Blue Moon: Return Of The Lycan

         Chapter 1
         She packed up her bags and she took off down the road. Sera stared out of the passenger window in misery as those words from Bob Segar flowed ironically through the speakers.  The rage she’d felt earlier had been replaced by the familiar cold emptiness of being homeless. They were on the road, again, after less than a year. On the run more like it; and for reasons her mother refused to share.
 
         “Honey, are you hungry? If you want, we can stop and grab a bite to eat.”

         It was early morning and she hadn‘t responded to her mother‘s attempt at conversation for several hours. It was just the two of them and they traveled lightly in a rented black SUV. It carried two over-sized suitcases and her mother’s old photo albums. Pathetically, it  was the only possessions they owned.
Sera’s eyes shot daggers at her mother, Megan, who’d finally relaxed her white knuckled grip she’d had on the steering wheel. “No thanks, I left my appetite in Tucson. Along with a home I loved and friends that were pretty cool. Actually I feel like puking instead.”

         Megan sighed wearily and turned down the music. “I’m sorry. I really am. I wish I could explain more to you Ser, but it‘s just too complicated. Lets just say that there are some dangerous people looking for us and it was no longer safe to remain in Arizona. Just believe that I love you with all my heart, and I am doing everything I can to protect you.”

         She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “God, give me a break mom! I’m seventeen years old, not four. All this cloak and dagger stuff. I don’t understand how keeping me in the dark is safer than letting me know why we‘re running.  Why we’re always running. It drives me crazy that you don’t trust me enough to tell me anything. It’s not fair that I have to give up my home, friends, and most of all my life and I don‘t even know why. You have no idea how much it sucks.” Sera’s light gray eyes filled with tears and she angrily brushed them away.

         They’d moved around for as long as Sera could remember, never staying at one place for more than two years; different schools, different friends, different excuses. It had been hard, always being the new kid in school, especially in the smaller towns where she was looked on as an outsider. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she  realized her mother was frightened of something that kept her running.

         Megan caught her daughter’s tears and swore under her breath.  Deep down she knew that her daughter was right; it was very dangerous for the both of them. Especially now that they were being hunted. Sera would be an easy target and she had to know how to protect herself. As reluctant as she was to draw her child into the nightmare, she knew it was probably time to prepare her for the worst.

         “Okay…maybe you’re right. It isn’t fair and you‘re definitely growing up, although you‘ll always be my little girl, “she smiled sadly. “Look, as soon as I can find a safe place for us to rest, we’ll talk. It‘s just so hard, I wanted to shield you from this nightmare as long as I could. Hell, I just wish…”

         “What?” Sera sniffled.

         “I wish your father was here; he‘d be a lot of help right now.” she sighed.

         Sera’s own memories of her father, Daven, were vague. He’d disappeared when she was only five years old.  He’d been a pilot for the Navy, a captain who’s plane went down in central Iraq during a top secret mission. Official reports indicated that he died during the crash.

         “I wish I had more memories of my day.  I do remember him carrying me around his shoulders when I was little. He seemed like a giant.; a friendly giant. He laughed all the time, that‘s what I recall more than anything. The laughter and his clear blue eyes.”

         Megan nodded, her face lighting up, “God, he loved you so much. You were the world to him. I think I must have sent him 20 videos of you dancing and singing when he was in Iraq. All he talked about was coming home; he wrote letters every day, asking me about you.” 

         “I’m sure he missed the both of us mom.”

         Her mother smiled sadly and stared ahead, lost in her own memories. Megan had remained faithful to Daven throughout the years. Never dated or even went out socially. She’d loved him deeply and always believed he would return to them someday. From what Sera understood, her parents met during the Persian War; Megan had been a photo journalist for a major news network. They’d met during an interview and it was love at first sight, for them both. Although it was a dangerous time, they made the best of it and spent as much time together as they could. Three months later Megan was pregnant, and an ecstatic Daven, begged her to marry him. The couple flew back to the states and because neither had any family of their own,  had a small ceremony with some close friends. For the next three years Daven was able to remain in the U.S with his new family. They’d purchased a beautiful cottage in Maine, Megan became a stay-at-home mom to stay close to Sera, and he was able to find a comfortable desk job. Their lives were perfect until Daven surprised Megan one day with news that he had to go back to the middle east for an assignment; one that was crucial for the safety of the U.S.  During the next two years he spent most of his time in Iraq, flying home for holidays and special occasions, always promising that he‘d be coming home for good, very soon. Then Megan’s world turned upside down; military officials showed up at her doorstep to bring her the horrifying news; Daven was dead. His plane had malfunctioned and crashed, killing him instantly. The Iraqi government had confiscated the military plane as well as her husband’s remains, and they were in the process of negotiating for their return. Megan was devastated by the news but deep down didn’t believe her husband was dead. She stubbornly felt he was alive and that the military was trying to cover up something involving her husband’s disappearance. Unfortunately she was alone, had no proof, and felt helpless against the government, so instead she let it go and made the most of being a single parent. One who had to move frequently.

         “I wish we knew if he was dead or alive,”  Sera mumbled.

         “I told you, he’s alive. I feel it. I would know if he was dead, and he’s not,” Megan  replied firmly.

         Sera snorted. “Hey, I have an idea; maybe if we quit running, he could actually find us.”
Megan shrugged her shoulders and turned towards the road. For the next hour they drove in silence. Sera didn’t even know where they were until they passed a sign that read “Welcome to Wisconsin”. They were in the Midwest, passing endless farmland and meadows. It was autumn and the leaves on the trees were shades of vibrant orange and red.

         Megan sighed, “If I wasn’t so exhausted,  I’d stop, grab my camera, and take some pictures. It’s gorgeous here.” Megan had a passion for photography. After Daven had disappeared, she took a job as a still photographer, using the pseudo name of Margaret Welsh. She was very talented and eventually started her business; making a decent living for the both of them. Because they moved around a lot, it was the perfect career.

         Sera yawned. It seemed like days since she’d last slept; she was exhausted. The steady hum of the motor eventually lulled her to sleep. When she opened her eyes two hours later, they were parked outside of a busy gas station.

         “I’m going to get something for us to eat and make a quick phone call. Keep the doors locked and don’t talk to anyone if they approach you.”

         Sera nodded and stretched her arms out as her mom got out of the SUV.  She noticed a cute teenage boy, filling an old beat up Chevy truck. He watched in interest as Megan strolled into the gas station. She sighed; men always stared at her mother. With her lean body, long red hair, and high cheekbones, she was pretty and looked much younger than forty-two. She had no wrinkles yet: her skin was flawless, except for the long scar on her neck, caused by a stray dog when she was a teenager.

         Looking closely at her own reflection in the mirror, she assumed she looked more like her father. Curly black hair, grayish blue eyes, and full lips. Her mother always told her she was beautiful and seemed almost frantic when Sera went out with her friends. Don’t draw any extra attention to yourself, she‘d tell her. Stay in a group and never get in a car with someone you don’t know. It was always the same thing. Her mother was so paranoid.

         A loud tap on her window caused her to jump in her seat. It was the teenager who‘d been filling his truck, an amused grin spreading across his face. He motioned for her to roll the window down.

         “Oh god, I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly,” I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

         Sera blushed, “It’s okay. I, ah,  had something in my eye and was looking in the mirror. I didn’t notice you,” she stammered.

         He smiled and she felt her heart flutter. He was slightly built with dark wavy hair and full lips. He removed  his dark sunglasses and Sera suddenly felt like she was floating. His piercing green eyes were magnetic and a warm flush began spreading throughout her body. She was incapable of looking away, not that she wanted to; he had to be the best looking guy she’d ever seen. 

         “Hi, I’m Gage,” he said and offered his hand.

         “Uh, Sera.” she replied with uncertainty, as their skin touched.  His hand was large and warm; when he let go she shivered.

         “Well, the reason I’m bugging you, is that I think that lady you were with dropped this necklace.”

         “You’re not bugging me,” she replied breathlessly.

Gage handed her a gold necklace with a heart shaped locket. She turned it over and examined it. It was an antiqued gold locket and had the initials “RF” engraved on the front. She didn’t recognize it as being her mothers.

         “Ah, I don’t think this is hers,” she murmured, hoping he didn’t notice her trembling fingers. When she turned back to him, he was gone. Confused she searched the parking lot. Gage had vanished. So had his truck. How could anyone just disappear that quickly?

         The sound of the doors unlocking startled her and she closed her fist protectively around the necklace.

         “Sera, I picked you up a breakfast sandwich and orange juice,” Megan said, climbing in. She held a cup of coffee and a plastic bag. She tossed the bag to Sera, looked nervously into her rearview mirror, and then took a sip of the steaming coffee.

         “Mom is this yours?” Sera asked slowly, as she held up the locket.

         Megan was taking another sip as she glanced over. Her face turned white and she began choking on her coffee. “Where did you get that?” she asked hoarsely.

         “Some guy told me that you’d dropped it.”

         Megan grabbed the necklace. She opened the locket and her eyes filled with tears.  ”This is my mother‘s. I haven’t seen it in years. Who did you say gave this to you?”

         “A guy in a black leather jacket and sunglasses brought it over to me. He was filling this old red pickup with gas when you went inside. Tall, dark haired, totally cute. His name was Gage. He already left.”

         Megan scanned the parking lot and then started the engine. “Didn’t I tell you not to talk to anyone?”

         “Yeah, but he was about my age and seemed really nice.  Did I mention he was hot?  He took me by surprise, that’s all. Why would he have this  locket? Is this some kind of game?”

         “I don’t know, but we‘ll find out soon enough.” Megan said as stepped on the gas and peeled out of the parking lot.

         Sera placed her hand on the dashboard for support, then looked at her mother in surprise. “What do you mean?”

         She glanced into her rearview mirror and switched lanes.  “We’re going home.”

          Sera’s eyes lit up. “Home? Back to Tucson?”

         “No. We’re going to Pine River. It’s in Minnesota.”

         “Isn’t that where you grew up?”

         “Yes.”

         “Why are we going back there?”

         “To check on someone.” Megan said, clearing her throat.

         “Who?”

         Her mother‘s piercing green eyes locked onto Sera‘s, “Regina Fontaine; your grandmother.”

~~~

         John Callahan watched as the subject hurried out of the gas station and returned to her SUV.  He rubbed his eyes and checked the time. It was 9 am and they were in Wisconsin. His military instincts suggested they were getting close. The end was near; he could smell it, and it pleased him.
         Megan Barnes.  Tall, beautiful, and very deadly. He’d been watching her and Sera the last few weeks. Studying her habits, waiting for her to make a move. And finally, she had.          
         Suddenly her SUV blew out of the parking lot and he began trailing her again, staying  two vehicles behind. John was driving a beige Buick LeSabre. A common vehicle that always went unnoticed. He noted that she was driving erratically. Something was wrong. He figured it had something to do with the exchange between the two teenagers in the parking lot. He’d watched as the young man had approached the girl,. When John went for his camera, the young guy had completely vanished.
         Suddenly his cell phone rang, “Callahan,” he answered.
         “Have you figured out where the subject is headed yet Callahan?” a voice barked on the other end.
         John sighed. “ Not entirely Colonel. Something’s happening though. She just sped out of a gas station, like a bat out of hell.”
         “Okay Callahan. Don’t lose her. I’m assuming you’ve put a tracer on her vehicle anyway.”
         “Of course sir.”
         “Carry on.” Click.
         John hung up and looked at his watch. His assignment was simple, follow Megan, find the pack, and neutralize them all. Piece of cake. He was confident that he’d be back in Washington within 48 hours, preparing for his next hunt. He smiled in anticipation, then turned the volume up on the music.