Under the Blood Moon by Jenny Garcia (latest books to read TXT) 📖

Ever since I shared my visions I have been treated as an outsider and a freak. There is no one in this town that accepts me. All but one, my friend Michelle. She has been my best friends since I can remember. We are together almost every day and it’s almost impossible to keep us apart but since she met James I have been seeing less and less of her. I can’t help but feel the sting if jealousy. I am glad that she has found someone to make her happy but since she found out she was pregnant everything has changed. I offered to tell her the sex of the baby but the vision I got was not what I expected. I was shown that she was like me, a Mystic, and that she would be taken from Michelle by a woman who was half wolf. I had never seen anything like it before in my life. I didn’t understand it until Katarina came to me and explained their world. Michelle’s child was destined for something great. Of course she doesn’t believe what I told her but after tonight I think she will come to terms with it. How could she not? I walk through town square looking for her but Michelle and James are nowhere to be found. I wanted to tell her everything and have her with me for the awakening. I was told to find a place where I would not be disturbed. I had to be in the location of my choice before midnight. At the strike of 12 the full moon would cast down its light and I would finally be awakened. The only problem was getting away from my mother. Because the whole town turned against me, she won’t let me out of her sight for more than an hour. I look down at my watch and see that its 11:15pm. I need to find a way to get away from her. I still have not seen Michelle or James anywhere. I can’t believe that she isn’t here yet. She is so consumed with James that she doesn’t even think of me. It’s my birthday and she doesn’t even care to be with me. Anger starts to fill my heart and radiate through my whole body. I look to my mother who is talking to one of her friends, “Mom, I am going to find Michelle.” I have to lie to her to get away. I don’t have much time and I have a long way to walk to get to a secluded location. She looks down to me and says, “Alright but don’t be gone long. I don’t want to loss you in the crowd.” I nod my head yes and turn around and walk slowly away. Once I get out of her sight I begin to run.

 

There is a field that is just out of town where no one ever goes to. Unless there is a high school party or something like that but since the Festival is going on, it will be empty. I feel like I have been running forever when I finally reach the field. There is no one here. The moon is so large tonight. It’s casting down a blue haze over the field. The field is covered with green grass as far as I can see with one large tree in the center. I looked down at my watch and see that it is 11:55pm. It’s almost time. I find a spot and lie down in the soft grass and stare up at the white moon. This moment is going to change my life forever and my excitement is overwhelming. As I lie in the dew soaked grass I think of Michelle. Tears begin to pool in my eyes. I can’t understand why she wouldn’t be with me tonight. It’s all James fault. He has poisoned her mind and made her turn against me. I know it’s him…

 

My thoughts are broken by the sound of a low growl. I look down at my watch and its 11:58pm. If I move now, I risk my awakening. The growl is getting louder and louder. Finally I sit up and turn around. A huge black wolf is towering over me. Its eyes are a piecing cobalt blue; lips are drawn up showing his blood stained teeth and his ears are pinned back. I am pierced with fear and cannot move. This is supposed to be my night to become who I truly am and now I am staring death in the face. I have never seen a wolf this large before. It walks around me never breaking its gaze. Once it is directly in front of me it pounces on top of me. I let out a terrifying scream of pain as it sinks its teeth into my hip. The pain is over whelming. Fire is flowing through me and my skin feels as if it is being ripped from my body. The moon casts down a soft white light over my body. The wolf immediately releases my flesh ripping pieces of skin away with its teeth. I scream out in pain but unable to move. He throws his head back dripping blood on my face and releases a deafening howl and its rips across the silent field. It lowers it huge head and looks into my eyes. I can’t move, the burning sensation is still ripping through my body. I just stare back and hope he will be done with me. He leaps over my body and runs off into the night. I look up to the moon and the soft light is covering my entire body. I feel the warmth of my blood pooling around my back. My vision becomes blurry and I close my eyes. I feel the cool light of the moon caress my body and absorb into my skin. The burning from the wolf bite begins to lessen then I hear Michelle scream, “Denise Oh my god, what happened!” She begins shaking my body but I have no strength to respond or move. I have lost too much blood and I can feel my body failing. I feel the warm summer breeze kiss my skin and I fear that this is the last time I will ever feel it. All I can think about is my once chance to live in a place where I would be accepted is being taken away from me. Anger fills my heart and I slip into darkness.

 

***

 

There is a small white light illuminating in the distance. Darkness surrounds me and all I can see is the small white light. It begins to float closer and grow large in size. For some reason I am not afraid. I remember the wolf and my awakening. I must have died. What other explanation could there be. The light comes closer and closer until I see the outline of a person. The light is so bright that I cover my eyes. A soft voice calls out my name, “Denise…Denise uncover your eyes child.” I lower my hand from my face and see it’s a woman. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She has long black raven hair, an elegant floor length white dress and a crown that is covered in diamonds. I muster the courage to speak, “Who are you.” She smiles and says, “I am Queen Renee and I have come to determine your place in our world.” My heart begins to race, “So I am not dead?” She lets out a gentle laugh, “No child you’re not dead. The awakening was successful but you were bite by a werewolf. I will not affect my decision today but it is something that you will need to learn about and control. There will be a guide sent to you to teach you how to control it.” My stomach begins to turn after hearing this. “What is going to happen now?” She walks towards me and places her hand on my chest. “Now we will see if you’re worthy to join the Royal Court.” She closed her eyes and I do the same.

 

It is silent for a long moment and I begin to think of Michelle. If she would have been there with me then I would have never of been attacked. I don’t want to be a werewolf. This is all her fault. Rage begins to boil inside me and the Queen pulls her hand away from me. I open my and she does the same. She clasps her hands together and says, “I’m sorry Denise. You will not be joining the Royal Court. You have hate in your heart.” My mouth drops open and tears begin to fall from my eyes, “What does that mean!? I don’t have hate! This was my one chance to live happy and be accepted and you’re going to take that from me!?” Renee’s face changes to annoyance and she replies, “Although you accepted your gift and tried to share it, you hate it in your heart. You blame the fact that you were turned on by your own people because of it. You have vengeance building inside you with no chance for forgiveness to grow. This shows me that you’re not worthy to be on my Royal Court. I am sorry Denise. Goodbye.” She begins to illuminate and float back into the darkness. I scream out to her, “Please you can’t do this to me. Don’t leave me here!” The light has faded from site and I feel my body being pulled down. I still can’t see anything. I struggle to stay where I am but the force is to strong. I feel the sensation of falling and then I hit the flat of my back on a hard surface.

 

I open my eyes and see Michelle staring down at me. I sit straight up and feel my hip where I was bite by the wolf. The wetness of blood is all over me but the wound is gone. I look to Michelle and she scoots away from me. “Denise what happened to you?” I feel my heart grow cold and rage fill every inch of my soul. I open my mouth and scream at her, “Where were you?! I almost died because of you! I was denied the only home I have ever wanted because of you!” Michelle looks back at me confused and hurt. She has no idea what has happened but I cannot bring myself to explain anything to her. I have so much anger inside me that I just want to get away. I stand up and begin to sprint back to town. I feel my body going faster than I have ever gone before. The world around me has seemed to slow down as I speed through the field.

I make it back to town in minutes. Everyone is still celebrating and this only fuels the fire to my rage. I see my mother in the crowd dancing and enjoying herself. The moment that she sees me she stops and stares. One by one people in the crowd turn and face me. Everyone is staring at me whispering. I can’t take it anymore and I yell out, “Why is every staring at me?! You haven’t tortured me enough! Stop staring!” My mother starts to speed walk towards me. She has a scowl on her face am I know that I am going to get the ‘your embarrassing me’ speech. Once she reaches me she grabs my arm and starts pulling me away from the crowd. I don’t resist and follow her. She takes away to alley by town square. “Denise what happened you!? You’re covered in blood!” I look down at the clothes and they are covered in my own blood. I had totally forgotten about it. I remember the drips of blood that landed on my face from the wolf’s mouth. I reach up and