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The Cold and Lovely Moon I -Serial

So, I know I’m late to the Full Moon Romance short story rush, but…. Wait, what? First, other authors don’t write about Tax Day, and now you don’t all have a full moon romance? What’s wrong with you, people? Crap, I have two of them. But I’m only posting one of them because full moon romance short stories only come along once in a full moon…or something like that.

 

Moon-01

 

 

The Cold and Lovely Moon

 

From my cot, I watched the clouds drifting across the dimming sky. The electric gridwork on the window between the panes of glass ensured I wouldn’t escape, but I had no idea why some of the glass walls of our cubed enclosure had it too.

“It’s a cold night,” the man in the next cell commented.

“The sun hasn’t even set yet.” My voice sounded flat. It was a little boring being under constant scrutiny again—even if Tiberius did help offset that. I’d started out shy around him, but now I got up and went to stand against the outside wall near the glass splitting his cube from mine. There was a postcard-sized metal window between us that we could talk through, but the actual wall it was in didn’t have the gridwork. Not sure why.

“The moon will rise, the clouds will clear, and it will be a cold night. I can feel it,” he corrected with a long look. He can be so smug, but I like that about him.

He keeps his beard tightly trimmed, but then lets his dark hair get shaggy and past his shoulders. He’s civilized and untamed all at once, and I like that too. Other than the sky I can see from my window, he’s the best thing around to look at and when he sometimes does chin-ups shirtless on the bar in his “room,” I’m grateful for the clear wall of glass between us.

“This will be your first time, but you’ll get familiar with the moon and its phases.” He’d been saying strange things like this all day. I don’t think he’s quite learned the difference between weird and interesting, but his arrogance makes it work either way.

A commotion outside our cubed enclosures grabbed my attention. The men in lab coats had come and gone all day. Now they were back, pouring in through the far door in good spirits—all smiles like they’d won the lottery. The last week they’d done nothing more than bring food each day, and now they brought clipboards and new faces. It’d be quite the gathering tonight. I was planning on being as boring as possible. I might even turn in early.

“Tiberius,” the speaker above us said. A tall, thin man spoke into a box near the front metal door. “Now that you have a female of your kind, we’ll have more questions.”

A female of his kind? Wouldn’t that basically be any female? What had been in here before me? No wonder he found me fascinating. They’d probably had a goat or something in here before. That’d explain the animal smell when I’d first arrived. It didn’t bother me anymore at least.

I glared at the scientist talking. I had a grudge to pick with that white coat. He’d grabbed me from my cell and shot me full of some crap that stung in my veins for the first two days. The others liked to stare, but they didn’t piss me off like he did. Whatever he’d injected me with—that stuff had really stung. If it was meant to knock me out and sedate me for the trip here, it hadn’t worked. In fact, it’d made me more irritable and pissy than ever and, as the judge can attest, I didn’t need that. Actually, everyone at the trial could attest to that. Hell, I just wanted to rip that guy to shreds and claw that pleased look off his face.

He had a clipboard in his hand also—all of them seemed to. I knew they were expecting something to happen. I mean, that’s why I was on display, right? But I was tempted to go hide in the bathroom of my cube for the night. At least there, the scientists and Tiberius couldn’t sit and stare at me.

Okay, I didn’t mind Tiberius staring at me.

The white coats would take notes, though. Can you say “creepy as hell?”

“Holy Shite,” Tiberius muttered, scowling. “They think they’ve got a nature documentary, and they’ll get to see some wild animal kingdom mating.”

“Between us?” I asked. “There’s a wall separating us. You must be some kind of stud if they think that’ll happen.” And the window wasn’t that big.

He grinned. “That’s not a problem.”

“No?”

“Why do you think the walls are electric besides the one between us?” he asked, leaning against the outside wall that was mostly stone aside from the window.

“I have no idea what to think. Nothing has made sense since I arrived.” I slid down the wall to sit on the floor. I’d spent much of the first week alternating between screaming and swearing, but I’d stopped that—partly because it just seemed to amuse Tiberius. And, also, there seemed to be no point. I was here, and I’d stay here.

I was supposed to be serving another nickel for aggravated manslaughter. Actually, the only thing aggravating had been that someone hadn’t run over that abusive bastard sooner, before all the stuff he’d “allegedly” done to my friend. Seven years was totally worth it. Even after two years, I still thought that.

But this place was better than prison…somewhat. The food wasn’t bad. I was getting a lot of reading in, and they didn’t even complain about all the paranormal books I requested—in fact, they seemed to find it funny. We each had treadmills and small bathrooms with showers. If all the walls other than the bathroom’s weren’t clear, this would have been better than my first apartment and, really, the walls in that dump were so thin that the privacy level was about the same. All in all, it wasn’t bad for a glass house. Of course, I’d still be cool with someone throwing rocks at it, but it didn’t suck completely.

Tiberius was a nice step up from my previous cell-mate. Three hundred pound Krissy kept telling me I should be saved—praised be and amen—but then stole my dessert every day. Tiberius even gave me his bacon the last few mornings. The man knew the way to my heart. Bacon and watching a shirtless man do chin-ups. I might start swearing and screaming if they tried to take me out of here now.

“You find her acceptable?” that moron white coat asked Tiberius with a nod at me.

Eww. I looked up at my fellow inmate. I’m not sure there’s a right answer to that question.

Tiberius grinned. “She’ll do.”

Well, that wasn’t a bad answer. He wasn’t so bad himself. Still, he’d have a fight on his hands if he tried anything in front of the white coats—even if he could magically get through the glass wall.

That idiot white coat nodded, while scribbling furiously on his clipboard, and wandered off toward a small kitchen where our meals were prepared. A coffee dispenser had been percolating there for the last forty minutes. It smelled stronger than normal. Maybe they were expecting a long, sleepless night watching me sleep. Creepy. As. Hell.

Tiberius leaned down and whispered, “In two minutes, the moon will crest the mountains. Your skin will begin to sting. Stand near the opposite wall and wait until I can get us out of here. The pain will lessen when we’re in direct moonlight.”

“We’re getting out of here?” I raised an eyebrow. I’d always liked his smugness because he’s usually right. He can predict what we’re having to eat long before they bring it over to us. He also likes to taunt the white coats about their personal lives, and the fact that they always look embarrassed and uncomfortable says he’s right. This time, though… I mean, c’mon, the glass walls were freaking thick.

“Of course we’re getting out of here.”

“How?”

“First, I’ll break this glass wall between us with my claws.”

“Claws?” I said it slowly so he’d know how unimpressed I was. He only got points with me when he was being strangely sexy, not just strange.

He nodded, and his mouth twitched like he found something funny. “If the window wasn’t so high, I’d break through there. Instead, I’ll break through our kennel’s front, possibly kill a few of the white coats, and we’ll be gone. I’ll kill the one you hate…for you.” He grinned. “My version of flowers.”

Kennel? Weird choice of words. I might’ve used cage instead. Kennel made us sound like we were rabid dogs.

“Right,” I said, smiling. Okay, he was funny…and entertaining, and it didn’t look like the white coats would be letting us watch cable tonight. And that was criminal. “You’ve been able to break through that electric wall all this time, and you just didn’t feel like it?”

“Well, I do have to wait for a full moon…and they mentioned they’d be getting me a female right after I arrived.”

My skin started stinging.

 

Copyright © 2013 by Wendy Sparrow

 

If you liked this story, let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll post the other full moon short on the next full moon.

Also, if you liked this, you would love Frosted…I swear.  Check it out on Entangled’s site where you can even read the first chapter.

Since I’m just giving away links to other pages, how about a link to my Tax Day story: Downstairs from Hell?  Okay, but now you’re done. No more links for you.

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26 Responses so far.

  1. Michelle James says:

    Wendy, you are converting me. I loved it! FROST was just the intro. More please!

    • Michelle, we’re going to make a total Paranormal fiend of you yet. ; ) I write about half paranormal and half contemporary. Half YA and half adult. (Though I did just finish off revision on a Mid-grade–but that’s my only one for that age.) My guess for within the next year is that you’ll see a decent amount of paranormal adult novels out from me–and then a couple contemporary novellas, but publishing dates get pushed back and things come up or fall through–so I can only call it a guess. I don’t have any firm YA/MG plans as of yet.

      As for what I’ll be posting on here for free…I have a mixed bag of short stories. Sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary. I even have a few historicals, but I’m less sure about posting them. I think I’ll probably add a short story every week to two weeks, so if you’re not already following this blog, you can do that so you don’t miss them.

      I’m currently working on a novel that was a short story about a telepathic pusher and woman who wipes minds. It’s Heroes meets Die Hard. It’s going well so far.

      So, I’m working on converting you…but if you just want to wait and only read mine–well, it wouldn’t break my heart and I will have more stuff out, I believe. ; )

  2. alybee930 says:

    Now I need to know what happens…can’t just leave us hanging. *groan*

    • I lot of people have mentioned that on Twitter. I wrote this story around three years ago and I wanted it to go somewhere, so I held it back, and I kept waiting for there to be more I wanted to say–more to add rather than just words that would detract from the punch of the last line. After three years, I decided that some stories were only meant to be short stories and if I went beyond that line, it would become just another werewolf/creature story.

      But you have no idea how often I do that with my OWN stuff…when I reach the end of the story or what I have written and get aggravated because there’s not more. I usually sulk a bit and then sigh and get to work on writing the rest or accept that some stories end. With the latter, whether it’s in a book I’m reading or one I’ve written, I usually go back and read my favorite parts and that eases the sting.

      Also, I don’t know if this helps, but the voice in this is very similar to a two book series about shifters that I hope will be published in the future.

  3. swurner says:

    I wanted to know more! This was great! I would love to see an expansion of their story. Do they get out? What are they exactly? So many questions that I would love answered!

    • In my mind, they get out just like Tiberius says because he’s confident about it–and she mentions he’s always been right. Also, they end up together because he’s been intimating that she’s his mate–he’s been giving her bacon–and he’s planning on killing for her. Also, he waited to get out so he could take a mate with him. He’s picked her.

      In between the lines, I tried to show that she’d been chosen by the scientists because of her already fierce and aggressive behavior–which was just exacerbated by turning her part animal.

      The fact that she’s smelling things stronger and that she wants to rip the scientist to shreds and will have claws–implies something from the Canine family to me–even before you factor in the full moon. I’m picturing something like a werewolf–only possibly more wolf than man and more violent and aggressive than actual wolves.

      That’s my take on it–and probably a whole lot more thought than any author has a right to in such a short story. : ) I really get obsessive about world-building and character depth–most of which doesn’t go into the story.

      *coughs*

      So, yeah, that’s my thoughts on it, but I think a writer almost loses their chance to have the world be their creation alone when they share it. Every reader who reads it will fill in blanks their own way and have their own experience and thus create their own story. In some ways, a published story is closer to a Mad Lib than an encyclopedia entry. As a writer, I’m learning to leave those gaps–to leave things open to invite readers to create their own version of the story. My favorite stories I’ve read, I’ve become a part of.

      Okay, weird monologue over. But those are my thoughts. I am curious if anyone else reading this had a different choose-your-own-adventure take on things.

      • Maria says:

        I love this, seriously. You could totally do a novella with just what you’ve mentioned here!!!

        • It does sound like I’ve fleshed it out a lot in my mind. Who knows…maybe I will come back someday and write more on this story. I’m currently fleshing out another short story so it could happen.

  4. Ooh! Interesting! 🙂 I enjoyed that! I’m saving Frosted for the first 100 degree day this summer. When I need to think cooling thoughts! 😉

    • I’ve actually been giving some thought to doing a Frosted in July giveaway where I gave away another snowflake necklace. And it would be good for a hot day…it always made me cold when I was revising it. I drank scads more hot chocolate on revising days.

  5. Okay, you shamed me into leaving a comment even though I bombarded your Twitter feed with demands for more.

    You are awesome and I want more!

  6. Maria says:

    You are SO. COMPLETELY. ROTTEN. to have cut it off THERE!

    • It’s true…I am. If it makes you feel better, I always wanted more too on this story but I just couldn’t get the muse to agree. Plus, there was the matter of me having to write it. I wish this one magically grew on its own. That would have been awesome.

  7. As always, yum. Yummy. Bacon and shirtless chin-ups. *You* know the way to my heart 😛

  8. Jay Donovan says:

    So when do we get part 2? 🙂

    -Jay

  9. […] So, some of you talked me into turning this into a serial–for better or for worse.  For the first section of the serial: The Cold and Lovely Moon I […]

  10. Per your many requests, the next section can be found here: http://wendysparrow.com/2013/05/the-cold-and-lovely-moon-ii-serial/ Don’t say I never gave you anything.

  11. Hey you. Your twitter feed enticed me on here too. Great starter…now off to read part two. (Have you read the last Werewolf? I think you’d like it…) http://www.amazon.com/Last-Werewolf-Vintage-Glen-Duncan/dp/0307742172

  12. […] For the first part of the serial click here: The Cold and Lovely Moon Part One […]

  13. […] If you missed the first part:  The Cold and Lovely Moon I […]

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