Under a Silent Moon

13

Chapter Thirteen: A Droplet of Blood

LANA

I turned off my alarm last night so I could sleep as long as I please, but apparently my mom isn't interested in letting me have my way for once.

When she barges into my room at the crack of dawn, I throw a pillow over the side of my bed to warn Zack. His eyes dart open and he shimmies under my bed, taking the blankets with him.

"What?" I ask irritably, shielding my eyes from the light of the hall.

"Um, school? Or is that something you've given up on as well?"

I groan and roll over, my back facing her. "I'm sick. I'm taking the day off. Please don't give me any shit about it, I'm not in the mood."

She pauses for a second before saying, "You know, just because you're miserable doesn't mean you have to make everyone else miserable too, Lana." But with that, she closes the door behind her. I'm almost shocked at what a non-fight that was.

When her footsteps echo down the hall, I peer over the side of my mattress, thinking, there really is a monster under my bed. The top of Zack's dark hair juts out, followed by his deeply green eyes.

I smile at him despite how bizarre this situation is. "It's safe to emerge."

He grips the frame and slides himself out. The red phone is resting on his chest.

"How is that working for you?" I ask, gesturing to it.

"I haven't been able to connect to the Internet. Kind of want to see what people have been saying about me."

I inadvertently purse my lips. Maybe it's best you don't, I want to say. Instead, I change the subject.

"So, I made a list," I tell him, going into the Notes app on my phone. The screen brightness is blinding in my dark room. He rests his arms on the side of my bed with his head set atop his folded hands. "Number one: come up with a believable story that will explain your absence for the last six months." He nods and I continue. "Number two: get you some clothes that will expose the least amount of skin." I turn to him, suddenly rethinking this bullet. "Wait, is your skin sensitive to the sun? Or is that fictional?"

"I don't burst into flames," he explains. "But it's uncomfortable."

"Okay," I say, deciding to keep number two on the list. "Number three: test your ability to control the cravings before introducing you back into society."

"How are we going to do that?"

I have some ideas. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, how about that?"

He seems skeptical but doesn't press it.

We catch a bus to the mall. I give Zack a couple more pieces of Blake's clothing, but I can't keep raiding my brother's closet to clothe my undead friend. He's cloaked in all black--black jeans, black hoodie that's once again pulled over his head to shade his eyes from the sun. Even black Nike shoes. Zack claims this won't draw attention to us, but if he's dressed like a burglar I think some people may notice.

We walk into a men's outlet and I'm completely lost. I barely understand women's fashion, let alone men's. Zack seems to be clueless as well, so we approach an employee and tell him we need a couple casual outfits. Lucky for us, this guy is more than willing to help, and when he hands us a stack of items to try on, Zack brings them directly to the cashier and checks out without so much as a glance at what he's buying. When he pulls a wad of cash out from his back pocket, I suddenly remember that he's the son of a wealthy businessman.