Bad Moon Rising by WL Chastain
***I do not own the Twilight characters but I get to play with them!!!
***This story came about with a teasing discussion I had with my boss at my second job. I didn't know she was a diehard Twilight fan until I said "How about someone who pines for every male heartthrob in the book and doesn't get ANY of them!" So now, I'm banished to the computer to write out this story instead of writing abstracts (which I HATE writing). Boy, I sure hope I still get a paycheck this week! LOL
The First Day
Megan couldn't believe her luck. She had won a Twilight fan contest where the winner got to spend a week in Forks, Washington seeing all the movie locations and buildings where the movie was filmed. She was even going to stay in the house that was Bella's, in the movie!
"Mom, Dad, I'm twenty two years old! I have traveled farther than Washington State many times!" I argued as I packed my one suitcase. I love traveling and I've gotten so good at packing that I only need one suitcase and my carry on tote bag for trips. Even if I'm going to be gone for a month, one suitcase and my tote is all I need.
"Honey, it's just that you're putting off college for this fantasy world you spend too much time in, "my dad tried to explain himself. "You're one semester shy of graduating! Why couldn't you do this after?"
"Because, the prize is to be used this month!" I growled, as I stopped packing and faced my parents. "Listen, I know you don't understand all this "Twilight" hoopla. I get that. But at least allow me to live my life. Make my own crazy decisions. After all, didn't you two forgo college in order to follow U2 on their freakin world tour? And that was a two year tour! I'm only going to be gone a week!"
"But Megan, there's.....", my mom began.
"Mom, you two went on the tour at eighteen! EIGHTEEN!", I yelled. "I'm twenty-two! So enough!"
"All I want you to do is not be disappointed when things don't go as you want them to, "my mom replied. "You have this habit of putting so much expectation on things and people that when it doesn't occur as you think it should, you get into such a depression."
"I was twelve, mom" I replied through gritted teeth. "Twelve. And I'd like to think I've MATURED since then. And why are you bringing up the past? I thought that we're supposed to learn from the past not dredge it up to be used as ammo for every argument we have!"
"Yes, you're right, Megan", my dad frowned at my mom briefly and patted me on my shoulder. "It's just, you've never been this obsessed over something since you were twelve and I'm a dad, we worry! It's our nature." He chuckled.
I smiled up at my dad and joined in. "Okay, we cool now?"
"We've always been cool, "replied and walked out of my room.
"Okay, I have to ask, now that your father isn't here," my mom walked over and sat on my bed, facing me. "You do know "Twilight" is just a book? A work of fiction? You're not going to meet vampires or werewolves in Forks."
I stopped zipping my suitcase closed and gave a hard look at my mom. She always knew me better than anyone and sometimes, that sucked. Especially when what she knew was usually true.
"If I meet anyone there, I promise not to get all obsessed and giggily," I replied. "That will have to be sufficient."
With a deep sigh, my mom hugged me and left me to finish. My parents are nice but sometimes, they think I'm still that crazy twelve year old with a severe crush on boy bands and male teen idols. I admit, I had an unhealthy obsession back then. After all, being the only child of two workaholics, one had to find love somewhere. Unfortunately, I had latched onto Justin Timberlake from N'SYNC and Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek as the two who could love me forever and ever. I say unfortunately because I couldn't choose between the two and I had decided that whomever returned my love first, would be the guy I would marry. Well, I didn't hear from neither one and after hundreds of letters (my allowance was spent on stamps and stationary) and lots of attention grabbing at their public appearances, I had a break down which put me in a psych ward for a few months.
So yes, now with "Twilight" on my bookshelves and photos of the entire cast around a giant map of Washington State on my wall, they think I'm heading towards another "disappointment". Sheesh. I'm twenty two years old. I am sure I can handle disappointment!
I got to the airport on time and though going through the TSA checkpoint was always such a thrill, I managed to remain calm and happy. Even when I got on the plane and had to sit in coach next to a whining little kid and his obviously tired mom. I'm so glad the flight was only three hours! The flight from Los Angeles (where I live, please don't ask me how many celebrities I've seen. You'd be surprised how rare it is to spot one in a city this size!) to Seattle was nice, the kid next to me fell asleep a few minutes after take off so I was able to read "Breaking Dawn" for the umpteenth time without interruption.
The contest didn't allow for a rental car but my parents paid for me to have one as I wanted to be able to drive myself around whenever I wanted to instead of being at the mercy of the contest timetable. The drive to Forks, Washington was uneventful. It wasn't raining and the sky was bright blue the whole way there. The map I had was easy to read so when I pulled up at the hotel, I had no problem checking in, getting my contest welcome packet and myself into the room all before sunset. I decided not to pack as I hated unpacking only to have to repack a few days later. What's the point? I'm going to be staying in "Bella's" house starting tomorrow night and for the rest of my stay anyways. So I looked over the itinerary and free goodies the "Twilight" contest people put in a welcoming basket on my table.
I couldn't believe it! I was actually here in Forks! I so desperately wanted to drive along the highway to find that elusive road to the Cullens and see if the house was really there. But then, no! I promised I wouldn't do this. I told myself not to expect anything from the book to be real. With a deep sigh of yearning, I got up and went out for a little walk.
My denim mid thigh length shorts and navy blue short sleeved t-shirt was comfortable. I had thought Forks was going to be cold and rainy and yet, here I am and it's sunny and warm. Maybe it's because it's July and it's summer? Or maybe the weather isn't exactly as in the books? My white sneakers make squeaking noises on the wet asphalt and with a childish snort of glee, I purposely walked to make the noise louder.
I was so busy looking down at my feet and focusing on getting the right pitch that I bumped into something. No, wait. I bumped into someone! I was being grasped around the shoulders by a very tall man with dark brown eyes and short black hair. And he had a cute smirk on his face.
"Ohhh, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going, " I said, looking up into the man's face. Gawsh, he's tall. I'm five nine and he's got to be at least six five or more!
"No worries," the man replied and let go of my shoulders and stepped away from me. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black denim cut offs at the knee and no shoes. Wait! No shoes!
"Uhem, yeah, so, why aren't you wearing shoes?" I asked, hoping he'd tell me something cryptic so I'd know he's a werewolf.
"They're over there", he pointed to an old ford truck parked a little ways from my rental car. "I didn't want them to get wet. You know, leather and all."
"Oh, I see", disappointment started to flood my veins. Stop it Megan! This is real life! Not Twilight! Deal with it!
"Why does that make you sad?" the man frowned lightly.
"Oh, nothing, I have trouble keeping my thoughts from overpowering me sometimes", I shrugged and smiled hesitantly. "Don't mind me."
He brightened up and began to walk away. "Oh okay, well nice meeting you."
"Same here", I replied and walked back to my hotel room. My first night here and who do I meet? A normal typical guy! How depressing is that?!
Meanwhile, The Normal Typical Guy
I just barely made it home in time for chow when I discovered that I had spoken to a chick. And not just ANY chick! But a chick who didn't live in Forks! Because this town is really small and after living here only one year, you will know everyone by sight if not by name. So who was she?
"Embry! Did you bring the eggs and bread?" my mom yelled from the kitchen.
"Yes, mom!" I yelled back as I set the paper bag on the table next to the door as I kicked off my sneakers. I never liked wearing shoes and I took them off whenever I could. I took the bag of groceries into the kitchen and put them away.
"You were gone a long time just for two items", my mom queried. "Who did you meet up with?"
"No one, really. I saw Jacob and Renie but we didn't stop to chat", I replied as I sat at the table and began to pile the food onto my plate. "But I did meet a girl."
My mom dropped her fork and stared at me. "A girl? Who? Do I know her?"
I turned red and stuffed my mouth full of mashed potatoes. "Good taters mom."
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" she smacked the back of my left hand. "I'm waiting."
"I don't know who she is," I answered. " She's not a resident of Forks, though. She's staying at the hotel."
My mom dropped her dinner roll on the plate and just stared at me. "The hotel? WHAT were you doing at the hotel?"
"Mom, I always park there when I go to the store!" I replied and then put more food into my mouth and quickly swallowed. "It's easier to get out with that old clunker of mine. I swear that store has shrunk the parking spaces again."
"Okay, well, what about the girl?" my mom resumed eating.
"I don't know anything about the girl!" I glared at my mom. She hates the fact I don 't date or have girl friends other than Leah. And Leah doesn't exactly count as a friend my mom hopes I'd have. "She's not staying here long enough to know!"
"Okay, okay, calm down" my mom smiled. "I can't help fussing as I'm not getting any younger and I'd like to be able to bounce grandkids on my knees before my knees crack and break off from old age."
"Mom, you're thirty eight " I smirked. "You're nowhere near old age."
"The way you date and carry on, I'll be old before you know it!" His mom laughed. "So, what are your plans for tonight?"
"The guys want to go to Forks for the "Twilight Madness", Embry replied as he shoveled more food into his mouth.
"You're kidding me?" his mom shook her head in wonderment. "Why would you grown men want to go to something that attracts pre teen girls? Embry Call, you're not associating with those youngsters, are you?" His mom glared at her sheepish son.
"Mom, it's not what you're thinking," he squirmed. "You know how popular we guys are since those books came out and it's even worse now that the movie is out. So we decided to pull some pranks there to let off steam."
"That's not nice, Embry Call!" his mom yelled. "I don't like the attention either, but I won't condone the wild stunts you and your friends pull in making those girls believe in the werewolf nonsense! One of these days, it's going to bite you on the ass!"
"Ohh really, mom?" Embry raised his eyebrows and wiggled them. "Bite me on the ass, huh? Ohhh that's nice dinner table talk, young lady."
At that, both Embry and hi mother laughed.
The Twilight Madness Event
Megan had decided to just let her dark brown curly hair do what it pleased (it did anyways as no amount of hair products could tame it). It was thick and healthy and many of her friends were jealous of her hair, so she didn't mind not being able to wear the current hairstyles. She wore only mascara and lipstick as her light olive skin was smooth and clear. It was her eyes though that was her best feature. They were a dark green. So dark in fact that sometimes they seemed black when she was angry.
Her special ticket to the Twilight Madness Event also included a backstage pass and a free program. She had high hopes of getting that program signed by as many Twilight cast members as possible. And she also had high expectations that being a contest winner would allow her to meet the entire cast and get to ask them questions.
She smoothed down her black jeans and adjusted her crimson t-shirt with a single set of white fangs in the center with a small embroidered phrase "I don't bite....on the first date" underneath. Her usual white sneakers completed her outfit and she was happy to note that she wasn't undressed for the event.
She met up with the contest administrators and got tucked away into a room off the stage where the supposed bigwigs were going to be throughout the event. She wasn't alone in the tent. Two tall, pale men were standing over by the buffet table, making small talk. They turned and looked at her briefly before resuming their conversation.
"OMIGAWD OMIGAWD OMIGAWD!" Megan yelled in her head. "They are so pale! I wonder if they're vampires? That is just so......wait! WAIT! STOP! NO!"
One of the men turned and gave Megan a look of concern. She quickly smiled and turned to sit on a stool by the tub full of bottled soda.
"Okay, so what if they're vampires? What if they're not?", Megan thought to herself. "This is reality, Megan! Stop expecting everything to be what you want it to be! Just accept things for what they are. C'mon, breathe. That's it. They are just people. That's it. Easy. Okay. Let's meet and greet as expected."
Megan stood up and walked over to the two others in the tent. "Hello, I'm Megan Janara, I won the Twilight Fan Contest early this month."
The two men stopped talking and turned to face her. One of the two men has dirty blond hair that stopped just shy of his chin and he had piercing light brown eyes. The other was a bit taller with brown hair with bronze highlights and the same eye color but his eyes were crinkled with humor.
"I'm Edward", he responded and held out a hand to shake Megan's. "And this is my brother, Jasper."
"You're kidding?" Megan looked at them both, trying to see if they were joking.
"No, it's true", Jasper rolled his eyes. "And no, we're not vampires. And no, we don't have special powers. And no, we're dating our sisters."
"Well, that leaves us with nothing to talk about " , Megan grinned as she shook both men's hands. "I bet you're tired of being hounded by pre teen girls wanting you to be like their fictional counterparts."
"Yes, we are," Jasper replied testily. "Damn book", he muttered.
"Hmm, I admit, I had hopes of finding out if the book had any truths to it", Megan admitted. "But, I'm not upset to find that the reality is way better than the fiction. because if you were really with Alice, I couldn't flirt with you! She's fierce!"
"Yeah, she's a spitfire!" Edward grinned down at her. "And in the book, isn't Rosalie a bitch? In reality, she's the sweetest, kindest woman you'll ever meet."
"Okay then, what else is different about you all?" Megan asked, intrigued.
"Ohhh no, we're not telling a complete stranger our secrets," Edward smiled. "You're just going to have to accept things for what they are."
Megan stopped and stared at Edward and sucked in a breath. "Did he just....? No, impossible! Or is it?" She gave Edward a measuring look and turned to face a new intruder into the tent.
"Am I interrupting something?" the deep voice of the dark haired man resonated in the tent.
His hair was short but he was tall and muscular. He was obviously from La Push but his eyes twinkled in mock severity. "Enticing another female, Edward? Sheesh, what is it with you Cullens?"
"We just can't help ourselves, Sam" Edward chuckled as they man hugged each other.
****man hug is when two men shake hands and then use the handshake to pull themselves into a hug, using only one hand to pat each other on the back while STILL shaking hands.
"This is boring,"Jasper growled. "Why are we here? I thought we'd agreed to let this stuff die out?"
"Well, money is tight, my friends so we'd best ride the money wagon while we can", Sam smiled. He turned to Megan. "And you are?"
"She's the contest winner from Los Angeles, Megan Janara," Edward replied.
Megan quickly turned and faced Edward, "How did you know that I come from Los Angeles?"
"We were told about you earlier by the event coordinators," Sam chuckled. "He can't read minds, though he's a great listener. He uses sharp ears to make it appear he can read your mind. Don't fall for his tricks."
"Oh, yeah, okay" Megan was a little off balance. She wasn't sure if everyone was playing at being normal or they really were normal. She had thought that coming here was going to be fun and so far, she's feeling nothing remotely "fun".
"I'm hungry, did they leave us any food?" another male voice echoed in the tent.
Megan looked at the entrance and saw three more La Push residents. All three were very tall, muscular and had short black hair. All three were wearing short sleeved tight black t-shirts with blue jeans and either sneakers or black Dockers boots. Sam was wearing the same get up except his t-shirt had "Alpha" in white on the front.
"Yeah, there's loads of food in here," Jasper waved at the buffet table. "Although, I don't see any Kibbles N Bits (TR) lying around for you mongrels."
"Oh hardy har har Count Dorkula", one of the La Push men retorted.
"Oooo I haven't heard that one Paul" , Jasper grinned.
"I have many more up my sleeve Jasmine", Paul sneered.
"Hey Seth, there's the shrimp you've been craving", Sam pointed out as he munched on tortilla chips and salsa. "Megan, better get something to eat quick before the rest of the group arrives. That is, if you're hungry."
"I'll get mine, don't worry" Megan smiled as she watched Paul and Seth make mountains on their plates. "And your name is?" She asked the third man standing still, staring at the cast photo from the Twilight movie.
"Jacob", he held out a hand to shake. "You must be the contest winner we've heard about."
"That I am", Megan smiled as she shook his hand. "So, anything true about you guys in the books?"
"Yes, we're deadly handsome and very intelligent as Mrs. Meyers said," Paul retorted around a mouth full of pizza rolls.
"I can see that" ,Megan giggled. "What about super powers and phasing into wolves?"
The room went silent and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Megan. She scanned the room and found everyone looking at one another instead of being the happy, cheerful people they were before.
"So, the elephant is in the room" , Megan whispered.
"Well, legends are legends" ,Sam shrugged. "We are nothing like the characters portrayed in the books Megan. So don't get all excited and read anything into our behavior just now."
"Then why the sudden silence?", Megan crossed her arms.
"Well, you're not going to like this, but ", Sam started to explain and then was interrupted by Embry, Quil, Jared and Brady's entrance into the tent. Followed by three pale females and a big pale gorilla of a man.
"Be of good cheer, we're finally here! " Embry announced.
****Look for the next exciting Chapter of "Bad Moon Rising"! Coming soon to a computer near you!