Under the pale moonlight

“Yoo-hoo. Wake up now buddy. Am I allowed to suck his neck?”

A putrid smell of alcohol came to his senses, no, it was one of the many smells that his nose perceived. This place reeks with different smell.

“Get off the hippie, you dumb-ass.” Another strange male voice said.

His head keeps spinning around as he tried to observe. Van grunts as he tried to keep his head up to steal a gaze. He can see the blurry figure of a woman that seems to be she’s mixing herbs in a bowl. On the far corner, a man wearing a flat hat sat down drinking a wine.

“Looks like our mystery hippie is awake.”

He felt their glances strikes at him.

“Who… are… you guys? Why am I… Why am I doing here?”

Van finally can speak. Although, he can’t put it into more comprehensive way.

“And… he can use his mouth too.”

The flashy guy replied. Van finds them all too weird, specially the one who yank him earlier, he has a pale skin and unbelievably perfect stature.

The man wearing a flat hat replied, “Put another number of words in that sentence and we’re good to go on torturing you.”

“Torture… what?”

“No one is going to get tortured, okay.” Kate is the only voice he recognized within the room. “You just need to tell us the truth.”

“She makes a compelling argument. Skip the torture and listen to his lies.”

“I already told you guys, he’s not like any other person I’ve met. He can be trusted.”

“Easy for you to say, princess. You don’t even know what he is.”

Gilt broke off the two.

“Geez, I’m gonna handle this.”

He stepped closer and stare him into his eyes.

“Listen, who are you? What are you doing here in Maryvale? And what are you?”

Van tried to put his thoughts into words.

“Are you trying to do a jedi mind trick on me?”

Gilt fell in silence, astonished.

“This never happen before.” Dumbfoundingly Gilt said.

Laswell jested, “What? ‘Guy didn’t fall in gayness?”

“What I mean is my mind-compulsion.”

Kate came closer to him and made him drink the mixed herbs. Van did not like what it taste like, thus, he vomits.

“What the hell…?”

“This is a medicine herb. This will heal your wound.”

“Wound…? What are you talking about?”

Gilt reluctantly lifted the mirror to him, seeing the reflection of his burned flesh on his stomach. The unimaginable scenery made Van vomited again.

“Gilt! I told you we’ll take it slow.”

Kate angrily said.

She never like the use of force to get something she wants, but she is willing if there’s no other possible way. She glanced at Van. She only knows a little about his identity. She couldn’t neither trust his words or the what the records could offer to him. She trusted more her companions rather than the words of other people.

“Look. There’s no use to keep secrets now. We want to know what you are.”

“I thought he has connection to the killing events?” asked Laswell.

“Nah-uh. He fought back against that devilish monsters. That’s enough to convince me that he is not one of them.”

Their words didn’t make sense to him. All of their prattling is far more complicated than a senile old man.

“Hold on! Please can anyone—” Van paused. His head burst into pain. “Can anyone tell me what’s going on? Who are you guys?! And how did I—end up here? Why there’s a wound and magically disappeared when I drank that—whatever that is?”

Kate held his hand to make him feel at ease. Her eyes met his.

“Hey, slowdown. Breathe. We are not going to hurt you, I promise.”

“Speak for yourself.” Gilt contradicted her. “You’re the one who can promise that to him. I don’t.”

“Then why am I here?” Van glanced to all of them. His pupils dilated. “Oh no. Did you guys kidnap me? Are you going to reap my organs and sell it to the black market?”

“Van, relax. We’re not going to do anything to you.” Said Kate.

“Look, I didn’t think you’d hit on me so you could violate my body, literally.”

A chuckle escape Kate’s mouth.

“No, no, and no. I told you we were nothing like that.”

She realized just now; Van didn’t react what happened just earlier nor show any kind of behavior what kind of horrid event tonight. This led her to a conclusion.

“Wait. You don’t remember what happened tonight?”

“Well, I was at your friend’s party. Then I drank, a lot, talk to you then to my friends, then I remember that a cop came, so like any other teens reaction – we ran. After that, I don’t remember – everything is blank.”

“How – so not convincing.”

Kate believed in him. She knows someone’s telling the truth when she looks him in the eye. Gilt, on the other hand, sounds not satisfied.

“Listen here punk.” Gilt made a threatening voice. He lifted him on his neck and was pinned in the wall.

“Stop!” shouted Kate.

“What the hell man?!” Van shouted. Gilt can hear his pulse rising.

“Your terrified.” He grinned. “That’s good. People usually talk when they’re under pressure.”

“What happened to those who don’t?”

“Well, let just say they’re end up finding dead on a dumpster.”

“Gilt!” This time, Kate uses her magic to push Gilt away. “You are the epiphany of pathological idiocy.”

She can tell that Van was terrified on Gilt’s strength just by looking in his eyes.

“Look, I don’t know what’s really happening here, but just please, let me go.”

“I told you. We only want to know what you really are. You did something amazing this night.”

“What? Sticking my mouth on the bong and drank until one fourth the keg?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. You don’t remember what you did this night?”

“Nah-uh. Like I said, I drink, a cop came, then everything is black out.”

“That’s impossible.”

Laswell remained in silence. He’s been observing him for a while. He saw something in him that others couldn’t see.

“He’s a supernatural that’s under development.” Laswell said.

“Say what?” Gilt asked.

“Do you know what kind of being is he?”

Kate couldn’t help but to probe the question. She may be ignorant like Gilt, but she’s not completely oblivious not to see Van’s condition.

“I don’t know.” Laswell began to explain. “But there’s beings that have to go under process before fully acquiring their true potential, like witches, in which, you guys already know, there are different types and different covens. In his case, I can’t say anything specific.”

“How can we determine his nature?” Kate asked.

“Case studies. We have to dig on his past.”

They all looked at him.

“No, no. You won’t dig on my past. I don’t even know all of you. What – What exactly are you guys talking about? Can anyone tell me what’s happening here?”

Kate took a long, deep breath.

“You were attack by a monster. We don’t know what it is, but it has been terrorizing this town for months. You fought it earlier, that is why you got hurt.”

“Other than that, I’m a vampire.” Gilt said.

“Me and Laswell are witch.”

“Magician!” He professed.

“Witch.” Kate contradicted.

“Stop the bickering! Please, I just want to go home.” Van pleaded.

“Do you think it’s okay?” Gilt asked.

“Well, we can’t forcedly keep him here. That would be kidnapping.” Kate said.

Under the pale moonlight, Kate accompanied Van on walking towards their home. Although, his home wasn’t that faraway, Kate is afraid that they may caught because its already curfew.

Van is still trying to process what just happened, what makes it worse is his hungover, he may go to school tomorrow with the look like a stoned person. His body feel like it’s floating and can’t seem to walk straight properly.

Kate voluntarily lends her shoulder and guide him to walk.

“You sure you can go to school tomorrow?”

“Hey, this is not the first time I went to school stoned. I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t seem to be bothered by the fact that I’m witch and my friends are supernaturally weird.”

“I am in fact belong to the weird people, so, it wouldn’t take too much toll on my sanity. Plus, my hungover makes it easier to absorb. I was in fact more scared that you guys would sell my kidneys, rather than being supernatural.”

Kate laughed. Van let out a sighed.

“Truthfully speaking, I am not sure what am I. I keep having this twitch for a couple of months now and frequently, having black outs. Sometimes I find myself sleeping on the garage or in an abandoned building. So far, dumpster is the only place I have not yet became one of my lists.”

Kate ponders about what Van’s words.

“Hey, don’t think too much about it. Look at me, I haven’t given too much a thought about it.” Van interrupted her from falling down to her thoughts.

“I am not.”

“So, I can’t help to think about, are you in to me? Because I can’t help to assume that you’re hittin’ on me, given that you’ve been acting so… what’s the right word? Softy, kind, flirty?””

“Isn’t that obvious? Or are you just gonna say I will violate your body, literally?”

“I mean let’s get real here.” Van pulled out and drink his hip flask. “I know I’m hot. It wouldn’t hurt to admit that you’re into me, right?”

Kate did not mind the yattering of a drunk man. She only laughed it off.

“You know what? Never mind. You just turned me off.”

“Uhh, I thought you’re into me. I was totally into you too.”

“Uh-huh. Where did that hip flask came from? Wait, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know. So, you’re into me?”

“Yep.” Van admitted. “You’re kinda hot… and also nice. Aside from physical compliment, I’m pretty sure there’s more than that beauty of yours and I would like to see more of that.”

Kate chuckles. “What, like what’s under my skirt?”

“No, no! I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I'm just kidding. Well, I understand what you’re trying to say. We can become friends.”

“Am I being friendzone here?”

“I assure you – you are not. It’s what we call a stepping stone, first base. Since you already admit that you’re into me, what’s the hold up? You want to know more about me, I want to know more about you and I’m pretty sure there’s more than that drunk teen which I am seeing right now.”

“Whatever you say – you – you” He paused, looking at the hole of his now empty hip flask. “You pretty blonde hot stud sexy bomb shell.”

“What did you just call me?” Kate asked, jaw dropped, refraining herself to laugh.

“You heard me, pretty blonde hot stud sexy bomb shell.”

“I am amazed how confident you are, well, you’re drunk, but still…” She laughed, “Oh, I wonder how would you react tomorrow if you remember this night.”