Blood Moon Rising

Aria's P.O.V

"Seriously! You want to do this right now?"

His touch, the taste of his lips, was all I thought of. I guess being away for too long would make a lonely girl feel that way, even though I was never alone.

"Not really. I thought maybe we could talk... about 'US!" His warm arms still did not let go of mine.

There were two things Ethan was good at. One was that he was completely handsome; those dark eyes could sweep any girl off their feet. And second: he was a master of words. And for some inexplicable reason, he had managed to have a way over my heart, even though I knew the consequence of such love.

"You know how this thing is. We must avoid suspicions," he said with a voice above a whisper. He glanced back and forth in the lobby before placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I relished its taste.

Of course it would have been hotter if the situation were different. A guy like him could not afford to be seen with me. Least of all kissing.

He glanced back and forth and sighed. "Look, I know this is-"

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you."

Ethan let go of my arms the moment the words came forth. He made a smile that I thought to be fake, and turned.

"I was just showing Aria where to find the wine for the auction," he lied. The grim face, now beamed with smiles.

My gaze fell to the floor in her presence. Mrs Redwood, my adoptive mother. The woman who found pleasure in my torture. Even though my feet did not move an inch, I knew I was going to get her usual remark.

"That's so thoughtful. But you know you don't have to," she smiled back.

"Ahh, I'm happy to do it. The pleasure is mine. Besides, Aria is quite cooperative," his gaze met mine for a few seconds before turning back to her. What a lair!

"Come. We have a lot to discuss. We are only a few hours away," said Mrs Redwood, placing an arm on his shoulder in an attempt to lead him away. Just then, the 'witch' shot back her venom eyes; eyes so wide that I thought she would eat me there and then.

"Have you no better use of your time?" she barked.

Of course I knew that was surely to come. It was only a matter of 'when'. I had a lot to do so I scurried in the opposite direction where I almost bumped into another maid.

"Watch it, dumbass!" she cursed.

Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I wasn't in the good books of all the maids. And Suzanne was one of them. And I never blamed her for once. How could she ever forgive me for stealing her crush?

She released an elongated hiss before swaying away. Not a word did I say to her. I wasn't afraid. No. Exchanging words with her would be futile. So I braced up and hurried downstairs.

Everything was perfect and set to host the crème de la crème of the entire city. The vast space is more than splendid and in a few hours, the whole place would be bubbling with people who had too much cash to spend. I moved around, making sure all was well displayed from the show glass. The price tags were intact. The spot where the hosts, Mr and Mrs Redwood, would be seated, was good to go. I double-checked my directory to make sure nothing would go wrong. The auction would surely be a success.

Satisfied with the sight before me, I found my way back upstairs and shut the door behind me. Only then did it occur to me that today was my eighteenth birthday. Ten years of being a human, and eight miserable years of being confined to these walls. I slumped onto the bed, only to have memories of my tenth birthday flooding back. A tenth birthday I didn't celebrate. A doomed Wednesday I will forever remember. And this was because my parents had deemed it fit to die the day before. Thanks to the car accident. The police concluded that the car had drifted off the road to avoid a collision with an animal. But I satisfied myself with the thought that fate had deemed it so. Perhaps, I was never meant to be happy. Neither would Ethan ever get to marry me.

Minutes later, I decided to try on the blue gown, the only thing I got for a birthday present. Well, it wasn't a birthday present even though Mr Redwood had made it seem like one. Perhaps the man figured that I might put the family's reputation to shame. The elite were coming to spend their money, so it was only fair and wise that his adopted daughter was made presentable.

The dress was a good fit for my malnourished posture, even though the reflection in the mirror said otherwise. My ponytailed dark hair complimented my green eyes. But my heart thundered when the door barged open. Whoever it was didn't deem it fit to knock. Besides, how could she have knocked with the stare she gave?

"Search everywhere!" she ordered.

The maids fanned out in all directions, with Suzanne leading the way. Seconds later, the cage I called a room turned upside down. The rags in the closet were thrown out. The mini-sized bed turned upside down. I watched but my heart thundered a second time at the Venom eyes she gave. Freya. My stepsister. The 'witch' who had vowed to make my life a living hell. Just like her mother.

"Pray I don't find it," she threatened, shifting her entire weight to her left foot. My heart raced faster at the things being thrown and turned. I watched, completely oblivious of what was being looked for, but silently praying that whatever it was, it should never be found.

But the odds were slim. For the record, I have not been in the room for the last couple of hours. Neither did I know who its visitors were.

Suzanne, the leader of the team, satisfied herself and said, " It's clear."

"I think I found something. This is it!" Pamela, one of the maids, held up a glistening object I figured to be a necklace. She swayed and handed it over to the boss, who in turn, curled an upper lip.

With the delight on their faces, I figured they were happy not because the necklace had been found, but because it was discovered in this room. My room. Which obviously would be too bad for a girl like me. And with a devilish smile on her face, Freya remarked, "Aha, here comes the thief."