CHAPTER SIX

THE ANAEMIC LUNA

CHAPTER EIGHT
TANNER'S P.O.V

-TO CASEY

"I'm perfectly fine. You know we need to talk about what happened today, right?"

I typed and clicked on the 'Send' button. I flinged my phone on my bed and dropped on my bed face first. I rested my arms behind my head, wondering about Casey's weird actions earlier today. Just when I was doing so, my mother stepped I to my room, not bothering to knock the door. Personally, it's a big turn off for me. I can go bananas if it were Leo, Casey or any other friend I had who did that. Even when my mother is superior and my guardian, I believe she should understand how privacy works.

"Did you have breakfast before leaving home today, Tan?"

"Erm…"

"Did you have lunch?"

"Mom,"

"Did you eat anything when you got back home?" I noticed her voice rising, and her right hand behind her back tightening, probably because she was holding on to something.

My suspicions will be confirmed when she removed a wooden ladle and raised it to lash me. I immediately jumped out of bed, running round the room in order to avoid my mother's lashes. She chased after me effortlessly, but I eventually sidestepped her and hugged her from behind. She began to laugh, and so did I too. I felt a kid crack against my forehead, and I noticed she eventually landed a shot with the ladle spoon.

"Ow! Mom!"

"I told you I was gonna smack you the next time you skip a meal." she scolded, turning to face me. I smiled back at her as she rubbed her fingers on the spot she hit the ladle spoon.

"Come on," she beckoned, "There's food in the kitchen."

"In a minute, Mom." I stuttered, noticing the bag was just beside my bed. When my mother turned back to face me, I tried my best to conceal the panicky feeling creeping up my chest. She simply smiled back and exited my room.

I sighed heavily and dashed for the bag, stuffing it under my bed. I propped singlet, fetched my pants from the closet and started heading for the kitchen.

*******

"You would always skip food without thinking twice, and here you are, chomping down on that spaghetti like that's going to be the last thing you'd have in a decade." my mother remarked and chuckled.

I paused afterwards to stare at my plate and the way I held my fork. I indeed was eating abnormally. The feel of my oily lips on my seemed to prove it further. I immediately reached for the napkin and dabbed my lips. My mother wasn't going to let go of this any soon as she kept on laughing.

"Mom!" I grunted.

"Okay okay," she tried muffling her laughter. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

A sudden wave of emotion struck me, and my expression became sullen. My mother, picking up the sudden change inquires, "What's wrong, Tan? Why the face all of a sudden?"

"I… I miss home, Mom."

"My goodness, Tan—"

"No no, Mom. Don't get it wrong. I'm not having this 'homesick' sort of attitude. This is our new home and I know that I'd get acquainted with leaving here with time. But Mom, even if I do, I don't think I'd be able to make any new friends here. The Peacock Block, Leo, the grumpy old woman by the lakeside," I noticed my Mom laugh at the mention of the old woman. "I can't replace these people, Mom. I've known them for as long as I can remember. You might say that I can always go visit them, but you know that isn't a hundred percent true. I can't always see them like they were next door." I grunted, digging my fork into what was left of the spaghetti on my plate.

My mother got up from her seat and walked up to me, half-resting her butt on there dining table.

"At some point, you'd eventually be far from these people, Tan. Farther than how we are from them now." she said, holding my hands. I rolled my eyes, mouthing "Ah, right". She chuckled and continued,

"You just have to get accustomed to change, Tan." she said in a persuasive tone, ruffling my hair before picking up her now empty plate and mine.

I decided to lighten up my mood and ask her about the food.

"I sensed you added curry to the food, Mom. Am I right?"

"Ah, your sense of smell is developing, my boy." she said, remarking my being correct, "But no, I didn't add curry." she smiled.

I was taken aback by her response. How's that even possible? I clearly made out the smell of curry in the food.

"I accidentally smeared curry on my hands whilst dishing out the food. After holding onto your plate, it probably must have left an ounce of its particles." she explained, making me gasp in surprise.

"Just the way you made out the smekl of the curry, I also smell a girl's schoolbag in your bedroom" she said, winking before she entered the kitchen.

My goodness! She actually saw the bag! I followed her hastily to the kitchen to confirm if she actually saw the bag or not.

"Wh-What bag are you talking about?"

"Ah, I must have picked a different scent then. Maybe I am just mistaking." she said in a time that sounds rather sarcastic.

"Erm, it's for a friend, Mom." I confessed.

"What friend?"

"Come on, Mom. You know what I'm talking about."

"The bag?"

"Of course!" I rolled my eyes.

My mother chuckled, reaching for a sponge to cleanse the dishes. I immediately dismissed myself from the scene and dashed back into my room. What was my mother probably trying to assume? That I perhaps like Casey?

My mind wanders back to Lia and how she was fairing. I picked up my phone to call her, but I immediately resolved to send her a text instead.

-TO LIA

Hey, can you message me as soon as you see this?

I tapped on the 'Send' button and heaved a sigh of relief. Somehow, my 'Wolf' whispers something to me. I decided to zone in my attention, and I heard it loud and clear again.

"Astoria."

ASTORIA'S P.O.V

For the first time in what felt like a millennium, I finally got the chance to see what the world outside the four-walled prison I was confined into looks like. I still clutched on to Casey, for I still didn't know whom to trust asides her. For now, what I know clearly well is that she is my savior.

The human world seemed vast; even beyond the hospital,band it was a breathtaking sight. So many humans trolled here and there, and I just let myself succumb to the whole thing. I managed to keep walking no my hind limbs so as to keep.up.to Casey's pace.

"I have always wanted to tell you something, Astoria." I heard her whisper. I turned to face her, immediately scanning for the proper English words to use.

"What?" I muttered, staring at her intently.

"You see… let's use the elevator, Astoria." she gestured towards a small room I noticed some humans stepped out from. Was that was she was referring to as an elevator?

Regardless, I nodded and followed her. To my expectations, she was headed towards that small room. There was something on the wall she pressed down on, and the room doors slides open. I was marveled at how small a room can be, and it was obviously built with metal. We stepped in and the doors closed. It all seemed like magic.

Just then, I felt the room giving off a feeling like it was sinking down, and I clutched on tighter to Casey, alert and also scared. Casey laughed, explaining to me that it was nothing.

After getting out of the weird room, I noticed there were more people here than I had encountered, and it was a bit noisy. I followed Casey I told we got to the front door before she stopped. She retrieved something from the clothing she had on. It seemed to be glowing and she stared at it for a while. She placed it back where she took it out from and beckoned on me to follow her.
What could that have possibly been?

CASEY'S P.O.V

I could tell from Astoria's facial expressions that she seemed pretty uneasy. I reminisced what the doctor said, and it was all beginning to make sense. It might take a while, but it's undoubtedly going to be difficult trying to have Astoria adjust to the human world.

After we exited the elevator, we were at the hospital's exit when I felt my phone give off a buzz. I plucked my phone out of my pocket and I saw that it was a text from Tanner. He actually replied.

-FROM TANNER

"I'm perfectly fine. You know we need to talk about what happened today, right?"

I sighed lightly, relieved that he was okay and he probably wasn't attacked viciously by the dogs, but my expression became sullen when I read the text again. He seems to be requesting for an explanation of what happened today. Even when I tried not to be, I was acting really weird, and he also caught me trying to escape from school.

This is someone whom we both see each other as best friends. I kept pondering about what I could possibly tell him when I noticed Astoria staring at me. I immediately placed my phone back into my pocket and dragged her along.

"Come on," I said to her, flagging down a taxi.

*******

I finally thought about what to tell Tanner, and I hoped that what I had in mind was going to work out.

-TO TANNER

Sure. We'd talk after sports. Are you perhaps with my schoolbag? Please, don't tell me you left it there?

Almost immediately, he responded.

-FROM TANNER

Alright. Of course, I left it there. You left me to.die with those dogs, silly head!

-TO TANNER

Are you being serious right now, Tan? You are such a bad friend!

-FROM TANNER

I know… I know.
Thank you for the compliment, Casey.
Dang! We'd just talk later tomorrow. I have to do something now.

-TO TANNER

Okay.

The conversation ended, and I discovered that I was actually headed back home. And Astoria was with me. I still didn't think about this before leaving the City Hospital. I was beginning to feel perplexed, and I didn't know how she did it, bit Astoria picked off the feeling I was getting. She stared at me with a look of concern in her eyes, and I managed to feign a smile.

"It's nothing, I promise." I reassured her.

I stared out the windows, wandering about what to do.

LIA'S P.O.V

I wasn't planning on responding to Tan's message any time soon, as I was still pissed with him for not even making an effort to stay back with her days before leaving for the main town. Leo had picked off what was happening, and kept mocking me. He definitely knows how close Tan I and had been ever since we were teenagers, bit what I don't know is if he also knows how much I loved Tanner, because if he did, then…

Luckily, our parents—Liam and I—aren't around, so I was free to make whatever it is I could have as my dinner. I placed my phone in my back pocket and went to the kitchen, finally settling to just make grilled chicken. Grumpy Leo wasn't going to make it any peaceful if he didn't have anything to munch over the evening.

I set my phone aside, connecting it to my AirPod and streaming the music I had on my phone. That was the way I loved doing my cooking. After dipping the chicken pieces into the sauce, I placed it on the mini-sized grill and let the grill do it's bidding. All of a sudden, the music was interrupted by the sound of a text notification.

I dropped the bowl that housed the chicken and went ahead to pick up my phone. Wondering why Casey was texting me by this time, I opened the text to read her message.

-FROM CASEY

Hey, Lia. Are your parents home?

Unfazed, I sent a reply.

-TO CASEY

No, they aren't. Why the weird question? Are you tryna kidnap them or something?

I chuckled at what I typed before sending the message. Not just me, but I believe Leo would be super happy to have our parents out of our lives for good. Before I turned back to the grill, another message notification chimed, making me growl in frustration.

"Casey," I growled, reaching for my phone.

-FROM CASEY

I'm coming over to your house. Like right now. It's really important.

Now, I was definitely surprised by this. In the case of hangovers, Casey would always inform me days to the D-Day. Why was she suddenly visiting unannounced? Besides, it was still school week and not weekends.

I immediately turned off the grill and stormed off to the living room. Just as expected, Leo was on his video games. Rolling my eyes, I muttered,

"Casey's coming over. Clean the place up."

I forgot that he always had his ear phones on, so I removed it from his ears and yelled, "Casey's coming over!"

I was expecting Leo to retaliate, because I know much he hates being interrupted whimsy playing his video games. To my surprise, he dashes off into his room, screaming multiple "Oh shit"s as he left. He came back to the living to pick off all the junks and game boxes he left strewn here and there. For a moment, I pondered about my brother being such a mess. I was about turning back when I heard a knock at the door.

I assumed that to be Casey. I immediately approached the door, but Leo stops me.

"Can you just… wait!" he whispered breathlessly, picking off the pieces of chips that must have fallen off his mouth whilst chomping down on them. "Let me clear this thing off."

I rolled my eyes and pushed him off. "Fool," I sneered at him.

"I'm coming, Casey!" I yelled, reaching for the door knob. What I was welcomed to swing just outside the door made me gasp in disbelief.

There was Casey, staring back at me with an expression so sullen. It was unlike Casey. And she wasn't alone. Probably realising that I was staring at the girl, Casey shoved me out of the way and walks in, holding the other girl by her hand.

"I know… Leo?" Casey stops to stare at Leo, who was behind the chair, probably picking off the last piece of junk he scattered all over the living room. I rolled my eyes, turning to close the door.

Bending up slowly, he feigned a smile. I could have sworn I heard him gnarl at me. I chuckled silently and I chose to watch the drama between them unfold.

"Erm, C-Casey! Wassup?"

"I'm alright, Leo. What are those in your hands?" Casey asked, stretching her neck to see what Leo was up to.

Something came into my mind, and I was anxious to do it immediately. I walked up to Leo and swat his hands which forced all of its contents to drop. Casey was able to now see the likes of junk plastic packages and bits of chips, and she couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head and continued laughing.

Leo turned his head slowly towards my direction, and no one needed to explain how angry he was. I'd say he was more embarrassed. Haha!