The Moon's Secret

There is a recurring dream that often haunts Lana on the nights of the full moon. A vivid yet surreal dream of her standing in the middle of the dark and enigmatic forest. The moon is high and its silver hue illuminated Lana's skin. Millions of stars decorated the night sky, resembling glistening tears around the moon.

Lana was enticed by it, her eyes fixed upon the celestial orb afraid that if she blinked it would disappear behind the approaching dark clouds. She can hear it calling to her, an ethereal voice getting louder the longer she stared at the moon.

As Lana reached her hand out towards the moon, she felt herself falling backwards. Freezing water engulfed her body, suffocating her as she drowned deeper into the darkest part of the river. She allowed the water to swallow her whole, finding peace in the deafening silence that followed. The deeper she sank, the more content she felt, as though all her fears and worries were washed away by the cold numbing water.

After a beat ,she noticed something approaching her. A creature that resembles a wolf appeared before her, its icy blue eyes stared deep into Lana's and without a warning it lunged towards her.

A knock on the door caused Lana to jolt awake. She felt the air her lungs escapes her body as though she was truly drowning. She quickly sat up on her bed, attempting to calm down by reminding herself that it was just a dream. An incredibly consistent and annoying dream that has tormented her all her life. She took a few deep breaths before turning to look at the clock on her bedside table. It was almost 6pm.

"Lana?" a voice from the other side of the door called out.

"C-Come in! "Lana announced, her voice heavy with sleep. She cleared her throat and pinched her cheeks to wake herself up fully.

The door was pushed openly gently as a familiar concerned gaze greeted her. "Are you alright? "Ray asked hesitantly.

Lana offered him a weak smile. "Just a weird dream. "she sighed.

Ray walked towards her bed and sat on the edge of it. He placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Do you want to talk about it? "he asked. Lana shook her head as she placed her hand above Ray's. "I'm fine now! "she beamed. "Are you done with work?"

"Yeah, I have to go back later but I did promise you that I'll come visit your parents with you today. "Ray said as he stood up. "Are you still up for it?"

"Of course ,I am, "Lana smiled, trying her best to ignore the heavy burden suffocating her chest.

*

Lana studied Ray's expression as he enthusiastically talked about the new episode of the TV drama he religiously watched. Even after 10 years of living with him, she can never get tired of how Ray's brown eyes seem to glisten like polished amber under the sunrays. His dark skin seemingly gives off a brilliant glow under the sun which makes him resemble an otherworldly being. Lana frowned at how unfair it was that this almost 40-year-old man had such perfect skin.

"You're doing that thing again. "Ray said, his eyes fixed on the road as his index finger tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel.

"What do you mean? "Lana asked innocently.

"Staring."

"Hm? Are you saying I can't stare at my lovely guardian? "Lana teased.

Ray made a face. "You're only this nice to me when you want something. "Ray sighed.

Lana let out a soft laugh. "Please, I'm always nice to you. "she said as her attention turned towards the bouquet of pink camellias on her lap. "It's supposed to be a full moon tonight, "Ray suddenly mentioned.

Lana instinctively turned to look at the window. The sun was setting yet she could see dark clouds approaching. "Looks like rain to me. "She commented.

The mention of the full moon brought back memories of her dream. Lana never understood the significance of that dream. She tried to talk about it with her friends but they would often shrug it off by claiming that it was because Lana was born during a full moon.

"Let's hope that's not the case."

"Ray, you've been a forest ranger all your life right?"

"Mhmm,"Ray nodded. "Have you ever encountered any wolves in the forest?"

There was a silence that followed after Lana had asked the question. She glanced at Ray who was not even trying to hide the fact that he was frowning deeply.

"Why do you ask? "Ray finally spoke.

After many years of living with Ray, she knew that her guardian had one flaw--she knew he could never lie. His tell was simple, he would divert from the original question in his attempt to change the subject.

"Forget it," she said as they turned into the parking space of the cemetery.

The two walked in silence as they approached Lana's parents' tombstones. Lana was grateful at how the tombstones were already cleaned and a collection of colourful bouquets decorated the surrounding area.

"Looks like the others paid their respects already. "Ray commented as he kneeled in front of the tombstones to place his own bouquet.

In this small town of Rosecliff, everyone knew everyone .Her parents were well loved by the townspeople and somehow Lana often envied those who had fond memories about her parents. They died when Lana was young and all she could remember of them were their faces from the pictures Ray had around the house.

"Ray, do you miss them? "Lana suddenly asked as her grip on the pink camellias tightened.

"What kind of question is that? "Ray let out a gentle laugh. "Your father and I were best friends, almost like brothers even. Both of them were basically family to me. Not a day goes by without me missing them. "There was a glisten in Ray's eyes. He closed his eyes and silently prayed.

Lana stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt Ray. A strange jumble of emotions were coursing through her. She felt guilty that she did not share Ray's sentiment. She felt angry that she never had the chance to spend time with them before they died .But most of all, she felt an incredible sense of loneliness.

Lana looked up ,the sun was fully out of sight now as the orange sky slowly dimmed. She could see the outline of the moon between the passing dark clouds. She scoffed. Just looking at the moon was enough to make Lana feel a mixture of anger and anxiety consuming her. "Lana? "Ray called. "Is something wrong?"

Lana smiled. "Nope .I was just thinking of something."

Ray stood up and approached her. "Um, I'll let you have some time alone with them ,okay?"

"Thank you, Ray. "Lana said as she walked past him and kneeled in front of the tombstones. She placed her flowers between the pile of bouquets. She could hear Ray's footsteps getting further and further until she was all alone at the cemetery. "I-"Lana muttered. The words seemed to disappear from her tongue .She then let out a defeated sigh, acknowledging that even after all these years, she never really knew what to say to them and that fact alone was eating her up inside.

Lana stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to make sure the outfit she was wearing was not in any way odd. She couldn't decide whether to tuck in her blouse or not. In the end, she opted to tucking in her beige blouse into her high waisted dark jeans. She finished the look with a pair of black converse.

"Lana! Carmen and Suzie are here! "Ray called out from downstairs.

"Coming! "Lana called back. She swiftly retrieved her schoolbag from the floor and as she passed by the mirror she adjusted her high ponytail before flicking her dark hair playfully. She leaned closer to the mirror, doing a quick check of her makeup. Her hazel eyes seemed slightly bloodshot from the lack of sleep but she decided to brush that fact off .She ran downstairs where Ray was standing by the stairs with an apple in his hand.

"Breakfast, "he said sleepily as he tossed the apple towards Lana.

Lana caught it easily. "Thanks! "she said as she leaned to give Ray a quick peek on the cheek.

"Tell Carmen to drive safely okay? "Ray reminded her.

Lana gave him a thumbs up before running out the door. She approached the familiar blue Toyota car and as she opened the backdoor, she was greeted loudly by her friends.

"Good Morning!!"Carmen and Suzie yelled in unison.

Lana laughed as she got into the car and shut the door. She scrunched her nose, trying to get used to the heavy scent of perfume lingering in the car. "You guys are so annoying, "Lana jokingly said to her noisy friends.

Suzie O'Brien and Carmen Tanaka has been friends with Lana since they were in kindergarten, noted that in this small community everyone literally grew up with each other but Lana was especially fond over the two girls.

Suzie was the most assertive one in the group, never afraid to speak her mind and often got into irrelevant arguments with others just to prove her point. Carmen on the other hand, has a no nonsense attitude, often the one who would speak some sense into Suzie whenever she crosses the line.

As for Lana, often times she feels like she had to babysit the two of them as they do not shy away from doing the most absurd things to get rid of boredom .As tedious as it sounds, that never stopped her from enjoying her time spent with her two crazy friends.

Suzie turned her body to look back at Lana. "Okay but listen here Danley, there's big news! "Suzie exclaimed while Carmen started to drive them to school.

"Did something happen with Steven? "Lana asked as she started to eat her apple.

"How did you know?!"Suzie gasped.

"Because all you ever talk about is Steven! "Carmen exclaimed, not hiding the fact that she was clearly annoyed.

The comment Carmen made caused the two to start bickering, with Suzie claiming that she turned down Steven's offer to driver her to school only because she wanted to spend time with her best friends. Carmen rebuttal that statement by saying that Steven's car was at the workshop. The conversation continued with neither of them willing to back down.

Lana smiled at her friends' antics but stayed quiet instead of joining the hectic conversation. It was too early for that after all. Soon, they were driving into the school parking lot. Since the population of Rosecliff was small, the school was a mix of middle schoolers and high schoolers. The school was split into the West wing and East wing because of that.

Lana and her friends were seniors in high school this year and that thought alone made Lana excited for her future. Ever since she was in middle school, Lana had planned to move to the big city once she graduated from high school. The thought of remaining in Rosecliff felt suffocating to her. Every day, the same routine ,the same faces, it was starting to weigh on Lana in a negative way. All she wanted now was to desperately escape that mundane routine and venture on her own path.

She knew that eventually she would need to talk to Ray about it but she would often find herself at a standstill when Ray would excitedly talk about how Lana would work with him as a forest ranger full time after she graduates.

"We're here! "Carmen's voice brought Lana back from her reverie.

Lana looked out the window where students were loitering around the compound with their friends. "Oh shit, we should get going, the bell is about to ring any minute now! "Suzie alerted as the three got out of the car.

"What's your plan later tonight, girls? "Carmen asked. She then nudged Suzie. "Don't answer ,I know you're going out with Steven again. "Carmen gave her a mischievous smile.

"Sounds like someone's jealous."Suzie smirked.

Carmen rolled her eyes, deciding to completely ignore Suzie. "You have work tonight, Lana? "she asked.

"Yup, I have a night shift. But since it's a school day I get to go back before 8pm."The bell then rang in an alarmingly loud sound, indicating that the students had to go to class now. The hallway was packed with students trying to navigate their way to their respective classes. It was the definition of chaos ,but everyone was used to it.

"It must be nice working with Ray huh? "Carmen called out.

"I guess? Although he is still strict-"someone bumped into Lana painfully, causing her to separate from her friends who were a few feet ahead. She could hear a panicked 'sorry' before the culprit ran past her to get to his class. Lana tried to maneuver her way through the crowd but ended up slamming her face into the person in front of her. She moved away, her hands unconsciously touching the person's toned and muscular chest.

Lana looked up at the person only to be greeted by an icy blue glare. She quickly dropped her hands and opened her mouth to apologize but the man in front of her grimaced as though being near Lana was enough to make him annoyed. She knew this stare all too well, only one person ever treated her like her existence was a nuisance.

"Move. "His voice was deep and harsh. It made Lana tense. She quickly sidestepped away to allow him to pass. She felt herself getting annoyed by how rude he was being but then again, he was always like this towards her. Always.

River Attwood, everyone in school both teachers and students alike fawn over him like a prince. He is smart and athletic but Lana never understood why he would always glare at her as though she did something terribly wrong to him. She watched as River and his friends made their way down the hallway.

"Are you okay?" Suzie asked, her eyes following Lana's. "Yeah, just fine. "She muttered, trying to suppress the sudden anger she felt building up in her.

"Did you break his heart or something?I've never seen River being mean to anyone before. "Carmen commented.

Lana shrugged. "Who knows? I've never even talked to the guy. "she said as she continued to walk towards her class.

"But wow, he is beautiful. "Suzie whispered to Carmen.

Lana can't disagree with that fact. River Attwood is very handsome, to the point where Lana would wonder what he ate growing up to look as he does. He is tall ,towering over Lana by a lot. He is slightly tanned over the years he spent playing a variety of sports and his pure black hair is always perfectly combed back.

But to Lana, what defines River's beauty was his eyes, those sapphire eyes could easily send chills down Lana's spine. But, people don't naturally flock over him just because of his looks and athleticism. From the gossip Lana gets from Suzie and Carmen, it is evident that he is a really nice and capable guy. Sadly, Lana can't say the same about him .She's been schoolmates with him since middle school and to this day she could never figure out why he is always such a jerk towards her. Always.

*

Lana had World History for her last period. Their teacher, Mrs. Hathaway was finishing up class by announcing that there would be a report due in two weeks and they had to work in pairs. Carmen glanced towards Lana knowingly and before Lana could respond, Mrs. Hathaway called for their attention.

"Unfortunately, you are not going to pick your own team member. I've assigned the pairs already so, please check the notice on the board for who your partner will be, okay? "she said.

There was a chorus of groans and protest from the classroom just as the final bell rang. Everyone started to pack their belongings and swarmed the board in front to see who their partners were.

Carmen groaned dramatically. "And here I thought we could finally work on an assignment together."

Lana shrugged as she packed her bag. "Seems like you're not the only one who is upset about this, "she said while gesturing towards Suzie who was clearly upset that she could not be a pair with her boyfriend, Steven.

Carmen giggled at the whining Suzie who was clinging onto Steven's arm. "She's such a baby sometimes. "She said as she walked up towards the board.

Lana lagged behind, trying to make sure all her belongings were with her .As she went to the front she noticed River talking to Mrs. Hathaway in a hush yet urgent tone. She could feel their gaze on her as she passed by them to check the board.

"I'm sorry River but I can't change your partner. If I did that then the other students would expect the same treatment. "Lana heard Mrs. Hathaway tell River is an apologetic tone.

"I understand that, Mrs. Hathaway but please reconsider. "River pressed.

Lana stopped herself from glancing back at the two but she was curious as to what expression River wore. But more than that, she really wanted to know who his partner was as it was clear that he desperately wanted that to change. For the well-loved and highly-praised River Attwood to be particularly begging their teacher for something like this, he must really hate his assigned partner. When Lana finally found her name on the list, her heart sunk as she noticed the name beside hers.

She turned to Mrs. Hathaway and River who were both looking at her, as though they were anticipating her reaction.

Mrs. Hathaway sighed, knowing by the look on Lana's face that she too shared the same sentiment as River. "Please don't tell me you want to change your partner as well,"

"I'm not very keen on working with someone who clearly despises me. "Lana gestured towards River, a sweet smile playing on her lips. River scoffed.

"I'm sorry you two, but no means no. Whatever problems you two have with each other, sort it out. "Mrs Hathaway said as she grabbed her stuff and walked towards the door. "Remember, the report is due in two weeks! "she called out cheerfully as she left the classroom.

Immediately Lana felt uncomfortable by being all alone with the intimidating River in the classroom. She was at least expecting him to say something but he just stayed silent. "Hey-"Lana started, trying to break the awkward silence looming between the two. Instead of hearing her out, River clicked his tongue and rushed out of the classroom. Lana gawked at the spot where he was just standing in complete disbelief. "What a fucking jerk. "She muttered to herself before turning to leave in a huff.

"You're early, "Ray said with a surprised look on his face when Lana walked into the rangers' station. Lana offered him a weak smile, not really in the mood to explain that the only reason she came in early was to get her mind off River and his shitty attitude towards her. Lana placed her stuff in the locker before glancing out the window to gaze at the forest. The sun was setting and the longer Lana stared out at the forest, the more she remembered her consistent dream.

Rosecliff may be a small town with nothing much to do, but there is a large forest in between Rosecliff and its neighboring town High caster. This forest is a well-known tourist spot for people who are into recreational hobbies such as hiking, camping and even hunting during certain seasons. But to Lana, it was a place where she could come to escape.

Her duties as a ranger was not too taxing, all she had to do was occasionally go on patrols with the other rangers and make sure the campers at the campsite were obeying the forest laws.

"Lana, "Ray called her over as she was tightening her boots.

"What's up?"

"We got word that there's a disturbance in the south part of the forest, Jack and I will head over to check it out. "Ray said urgently as he grabbed his tools. "Could you man-the-fort until Hannah comes over?"

"Yeah, of course. Do you know what's wrong?"

"Apparently some campers wandered out too far. "Jack replied as he opened the door for Ray.

Lana nodded and watched the two men leave.

After a while, Hannah, another part timer and Lana's senior arrived, the two chatted until the sun went down. Lana was starting to get worried since she hadn't heard back from Ray or Jack. Feeling her anxiety overwhelm her, Lana stood up suddenly causing Hannah to jolt in surprise.

"What's wrong? "Hannah frowned.

"I'm going down to the campsite, just to check on things. "She said as she grabbed her walkie-talkie from the table and fastened it on her belt.

"Okay, I'll signal you if I hear anything from Jack or Ray. "She said reassuringly, somehow knowing that Lana was antsy about it. "Be careful!" "Thanks, and I will. "she waved at her before leaving.

*

Down at the campsite everything seemed to be in order. There were some children chasing each other around in a game of tag. Their parents were close by, deep in conversation. Lana approached a group sitting around a campfire and reminded them to put out the fire properly before they rest for the night. Nothing seemed out of place so Lana decided to head back to the station.

She paused for a second-feeling the cold breeze brush against her cheek. Somehow, her instincts were screaming at her. Something was not right. Just in cue, she heard a loud growl. She turned around towards the campsite but the campers did not seem to be affected by the sound. Lana reached for her walkie-talkie from her pocket.

"Hannah, are you there? Over. "Lana whispered through the device.

The loud static that emitted from the walkie-talkie echoed through the quiet forest. "I'm here, what's up ?Over."

"I think there's a potential threat east of the campsite. I heard a growl. Over."

"Shit, I think you should come back. We'll try to get in contact with Ray. Over."

"I think it might be a bear. Over."

"Lana, come back right now, okay?!Over."

Lana stayed silent. She knows it's not logical for her to venture through the forest alone but thinking about how close the threat was to the campsite, her moral compass was not letting her walk away-she has to protect the campers from threats like this after all.

"I'm going to check it out. Over. "Lana said. Before Hannah could protest, Lana turned down the walkie-talkie's volume and walked towards the source of the sound.

Lana wrecked her brain to bring out all the knowledge Ray taught her when it came to tracking animals. She walked swiftly yet silently, trying her best to not alert any creatures or frightened them. Lana sighed when she realized she walked quite a distance away from the campsite and there was no bear in sight. Feeling a bit silly that she might have overreacted, Lana took out her walkie-talkie to inform Hannah about the false alarm. Rustling of the bushes nearby made her freeze. She moved carefully towards it only to find a large creature on the ground. Although it was night, the soft moonlight penetrating the clouds above made it clear to Lana that the creature was injured. Lana steeled herself as she made her way closer to the animal. Now that she was close enough to the creature, she recognized it as a wolf covered in dark grey fur. Its mouth was slightly opened as it struggled to breathe through harsh pants.

Lana's eyes trailed down to its body where it's torso was bleeding from what seemed to be three deep slashes. The dark liquid painted the grassy ground below them.

"What happened to you...?"Lana whispered. The wolf's ear twitched but its eyes remained shut. She knew that if she did not help it, it was going to bleed out. She pulled her walkie-talkie towards her lips. "Hannah I need some assistance. Over."

*

With the help of Hannah and some nice campers, they managed to carry the wolf to the back of the rangers' pickup truck after must difficulty. Lana turned to Hannah who looked sick at the fact that her hands and clothes were covered with the wolf's blood.

"When Ray comes back, let him know I'm going to take the wolf to the vet."

"...okay...be careful. "Hannah replied, not even trying to hide the fact that she was getting nauseous.

Lana got into the driver's seat and shut the door. "I have some spare clothes in my locker, change into that okay?" "...Thanks, "Hannah said as she weakly waved goodbye to Lana.

The drive to the animal clinic took around 10 minutes from the rangers' station. But to Lana's dismay, it was closed for the night due to the vet being out of town. Lana sighed deeply as she went over to look at the wolf. Before moving the creature to the truck, they managed to loosely wrap the wounds up but Lana knows that the wounds need to be cleaned to avoid infection.

To her better judgement, Lana got back into the driver's seat and decided to drive home.

*

Lana cleaned and bandaged the wolf's wounds as best as she could. She was worried that the longer she spent with it, it might wake up and attack her. Since she was alone at home, she parked the truck in the garage and left the wolf in the back of the truck. After the entire process, Lana was famished and her back was aching.

"Get well soon, buddy. "She muttered to the wolf as she dared to gently run her fingers through its soft fur. Again, it's ear twitched but its eyes remained shut. Lana walked to the door, she switched off the garage lights before heading to the bathroom to take a long awaited shower.

Feeling refreshed from her shower, Lana decided to cook something for dinner. Her phone ran while she was stir-frying some chicken.

"Lana?!"Ray's panicked voice made Lana jump.

"Y-Yeah? "she answered hesitantly as she switched off the gas. "What's this about a wolf???"

"Well, it's a long story..."Lana muttered. As though Ray had reminded her about the large animal resting in her garage, she took a large bowl and filled it with water. She thought that if the wolf woke up, it might be thirsty.

"This has to be the most reckless thing you have done! What were you thinking being that close to an injured animal? Where is it right now?"

"Um...in the garage?"

"WHAT?!"Lana had to move the phone away from her ear from Ray's sudden shouting.

After making sure Ray was not yelling anymore, she brought the phone back to her ear. "The vet wasn't in and what did you want me to do, leave it at the side of the street to bleed out?" Ray let out a choked laugh. "You talk as if it's a dog instead of a fucking wolf."

Lana sighed as she pushed the garage door open. She had her back to the truck as she navigated blindly to where the light switch was. "Calm down already. It's not a big deal. The wolf was asleep the entire time. "She reassured him. She finally found the light switch and turned it on. "I managed to clean its wounds but we probably need to take it to a vet tomorrow-"

Lana's grip on the bowl loosened as it fell to the ground with a loud thud, water splashing everywhere.

"Lana? "She could hear Ray calling out to when she suddenly got quiet.

Lana wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if she was going crazy. She stared at the back of the truck where she was certain the wolf was resting. Almost as though she was in a trance, she stared directly into that all so familiar icy blue glare. A boy sat at the back of the truck, naked with bloodied bandages hanging loosely around his torso. There was no sign of the wolf as though this entire situation was some sort of sick prank someone was pulling.

"River? "she called out, immediately feeling doubtful that this was even reality. River responded by standing up, fully displaying his naked body to Lana who instantly averted her eyes.

"Forget everything you saw today. Speak of this to anyone and I'll...kill you."