She peered through the window, counting the cars that went by, wondering why she had agreed to this.
"Calm down, Winnie. Everything will be fine," Ms. Fowl told herself, picking up a silver necklace with a small silver crescent moon on it. She hadn't worn it in ages. She fixed the clasp and let it drop to her collarbone, where it rested near the neck of her simple white dress. Ms. Fowl smoothed out the midsection and looked at her reflection. Nothing about her getup was flashy or eye-catching. If this went well, she wouldn't even have to see him. All she'd have to do was go, eat a little something, and talk to a few old friends and she could leave.
Taking her silvery hair out of its usual tight up-do, she grabbed her brush and ran it through, making sure to get rid of all tangles. Ms. Fowl slicked back some of her hair and pinned it with a silver barrette, leaving the rest loose. She then grabbed her small white purse and slipped her feet into white flats and headed for her car.
Before she drove away, she took a good look at the moon. It was a tiny waning crescent, barely visible, being only a thin sliver of light. She took a breath to steady herself.
"So he'll be there, then," Ms. Fowl said, forcing herself to smile. "Nothing's stopping him." She set her car to drive and made her way out of Retroville, towards the small out-of-the way town of her youth. Her car wound its way through the streets, before she stopped and pulled into the parking lot of the town's high school. Ms. Fowl sat in the dark car for a minute, debating whether to go back home. After careful thought, she stepped out into the night and made her way towards the open gym doors.
"Winnie! I didn't think you were coming," a small woman with thin white hair greeted her from just inside the doorway. She walked up and gave her a hug.
"Hello Deloris," Ms. Fowl smiled. "How're you? It's been too long."
"You're right about that," Deloris smiled. "Come on, let's go see Patty and John. They've brought their granddaughter with them. Poor dear's parents died in a car crash last month." As the two women made their way across the gym, Ms. Fowl couldn't help but cast a nervous glance at those attending the reunion. He hadn't shown up yet, but she knew he would.
Almost an hour later, he did. The moment she spotted him, Ms. Fowl turned her back towards him, hoping he wouldn't notice her. She never knew if he was angry with her or not, and she did not care to find out.
Deloris noticed the worried look on her face and asked, "What's the matter Winnie?"
Stealing another glance back at him, Ms. Fowl answered, "Randal's here."
"You never told me what went down between you, Winnie."
"And I don't plan on it. I'll show you my liver spots first," she snapped, giving Deloris a bit of the skunk-eye she had such a knack for. They quietly returned to sipping their wine, but Ms. Fowl's mind was miles away.
Winnie Fowl had had her sights on Randal Krane for months. He was not the average run-of-the-mill person one met every day. He disappeared every month for seemingly no reason at all. And he always kept to himself, which was the exact thing Winnie so loved about him. He didn't seem to need anyone in his life, and always behaved as if having others around him would end the world. But Winnie was determined. When she set her sights on someone, she got them. Always.
"You know you can't avoid him forever," Deloris muttered as Ms. Fowl dragged her away to the ladies' room when Randal came too close.
"Yes, but I'd like to avoid him as long as possible."
"What makes you think he's mad at you?"
Ms. Fowl splashed cold water on her face and shook her head. "It was sort of sudden. Not really much of an explanation." She tore some paper towels from the dispenser and patted the water away.
"No explanation?" Deloris asked angrily, "Go kick his butt!"
"I'm the one who left, not him," Ms. Fowl said quietly.
Deloris raised an eyebrow. "You did? Why?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
She poked her head around the corner, revealing only one eye. He was sitting on the front steps, looking up at the waxing gibbous moon shining serenely from its spot just above the tree line. School had been out for some time, and Winnie wondered what he was staying late for. The other students who had been at the talent show practice walked out of the building and around her, heading towards their cars or the benches to wait for rides. Soon she and Randal were the only ones left.
"I know you're there," he said quietly. "You don't have to hide behind there."
She walked up to him and stood still a minute. "Do you need a ride home?"
"No, I'm just over the hill. I can walk there."
Winnie pulled her jacket closer to her. "It's getting dark, though," she said, gesturing to the parking lot lights that were turning on. "Are you sure?"
Randal nodded. "It'd be better if I wasn't around others for the next few days. You'd be safer to stay away."
"Why's that?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Ms. Fowl clutched her purse tighter and followed Deloris out of the bathroom and back to the reunion. I still don't know why I'm doing this, she said to herself. He had to know she was there. It wasn't like there were a lot of people to hide behind.
The two women walked among their old classmates and sampled the different foods being put out. Winifred Fowl was very tense, looking for the perfect moment to slip away and go back home.
"You showed up," a deep voice sounded from behind her. Randal had finally caught up to her.
"Yes." She turned and looked at him. He had aged gracefully, much more so than she had.
"You never did tell me what happened," he said, reaching past her to pour himself some coffee. "I came home from my isolation and you were gone. You didn't even leave a note, Winnie." He looked at her, and she saw in his eyes what he was trying to hide. Her flight had pained him more than she had intended.
"I couldn't stay," she whispered. "It was too much." Ms. Fowl turned and headed out the door towards her car. She knew he was following her; she could hear his footprints on the asphalt. She stopped just behind her car, closed her eyes for a moment, and turned to face him.
Randal stopped a few feet from her and raised his arms inquiringly. "Did I scare you? Is that why you left? Did sanity finally catch up with you make you afraid of me, after I finally trusted myself not to hurt you?"
"No. I wasn't afraid," Ms. Fowl shook her head. "I couldn't handle being left alone every month."
"It was to keep you safe. You knew that."
She nodded. "I know." With that, she turned around and got inside her car, started it up, and prepared to drive away. But before she did so, she rolled down her window. "I never found anybody else," she said quietly, "You were the only one for me."
On her drive home, she found herself looking at the setting moon. Ms. Fowl had always wondered if she made the right decision in leaving. She could have had a family, someone to come home to every day. She could continue being left behind every month, never knowing how well he truly controlled himself, always wondering if she would find out that someone was dead.
Winnie stopped the car on the side of a back road. She had spent the last few decades running away from her problems, and it hadn't gotten her anywhere. A new determination set itself in her bones, and she pulled a U-turn and headed back to her old school. This time she was going to make things right.
He was sitting outside by himself, like she knew he would be. His face was turned up to the sky, watching as the moon slowly sank behind the trees. She walked up and sat beside him, staying silent, waiting for him to speak.
"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright," Randal whispered. He turned to face her. "I've never hurt anyone before, when I was transformed."
"I should have believed you. I felt like I would have been responsible if you had, since I knew and never did anything."
"Can I have a second chance?" he asked.
"I'm the one who should be asking that question. I left." Ms. Fowl reached for the silver moon pendant hanging on her neck.
"I'm willing to try again."
She smiled and tugged the necklace off her, tossing it out into the parking lot, along with her barrette. She saw his confusion, and said, "They were silver. But I'm done with that metal from now on."
Randal grabbed her hand and pulled her up so they were standing. Together, they walked inside and returned to the reunion.