As the Moon Glows: Chapter One - Sequal to In the Middle of the Night!

by Maron in the land of taiyaki, contrariness, and Meroko

Prologue

I had been running for hours.

“Samantha, Samantha, wait!” I called her name, though I was certain she was gone.

I kneeled down, thirst, hungry, and exhausted. I fell into a not quite dreamless sleep, as I dreamed of the moon again, pulsing an even brighter red than before. I couldn’t look away from it. It was hurting me, but I couldn’t. And then in my dream, I saw Samantha’s face.

Chapter One

“You, there! Wake up!”

I opened my eyes to see a girl about my age with dirty blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail shaking me violently.

“Geez, you’ve been passes out for ages. Thought you’d never wake up! Are you a runaway, too?”

My eyes snapped open at that. Was I? Sighing, I guess I was. “Y-yeah.”

“Well, c’mon, let’s get moving. You can’t stay in the same place for too long.” Half dragging me, she led me out of the forest.

“Why your lying in a forest in the middle of nowhere, I dunno… But I’m Cassie. Cassie Vita.”

“Nice… Nice to meet you.” I was out of breath. “I’m Aneko Kanagawa.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? Some guy back on the road was looking for you.

“What did he look like?”

“Blonde, and he was rude, too.”

Of course. Johnny.

…..

“So the boys couldn’t hold her down.”

N-no, sir.” I bowed nervously.

“So you ran to contact me. Good, Samantha. Very good. But you said the girl is following you?”

“Yes – To throw her off course I had to run my fastest. Out of her sight, obviously.”

“Surely not that fast? Why is she so attached to you?”

I gulped. My reply could be the downfall of both Aneko and me.

“W-We’ve been best friends a long time.”

“I see. You are dismissed.”

As I quickly bowed and walked away, he called my name one more time.

“Samantha,” he called. “I expect that to change.”