Blood Moon Falls (Book 1 in the Original SOCIETY Series) ✔

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"Thea, sweetheart?"

Turning around in my swivel chair towards my bedroom door where Aunt Penny had already opened it a smidge with her head stuck between it and the door frame, I raised my brows in a silent acknowledgment.

My aunt's smile was small as she asked me if I was hungry yet for dinner.

Pursing my mouth, my eyes glanced back at the desk behind me where my Algebra II homework was sprawled across it. My nose involuntarily wrinkled just gazing at it before switching my attention back to Aunt Penny.

"I guess so," I responded, shrugging my shoulders.

Aunt Penny lowered a brow, her brown eyes soft as she mentioned that she had made Enchiladas; my favorite dinner dish. This perked my interest, and my hunger apparently from the low grumble it released, and began to stand from my chair.

"I'll just wash up," I told her, heading to my personal bathroom without looking at her.

I heard a small sigh and an "okay" before I let the door shut behind me.

Looking into the bathroom mirror, I took a deep breath at my reflection. I stared a few minutes longer, taking in my appearance that I've sometimes knit-picked in what I would change if I could, then proceeded to pump out a quarter-size of soap sitting beside the sink. I kept glancing up at the mirror every few seconds, not really sure why, as I was washing my hands.

After I had rinsed them off and towel dried my hands, I returned to the sink, this time leaning over it to close in the proximity with the mirror. My chin lifted so that my eyes could connect through the reflection's before glancing down at the small cut on my lip. It wasn't really a cut that was splitting my lip open or anything, but it was from my teeth biting at my bottom lip's skin.

My finger grazed over the darker circular patch on my lip where I had purposely been focusing on earlier. My nose wrinkled at the soon-to-be scab and dropped my hand from my face. I looked at the rest of my face at my other imperfections; some pimples here and there, the nasty blackheads that refused to disappear no matter how many times I've used my Neutrogena face wash, and the way my brown eyes were so dark.

I squinted my eyes, making them look black before widening them as much as I could with the corners of my mouth turned downward to see if the lighting in the bathroom would brighten them. Nope. Still the same dull brown.

Sighing, I shrugged, flicking off the light as I exited the bathroom.

Making my slow way down the stairs with my hand on the banister rail, I could hear my aunt in her dining room. The sound of glasses clinking together an indication that she was still setting up for dinner, but the aroma of her food was heavenly. It made my stomach growl once more and I placed a hand on it in a useless attempt to quiet it.

When I entered the dining room, Aunt Penny glanced up as she was placing the Enchilada platter on the side of the long table. She smiled, nodding at my usual seat before returning to the kitchen for whatever she is retrieving. I pulled out my chair, sitting down heavily and waited patiently for my aunt to return.

I grew up knowing that I was to politely wait for everyone to sit at the table before digging in, so I was grateful when my aunt picked up her pace, mumbling, "I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying..." under her breath. She sat down, having took off her oven mitts and handed me a fork that I slowly took from her.

Aunt Penny started cutting me out two Enchiladas to put on my plate that was already filled with rice and beans topped with cheddar cheese. I winced a little, seeing the cheese and glanced at my aunt who was humming to herself quietly while placing a few Enchiladas on her plate. I bit my lip, my teeth picking at the forming scab.