UNDECIDED FATE
Tale Of Moonbeam

CHAPTER 1

I woke up listening to the calming beat of the rain hitting against my window. I took another ten minutes to lie still and listen, today would be the last day that I heard or saw rain in any form. My stomach flipped at the thought of what today was going to bring. You see today I was leaving my hometown of Gladysville in Pennsylvania to go and live with my papa in Reeth valley just outside of Austin, one of the warmest cities in America. I have lived in Gladdysville nearly all my life and I have grown to love the rain and the wind but starting from today that's all going to change. Three months ago my mother, an amateur dancer, was offered the chance to go to Chicago and become a choreographer for those in musicals, the offer was great but there was a small problem she couldn't take me with her. My mom really wanted this but she couldn't see an answer to the problem as she couldn't leave a sixteen year old girl by herself with no money and no clue what she would do all alone and my mom didn't want to be a burden to anyone by leaving me with a neighbour until I had enough cash to rent my own little apartment, so I decided for her, i phoned my grandfather who lived I Reeth Valley and he said i could stay as long as i wanted to, so today at 2 o clock me and my mom would be saying a heart breaking goodbye. This morning was a disaster i had already packed my clothes but it was only now that i realized that the clothes in my suitcase only suited weather like Gladdysville, cold, wind and rain. I searched through my entire summer closet and only found a small amount. This meant one good thing and one bad thing. The good thing was having no clothes meant shopping trip and according to the net shopping in Austin was a great experience. The bad thing was i had no money and no form of transport. I threw myself down on my bed and closed my eyes again listening to the sound of the rain falling. I took my suitcase down to the hall corridor and left it at the front door, turned back, went into the kitchen and sat down for a last meal with my mom. My mom's eyes were red and puffy probably because she had spent most of her night awake crying. I wanted to cry too but i had to be strong for my mother so i sucked up my feelings, gave a big smile and assured her that this was for the best; she gave a small nod in return. I went over to the large window in the sitting room looking out upon the great view of my little village. Gladdysville was in short beautiful with big mountains, lots of trees and grass and small puddles of rain water spotted all over the ground, Reeth Valley was a whole lot different too warm for plantation to grow much and narrow, dusty dirt roads. I had lived there until i was three, until my father passed away then after that my mom decided it was time for a change of scenery and the start of a new life. Two hours later i was sitting in my mom's green ford fiesta driving to the small airport with my mom silently sobbing, when we reached the airport i gave my mom a quick kiss and hug then walked through the huge main entrance. I thought it might have been better for both me and my mother if our goodbyes were short and sweet.


CHAPTER 2

i got checked in by an over-friendly redhead with a false smile after that i sat at a small quiet cafe reading my favourite book the "The Artful Dodger" i was engrossed in it and shocked when a robotic sort of voice came over the tannoy announcing that my flight was being boarded. “Right on time" i thought to myself. I headed towards my gate just up the corridor from the small cafe that i had just spent the past two and a half hours at. There was not many people boarding the flight to Austin and i felt like turning around and going home so i reminded myself that this was for my mom to have a chance at the life he's been missing out on. When i was seated i brought out my tiny MP3 player and sat listening to a variety of old and new songs the next thing i new i was sleeping and i felt as though i was floating away from earth and tumbling freely through space. I have no idea how long i was sleeping for but i was woken with a start as a smooth voice sounding as if it belonged in one of those "ole country and western films" came over the speakerphone above my head stating the flight had reached its destination. The small clump of people on the aeroplane cheered and clapped as we came to a halt. I looked out the small dusty window of the aeroplane window and heaved a sigh, the sun was absolutely shining as expected and the ground was dusty and cracked also expected stood up and started to make my way to the exit door of the flight. As soon as i got out of the door and into the long windy corridor that connected the aeroplane to the airport the heat hit me. I made my way forward to the luggage pick up point and collected my suitcase and started for the main doors. Outside the doors, in a small rusty truck was my grandfather or as i called him papa Joey. i ran towards the big old truck, wrenched the door open and hugged my grandfather, at first he seemed a bit shocked and i thought he might pull away but he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the side of my head, we sat like that for another couple of minutes and went i released him from m grip i saw that his eyes were brimming with tears. A bubble stuck in my throat and hot tears started running down my cheek. Papa Joey burst out laughing "look at us, both crying in the middle of an airport" he said with his gruff Texan voice, at that i started laughing too, though i don't know why. He held my hand as he pulled out of the airport and towards his house, my new home. We talked the full twenty minutes of the short journey. "You’re looking a bit thin aren't you"? He asked concerned. “Naah” i laughed “i take my figure of my mom” he smiled at me. We talked about a variety of things from school, growing up to be a young adult, clothes and fashion etc. We turned into a small street with three cottage type houses as the maximum capacity. The houses looked sweet, like the ones you read about in fairy tales. We pulled into the drive and got my luggage together, then papa Joey took me up to my room, showed me how to work the air conditioning and then left me to let me get myself sorted. I lay my suitcase flat down on my bed and had a look around the room. The wallpaper was a deep burgundy floral design. The curtains and bedding was also a deep burgundy, there was a small dressing table complete with a mirror by the window and by the door there was a plain wardrobe. There was a cheap glass chandelier type light hanging down from the ceiling and a burgundy lamp beside the little wooden bed. The room was simple but all in all it was quite pretty. I put my little bundle of clothes in a folded, neat pile in my wardrobe, put my other bits and pieces into the drawers in my dresser then went over to my window and looked out at the scenery of my new hometown. It wasn’t bad. The sun reflected off the ocean at the beach that was a mile off, there wasn’t much foliage but what was there was nice enough, there were many little, dried up dirt roads probably taking you into other little schemes around the small city, from my bedroom window you could see the village town and all the people casually strolling through it window shopping. I smiled, maybe i had overreacted a little, and maybe life in Reeth Valley wouldn’t be so bad. ”Claire” Papa Joey shouted “dinner is ready.” i left my bedroom and went downstairs, on the dinner table Papa Joey had laid out two plates of Shepherd’s pie with roast vegetables. It smelled good and it was now that i realised how hungry i was not having eat sine seven o clock this morning. I sat down and Papa Joey turned on the TV set and turned up the volume a little. I looked at my grandfather’s face and took it that he wanted some quiet until the news was finished. I respected that and silently tucked into my meal. It was delicious as far as pie and Vegetables could go. When i finished i took my plate into the kitchen area and searched for a dishwasher, there was none, so for the first time in my life i hand washed my dish and cutlery. I went back into the sitting room and sat without a sound until the news finished. As the news finished the phone rang, my grandfather got up and crossed the room to answer it. He talked for a couple of minutes, just about some stories he had heard on the news, then all he said was “yeah”, “uh-huh” or “mom-hmm” and a wide grin spread across his face “yes, okay, thank you, yes alright, goodbye”.

CHAPTER 3

He put the phone down and sat back at the table. “Claire, i forgot to tell you that you’re starting Reeth Valley high tomorrow, but don’t worry you’ll be fine”. I smiled at him and nodded “okay, sounds fun” but inside my stomach was flipping over and i started to feel dizzy, everything went black and the next thing i knew i was lying on the floor, my grandfather had my head cradled in his arms and he was staring down at me, his eyes wide with fear. I realized what happened and turned beet red. “Ummm, when i get nervous i faint, sorry” i mumbled. “It’s okay” he said sounding relieved. I stood up slowly and sat back down on my chair and Papa Joey handed me a small glass of water. I sipped it slowly and looked over at my grandfather; he was shaking with silent laughter. ”What “i asked him with a look of shock upon my face. “Nothing” he replied “it’s just your grandmother suffered from the same condition”. We sat watching TV for the next couple of hours then i said that i was going to bed. “Yeah, you better get some sleep, you’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow, night Claire “. “Goodnight Papa Joey “i replied. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hug then went upstairs to my bedroom, turned on the air conditioning, put some pyjama’s on, lay down on my bed and threw a thin cover over myself. I fell into a fitful sleep thinking about what tomorrow would hold in store for me. I was woken the next morning by an alarm from my grandfather’s bedroom shrieking through the whole house. I looked at the small clock that i had brought from my house back in Gladdysville. It was only 6:30. I groaned, stretched, pulled myself out of bed, grabbed my purse that held my showering things and headed to the tiny, pristine bathroom. I locked the door, turned the water on, undressed and stepped into the fresh, lukewarm water rushing out of the showerhead. I washed and then shampooed and conditioned my hair. When i finished i wrapped my towel around myself, brushed my teeth and blow dried my hair. After i brushed my hair almost straight i went back to my room in search of something to wear that would be suitable for the hot weather. In the end all i found was a brown, strapped vest top, a pair of denim shorts and a pair of brown, jewelled flip-flops. I put on some make-up just mascara, blusher and lip-gloss. I looked in the mirror and examined myself. I didn’t think i was pretty, just average to be honest. I was tall and tanned (something i take off my dad) i have longish blonde hair, blue eyes, full pink lips, i ‘m slim and have long legs. I went downstairs for breakfast. Papa Joey had laid out a bowl of cheerio’s and a glass of orange juice on the table for me. I ate slowly and drank my juice. My grandfather came down the stairs and into the sitting room. “Are you not eating that” he asked. I shook my head. “Hmmm” he replied “okay then come on”. I left my breakfast on the table, ran upstairs to my room, grabbed my bag for school and ran out to the drive where my grandfather was standing. He smiled at me “Claire, your mom emailed me when you passed your driver’s test so i decided that as you were coming to stay for a while, you might need some form of transport rather than your papa driving you everywhere in his rusty ole truck, it would also give you more independency and freedom here, so i got you a little present, look”. He opened the garage door and showed me a little red mini cooper with black stars starting at the driver’s door and leading to the back passenger door. It was stunning, i grabbed my grandfather and hugged him tight, “thank you so much Papa Joey” he waved my thanks away with a flick of his hand. “Right” he said “off to your first day at school, good luck” my stomach flipped and i dropped to the ground once again. I sighed as i came to; again i was cradled in my grandfather’s arms. “You alright to drive” he asked. “Yeah” i replied. I explained that i had forgotten to do my relaxation exercises and that i could normally control my fainting. He nodded his head as a sign that i could go now. I went into my new car and he handed me my keys. He gave me a quick kiss on the head. “Please be careful” he breathed. I nodded and pulled carefully out of the garage, drove down the drive, tooted my horn and started towards my new school. I tuned into the radio while doing my relaxation exercises. I drove into the little village and looked for my new school. My stomach flipped gently i breathed in and out, concentrating on my heartbeat and felt better. I caught myself smiling and singing to one of my favourite songs “dynamite” by Taio Cruz.

CHAPTER 4

I found the school within minutes. It was a medium sized building with a corrugated roof. I drove into the car park and pulled up into a space in front of two automatic doors with a sign above them stating that this was the main entrance. I took a deep breath, got out my car and walked through the doors and up to the main office. At the desk was a small, pleasant looking elderly woman. “Morning” she said in her Texas drawl “can i help you” she smiled crookedly. “Hi, yes I’m Claire Bails, it’s my first day here and i didn’t know where to go” i replied. “Okay, well you’ll have to meet with the principal to get your schedule, so I’ll give him a quick call just to let him know that you’re here. Just head up to the top of this corridor and it’s the last door on the left, his name is Mr Peterson, well good luck then” she smiled again, gave my hand a little reassuring pat and went over to the office phone. I started walking up the long, corridor, found the principal’s small, room and knocked his door twice. The principal, Mr Peterson a broad, athletic looking man in his fifty’s, with weather-beaten skin and worn out hands, as if he had spent many years working with them came to the door with a wide smile showing his yellowing teeth. “Good morning and welcome to Reeth Valley high Miss Bails”. I smiled at him, he was pretty friendly. He asked me to take a seat at the opposite side of his desk, when i was seated he gave me my schedule, i thanked him and put it in my bag. He asked if he could be excused for a minute, he handed me a small bottle of water and then left. I sipped the water and realized how warm the weather was today. I could feel the heat of the sun coming in through the window and hitting me squarely on my back. I went over to the window and looked out, people were starting to file into the school now, they all looked cheerful and upbeat, at the side of the building there were a bunch of tiny, eighth graders playing catch. It was sort of funny as they were trying to keep a rally going and they weren’t succeeding. I smiled to myself and thought about how i used to play catch back home in the rain when i was younger. The door opened, i turned round as Mr Peterson walked through the door with a really good-looking guy around my age. This boy was about 5ft 11”, with golden, blonde hair and hazel eyes. He smiled at me and i smiled back his eyes lingered on me for just a moment to long and i started concentrating on fixing my shorts. “Zachary this is Claire bails”, “Claire this is Zachary Dalton and he will be your guide around the school”. I nodded at the principal and felt my stomach flip as i saw that there was less than a minute before the bell would ring sounding the start of first lessons. I took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed again. Mr Peterson waved me and Zachary out. Walking to my first class Zachary rambled on about how fine the school was, i completely tuned out, i was more interested in how today was going to turn out and trying not to drop to the ground. I made a solemn oath to myself that i was not going to make an idiot out of myself by fainting. I had numeracy first, which was as Zachary said at the other side of the building. We arrived at the classroom just as the bell rang. The bell was loud and would probably be heard from my bedroom window. Pupils waiting for the teacher to arrive started filing up at the classroom door, even with my back turned i could feel their eyes on me and hear their whispers. I sighed, it was like being back home when someone new came into the school, everyone would stare as if the newbie was something in the zoo and now i was being ogled the exact same way. I felt a hand on my back; i jumped a little, looked slightly over my shoulder and saw Zachary smiling at me. To be honest i forgot he was there. I smiled back i think he could tell i was nervous. The teacher a tall, weedy man with a moustache almost as big as his head walked over to the classroom door and started to fumble about with his key ring which held around 20 keys, it was amusing and somehow irritating to watch. After a couple of minutes of fumbling about Zachary piped up “it’s the key with the yellow rubber at the top” the teacher groaned and gave Zachary a grateful smile. Once we were in the class Zachary walked me over to the teacher’s desk. “Unfortunately the seat beside me is taken but no matter where you sit I’m sure you’ll be fine” he said. It was now that i realized Zachary didn’t have a Texas drawl like everyone else here, but a different sort of accent that i couldn’t place. His voice was rough but still gentle and he talked as if he was from a different century like Shakespeare or something, but his voice comforted me and i felt like wrapping my arms around him, which is weird for me as usually I’m quite timid but standing here with him i felt different as if I’d known him for years even though we only met an hour ago. He went to go and take his seat and as he walked past me his hand brushed off mine and my whole body started tingling like he was sending electric volts through me. I gasped as the butterflies in my stomach started and the tingling started to elevate, he flashed me a dazzling white smile and winked at me. I didn’t realize all the pupils were staring at me as if i amazed them beyond belief. I caught sight of them staring at me with wide eyes and mouths slightly ajar; i looked down and stared at my flip-flops, shuffling my left foot from side to side. My new numeracy teacher came over and introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Mr Garth, welcome to the school, what’s your name”. “Hi, I’m Claire Bails”. He smiled at me and nodded his head. He took a quick glance around the classroom and then focused on a spare seat next to a girl who i couldn’t see properly because she was facing the back chatting away to two guys behind her. “Claire you can sit at the back beside Chantelle Lopes, that’s the girl who can’t stay quiet for more than a minute”. At that the girl whipped around in her seat and gave an embarrassed smile, while the boys behind her hooted with laughter, she flashed them a wicked look and they fell silent. I could see she had total control over them. I went over and took a seat beside her “hey”, she smiled at me. She had long blackish, blue hair that framed her face, big blue eyes that glittered under the fluorescent lights; she was tanned and had a few freckles. “Hey babe” said a good looking guy with sandy coloured, flopping hair. I smiled at both of them. Chantelle turned on the boy fiercely “Daniel, you honestly don’t need to call every girl you see babe, ok” she snapped at him, then more calmly “ but its ok for you to call me it, I don’t mind hun” she crooned softly at him. The boy cowered back slightly and went a deep shade of pink, nodding his head. “Hi what’s your name newbie” he asked me. “That’s better” she murmured gently at him with a satisfied smile on her face. “I’m Claire Bails” I smiled at him “umm, cool” he replied uncertainly, giving a quick glance at Chantelle who was nodding at him but still was looking at him with a slightly stormy expression on her face. “This is Daniel”, she said pointing at the sandy haired boy “this,” pointing to a boy with sallow skin the shade of chocolate “is Baljan Carmeec, he’s sort of quiet and dorky, but he helps with my all my homework, so to me he’s a total doll”. “You don’t speak much do you” she asked. “Umm, yeah, I’m just trying to get sorted y’know” .i noticed that the sandy haired boy was staring at me, nervously I smiled at him unfortunately Chantelle saw this and swung round to him glaring. If looks could kill I swear that boy would be six feet under, for the rest of the class we were quiet with Chantelle throwing looks as if she was suspicious that I’d go for her man, truthfully I wasn’t interested in him and I intended to tell her but as soon as the bell rang she grabbed her purse and dragging Daniel by the arm sped out of the classroom and off down the hall. I gathered my new equipment and stowed it away neatly in my bag, I felt soft skin brush my hair out of my ace and a minty, cool breath on the side of my neck. I looked up slightly knowing who it was by the soft touch from that hand but reassuring myself I gazed into Zachary’s eyes and felt like melting. Silently he led me out of the class; walking down the hallway his hand kept brushing against me just below my back, I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or completely accidental but I moved away from his reach. He looked at me his gentle face clouded over, his eyes no longer caring and sweet brown but now cold and a deep red colour replaced the melting caramel. His lips drew back revealing sharp teeth, drool sliding down the side of his mouth. He grabbed me fiercely and pushed me against a wall. It was only now I realized the swarming crowd had stopped, they were still there but somehow they were frozen on the spot, some frozen in mid chatter, others expressions like carved statues. Zachary’s hand flew up in a blur and grabbed me by the throat, it was sudden and unexplainably strong as if someone had dropped a weight on my throat, I felt lights popping behind my eyes and I heard a strange gurgling sound like water trapped in a fountain spout trying to get out, the strange sound surprised me as I realized that it was coming from my very mouth. Zachary’s free hand flew up and swiped itself across my check. I felt the hot blood trickling down my face and a burning sensation from the fresh cut. Zachary stuck out his tongue which was odd, it wasn’t pink, soft and rounded it was black, leathery and had a sharp point like a blade, slowly his sharp tongue touched my face and swept up the blood from the side of my cheek, I heard him groan with ultimate satisfaction and felt my eyes fill up as I took what I knew would be my last breath I saw a shadow up in front of me and it was moving. I felt overjoyed. Zachary seeing my glee looked over his shoulder recoiling, his hand shot away from my neck and pressed himself against the wall beside me as I fell in a heap on the ground. The figure was standing in front of us now, he was stunning with muscles showing through his clothes and beautiful burnished auburn hair gleaming like copper he looked like an angel. Suddenly everyone in the hallway resumed their movement and within seconds I was covered with a murmuring crowd surrounding me from every side I saw the figure edge away smiling, he turned and started off down the corridor, as he turned a corner and went out of sight. I wondered what had just happened moments ago the crowds were frozen and I was moments away from being murdered by Zachary or was I. Maybe it was all in my head, maybe I was going around the bend. I saw Zachary his eyes flashed a bright red and suddenly everything went dark…

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 20.11.2010

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