The Moon Phase Trilogy | Protected
Eight

The sounds of birds chirping and a cool breeze cooled Ericka’s fur down from the heat that beat down on her. Her deep red fur looked brown with the sun shining on her and she turned on her back to get her belly warm. Relaxing in the sun is what she enjoyed best and she couldn’t be disturbed by anyone or anything.

Her moon phase necklace was around her neck and she felt it grow warm, a soothing warm that the sun always gave her. She opened her eyes and saw the blond wolf sitting down, staring at her. Her tail thumped on the grass and his tail brushed the ground happily. He nuzzled her gently and Ericka stood up, going in a play stance.

The blond wolf shook his head and walked away. Ericka tried to follow, but she suddenly had chains around her front paws and neck. She panicked and tried to get free, but they were too strong. She whined and barked for help, but no one came. There was no one around and she tried to shift back to her human form, but she couldn’t, the chains were too tight.

~*~*~*~*~

Ericka shot up and looked around her. She was in a hospital bed and she was confused as to why, “Shaun!” She screamed, her voice shook as she grew frightened.

Shaun burst into the room with Jayden and Ericka’s crush, “Ricky, what’s wrong?” Shaun asked.

“Why am I in a hospital and how did I get here? What the hell happened?!” She raised her voice. Ericka’s crush took a step towards her and her cheeks got deep red.

“Don’t you remember sugarplum? We got into a car accident on our way to a nice restaurant for our double date with Shaun and Jayden,” the dark haired, handsome boy spoke smoothly.

Ericka couldn’t believe what she was hearing, “N--no...this can’t be true...you haven’t noticed me for years...” she said, slipping out of the hospital bed. She looked down at her body and saw scratches all over her and her legs had some nice gouges in them. “This can’t be happening!” Ericka heard a low growl from Jayden, but grew more confused.

~*~*~*~*~

Ericka shot up from the bed in Shaun’s spare bedroom that was next to Jayden’s room and kept in a shriek of terror; she didn’t want to wake the whole house. She looked around frantically to make sure everything was the same and to her surprise, it was. What was different though, was the sound of happy children running down stairs. She strangely heard the Connerton’s too. “What the hell?” She asked as she got up slowly from the warm, queen sized bed she slept in. Her body ached and she noticed bruises on her body as she took a glance in the full sized mirror that was hanging on the back of the nice, wooden bedroom door. “What the hell happened to me?” She whispered.

Ericka slowly inched herself to the top of the steps and looked down at them to see just what she had heard, her sisters playing and arguing and Mr. and Mrs. Connerton sitting on the couch watching them. Mr. and Mrs. Frost were sitting across from them, having some morning coffee and Shaun and Jayden were studying for a test it looked like. Ericka took a step down and Jayden looked up from his textbook. He rushed up the steps to help her, “Let me help you, Ricky,” he said kindly, wrapping his strong arms around her small frame of a body. “I’m surprised you’re awake.”

“Why would you be surprised I’m awake, Jayden? It’s not like I’ve been asleep for a few weeks...have I?” Ericka looked at him and then to Shaun. Shaun bit her lip and avoided eye contact. “Shaun!”

“It’s been at least two weeks, Rick...” she said quietly, whining at the sound of Ericka’s loud voice.

Ericka almost fell to the floor, “You’ve got to be kidding me! I’ve been asleep for two weeks?! What was in that strange lemon water you gave me?!”

Mrs. Frost stood up and put a hand on Ericka’s shoulder. Shaun, was the exact replica of her mother and Ericka thought she was so beautiful, “Ricky, sweetheart, calm down. The lemon water made you sleep to heal your wounds,” she explained.

Ericka snarled, “Then why do I have bruises all over me? And some nice cuts still on my...” Ericka stopped and remembered the last dream she had. She almost had a heart attack, just thinking about the dream. “Was that real?” She asked herself.

“Was what real, Ricky?” Shaun asked, now standing up. She walked over to her best friend with a worried look on her face. “Ricky, you’re starting to scare me.”

Ericka looked at her best friend, almost as if she didn’t know who she was, “Shaun...how did I end up at your home?”

Shaun looked at her a little confused, “Ricky...” she avoided eye contact for a moment before talking again, looking at her straight in the eyes, “You’re mother brought you here.”

Ericka almost collapsed to the ground, just hearing those words. Alyx and Maxie couldn’t believe it either and went to hug their sister, to try and keep her steady. “You’re not serious...you can’t be serious...” Ericka was in shock and disbelief.

Shaun put a hand on her best friend’s shoulder with a sigh, “She did Rick. I know it’s hard to believe, b--”

“Shaun, she’s dead! She was murdered by God knows what,” Ericka cut her off. She looked Shaun in the eye and she didn’t flinch at the information.

“I know...when I went to your home to find your sisters, they weren’t there, but I saw a note on the fridge that told me where you guys were staying. But Ricky, I can’t make this up! She brought you here!”

Ericka shook her head, not wanting to believe the words that were flowing from her best friends mouth. Her mother couldn’t be still alive, could she? The one she could always go to when she was having work, friend or guy problems couldn’t be still alive, she saw her lying in the carpet motionless; her body was in a puddle of blood and Ericka couldn’t see her mother coming back from all of that. “I think I need to sit down...” she muttered looking down at her sisters.

Jayden guided her to a nice, comfy recliner that was a pretty slate gray. Ericka sat down slowly and looked at the television that wasn’t on distantly. Her body shook with emotion, unsure how to react to all of this. “Sissy, are you okay?” Alyx asked. She tugged at her pant leg gently and she noticed some deep cuts on her legs from the holes that were in the pants. “What happened?”

Ericka looked down to Alyx and saw her legs, “I’m not really sure Alyx...everything is such a blur right now kiddo,” she said. There wasn’t much emotion to her voice or actions, but her mind fluttered from one thing to the next. The nightmare of the incident, the dream about her crush and getting into a car accident, that blond wolf, and her mother. But what really bothered her was why all of this was happening to her now. Her senior year of high school, the most important year of all, and all of this mysterious stuff was happening then.

Mrs. Frost glided to Ericka with a cup of nice hot tea. She handed it to her with a kind smile, “Take this and drink it. It will put your mind at ease with what’s going on. It will also put your body at ease. Just relax Ericka,” she spoke. Her voice was so smooth and light; just that started to ease Ericka’s mind, but she still took the tea anyway to make her happy.

“Thank you,” Ericka said, staring at the television again. She sips the tea and it’s very warm going down. Instantly, her mind slowed itself down and her body began to relax a little. “This is helping a lot. What’s in this tea?” Ericka asked a little loopy.

Mr. Frost chuckled and ran his hand through his light brown hair with a smirk, “Well my sweet moon child, there are several leaves in there and an important leaf that is supposed to calm the mind and body. Making you relax and a little loopy when you first have it,” the tall werewolf explained.

Ericka looked at him and then to her sisters, giggling uncontrollably, “Ricky, you’re acting silly,” Alyx said and Maxie agreed. Jayden stiffed a laugh and shook his head.

“Did I act like that the first time I took that tea Shaun?” Jayden asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You sure did, Jay. You were so funny,” Shaun giggled. She walked over to Ericka and put a hand on her shoulder, “You’re going to be alright, Rick. I promise.” She smiled and went to get something to snack on.

“I still don’t know what happened to me,” Ericka mentioned as she giggled.

Mrs. Connerton spoke softly, “You will find that out soon my dear. Right now, just relax and rest. Get better.” Ericka looked over to the old couple that had taken them in and Mr. Connerton nodded in agreement with his wife.

“Yes Ericka, rest and you should be able to go back to school on Monday,” he instructed. Mr. Connerton sounded stern and like her father.

Ericka gulped and almost dropped her tea, “Y--yes sir,” her giggles stopped instantly and she grew unusually shy. She turned her attention to Shaun, “Shaun...what did I miss in the two weeks I have been absent?” She asked softly.

Shaun poked her head from the kitchen with a smile, “Well, there were at least two tests that you missed, and an English project too, but everything else was just homework. I’m sure Jayden or I can help you with your homework and the studying,” she said as she ate cheese, crackers and raw meat together as her snack.

Ericka nodded and tried to get up, but fell back down in the chair, “I think I’m gonna need some help getting upstairs...” she said. She sipped the tea again and began to giggle uncontrollably again. Jayden laughed and helped her out of the recliner. Shaun grabbed the text books and headed upstairs to study. She smiled at her best friend and her ‘cousin’ getting along as she listened to them talk.

“Come on Giggles, let’s get you upstairs so you can not be so loopy and giggly,” Jayden chuckled.

Ericka giggled and clung to him, “Okay,” she smiled a cheesy smile. Jayden looked down at her and smiled softly at her actions. She was so cute when she was like this and Jayden’s heart fluttered. Ericka looked up at him and kept giggling, “You’re really cute.”

“Oh? I don’t get that compliment a lot,” Jayden smirked and ruffled up her hair.

“Come on you two! We have to study for our test next week!” Shaun shouted from upstairs.

“I’m coming you old coot!” Ericka yelled, continuing to laugh. She finally got to the top of the stairs with Jayden and Shaun was sitting in Ericka’s room. “Shauny!” She exclaimed.

“I swear you’re drunk,” Shaun laughed and rolled her eyes.

“No, she’s just giggly,” Jayden replied with a breathy chuckle.

Ericka kept giggling and she fell on her bed, closing her eyes as soon as her face hit her pillow. She heard a small conversation between Shaun and Jayden.

“Was I really like this when I first had that tea?” Jayden asked.

“Sure was Jay. You were hilarious.” Shaun chuckled as she flipped a page in her notebook.

The conversation continued out and Ericka’s friends’ words faded away as she dozed off.

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