Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

Nicoli groaned pitifully as he banged his forehead into his locker. Today had just nose dived into the worst day ever. He stared at the math test in his hands that a big, fat red F marked on the front. He had been sure he wasn’t going to do well what with all the things on his mind: The vampires, the book, learning about Conrad’s brother, and him practically throwing himself at Ethan. It was any wonder that he could think straight period let alone pass a test decently. He just didn’t expect to fail miserably.

“Mom and Dad are going to kill me,” he muttered as he banged his head again. His parents always wished for him to be a straight A student, but wouldn’t reprimand him for average grades, but bringing home anything that even remotely resembled an F or a D was not tolerated. Nicoli’s ear was going to get a lashing of scolds tonight. He just knew it.

“Hey there, Mr. Sunshine, what’s got you so down?” Amelia’s voice asked him as a hand ruffled his hair.

Nicoli flipped over to see the red head leaning against the locker beside him with a worried smile in place.

“Call me crazy, but this could be the cause,” Nicoli said as he handed her the test.

“Oooouch, man, Nicoli, that is one sad looking paper,” she said with a wince as she studied the glaring F and all of the red marks that riddled the page. “Did you study at all?”

“Of course, I did,” Nicoli snapped as he snatched the test back. “But a lot of good it did me.” He failed to mention the late night journey he had made before the day of the test and that he had only wrangled about three hours of sleep, but those were things best left unsaid.

“God, this sucks. This sucks. This sucks,” he chanted as the back of his head now got treated to the locker. “Fridays are supposed to be the best days of the week and now my weekend is freaking ruined because of this.”

“Wait, doesn’t Mrs. Relo allow make-up tests?” Amelia asked.

Nicoli’s head rolled over to face her and he nodded.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be on Monday, but what good does that do me? I’m not going to know this stuff any better than I do now in three days. I suck at math,” he said, ever the pessimistic.

Amelia allowed Nicoli to abuse the locker a bit more as she became thoughtful. After a few minutes she placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t I get Preston to tutor you this weekend so you’ll be ready for the redo?” she suggested.

Nicoli blinked at her, processing her words.

“Really?” he asked.

“Sure! Preston is a wiz at math. He’s taking calculus this semester for fun for crying out loud. I’m sure he can whip you into shape before Monday,” Amelia said brightly.

“Hmm that sounds great and all, but would he want to? He seemed like a nice guy, but would he really help me out like that?” Nicoli asked uncertainly.

Amelia laughed, throwing her head back and showing all of her pearly whites.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” she asked him. “Even if Preston was reluctant he wouldn’t say no to me. He knows better than that.”

“Man…it must be hard being related to you,” Nicoli said, imagining the kinds of things the red head could do to her cousin.

“That’s up for debate,” Amelia told him. Her gaze shifted to somewhere behind Nicoli and her light complexion paled even more and she grabbed his arm. “But we can talk it over later tonight. Right now, I think we should go.” Without giving any sort of reason she began dragging Nicoli through the hallway towards the exit.

He was able to take a glance over his shoulder and immediately knew the source of the rush. Trevor, ever the persistent one, and his buddies were heading right for them. Nicoli began to jog and soon was ahead of Amelia.

“Last one to the exit is a rotten egg,” he said as he went into a full on dash.

“Hey! Wait for me, Jerk!”

******************************************************

“So, let me get this straight,” Andre said before taking a long drag from his sleek, ebony cigarette holder. The smoldering ember on the tip of the cigarette grew a bright red before fading once more. “Conrad said that if your crazy plan works and we get the Hearts that he’s going to kill Nicoli afterward?” Puffs of nicotine filled smoke fled the vampire’s mouth as he spoke and the rest was expelled out his nostrils.

“Yes, that’s right,” Ethan replied. He leaned against the wall of the hardware store the two were currently loitering around. There were many bushes and shrubs surrounding the building so the vampires were hidden from view.

He watched Andre suck on the end of his black holder thoughtfully. Then, simultaneously, the two looked out toward the high school across the street and observed the students began to flow out of the building like rivers.

“So either the Heart kills him or Conrad does,” Andre muttered to himself as his eye followed various children. “Hand it to Uncle to deliver such a hard hitting ultimatum.”

“I know. I really goofed up,” Ethan said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Even though the weight of the situation was crushing him, Ethan felt better as he told Andre his troubles. Throughout the years the two had always been close. Whether it was because their personalities were dangerously similar or they just naturally gravitated toward each other, no one knew. The bond between them was why Ethan had chosen Andre to confide in.

“So, are you just going to lie back and let your father do as he promised?” Andre asked curiously. He tapped the ash off his cigarette as he let Ethan mull over his words.

“No, at least I don’t want to,” Ethan answered. “I can see why Conrad wants it to be this way, but Nicoli doesn’t deserve that. I was the one that pressed him into agreeing to this. It just wouldn’t be fair to do that to him.”

“What are you going to do then?”

“Pray that Conrad changes his mind or try to subtly give him different ideas about what to do with Nicoli. Other than that I don’t know what to do. I’ll think of something, though. I just have to,” Ethan said.

“Ethan, call me crazy,” Andre said as he twirled his cigarette holder between his fingers. “But the conviction behind your words is leading me to think you’re starting to care about this boy.” He took a long draw from his cigarette and released the smoke into the air in a stream. “Am I wrong?”

Ethan refused to meet Andre’s stare and focused his gaze on the school. A few minutes ticked by until the blondes jaw decided to unclench.

“Caring has nothing to do with it,” Ethan said in a low tone. “It’s doing what I believe is right. If it was anyone else I had gotten into this situation I would feel the same about it. I wouldn’t over think things if I was you.”

Neither said anything more as their attention was drawn back to the school. They watched as Nicoli and Amelia shot out from one of the doors and hurried down the stone steps. The two teens waved their good-byes as they separated and the vampires didn’t miss the group of boys that chased after Nicoli.

Andre chuckled as he watched the spectacle.

“You were right, he is popular,” he said in amusement. He noticed that Ethan didn’t share his smile and sighed. “Oh, my dear cousin,” he said as he laced gloved fingers through Ethan’s hair. “Don’t be cross about my question. I’m not like the others, you know. I find your compassion for humans to be your best quality and love you more for it.” Andre leaned in and brushed his lips against Ethan’s cheek. When there was no rejection of the contact Andre moved in and captured the vampire’s lips in a kiss.

A shiver ran up Ethan’s spine as he let Andre press him against the wall. He had missed his family so terribly and relished the intimate moment with his suave yet gentle cousin.

“Come, come,” Andre said when he pulled away. “We should go back and help the others settle into the new house. You know how Conrad wants things to be just so.” After one last puff Andre flicked the cigarette out of the holder and crushed it into the ground with the heel of his foot.

Ethan gave one last look to the school before heading off with Andre. The two men looped their arms around each other’s waists as they walked.

“So, how is that little minx in bed?” Andre asked to lighten the mood.

“Wouldn’t know. I doubt he’d ever lower his guard enough to let me seduce him into bed.”

“Hmm I may have to try and find out for myself then.”

“Andre…”

****************************************************************

The morning light of the Saturday morning found Laura in her kitchen. She hummed to herself as she prepared some celery for a crock-pot meal she was making for tonight’s dinner. The knife clattered against the cutting board as the vegetable was diced up into small cubes.

She knew there was a chance her son wouldn’t be home for dinner, but she was going to make sure there were enough leftovers in the fridge in case he wanted to snack on something when he did come home.

She was disappointed when Nicoli brought the test home, but was ecstatic that Amelia was going to help him pass the make-up test. It put her at ease to know someone was looking out for her boy. She made a mental note to invite Amelia over for dinner one of these days.

The knife stilled when Laura heard a creak coming from the stairs. Lance had gone to work so it was most likely Nicoli. She was about to go back to her work when the sound of something tumbling or stumbling down the stairs reached her ears.

“Nicoli?” she called out in worry as she wiped her hands on her pants and left the kitchen. The stairs were vacant, but the light was on in the bathroom and Beethoven was sitting by the door. He whined when Laura approached.

“Nicy?” she called out again when she reached the bathroom. She looked in just in time to see Nicoli tilt his head back, as if eating something, then down a glass of water. The boy then leaned over the sink with his hands on either side of it, holding him up. His chest rose and fell as he took in deep breaths and his eyes were scrunched shut. As if he was in pain.

“Nicoli, what’s the matter sweetie?” Laura asked as she entered the bathroom. As she placed her hand on his back and got a good look at his face she realized he was drenched in sweat.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” he mumbled, but his voice was heavily strained and shaky.

Laura was about to press the issue when she saw that an orange prescription bottle was sitting on the sink beside the faucet. Her heart began to beat painfully hard as she stared at it.

“Nicoli…you’re taking your pills again?” she asked as she picked up the bottle and examined it just to be sure. When her suspicion was confirmed she looked down at her son, who had gone still. “Is your eye hurting?”

With great effort Nicoli stood up straight and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

“Don’t freak, Mom, okay? It’s nothing. It’s hurting only a bit. No big deal,” he said as he took the bottle from Laura and put it back into the cabinet.

“When did this start?” she asked, a distinct waver in her voice. “Is this the first time?” The pause Nicoli gave her didn’t help her nerves.

“No. It’s happened a couple times, but I’m fine,” he answered he rubbed her arms and gave her an encouraging smile. “I’ve just been straining it a bit too much. So don’t get yourself all worked up. Promise me you’re not going to make a big deal out of this.”

Laura stared at him for a moment before swallowing, taking in a deep breath, and smiling back.

“You’re right. I’m worrying far too much. Did you want me to make you some breakfast before you go over to Amelia’s?” she asked, trying to put the thought of the eye pain behind her.

“Just some toast will be fine,” Nicoli replied as he turned on the water and began splashing his face.

“All right.” Laura lingered a few seconds before leaving the bathroom and returning to the kitchen. After putting some bread in the toaster she tried to finish up her celery. She felt jittery and she tried to tell herself that she was just overreacting. Her baby was fine. There was nothing to worry about. Just as she had soothed herself Nicoli’s singing voice crept into the kitchen and made her hand and her heart freeze.

“Who killed Cock Robin? “I,” said the Sparrow, “with my bow and arrow I killed Cock Robin.””

With wide, petrified eyes she watched her son enter the kitchen and go to the fridge to grab the milk, all the while singing “Who Killed Cock Robin?” Her body shook horribly and it took all her will to stop the trembles. She collected herself and forced a smile on her face as she addressed Nicoli.

“I haven’t heard that song in quite some time. Is there a reason you’re singing it?” she asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.

“Nah, not really,” he answered as he went to the cupboard to get a glass. “It’s just been getting stuck in my head a lot lately. It’s getting really annoying though. I really wish you hadn’t sung it to me when I was a kid.” The milk swirled and splashed as it filled the glass. As Nicoli put the milk carton away the toast popped up.

“Well, I’m gonna go munch on this in my room while I get dressed. Then I’ll go to Amelia’s,” he said as he grabbed the toast in one hand and picked up his glass of milk in the other.

“Y-Yes, the earlier you study the more time you have to cram all the answers in your head,” Laura agreed with an absent nod.

“My thinking exactly,” the boy said and kissed his mother on the cheek before leaving the kitchen. His voice trailed away as he spoke to Beethoven and retreated back up the stairs.

Laura’s knees nearly gave out and she held onto the counter for support. Her heart raced and she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the sobs that clawed at her chest.

**********************************************************

Lance hummed a pleasant tune as he pulled into his driveway. He had every reason to be happy. The project was going off without a hitch and construction was underway. All was right with the world. The only thing that could make the day better was lunch with his lovely wife and possibly his son if the boy hadn’t left already.

The hum followed him into the house and the front door clicked behind him after he entered.

“Laura, Honey, I’m home! Where are you my lovely honeybunch?” he called out. He pouted when he didn’t get an answer right away. “Laura? Hellllooo?”

Lance moved further into the house and as he passed the kitchen he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

“Oh, Laura, there you are,” he said when he saw his wife in the kitchen. She was sitting at the dinning table with a cup of coffee set on the surface with her hands clasped around it. “Why didn’t you answer me?” he asked as he fetched a glass and got water from the sink faucet.

“Sorry, my mind is a little preoccupied,” Laura replied.

Lance stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. Her voice sounded tired. He shook it off. She most likely was tired. She had recently begun applying to various establishments, looking for a job, but none had bit yet.

“Where’s Nicoli? Did he go over to his friend’s house?” he asked as he moved to the fridge to search for something to eat.

“That’s right,” she said. There was a pause and the only sound was the items in the fridge being moved and shifted around. “Lance, come here please.”

That let Lance know something was wrong. Her voice had cracked and it trembled. He quickly went to her, forgetting all about his lunch.

“Laura, what’s wrong?” he asked as he stood by her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was shaking and now that he really looked at her he realized her eyes were red and puffy. “Honey, what in the world is the matter?” he asked again; ready to kill the thing that had upset his wife to the point of tears.

“Look at it.”

“…what?” he asked, not understanding.

“Look at it,” Laura said again and used her head to gesture. That’s when Lance noticed that a prescription bottle was on the table. His eyebrow rose when he read the label.

“Is that Nicoli’s medication?” he asked.

“Pick it up and look inside,” Laura ordered, not bothering to answer.

Lance looked from his wife to the bottle and gingerly picked it up. He worked on the cap as she spoke.

“Three years. For three years he hasn’t needed those pills. Now look.”

A feeling of dread began to form in Lance’s chest at her words. When the lid came off the bottle and he peeked inside his eyes widened. More than half of the contents were gone. A cold sweat prickled along Lance’s forehead as he stared at the pills and could only think that the bottle should have been full.

“He’s taking his pills again,” Lance said in a hushed whisper. He jumped when Laura’s mug was thrown across the table and shattered against the wall.

“For three years he’s been fine!” Laura yelled as tears flooded down her cheeks. “Why is this happening now? Why!?” she screamed as she sobbed into her hands.

Lance put down the bottle and enveloped her into his arms.

“Shhh, shhh, its okay, Laura, its okay. This doesn’t mean anything. Really, it doesn’t,” he cooed as he rocked her gently.

“What else could it mean?” she sobbed into his chest as she kept a death grip on him. “Why else would his eye be hurting?”

“It’s probably nothing more than stress. Think about it. Nicoli’s been uprooted from the only home he’s ever known and he’s having a hard time adjusting to his new school. The anxiety is just aggravating his eye. That’s all.”

For a brief moment Lance thought his reasoning’s had done the trick. The crying had died down to little more than sniffles and her shaking had stopped altogether. Laura muffled something into his chest, too soft for him to hear.

“What was that?” he asked as he pulled away and crouched down to look at her. Now that he saw her face he realized the tears hadn’t stopped. Laura’s face glistened in the continual flow of tears.

“He was singing that song.” Her eyes were cold and vacant and her voice steely.

Lance could only stare at her. Any other person would have asked, “What song?” but his wife’s words held a great magnitude of meaning that crashed over his head.

“You mean…he was singing “Who Killed–”

“No! Don’t say it!” Laura screeched, cutting him off as she covered her ears with her hands. “Don’t say that horrible, awful name!” The sobs renewed and Laura doubled over in her seat. “It’s happening again. I can feel it. I-I can’t do it. I can’t watch my baby go through that again. Not my baby.”

“Laura!” Lance roared as he grabbed her by the arms and shook her. “Get a hold of yourself and listen to me.” He made sure her dazed, watery eyes were fixed on him before he continued. “Nothing is happening to Nicoli. It isn’t happening again and will never happen again, do you hear me?”

“How can you be so sure?” Laura asked softly.

“Because I have faith that it won’t. We took every precaution to make sure that Nicoli would be safe.” He smoothed the hair away from Laura’s face lovingly. “You can’t work yourself up like this every time something is a bit out of place. It’s not good for your health.”

“But the pills and the song! What else–”

“Laura, stop,” Lance commanded in a firm voice. “We were told that there could be a few side-effects. Things could come up subconsciously and the song is proof of that.”

Laura closed her eyes as she wiped at her face. She knew her husband was right in that regard, especially since Nicoli said it had been she who sung him that song. The very thought revolted her to the core.

“But his eye…” she said. She wasn’t willing to dismiss it so easily.

“Stress. That’s all. Just stress. Some old injuries hurt if you’re too stressed. I should know,” Lance said with a little smile as he gave his left arm a pat. “Now, you have to calm down, Dear. If you have an anxiety attack I’m going to be very cross with you.”

Laura was silent as she took in deep breaths to try and soothe her frazzled nerves for Lance’s sake.

“I-I’m just so frightened,” she said as she covered her face with her hands. “I don’t want to lose my baby.

“We are not going to lose him,” her husband said as he rubbed her arms, much like Nicoli had earlier. “Everything is fine. Nicoli will soon become accustomed to this new life and when he does his stress will go down and the eye pain will go away.”

Laura stared into his eyes, wanting nothing more than to believe him. She slipped from her chair to the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck. After her face was securely nuzzled in her husbands chest she let herself cry harder than ever, releasing all of her fears and worries in the form of tears.

Lance stroked her hair as he held her. He knew her concerns well and shared them. It was only the hope of saving Laura from a complete meltdown that kept up his resolve from giving into his own anxiety.

“Everything is going to be okay,” he whispered to his sobbing wife. “It’s all behind us and behind us is where it will remain.”

**************************************************************

Nicoli gazed up into the sky as he strolled down the sidewalk. Clouds swallowed up the endless expanse of blue. It was going to rain soon. He was sure of it. If the sky wasn’t any indication the wind was. It blew gently, but ceaselessly and carried a nip to it that attacked any exposed skin on his body. The collar of his jacket was hiked up and hands were shoved into jeans pockets to keep warm.

Street after street passed by as Nicoli went. He followed Amelia’s instructions to the best of his memory and was soon strolling along the sidewalk of a very beautiful neighborhood. All the houses reached high into the sky and time showed in the worn walls, roofs, and porches, but they seemed very regal and distinguished in their age. Nicoli figured he was in the “upper crust” part of town, if there was such a thing for a place like Whixton.

He read every house number as he passed by, searching for the one that served as his destination. He stopped when he came to a house that had a number that matched the one in his head. An appreciative whistle cut through the chilly air.

“Daaaaamn, now that’s a house.”

A massive Victorian house loomed before him. The house was a cream white with red roofing. A wrap around porch decorated the front and a turret jutted up from the left side of the house and seemed like a tower to a great castle. An iron wrought fence enclosed the magnificent house, as if protecting it from the outside world.

“Man, Amelia’s family must have some serious cash if they can live in a place like this,” Nicoli said as he tentatively reached for the latch of the gate to pull it open. He had expected it to squeak and squeal, but not a whisper of a sound was made as it swung open.

A path made of various large stones lead up to the house and Nicoli hopped from one to another. He noticed something strange about the yard as he went. The grass was a lush green and lilac bushes were lined the outside of the house. He could understand the lawn being green if Amelia’s family took proper care of it, but the lilac bushes? They only bloomed in spring, but here they were full of life and wafting their sent into the air. It was quite puzzling.

Nicoli brushed it off as he bounded up the steps of the porch. He didn’t feel the need to put any thought into plants thriving at odd seasons. What did it matter to him? He shifted his backpack that held his studying equipment before staring at the door. Inside was the bulk of the Fairbrooke family. He wondered if they were normal like Preston or crazy like Amelia. There was only one way to find out.

He rang the doorbell and a pleasant chime echoed throughout the house that faded into a dim tune. He waited for a minute or two and was about to ring the doorbell again when he heard footsteps approach the door. Nicoli put on his best smile when the door opened, but it was practically smacked right off his face when his eyes beheld his greeter.

She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Even Cora’s supernatural beauty was no comparison to the woman that stood before him. Lush, red hair fell in ringlets down her shoulders. A baby blue apron scarcely hid a perfectly shaped body and Nicoli had to force himself to ignore this detail and stare at her face. He noticed that she barely had any makeup on, which let her natural loveliness shine through, something he appreciated after years of seeing high school girls caking on the manmade by product.

He was so struck by the woman that he had to kick his brain into functioning when she started speaking.

“Hello, you must be Nicoli,” she said. Her voice was low and sultry and made Nicoli nearly melt into a puddle as it caressed his eardrums.

“Um, yeah, th-that’s me,” he was able to say. His tongue felt so thick he thought he was going to swallow it.

“I’m Cecile Fairbrooke, Amelia’s mother,” she introduced herself. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She held out her hand and when Nicoli shook it he couldn’t help but notice how soft and touchable her skin was. “Amelia has spoken so much of you I feel as though I already know you.”

“She talk’s lots about you, too, Mrs. Fairbrooke, Ma’am,” he mumbled and felt heat crawl up his face. His words refused to come out even semi intelligently.

Cecile simply smiled at him, a smile that would be burned into Nicoli’s mind forever.

“Well, come inside, Amelia is eager to see you,” she said as she turned and retreated into the bowels of the house. “I’ve made a few snacks for your study session. I hope you like double chocolate cookies.”

“Love ‘em,” Nicoli said as he stumbled after her, as though he were in a love sick trance, which was highly plausible. He disappeared inside the monstrous house and all contact to the outside world was lost as the door swung closed with a last, audible click.

======================================Ch. 25 End