Chapter #2Under the Full Moon by: BeeJay   My name is Tasha Lyall, and this is my story.
I grew up in Levittown, Long Island, New York. My parents were Henry and Nina, my little brother was Matt, and my cat was Clawdette.
I was what you might call a misfit: I couldn't find a shampoo that would help my greasy hair; I wore glasses so thick, you could maybe deflect bullets; and I was a good 40 pounds overweight. Naturally, being a high school student, that meant that I might as well have a neon sign that read MAKE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL. It wasn't all bad: A few of the cheerleaders were okay; the worst I got from them was one of them telling me about the benefits of going vegan. To the rest of the school, though, my name wasn't Tasha, but Lardass. The closest thing I had to a bright spot was the crush I had on Colin Channing, a quarterback on the football team; unfortunately, I don't think he even knew I was alive. And, with the nice cheerleaders heading off to college, that meant my senior year was going to be worse than I could imagine.
And then something happened that I wouldn't have believed.
******************************
For a couple weeks in July, we always went to Uncle David's cabin upstate. We'd spend the days swimming in the lake, fishing, or hiking; the nights, we'd usually spend around a campfire, making s'mores.
The night it happened was the third night at the cabin. We had just started making s'mores when we heard the howl. "What's that?" Matt asked.
"Don't worry," Dad said. "No animal will come near the fire."
"What about when we have to put the fire out?"
"Don't worry; the smell of the fire will still keep it away, while we all get back inside. Once we're in, we lock the doors; whatever it is, it won't find any food, and it won't come back."
It seemed like a good plan, and it reassured us.
When the time came, we made sure that the fire was out. We got up, and headed for the door.
"My hat!" Matt said.
I rolled my eyes. "You would need that stupid hat." I went to get the hat.
When I reached the hat, something hit me, knocking me clean over.
I looked. It looked like a big dog, only the size of a bear. It growled at me.
Then it bit me.
I screamed.
When I did, something hit the creature. I think it was Dad throwing something. Whatever he did, the creature seemed to decide that I wasn't tasty enough to be worth the trouble, and it ran off.
Funny thing: When it first took off, I could have sworn I saw it get up on its hind legs.
Once it was gone, Mom put something over my bleeding shoulder; then, she herded me over to the car. Dad put Matt into the back seat; Mom put me in the front seat, then got in behind me; and Dad got in, started the car, and took off for town.
So much for our vacation, I thought, before I passed out.
******************************
As I slowly came to, I heard a familiar voice: "It's the waiting; that's the worst part. I need to know if my... if my little girl's going to be okay."
"Mom?" I asked, groggy.
"Tasha!" She hugged the stuffing out of me. "I'm right here, baby; Mommy's here."
I opened my eyes, and somebody, Dad maybe, put my glasses on. I was in a hospital room. Matt wasn't there; probably, they didn't want him spending the night there, on account of his age. I hugged Mom and Dad, grateful I was still there.
A doctor came in to see me. "Good morning, Tasha," he said. "My name's Dr. Stone. You gave us quite a scare last night; guess it wasn't your time to go. How do you feel?"
"Hungry."
"I think we can get you some breakfast. Rest easy, now; all three of you."
An orderly brought me breakfast. As he set the tray down, I asked him, "Isn't it kinda early to be drinking tequila?"
He looked at me. "How'd you know I had some tequila?"
"Are you kidding? I could smell it on you from a mile away."  | Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
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