Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter 2

Leila

Leila sat in the train car between thick wooden crates. Whatever was in them rattled noisily every once in a while with the bouncing of the train. She had already dressed in the clothing that had been stuffed inside the small backpack; jeans and a baby-blue t-shirt. It was hot in the train car, so she didn't bother with the jacket.

Leila's chest still hurt from the immense exertion, it had been over an hour, and her heart still throbbed painfully. Though Leila wasn't sure if it was the exertion or her extreme anxiety...

What had she done?

Leila took a hard breath. The panic wasn't going away. No matter how much relief she might feel at not having to go through with it, she couldn't stop feeling how selfish she had been. What would happen when Gregor found out? Would he take it out on her pack?

... or her sister?

The thoughts rolled around in her head and made it hard to breathe.

What had she done?

It all became too much.

Leila climbed up onto the crate and pushed open the hatch. The cold air was refreshing, at least until she stood up. The wind whipped through her hair painfully as she tried to see where she was.

The train was traveling along a ravine with a steep drop-off to the right. The nearly full moon illuminated the endless wilderness. She squinted and shielded her eyes against the rushing air as she looked in the direction they were headed. Leila could see lights in the far distance. It must be a human city or a town, but it was still a way off.

Leila ducked back down and closed the hatch.

In that moment, she made up her mind.

She would jump when the train got close enough. There should be a clearing there.

And the moment she got off, she would call Gregor and beg his forgiveness.

But she was in the middle of nowhere right now. She couldn't do anything yet. Despite the anxiety she felt, she knew she just needed to calm down... Everything was going to be okay. She would fix this...

They should be at that town in the next twenty minutes or so.

Leila took a deep breath and turned her attention to the backpack. She dumped the contents onto the floor to see what she had to work with.

There was a passport and driver's license in the name of Emily McClure with Leila's picture on it. Leila squinted at it, it looked like her school ID photo. The license listed her age as 21. A second passport and driver's license was beneath it in the name of Aimee Moss. It listed her age as 19. Leila stared at the paperwork. It looked authentic.

Beneath the passports was a plane ticket for 12:45 pm later that day from an airport in West Virginia under the Aimee Moss name. It had three connections, and the final destination was Albuquerque. Leila furrowed her brow. Why did she want her to go there? The next was a folded letter. Leila slowly opened it.

Leila,

By now I realize you might be having doubts, but I beg you, don't come back. I have given you everything you need to start a new life. The wolf who did this for me is a trusted friend. She will not betray you.

I told you once when you were very little that I would always protect you. I wouldn't have been able to do that if you stayed. I could not bear the thought of you sharing my life. I'm so deeply sorry. It was my fault that you were dragged into this. So I am determined to get you out of it.