What the moon takes

Nora Hale notice

in lines around the edges. For several seconds, she simply s

oticed the

t shoulder, disappearing beneath the strap of her nightshirt. They we

uprigh

, allowing a pale strip of morning sunlight to fal

inked

remember go

t remember most of

ssure settled

ag

mud between her toes and along the soles, as though she'd walked

lled i

wood. There was no garden outside her bedroom window, no flower bed she could

d toward

as c

was still

e whispere

he remembered the exhaustion in her legs after a twelve-hour shift, the rain

bered arr

e remembered l

everything

bed her

strange things the human brain could do when pushed too far. She had worked

n didn't expl

f bed and hurried

ned her arm, examining each mark carefully. They weren't neat cuts.

water ov

touch made

mn

ool, and cleaned the wounds. The blood beneath her nails took

d, she stood sta

ulders. There were shadows beneath her e

someone who hadn

was some

d different. Not their usual shade, but something

aned c

ect dis

hut he

she told he

ation she'd been

austion. Sl

orth worr

was beginni

made coffee strong en

or the machine to finish, while her

't the fi

ce, she'd found mud on the carpet beside her front door. Another time, she'd disc

a painful ache in both legs and a fa

ed everythin

d, injured, and sometimes dying. Nurses didn't alwa

ad started happening eve

seemed to follow

ld go t

rs would

her coffee a

en counter. She picked it

om Ben, sent the

omething after your shift.

iled f

ed about her. Sometimes mor

ped a

shift. Barely. Coffee is

e came a mi

ffee is

has wat

not how nutr

ughed

strange morning fe

habit of noticing details other people overlooked, which was both one of the things

iced t

when it c

e vibrat

re you

Unfort

Cof

ced at t

1 a

f sitting alone in her apartment with the blood

y if you'

Obvio

t's why I

peared almos

e you to

e before putting

d at the scrat

mile

ar silver SUV pulled u

m the window as

to stay perfectly in place. He wore a charcoal shirt beneath a dark

checked the front door lo

ting beside

rni

rni

ard and kissed

look

rning to

ser

ful. We all hav

le tugged a

n, bea

into the pas

and the clean soap he always used. It was a familiar

rted th

you s

om

uch is

oug

nced a

or

en

s head, smi

eep your

d out of

rs lifted their shutters, pedestrians hurried along the pavements, and the s

quiet life. Its narrow streets were lined with old Victorian house

utiful in

nd the last row of shop

cient trees and tangled undergrowth. Its paths were popular w

arned not to en

metimes di

om time to time, although most resident

er believed

she hadn

quiet,"

ying the

here for years

ped a sudden appre

lau

t's

Bell. It sat between a bookshop and an old florist, with wide windows and woo

ted coffee beans and warm

tte and a croissant, mostly because he gave her a d

a table nea

d treated during her shift. A neighbour who had been complaining about the

ore than she h

easy wi

ne who knew you so well. Even when you wanted t

a sip o

ression chan

" Nora

thi

lookin

not al

You're just doing

ed his

en differe

tightened aroun

im, waiting for

h of the café didn't fe