Crescent Moon

03

I continued to stare at the photo in shock, not knowing what to say. Other than having jade green eyes and a darker shade of red hair, this girl could've passed for my twin.

She wore jean shorts and a pink tank top, standing on a fishing dock, holding a fishing rod in one hand and a huge, silver fish in the other, a wide grin on her face. Beside the photo, there was writing in Sharpie that read, 'Sarah caught her first catch!'

"That's so freaky," I heard Perry saying, though I wasn't paying attention. "I wonder who that chick is."

I took the scrapbook from Perry and flipped through the other pages, though there weren't any more photos.

"Ava, are you okay?" he asked, voice laced with concern.

I gave a curt nod, for some reason not able to speak.

Along with the shock of how much we looked like, there was also a familial pull that tugged at me, telling me that I should know this girl, that this girl, along with how identical we were, had some kind of connection to me.

Reluctantly, I set the book down, telling myself that this was ridiculous, that I was blowing this whole thing out of proportion. This girl just looked like me, a lot of people had people who looked similar to each other, and she meant nothing to me.

But something deep inside of me told me that wasn't the case, that this meant a lot more than I thought.

***

I stood on the back porch, staring into the woods, watching for any threats that may lurk in the shadows. Eric, Blake, and I had volunteered for the first watch. Blake was guarding the front porch and I was guarding the back porch. Eric was on top of the roof, getting a birds-eye view of the forest that surrounded us. Inside, Rikki, Perry, and Brandon were resting. We would get them up in an hour to stand watch, then they'd watch for an hour, then the cycle would continue until the sun rose.

I knew I was supposed to be concentrating on the woods in front of me, but I couldn't stop thinking about that girl, Sarah. Something deep inside me kept telling me that this girl had a connection to me and I should know her and it wouldn't go away.

It made me think of my biological parents - or the mystery that surrounded them. They'd given me away when I was born. I never knew what their names were, never saw a photo or anything. I wasn't even sure if my name came from them or if it was just given to me from the orphanage. My whole life was one big mystery.

I always had resentment towards them for giving me away, letting me have to go through everything in those foster homes. I'd wondered if they had more kids and the thought made my blood boil. 

Seeing Sarah's photo made me wonder if she was my sister, and that my biological parents had another kid, that they just didn't want me.

A growl escaped my lips, startling me.

Eric peeked down from the roof. "Everything alright?"

"Yes," I said, a flush creeping over my face. "I'm fine."

He stared down at me for a moment longer before disappearing again. 

I sighed and looked out at the woods again. I shouldn't be thinking about this. I told myself a long time ago that I wouldn't give my biological parents any more thought or energy, that they didn't mean anything to me since they were the ones that gave me up in the first place. Besides, I had my own family now. I was surrounded by my family - and Rikki. 

I shook my head ruefully. I had to learn how to let the past go, to focus on my future. I had to put my past and that girl in the photo -

A sound up ahead caught my attention. I tensed and peered intensely into the woods.

Two glowing eyes peered at me. My breath caught in my throat as a huge, blonde wolf appeared.

Before I could call out to Blake and Eric, something hard struck my head. I cried out as my knees buckled and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. I fell to the ground, black spots swimming in my vision.

The last thing I saw before everything went black was the wolf approaching me.

EDITED: 9/12/21