The Hidden Luna

Chapter Five

Ally’s POV

I was up minutes before my alarm went off. I turned it off so it wouldn’t wake Syd while I was in the bathroom. She showered last night so there really wasn’t a reason to wake her up earlier than necessary. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth. As I headed to my closet to pick out clothes, I turned the lights on and called out to her. “Good Morning Princess. Rise and shine! You’ve got 15 minutes before we leave.”

Sydney groaned but got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. By the time she was done, I was dressed and pulling on my sneakers. I packed a few snacks and filled both our water bottles and waited as Syd laced up her sneakers. I was excited for our hike and I hoped that it could be a recurring thing for us. Syd was in great shape so I don’t think she will have any problems keeping up. I might have to work to keep up with her. We both took our debit cards and cell phones and placed them in my little backpack that I always had with me on a hike. It contained a fire kit, first aid kit, a map of this area and bear mace. I’ve never needed anything but I believed in being prepared. Once we made our way to the woods near our dorm, I perked up.

“Thanks for coming with me.” I said.

“No problem Ally. It’s actually beautiful out right now. I love the outdoors.” She said.

I was glad that I could hear the sincerity in her voice. Since I’m not familiar with this area, I felt uncomfortable going out alone. I did have the map in case we got lost but there were plenty of trails as far as I could tell.

“So Spill.” Syd said as we took off on one of the trails.

“It’s not like it is exciting or good gossip. After I texted you from the gym, I decided to do some laps in the pool. I did about 50 before I felt someone watching me. But I was alone in the pool.”

“Do you think you are being paranoid?” she asked.

“Absolutely not. Because I decided to take a break and just as I was turning to sit on the edge of the pool movement outside caught my eye. I looked up in time to see Mike looking at me through the window and I’m pretty sure he was taking pics of me.”

This stopped Syd in her tracks. “Did he say anything to you?” The concern was clear in her voice.

“No, I decided to leave after that. I saw him turn his back and went straight into the locker room. I didn’t even shower. I just got dressed and booked it out of there. I asked the guy working the front if he could watch me walk to my car and I practically ran out of there.” I told her.

“So that’s why he wasn’t at the party. All of his little goon squad was there and hitting on my friends. Since they were not being as obnoxious as Mike usually is, I didn’t say anything. I wonder if he came to the party and saw you weren’t with me and decided to check the gym. Whatever the reason I don’t like it. I don’t like how much attention he is paying you. He is bad news Ally.”

My heart started to race. Syd was so carefree and funny that seeing her so serious really made me concerned. Is Mike like a stalker? I really hope we are both overreacting. I didn’t want any kind of drama in my life. I was just getting settled into college life. I decided that I wasn’t going to overthink anything. I would be aware of my surroundings but I wasn’t going to become a recluse or anything.

“I refuse to be afraid” I said out loud.

I turned to show Syd my brave face. But instead of Syd I was face to face with the biggest wolf I had ever seen in my life. I couldn’t breath and couldn’t move. What should I do? If I run he would chase me. I couldn’t outrun a wolf. I took a step backwards and the sound of the leaves crunching under my foot sounded as loud as gunshots. The large grey wolf growled and I halted all movement. Oh god! Where was Syd? Did this beast kill her already? No, there was no blood on him. At least she is safe for now. I closed my eyes and prayed that Syd would make it out of this forest alive. I would be haunted forever if I was the reason she was murdered by this beast. My prayer was interrupted by a wet snout against my neck.

This was it! He was going to bite me and eat me. I braced myself for the feel of his teeth and after a few moments of nothing. I gathered my strength and opened my eyes. The wolf was gone and in its place was an ashen Syd.

“Was it my imagination or did a giant wolf just sniff me?” I said trying to catch my breath.

“No, it was real. How are you not freaking out right now?” she asked.

“I have no idea. I was scared to death but now I’m just happy to be alive and that you are ok. I’ve had enough of nature for today. Can we get out of here?” I asked.

“Yes. If you are up for it, I think maybe we should run. I definitely don’t want to be in this area if it decides to come back.”

I didn’t even respond, just nodded. She took off in the direction we had come and I followed right behind her. I thankfully kept her pace and within minutes we were out of the forest. As soon as we cleared the trees I burst into laughter.

“What is so funny?” she asked.

“My last thought before I closed my eyes was that I hoped you were not dead and that you would haunt me for bringing you out into the forest to meet your death. Hahahahah”

She laughed with me and pulled me into her arms for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her. I really was thankful that she was ok. After we had our moment, Syd reached into my bag to pull out her cell phone.

“I made a friend last night. I didn’t even get to tell you about it. I told him we were going for a hike and he said he would meet up for breakfast afterwards. I’m going to send him a text to meet us at the café.”

We started walking to the café while Syd texted furiously on her phone. She seemed upset but didn’t say anything out loud. Maybe she was still in shock about our encounter in the woods. Now that my adrenaline was gone, I realized how hungry I was. I loved breakfast and was looking forward to bacon and waffles.

I followed Syd into the small café and was hit by the smell of breakfast foods and coffee. It was delightful. My stomach growled and I swear everyone in the café could hear it. The waitress sat us in a booth next to the window and took our drink orders while we checked out the menu. Syd didn’t even look at the menu. She got the same thing every time she was here. Strawberry and cream stuffed french toast with eggs and sausage. It didn’t matter what time of day she came here she got the exact same thing. I don’t blame her though because it truly was delish. I had initially wanted waffles but after remembering how good the French toast was, I settled on blackberry and cream stuffed French toast with a side of bacon.

Once I decided what I wanted I got excited. I did a little wiggle which I like to call my “happy food dance”. It is my pre meal routine when I’m excited about what I’m going to eat. I think it is because I had so many years where food was not a good experience. Sometimes food in foster care was scarce and sometimes it was just downright disgusting. This made me appreciate good food. The waitress took our food order and quickly walked away.

Syd and I are both on our phones with our heads down swiping through t****k and f******k. We pretty much do this every time we are about to eat. We are on our phones until we get our food then we talk while we eat. It’s funny but we are both very comfortable in our silence. While I am laughing at some post I feel a presence approach our table. I immediately put my phone down on the table to not be rude to our server. I open my mouth to say how quick that was when I lock eyes with a very handsome stranger smiling down at me.

Last edited on 1/31/22