Mission: Moonlight Adventure

The engine purrs. Intake hisses as the beast whips around the winding road. Wind tousles with her chestnut-colored hair.

Moonlight leads the way to an empty pasture. Lightening bugs fly through the open air. Meghane pressed the brake pedal to the floor and shifted to park.

She jumps out of the convertible and spins around. Honeysuckle permeates the air. Humidity frizzes her hair more so. Meghane made her way towards the center of the field and lays back on the soft grass.

The small town illuminates the night’s sky as the pasture sits on a high hill. Viewing the town from this angle, the skyline looks so much busier than it normally is. Townspeople come to life after dark. Moonlight sparks an interesting adventure in this town.

There is a medical condition where the sun’s rays will burn your skin. Ultraviolet lighting is not their friends. Because of the condition, these people have formed their own tribe. They’ve flocked to one town so that they aren’t the outcasts any longer.

Being alone is the worst feeling for a teenager. Meghane knew that romance would probably never be in her life. The light of her existence would continue to be the moonlight.

Sounds of a snapping twig cause her to whirl her head around trying to see who was around. Most people didn’t know this pasture existed. Most were too worried about taking a path that no one familiarized themselves with.

Which is why its perfect for you. No one to bother you. Silence and no pressure to be anyone besides yourself.

The thoughts that she’d been having lately were more on the morbid side. However, when you can never feel the rays of sunlight beaming down on your skin, never knowing the warmth that so many people desire, there’s a twisted sense of humor that you develop.

Emerging from the shadow comes another teenager. “I’m sorry to bother you. My parents just bought a house here. It’s right on the other side of the hill.”

“Then I would be trespassing on your property. If I am, I apologize. I didn’t realize that anyone lived here.”

“Today is the first day here.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “You are the first person I’ve seen in the whole town. Cars seemed to be abandoned.”

Meghane caught herself smiling. “That’s because this town has a massive issue with sunlight. We are all sort of like vampires.”

“I just recently found out that I was a vampire myself.” She showed the fake fangs with a small giggle.

“You know what I think?”

“We could be good friends?”

Meghane nods. “I think we are going to be more than good friends.” She admired the girl before her. The blonde hair was fine and pale. Her skin looked hallow. Bone structure was sunken and there was no brightness to her eyes.

The thoughts rushed over her about when she found out that she had the vampire disease as she called it. Being alone and feeling like she was the cause of her parents unhappiness. They couldn’t do anything that they were used to doing because it would burn her.

Pain was something that she was used to after all of the tests in the hospital trying to find out what was wrong with her. Inner thoughts were the biggest theft of her happiness for the longest time. Now she was going to make friends with this girl if it was the only good thing she did in her life.

“Why don’t I show you around the town and introduce you to some of the other kids?”

“Sounds like a blast. However, I must let my parents know where I am going. Come with me to meet them?” The eager girl drags her towards the other side of the hill.

Meghane let herself be dragged towards the house that was perched on the side of the hill. Why have you never noticed the house? There’s no way it was just built. Half of it looks like its falling apart. Maybe they plan on fixing it up… Her thoughts wondered through many possibilities.

“Mom! Dad!” the girl hollers through the house. Her parents come running through the house and the floorboards creak.

There is panic in their voice, “Is everything okay? Are you hurt? Something that you need?” The questions fly through like water pouring through a floodgate.

“I’m fine. Think its better than fine. Meet -” her voice drops off realizing they never exchanged names.

“Meghane,” she supplied. “I’ve lived in town for the last five years. The hospital I was being treated at heard about the town and sent me here. This is my personal Transylvania.”

Laughter erupts from the group. Smiles cross the faces of parents that were stressed.

“She wants to take me exploring the town. Meet new people. May I go with her?”

“Of course dear,” her mother coos. “There’s no reason you shouldn’t make friends.After we learned that most who live here have the same condition, we couldn’t wait to get here. Go enjoy yourself Rina. We will be waiting to hear all about it.”

“Do you need a ride into town?”

“No sir. My car is on the other side of the hill. My favorite pasttime is riding through the hilltop with the top down on my convertible. The wind in my hair, the moonlight guiding me, it all gives me peace and solace with the solitary life I lead.”

“You don’t seem old enough to drive.”

“I got my hardship license at 16 because of my condition. My parents both have to work. Sometimes they are out of town so if something happens, I had to be able to take care of myself.”

“You seem quite the independent type,” Rina’s mother chimes in.

“I don’t like to be some days. When I was sick, there were days I didn’t think I’d make it out of the hospital. Even now, I wonder how I made it this long. It’s why I want to make sure Rina meets people. Think of me like the welcoming committee for your daughter.”

“If that’s the case, please make sure she has fun. She deserves that and to laugh and be a normal teenager. Maybe here she can finally have the life that we’ve always wanted for her.”

“Gladly. I’ll make sure I have her here before sunrise. Most of us teens stay out all night. Maybe later on, I can show her how I attend school. I already have my associates degree too.”

“You’re parents must be proud of you Meghane,” Rina looks towards her with admiration. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to do that with everything going on in my life with the diagnosis.”

“This is the beginning of your new life. We have plenty of adventures to go, but let’s get the first one happening.” She leads Rina out of the house and towards the opposite side of the hill. Once there, they jump over the doors into her car.

“This is yours?!” Both a question and a statement at once.

Meghane nods, “Let’s go and have some fun.”

Rina lets her hair go and closes her eyes as they wind through the face of the hill towards the illuminated town below. “You are going to love the town. Arcade or food first?”

“I’ve never been to an arcade. Then again, I’ve never been in a convertible with the top down either. The night can only get better from here, right?”

“Exactly, stay positive and nothing can bring you down. The world is already against us and positivity is the only way we can fight back.”

The car took them towards town as the engine rumbled. Streets were crowded with people.

“Meghane, I didn’t realize there were so many people here.”

“Most people don’t. Because we can’t do anything in the sunlight, the cars stay hidden, if people even have them.”

“What do people do at the arcade?”

Meghane laughed without thinking. “It’s a place where people play video games. Most of us are pretty good at a few because we can do it in the dark and not have to worry about getting hurt. This town will protect our own. You are now part of that too.”

“Thank you for making me feel welcomed. You really don’t have to do this though.”

“I know I don’t. However, from the way you were discussing everything, you’ve been recently diagnosed. I remember what I went through when I was first told. That’s not something I wish anyone had to do alone without friends. This isn’t something that everyone understands. It’s why this town is so close.”

In the wind, you can hear people calling Meghane’s name. They try to grab her attention, but right now there is only one thing on her mind and it’s making sure the new girl doesn’t feel like the new kid.

“Let’s go. We are here.” They get out of the car and head into the building. Games let out their constant beeping as many teens are focused on the screens before them.

“Who’s this?” A boy asked Meghane as they walked through the door.

“Meet Rina. She’s new in town and I figured that she could use some friends.” Within a few minutes there was a small group gathered around and they were all making conversations with each other and including Rina.

Meghane watched as the smile on her face stayed. There was no sadness that she could see. The feeling of making friends and not being the outcast was the biggest adventure they could ever be on in their life.

Hours pasted with the blink of an eye. The group of vampire teens didn’t miss a beat. However they all said their goodbyes knowing the sun would be rising soon.

There were many teens that expressed their happiness at meeting Rina. When they made their way back to the car, Meghane closed the top on the convertible.

“I hope that you enjoyed yourself Rina.”

“I did. Not a doubt about that. I didn’t think that I would have a group of friends that would comprehend what I am going through. However, we all do here.”

“It’s why I wanted to introduce you to the people I know. We are just like regular people. We have bullies, jocks, preps and whatnot. The only difference is that when push comes to shove, we have each other’s back. Abandonment is not something that we take lightly.”

“Tonight was a blast. I can’t wait to go somewhere else next time we come out.”

“You are right. For tonight though, the adventure is put on pause. We need to get you back home before the sun comes up.”

They drive back in silence. The night’s bustling energy is starting to wear off. Tiredness sets in as the sun becomes closer to the horizon causing the sky to lighten. Meghane pulls up to Rina’s house and lets her out. She waits until Rina opens the door before speeding down the hill to her own house and family.

“This adventure must continue…” Meghane tells herself as she lands in bed and drifts to sleep with only the memories of tonight to soothe her aching heart.