Free The Rising Moon by Nilsa Rodriguez Page A

and saw my nails grow long and thick. The change happened quickly. I dropped to the ground a wolf. I opened my mouth to yell but a long howl came out instead.
    My eyelids popped wide.
    “ It’s ok,” Lyle said. “I’m here with you. I had fallen asleep in his arms.
    “ What happened?” I asked.
    “ You had a dream,” he said as he brushed his hand through my hair.
    I was still shaken. I lifted my head and glanced at my arms. Skin. Human skin. I flexed my fingers. I was relieved to see human limbs. Lyle stared at me. No doubt, he must’ve thought I was crazy.
    “ Are you ok?” he asked.
    “ Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that when you woke up you wondered if it really just happened?
    “ Sure. All the time.” His replied shocked me.
    “ You do?” I gasped.
    “ Some call it a gift, others a curse.”
    “ I call it a curse,” I blurted, feeling a swell of frustration.
    “ Tell me your dream,” he insisted. I paused a bit and began to tug at the cuff of my sleeve. “You can trust me.”
    I took a deep breath, and told him about the werewolf and about how I turned into one at the touch of his hand.
    “ You must think I’m nuts,” I muttered.
    “ I don’t think you’re nuts,” he offered me a small smile. I rolled my eyes and looked away from him.
    “ You would make a beautiful werewolf, with those pretty eyes and gorgeous mouth,” he said, resting his forehead against mine. The next thing I knew, we were kissing again.
    Did he know what I was? Should I tell him? I opened my eyes and found him staring at me. His face was flushed and his eyes glowed in the darkness. Their glow…it was familiar. It was the eyes of the werewolf in my dream.

∞ Chapter 12 ∞
     
    HE PULLED AWAY from me.
    “ Your eyes,” I stuttered. I grabbed his arm and held it tight. “Lyle, look at me.” When he turned, his eyes were his own again.
    “ I should take you home,” he said. He pulled me up on my feet and walked me over to Star. Suddenly, a strong wind blew past us, nearly knocking me to the ground. It made an irregular, grieving, rushing sound. Its sound made the horses restless. I had to grab hold of Star tightly, in order not to fall off her. Lyle stared at the direction of the wind and tilted his head as though he understood its unrestrained outcry.
    "I have to go home right away," he said as he quickly leaped unto Storm.
    "What is it?" I asked, but he didn't answer.
    He took off in the direction of his grandmother’s house. I trailed rapidly close behind, as the tree branches bent over the fierce winds, making it easier to swift through.
    The sounds of screams blasted through the walls of the house. Ramira’s yells could be heard outside as we quickly dismounted the horses and ran inside. I followed Lyle up the stairway and through the narrow hall into Ramira’s bedroom. I’ve never been to her room before. It felt strange. Her room didn’t have the feel of a bedroom, but that of a hospital. Dressers and armoire were replaced with beeping machines and rubbery hoses that were connected to her body.
    “ Grandma!” Lyle’s voice cracked as he flew to her side. He held her small fragile hands with care as tears began to fill his eyes, “what happened?”
    “ I don’t know what happened. She was asleep and suddenly she began shouting,” replied Emi. Her face was as pale as her grandmother’s.
    “ Help me lift her up so I can give her these pills,” Fenix told Lyle. They tried to lift her up but she grew more restless. She twisted beneath their grip. Her body shook and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
    “ Grandma,” Emi whimpered. I grabbed her arm and walked her to an armchair that sat near the end of the bed. I gently brushed my hand through her hair. Her head felt hot.
    During one of Ramira’s shrieking outcries, Fenix placed the pills into her mouth. “Swallow the pills grandma, it’ll make you feel better,” he told her, but she spat them out. Ramira hummed and shrieked