By the Light of the Moon

Chapter Two: Reflection

My eyes fly open at the sound of my alarm. I jump up and quickly turn it off. I fall back down onto my bed, face first into my pillow. My phone dings and I grab it off my bedside table.

Saturday, October 26

11:01AM

I roll my eyes and clear all my notifications and climb back into bed. I'm at peace for what seems like three seconds before my phone starts to ring. I groan and answer angrily.

"What do you want, Persephone?" I question.

"Hey now, why are you so mad, I haven't even done anything." she says.

"I'm not mad, I'm just ti-", she cuts me off, "Yes you are, you only say my whole first name like that when you're mad." she rambles.

"Sorry, Persy. I'm just tired. What are you calling me for? I'm about to go back to sleep." I say more calmly.

"Uh, no you are not. You have to get up. That's why I called, because I knew you were going to forget and try to sleep in. You need to start getting ready, you know how long it takes you. I don't even know if you have all your stuff." she explains.

"Hold up," I say sitting up, "All my stuff for what? What are we getting ready for?" I say, lost.

"The Fall festival, idiot. You know, trick-or-treating, downtown, with all the people and the little stands that they give candy out at." She goes on and on about the festival and her costume. I spot the paper on my bedside table.

I return the energy she gave me before and cut her off, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you guys come to my house to play a trick on me last night? Like around 2AM?" I ask.

"No. Catherine dropped me off at 10 after the game and she was home by 10:30. Why? What happened?" she asks.

I tune her out and think about the events that happened roughly nine ours ago. The knock, the lightning, the flashes, the voice. My breathing gets heavy. Persy calling my name brings me back to reality.

"Rachel... Rach? Hello? What happened?" she says sounding worried.

"Nothing, I'm fine, I'll tell you later. Can you stay the night with me tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure. Just park at my house and I can ride with you home after the festival."

"Okay," I say quietly.

"I have to go get ready. Don't be late. See you soon, love you." she says quickly.

"Love you too," I spit out before she abruptly hangs up.

             I get off of my bed and walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I sigh at the image in the mirror. The circles around my eyes are so dark. Blue, green, and grey looking similar to bruises. "I look like a fucking raccoon..." I whisper to myself.
             I head downstairs and into the kitchen. I grab a glass of water and take my medicine. "You going to the festival today?" my mom asks as she walks into the room.

"Yeah," I reply, "is it okay if Persy stays the night?" I ask, taking another sip of my water.

"Yeah, I don't care. Go ahead and go eat something before y'all come home. I'm going to see Jenny, we're going to Mikey's Halloween party. And I don't know when I'm gonna be home, so don't even ask." she added.

"Okay?.." I deflect. I begin to walk away and she grabs my wrist.

"What's this?" she says, lifting up my tank top over my sports bra to examine my shoulders and spine.

"What are you talking about?" I question. She doesn't say anything. "Mom, what?" I say, getting irritated. I turn my head, trying to get a view of my back. I gasp and see dark bruises on my shoulder.

"What happened to you?" she asks.

"Nothing, I just fell down the last few stairs last night, I'm fine." I lie and let out a fake laugh. It's enough to convince her.

"Whatever, be more careful next time." she says with a sigh of relief.

"I will, I got to go get ready, let me know when you leave," I say and run up the stairs into my room.

"Careful!!" I hear her yell behind me.

             I lock my door and pull my tank top over my head and take my sports bra off. I run to my mirror and look over my shoulder to see the bruises. Jesus... it looks like I got stoned or something. I guess that dream wasn't just a dream. How hard did the wind throw me against the stairs? damn... The weirdest thing is that it doesn't even hurt. I throw my shirt back on and grab all my makeup and supplies I need to get ready and begin.
             I take my time as I do my makeup, adding small details that no one but myself would notice. I glance out my window, reflecting and blending the autumn hues across my skin.  Satisfied with my look, I curl my hair lightly and brush it out leaving loose waves.  I put on my dress, wings, bracelets, a leaf crown I made and my little shoes.   I add some glitter here and there and stare at myself in the mirror for a solid 5 minutes, observing my work. 

             What even is the point? I just want to lie in bed. The anxiety of being around all the townspeople is creeping in and I'm beginning to regret my costume and even regret my acceptance to attend with Persy.  The little voice in the back of my mind is trying to persuade me to cancel. I ignore it and decide I must go.

             I turn the light off in the bathroom and fall backwards onto my bed. I check my phone for the first time in hours. Its 4:48pm and the festival starts at 5:30.  I decide to leave my house at around 5:15 to park at Persy's house. Her living so close to downtown proves convenient for many events like this. Plus her family doesn't mind. I've known them forever.
             Persy and I met in kindergarten. I used to play t-ball with her little brother because I was too scared to move up into softball, their dad was our coach. That's one thing about small towns.  Your coach is often not only just a coach. Alot of our coaches in high school are teachers too. In this case, he was my best friends father.  
             When I got too old to play t-ball, they made me quit. I started cheerleading, Persy tried and soon realized it wasn't her thing.  We stayed close and I'm really thankful for that. I could honestly not imagine life without her.

             I text her about times and check snapchat and Instagram. I look on snapmap to see who all is downtown already and I roll my eyes and groan about my findings. It's not like I'm an awful person and everyone hates me.  It's just that mostly everyone around here is the same. Country, redneck, close minded, very religious yet wild at the same time. 80% never leave this town or eventually come back. It's exhausting and boring but I try to be nice.

             5:15 rolls around and I grab my phone, keys, a bag for candy, and the paper with the riddle from my dream vision thingy.  I walk downstairs and look for my mom as I realize she hasn't left yet. I find her grabbing her purse and phone off the table. She steps back and looks at me. I do a little twirl. To show her the costume.

"Looks good, so does your makeup." She says.

"Thanks. You leaving now too?" I ask. 

"Yeah," she answers, "lock the door behind us. You got everything?"

I nod and we walk to the door.  I pet my dogs and tell them I'll be back soon.  My mom and I walk out and I lock the door. 

"Text me when you get there and get home." She starts as she steps off the porch. "Oh- and be careful, I don't trust people."

I roll my eyes and say "I will." 

I slide into my little old car and look at my reflection in the rearview mirror. I take a few slow, deep breaths and try to collect myself before I start driving and jump into this hell hole of undesirable humans.  I sigh, put the car in reverse, and begin my little journey.