Purple Moon (HM17)

Purple Moon

Half Moon 17

    Kat ignores Patty, "Cade...."

    He sighs, "I know. Patty, go back inside."

    "But..."

    "We'll be fine if you stay out here I can't guaranty your safety."

    Kat ignores both of them and focusses on the Alterations. One is on a roof a little to the east of her, and another one is hiding in the shadows of a porch. The one on the roof jumps, she stabs it through the neck, and with her other sword, she cuts the one sneaking from the shadows.

    "There you see," Cade points, "Kat is fully able to take care of herself." Cade can't help but gaze at Kat's handwork. Blood is all over her, but the look in her eyes is cold and determined.

    The dress was amazingly still in one piece. Normally Kat would have cut off the skirt by this point. But Cade knew it would be torn soon enough either by the wearer or the things she fought. Cade sighs and turns back to Patty, who is in a state of shock.

    He pushes her back into the house and looks one of her friends in the eyes, "Make sure she stays here, and you might want to grab some weapons."

    Another friend starts ordering people around, and everyone scrambles to follow. Cade climbs to the roof and pulls out his crossbow.

    "Kat, don't forget the kids left at home," He states while loading a bolt.

    He hears her curse again and chuckles. He shoots an Alteration climbing the house and prepares another crossbow.

    Down below, Kat is marching towards the Aadi's house where the kids were staying. She kills any Alteration that gets in her way, and she hears shots, so she knows Cade is killing a few of his own.

    She had to get the kids to their parents before she could go after the target. The only problem was that she doesn't know where Aadi's house was. She grinds her teeth and stabs another attacker.
    "Cade, which house."
    She hears him laugh, "On your right, purple."
    Kat turns and starts hacking her way to it, ignoring Cade's manic laughter. She reaches the house and kicks the door. After several kicks, the wood breaks and the door swings open. Several boys stand in the hallway, protecting younger kids with various household items. One of them is Michael.
    Kat smiles, sweetly, "Good job, boys, you were very brave now let's get back to your parents."
    They stare at her, dumbstruck for a moment before nodding.
    "Good now stay together and move quickly," she instructs.
    "But what about the beasts," A small girl asks.
    Kat does another bright smile, "Let me worry about those."
    Kat ushers the kids outside. Almost immediately an Alteration attacks, but before the kids can react, Kat kills it with a sword in the gut. The kids move as fast as they can, the littlest ones duck their heads and let the big ones push them along. Kat and Cade kill the attackers until they reach the house. Kat opens the door and shoves the kids in. The parents except them graciously as Kat closes the door.

 

 

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Purple Moon (HM16)

  Purple Moon

Half Moon 16

    "Heath," Kat says, standing up.

    He doesn't reply, but there is a strange look in his eye that Kat can't discern. He steps towards her and Kat fingers her hidden blade.

    "Can I help you?" She asks.

    "You still play coy," He growls his voice low, "I have seen your looks and signals."

    "What are you talking about?" Her voice like ice.

    "Do not torment me anymore," He replies, putting his hands against the wall behind her.

    Kat finally places the look in his eyes, Lust. "Mr. Walker, I suggest you stop right now before you force my hand," Kat tries to make her tone formal and frosty as possible.

    He shivers and bows his head, so his breath brushes her skin, "How much farther are you going to torture me until you are satisfied?"

    "Mr. Walker, I don't know what you are thinking, but I know for sure that it's incorrect."

    He leans closer inhaling her sent, "But I have seen the intent in your gaze and the slight smile on your lips. You constantly pulled at my thought and attention. I came to see you that day, but when you didn't make a move, I knew it wasn't time yet. But then you suddenly requested to be alone, and I knew you were calling to me."
    A chill runs down Kat's spine, "Mr. Walker, I think you misunderstood something."
    "Still you plan to toy with me?" He mummers his breath, moving up her neck.
    The only thing Kat can think is that Adalia would be proud and know how to handle this situation. The breath stops near her jawline which starts her brain working. It is obvious to Kat that talking some sense into him wasn't going to work, but she couldn't blow her cover.
    "Answer me this then, what exactly do you see me as?" She asks.
    "A charming woman, irresistible, seductive."
    For a moment, the answer startled her. It wasn't a description she was familiar with. Taking her silence as agreement, his hand moves to touch her shoulder, but the moment he did, she attacked.
    She hit his arm away, and in the split-second opening, she got behind him and placed her hidden weapon under his chin. "You have misunderstood. I am not a fragile flower which can be overrun. Your idea of me makes me gag. You know absolutely nothing about me, yet lust radiates from your skin," she hisses.
     She opens her mouth to say more when her hair stands on end. Something is wrong; she thinks just before she hears screams coming from the lower level.
     She drops Heath and takes off her shoes. Grabbing one, she hits the lock with the heel, breaking it before kicking the door open. She runs downstairs and locates Cade.
    "What's going on?" She asks as the whole house shakes from an impact.
    He pulls knives out of his sleeves and smiles, "Alterations, of course."
    She curses, and he laughs, "if there is more than one we need to get back to the house."
    People around them scream. Kat and Cade push through them until they reach the front door. Kat can see several shadows moving on the window.
    "Nice of them to wait for us," Cade jokes.
    Kat glares at him and pulls out her miniature sword, "Get ready."
    Kat opens the door, and three Alterations try to come in. Everyone screams and Cade's face turns serious, and with deadly accuracy, Cade hits the Alterations in vital points. Kat runs out the door followed my Cade.
    "Cade, you grab our stuff. I'll sit tight," Kat orders.
    Cade nods and heads toward the house. Patty shows up in the open doorway, "Katrina come inside it's dangerous out there."
    Kat smiles while scanning the area, "Thanks for the offer, Patty, but I need to do my job."
    An Alteration launches itself at Kat she spins around the attack and stabs her blade into its back. The thing drops and Kat pulls out her weapon, spraying blood all over her dress and skin. "You may as well call me by my real name since our cover is blown anyway."
    Patty stares at her, horrified, "But....."
    Cade's voice comes from a roof, "Kat, catch."
    Her swords fly through the air and stick in the ground. She snorts, "Be careful with my swords. If they break, you'll pay for a new pair."
    Cade laughs as she pulls her swords out of the ground with ease. "Here they come," Kat says eyeing the shadows.
    "Who are you," Patty's voice rings out.
    "You think that would be obvious by now," Cade replies, "We're hunters."

 

 

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Purple Moon (HM15)

Purple Moon

Half Moon 15

    Cade told Kat that Patty agreed to throw the party at her house. So Kat is not surprised when Patty starts acting like she is hiding something. Patty would come over a lot and help Kat while asking questions. Kat answered them without complaint.

    "No, I don't have a favorite food."

    "I never thought about a favorite color, but if I had to pick one, I suppose it would be purple."

    In a couple days the preparations were ready, and the Alteration still hadn't attacked. Kat wore a purple gown that Cade said Patty wanted her to wear, and the jewelry that went with it. Cade was dressed in a suit with purple accents to match her dress.

    "I hate this," He sighs, sticking a knife up his sleeve, "The collar itches."

    "I'm just as unhappy as you are, but this is the quickest way." Kat replies, "Be grateful you don't have to wear this."

    Cade chuckles, "But you look absolutely stunning."

    Kat glares at him while fixing a short blade to her thigh "If you say one more word..."

    He raises his hands in surrender, "Understood."

    Kat sharpens her glare before finishing the adjustments, "Sometimes I wonder if you're being honest or mocking me."

    He smiles, "I would never mock you."

    Kat snorts and drops her dress, "and you always do your work too."

    He does an exaggerated bow before offering his arm, "Ready?"
    She rolls her eyes but takes his arm. Cade leads her out of the house and down the street to a light blue one.
    "Is this Patty's house?" she asks.
    Cade nods, "What do you think?"
    "It fits her," Kat says, and they walk up to the door.
    Cade knocks, and they can hear the sounds of laughter coming from inside. Patty opens the door and smiles, "Great you came, we really couldn't start without you."
    "Oh, why?" Kat asks.
    "Because you're the guest of honor of course. Cade told me that the doctor called and said that your lasts tests turned out well. So we threw you a party."
    Kat put on a surprised face, "Really?"
    Patty nods, "Now come on, you have people to meet."
    Patty pulls her inside, and Cade follows. People moved freely from room to room carrying drinks. Kat nods to Cade, and he gets lost in the crowd. Patty takes Kat into the kitchen where they find her friends.
    Aadi smiles and hugs her, "It's so exciting to see you our of your own home."
    "I'm excited to be out," Kat replies.
    The other girls introduce her to other people. Every once in a while, she sees Cade, but he never looks at her. All of the people she meets are polite and smiling, but she can sense nervousness and tension running under the surface. After a while, she grows tired of seeing the same look. "Patty is there somewhere a little quieter."
    "Of course," Patty says and leads her upstairs to a bathroom. "It has a mirror so feel free to freshen up and come back down when you're ready." She turns to go, then stops, "Should I tell Claude?"
    "No, Its nothing serious," Kat replies.
    Patty nods them leaves. Kat sinks on to the chair in front of the mirror and sighs. She pulls a couple pills out of a hidden pocket and swallows them. Her purple eyes gaze back from the mirror, showing no pity. The sound of the door opening pulls her attention from her reflection. Turning she expects to see Cade or Patty but as the locking mechanism clicks she sees it is...

 ~~~~~~~~

I figure writing at the bottom would be better than at the top this time. I'm trying out a new cliffhanger ending it see if it works, but since you dear readers never comment I guess I will have to go by how many page views there are.

If you do happen to comment don't ask who she sees because I wont tell you. Thanks for reading.

-Rose B.

 

 

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Purple Moon (HM14)

Purple Moon

Half Moon 14

    Kat sits in the study with Michael and two of his friends. She sips tea as they work on various papers.

    "You have a lot of book miss," One of the boys says.

    "Yes, Jacob, most of them belonged to my mother."

    Michael looks up, "My mom said that your mom was a hunter."

    The other boys look at her, curious.
    "Yes," Kat replies, "She never told me much about her work, but she gave my brother and me basic training so we could defend ourselves."

    "That's so cool. I wish I could be a hunter," Jacob musses.

    Kat laughs, "Well if you do your homework, I'm sure you can."

    A ringing comes from the hallway. Kat stands up and answers the phone, "Hello?"

    "Hay Kat it's me," Adalia's voice says.

    Kat turns away from the study and whispers, "I have guests can you call later?"

    "No, Silias said to contact you immediately."

    Kat sighs, "What is so important?"

    "Silias has been checking the data. Apparently, there is a rise in Alteration activity in your area."

    "No one's been attacked here yet."

    "The tech people thought it was weird too. They said that the Alteration should still be making sure you're not a threat, not gathering forces."

    "That doesn't help much, no one's talking to us. So it may take us a few more days before we learn something."

    "Why don't you use some feminine charm."

    "Adalia...this isn't about finding me a date."

    "Oh, Kat, you're all business, you can still have fun on an assignment."

    Kat sighs, "what else did Silias want to tell me."

    "He said to be extra careful and to keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

    "Thanks for calling Adalia, bye."

    "Wait--"

    Kat hangs up and rubs her temples. She looks into the parlor and sees the boys laughing. She heads upstairs and finds Cade in the sitting room, "Adalia called."

    He looks up from the newspaper, "And?"

    Kat explains the news, "and I want to throw a party."

    "You're a slave driver."

    "The sooner we kill this Alteration, the sooner we can go home."

    He thinks about it, "Alright, I'll tell Patty that the doctor says your health is improving, and I want to throw a surprise party."

    Kat nods and the doorbell rings, "That will be the mothers. You should answer it, that way you will have a chance to talk to them."

    Cade stands and leaves. Kat looks out the window at the warm sun, hoping nothing goes wrong.

 

 

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Purple Moon (HM13)

Purple Moon

Half Moon 13

    Kat wakes up with a headache. She stumbles into the bathroom and eats several pills. When she makes it downstairs, she sees Cade making breakfast.

    "Good morning," He says.

    Kat growls at him before sitting down with her head in hands. "It feels like my head is going to split in two, for once can you not irritate me."

    Cade looks at her, concerned, "Are you going to be able to tutor?"

    "I have to. I'm the only one who's made any progress."

    He sighs before setting a plate in front of her. They sit in silence until the bell rings. Kat tries to put on a happy face and goes to open the door, and there stands Annice and a little boy.

    "Hello, Annice," Kat says, "Is this your son?"

    "Yes, say hello Michael."

    The boy grunts, and Kat laughs. Startled Michael looks at Kat for the first time. "I will take good care of him, don't worry."

    Annice looks at the boy obviously worried, "Are you sure you'll be okay, Katrina."

    Kat nods, "Cade is here to make sure I won't overexert myself."

    Annice leaves after hugging her son, and once the door is closed, Kat leads the boy to the study, "I'm assuming that you don't want to be here, Mr. Michael."

    The boy refuses to look at her while saying, "I would rather be with my friends then some old hag of a tutor."

    Kat laughs as Cade walks into the room, "Careful boy, my sister isn't a hag." The boy jumps and looks at him apologetically, but before he can say anything, Cade continues, "She's a witch."

    The boy looks at him confused, "You aren't mad."

    Cade winks, "No, as much as she pretends to be nice, my sister is really a fiendish woman."

    "Now brother, be nice we wouldn't want anything to happen in your sleep," Kat says with a smile.

    Cade laughs and leaves the room. The boy watches him leave with some despair.

    "Your mother says your not doing well in history."

    "Ya, it's so boring, and I don't understand why I have to know it," Michael grumbles.

    Kat smiles, "Well, how about I tell you a story of how the alterations came to be."

    He sighs, "I heard that a million times."

    "Not the way I tell it: Long ago two counties were at war. It lasted so long that people forgot what it was originally about, but they continued to fight anyway."

    "Why?" He asks pretending to not be interested.

    "Because both sides wanted to win, I suppose. But whatever the reason was, they continued to fight. Eventually once side created a bioweapon and launched it at the opposing side. They were in such a rush to defeat the other side that they didn't test it to see what kinds of effects it would have. When the bomb hit it killed all plants in its blast radius and any humans or animals that survived mutated and became creatures that hunted other humans. The two counties stopped fighting and agreed to help each other destroy the things they had caused. They named these beasts Alterations, and they created the hunters to stop them."

    The boy looked at her, awed, "Seriously?"

    Kat nods, "See if you tell it right history can sound pretty interesting."

    He nods vigorously, and Cade appears in the door, "His mom is here."

    Annice walks into the room, and Michael runs to his mom, "Can I come again, mom, please?"

    Annice looks at Kat shocked but says, "of course."

    Michael turns to Kat, "I'll bring my homework next time and some friends."

    Annice starts to protest but Kat waves away her comments, "I don't mind."

    They leave, and Cade turns to Kat, "And the seed has been planted."

 

 

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Purple Moon (HM12)

Just a short one today. Hope you don't mind

-Rose B.

Purple Moon

Half Moon 12

    Kat's smile falters when she sees Heath but puts it back in place before the boys could notice. "What a surprise. If you're here for Patty, I'm sorry to say, but she's already left."

    "I'm not here for Patty," Heath responds.

    She looks at Cade, "I didn't know Claudius was planning on bringing a guest."

    "He just sprung up on me in town," Cade explains, "How were the ladies?"

    "Nice, I told them about mom," She says, choosing her words carefully.

    Cade got the hint, "That's nice."

    "There is still food leftover if you want some," Kat changes the subject.

    "Yes please," Heath replies.

    Kat leads Heath to the parlor while Cade excuses himself to change his clothes. For a moment they sit in awkward silence, and when Kat can't stand it anymore, she speaks.
    "So why did you want to visit Cade?"
    "It wasn't Cade I wanted to see."
    That caught her attention, "Oh?"
    But instead of saying anything more, he stands, "I should be going."
    Cade walks into the room, "But you just got here."
    "I shouldn't keep the misses waiting."
    "I understand," Kat says, "You can find your own way to the door."
    He nods and leaves. Cade and Kat stare at the empty doorway until they hear a door close. "He's up to something," Cade comments.
    Kat nods, "But there's nothing we can do about it at the moment. The Alteration is our top priority at the moment."
    "Did you learn anything?"
    "They wouldn't speak while I was in the room, but I hid around the corner, and they said we should be safe because we're new but that it should attack soon. What about you?"
    "Nothing, but the people are nervous. Should we set a trap?"
    "No, we know nothing about this Alteration. It would be nice if we could watch its attack but its too cautious."
    "I'll figure something out."
    "Fine and I am going to tutor some kids just so you are aware."
    He nods before leaving.

 

 

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Purple Moon (HM11)

Purple Moon

Half Moon 11

    Kat notices she struck a nerve, "Is something wrong?"

    No one would look her in the eye, and for a moment, all is silent. Finally, Patty says with a nervous giggle, "Oh my, we seem to be out of treats."

    The plate was still half full, but Kat plays along, "Oh dear, I will get some more."

    "You don't have to," Aadi mildly objects.

    "Of course I do, I am the host," Kat says sweetly and takes the plate out of the room. But she didn't take it to the kitchen where the extra food was. Instead, she leans against the wall just outside the doorway and listens.

    "We should tell her," Annice starts sounding worried.

    "We can't," Patty responds.

    "But she needs to know. Or would you rather her learn the hard way," Aadi adds.

    "But she's weak she can't help us," Patty counters.

    Behitha says, "We should not underestimate a woman's strength. It hasn't attacked in several weeks so another strike should happen soon.  It doesn't normally go after newcomers so she should be safe for the moment, but we won't be able to hide it from her after."

    There were mutters of objections, but no one outright disagrees. Kat waits a few more seconds before entering the room again. "I brought more," She smiles and sets the plate down on the table.

    "Thanks," Patty says.

    "We should be going, but I hope you will be willing to help my son with history. It's his worst subject," Annice says.

    "Of course, I would be happy to help any of your kids that need it. Just send them over when you can."

    The ladies nod, and Kat takes them to the door. Once the door closes behind her guests, she can't help but smile and waits for Cade to come home.

    But when Cade comes back, he has someone with him...

    Heath.

 

 

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