think about it," she said again. This time, she almost meant it.