Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore

Author:Peter Moore
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fiction - Young Adult
Publisher: Disney Publishing Worldwide
Published: 2011-07-25T20:54:14+00:00

I sit in my spot on the gym floor while Mr. Carver checks attendance. Gunther is talking softly to the guy in line next to him. I think his name is Andre. They both look over at me and start laughing, then go back to their conversation. I can feel my face getting red.

“All right, ladies,” Mr. Carver says. “We’re going up the hill to the track, and I don’t want to hear anyone complain that it’s a cold night. It’s not cold. I got them to turn on the lights, and we’re doing it, so don’t waste your breath whining. Get going.”

We start moving toward the doors at the back of the gym. A side door opens nearby, and it’s Craig. He hands Mr. Carver a note. Mr. Carver nods and puts the note in his attendance book. He pats Craig on the shoulder, then moves toward the doors with the rest of us. I leave the crowd to follow Craig, who’s headed back to the side door.

“Hey, Craig, how you doing?”

He turns. There’s a black patch over his left eye, with two deep, angry gashes above and below the patch. There are two more shorter, shallower ones on the side. All four gashes are parallel, with shiny black stitches holding them closed, the skin puckering around the sutures. It’s horrible.

“Wow. What happened?” I ask.

“I got clawed at the compound.”

“Is your eye going to be okay?”

“What eye? It’s gone, man.”

“What do you mean, it’s gone?”

“Gone. As in, not there anymore? And the surrounding bones are so messed up, they don’t even know if they can fit me with a glass one.”

I think of one of Constance’s words: enucleate, which means “to take out an eye.” Nobody at the lunch table had ever heard it before. “Damn. I’m sorry.”

He shrugs, looks down at the floor with his one eye. “Life sucks. What are you gonna do? At least I don’t have to take Gym anymore.”

He starts to walk away, but he only gets one step before a voice says, “Hey! Man, that looks bad!” It’s Gunther. He and his pal Andre lean in toward Craig. “That happen at the compound?” Gunther asks.

Craig nods, turning his face to the side. I can tell he just wants to get out of here.

“So, what?” Gunther says. “Another crumpskull—oh, sorry—another werewulf just, like, came over and slashed your eye out?”

Craig nods. He doesn’t look mad or offended. Just defeated.

“Wow. That’s a shame.” Gunther shakes his head. He takes a look at me before turning back to Craig. “A real shame, you know? If he’d gotten just a couple of inches to your right, he could’ve gotten the other one, too.”

Andre laughs. Gunther holds his hand up for Andre to slap. “Oh, well,” Gunther says, grinning. “There’s always next month.”

He and Andre head toward the door, still laughing.

I truly don’t know what to say to Craig. He swallows hard.

“Hey, kid!” Gunther shouts from the doorway. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.” The idiot Andre laughs at this.

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