"It's just that...Dad's books weren't selling. He dove further and
further into his work and was constantly working. Mom was trying to
hold two jobs and also trying to keep a happy face, so she was so
focused on that that I can't think of the last time she tried to
talk to me at all. Hadrian's the only one who doesn't completely
ignore me, but he always makes a ton of friends and never has time
for me, so our relationship is really strained. It's all made
moving just a routine, and I don't really feel connected anywhere."
"WHAT?!" Winnie nearly shouted, which earned a few strange looks
from the kids at nearby tables. She did her best to ignore them as
she stared at the blonde. "You mean you've NEVER been to school?"
She whispered. "How'd you even get an education then?!"
"Oh." The lightbulb finally went off, and Kieran realized why
Melody was so eager to have a conversation. Unfortunately, that was
something Kieran didn't consider himself good at. He searched the
corners of his mind for the right words. "...I hope things turn out
alright for your whole family," He finally settled on. It sounded a
little cheesy, and he blushed, but it had to be said.
Melody smiled. "Thanks. I try my best not to cause trouble, and
things seem to turn out okay. But it does mean a lot to me that you
talk to me. So thanks for that!"
"Ah, no problem," Kieran responded, a little flustered. He wasn't
used to compliments, and he clasped his fingers together in his
combined hoodie pocket, feeling a little awkward. "Classes start
again in... around 10 minutes," He mentioned, gesturing to the
cafeteria clock, the ticking of its hands being silent compared to
the cacophony of voices in the room. "Maybe you should look for
your classroom?" He suggested.
Melody nodded. "I think I know my way around now. And I am going to
go to the forest after school. I just feel like I need to see
something there. So, now you know. Okay, bye!" She waved as she ran
off.
Kieran watched Melody run off uneasily. Hopefully nothing bad would
happen. Kieran would be disappointed if she ended up moving again
because of the monsters; things would probably be a little less
interesting. Hmm... speaking of the woods... Kieran walked outside
and took a look at the sky. Despite it being bright and blue, he
could still see the moon, which was practically a whole circle at
this point. He'd have to transform into a raccoon dog from sunset
to next sunset, which would be annoying. No one would wonder where
he was, thankfully. He paced around a bit, before walking back
inside.
After the bell finally rang, signalling the end of Melody's final
class, she sprang up. "Finally!", she cheered, drawing a few
glances from some other students. But the teacher simply waved her
hand, and everyone flooded out. "And now..Forest time!" Melody
laughed. She exited the school and made her way towards the trees,
unaware of the tiny yellow pinpricks watching her from the deep....
The sun was already on the horizon, as it usually was when it
wasn't summer in Princeville. Kieran thought he would have more
time. Panicking and rushing, he returned the cleaning supplies,
thanked the school, and rushed home, slightly stressed. He ate a
lot of berries he'd collected to fill him up, so as not to let his
raccoon dog instincts take over when he transformed. Finally, he
felt himself become a short canine. Kieran still didn't know how it
worked. Maybe it was exposure to the moon? Whatever the case,
Kieran padded into the woods, like he typically did every month.
Scenting something familiar, he padded in that direction... to find
Melody! She was going exploring after all. Might as well follow
her... it would be more interesting than just being alone. He
stayed out of sight, hiding in the bushes.
Melody kept heading further and further into the trees. She was
starting around her with awe. "Wow, this place is amazing!" She was
not paying attention and soon had found herself deep in the forest.
"Uh oh..." Melody sighed. "Why do I always mess everything up?! I
should've tried to get Hadrian to come with me, he's good at
directions." As Melody tried to find the path, there was a loud
rustling from the trees around her, and a quiet groan that made her
jump. "W-who's there?"
"Thank goodness that's over with." Winnie muttered. She hoisted up
her backpack, then headed towards the exit. Suddenly, out of the
corner of her eye, Winnie spied a girl practically sprinting for
the forest. Wait.....Wasn't that the girl who had just moved to
Princeville? What on earth was she doing? Curious, Winnie slowly
followed after her. A part of her mind told her to go back and stay
the heck away from the woods, but it seemed curiosity drowned out
rational thinking, and she continued on.
Having sharp ears was both a blessing and a curse for Kieran. On
one hand, he could pick up things that were really far away! On the
other hand, even quiet noises could hurt his ears. Kieran felt his
hackles rise as he heard the noise, and he pressed himself into the
ground to say quiet and out of sight. He was glad he'd come, this
was far more suspenseful than meandering on his own.
Winnie jumped again, but not as much as she had the first time.
After catching her breath, she pointed towards the nearby
forest.
"There's a girl who just moved here, and for some reason she just
went into the forest." Winnie shrugged. "I guess my curiosity got
the better of me." There was also a small sliver of concern for the
girl. There were many rumors about the things that lurked in the
woods, and while Winnie had never believed them before, certain
recent...events, had made her a little less skeptical.
Suddenly, moving out of the bushes were three tall, almost humanoid
creatures. They were about 6 to 7 feet tall, with yellow eyes and
gaping jaws. They were dressed in medieval uniforms, and stumbled
forward, groaning louder and louder. They had formed a circle
around Melody and were closing in fast. Melody dived between two of
them, but the "zombies" were fast, and were chasing after her.