The Moon Phase Trilogy | Protected | Book One | ORIGINAL

Two

The girls had gotten to the car and Ericka saw her phone sitting in her cup holder. "Crap...I forgot to text Lillypad..." she said as she put the suitcases in the trunk of her civic.

"Who's Lillypad?" Alyx asked, wanting to get in the car. Maxie got in the front seat after putting in the car seat for her sister.

Ericka looked down to Alyx and smiled softly, closing the trunk, "She's a friend from camp kiddo. I told her I'd text her when I got home and never did," she explained as she put her in the car seat. Alyx nodded and hugged her stuffed bunny tightly as she chewed on its left ear. Ericka walked over to the driver's side, getting in slowly as she felt pain throughout her body; all the adrenaline must have worn off. She grabbed her phone and saw five texts from Lillypad. Ericka groaned and handed Maxie her phone. "Text Lillypad and let her know that I'm sorry for not texting her when I got home. Let her know I'm safe and that I am going to a family member's house for the next week," she instructed. Maxie nodded and did what she was told.

Ericka started to back out of the driveway and from the corner of her vision, she saw another dark figure lingering around their home. She questioned it, but didn't say anything to her sisters about it. She just kept driving to the Connerton's home as fast as she could without getting pulled over. "I'm done with that. Can I play a game on your phone?" Maxie asked and Ericka nodded slightly keeping her eyes on the road. She headed towards the high school, since that's where she had thought their home was and she was correct. Ericka came to a small cute home with a mailbox in the shape of a barn with the name 'Connerton's written on it. The lingering shadow at their home still bothered her, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

"We are here you two," Ericka said and looked in the back to see Alyx asleep with the bunny ear in her mouth. She couldn't help but smile and looked over to Maxie, who was playing solitaire on her phone. "Kay Max, I need my phone back. Get the suitcases from the trunk and I'll go to the door," Ericka instructed.

Maxie made an annoyed sigh as she got out of the car, "Fine, but if the woman is an old lady who likes to pinch cheeks I'm leaving and you can't stop me," she said pouting a little as she got the luggage from the trunk of the car.

Ericka chuckled a little at her sister and walked up on their front porch. She knocked on their door gently and waited for someone to come to the door. "I'm coming, deary!" an old lady's voice shouted from inside the home. The door opened and a little old lady with curly white hair and brown eyes stood at the door frame. Her round bifocals slid to the bridge of her nose as she gave Ericka a large smile. "You must be Ericka, or as your family calls you, Ricky right?"

"Yes ma'am that's me. Thank you for taking me and my sisters into your home," she said humbly and Mrs. Connerton pinched Ericka's cheeks happily.

"Oh no, I am not staying here if that's going to happen all the time," Maxie said unenthused. Ericka laughed and shook her head before going back to the car to get Alyx. "Where are we staying anyway, grandma?" Maxie said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Maximum, be nice," Ericka overheard her sister's comment and scolded her. The woman chuckled and guided Maxie to a room that she could put the luggage in. Maxie groaned when she heard her older sister yell at her.

Ericka gently got Alyx out from her car seat and walked in their new home for the time being. "Ericka is it?" An older male asked as he was in the kitchen with a tall glass of milk. She nodded and figured he must have been Mr. Connerton. "Your father said you'd be coming tomorrow, not tonight. It's good to meet you though darling. Your rooms are down the hall, but when you are done setting everything up I have something for you from your father," he said to her and Ericka nodded leaving to their new rooms.

"This is the little one's room, and this is your room my dear," Mrs. Connerton said, guiding them to the rooms. Ericka looked in the room Maxie was in and saw she had passed out on the bed with no covers over her and still in her bloodied clothes. She gave a soft smile and almost ran into a door frame, since she wasn't paying attention. Ericka set Alyx down in her new room and covered her up with a small blanket that was at the foot of the bed. She kissed her sister on the forehead before leaving for her room.

Mrs. Connerton smiled and hugged Ericka kindly before going to her own room to get some shut eye. Ericka smiled kindly at the old lady and got herself settled in before going to find Mr. Connerton in the backyard watching the sky and stars. "So what do you have for me from my father?" Ericka asked softly as she stood next to him.

The old man turned to see Ericka standing next to him looking up at the sky, not wanting to make any sort of eye contact. He cleared his throat before speaking, "First of all, I am sorry about your mother. Second of all, your father had come here frantic after he had left your home. He had told me that he needed to go out of town on business immediately, but before he left our home he asked us to take in you three girls and to give this item to you," Mr. Connerton said, handing her a folded up piece of old cloth. Ericka raised an eyebrow in question and unfolded it to see a necklace like hers, a phase of the moon that was put in a dragon mold. "He told me you'd know what to do with it."

Ericka shook her head confused, "Well I don't know what to do with this. I have one like it and so do my sisters, but I'm not sure if this was his or my mother's," she explained and shoved it in her jean pocket. "Good night, Mr. Connerton," she said as she headed inside to change for bed.

He chuckled with a smile, "Please, call me Simon," he insisted and Ericka looked back at him with a smile.

"Good night, Simon. I will see you in the morning for breakfast," she said and left for her room to get some shut eye. Her body was still very sore and she had a feeling when morning came she wouldn't be able to get out of bed. Ericka shrugged and yawned as she slipped into her pajamas and got under the covers. She fell asleep instantly when her head hit the pillow.