The Intent of the Moon Goddess (#1)

Chapter 3- Katy

I met my best friend Anna on our first day of secondary school. I invited her to eat lunch with me after seeing a few of the bitchier girls giving her grief, so I put them in their place and decided to give the new girl a chance.

Anna had moved to the Crescent Moon Pack to live with her Auntie Daphne, who runs the local fashion boutique. I could tell that she was nervous, and I don’t blame her really, because it turned out, apart from her Auntie Daphne, Anna didn’t know anyone, not only in the Crescent Moon Pack but in the whole of Global City.

Until I met Anna, everyone ignored or avoided her like the plague. Outsiders were not welcome in Global City, but Anna is an absolute sweetheart. She would do anything for you, and she makes the most delicious cakes. She knows my every secret, fear and hope and she’s always been loyal to me and I to her. I took her under my wing and for the last four years we have been inseparable.

Anna and I are like chalk and cheese, she is so neat and tidy, whereas I’m untidy and unorganised. Anna seems to really enjoy doing training and I loathe it. I really love clothing and make-up and following trends and my passion is my dancing. I love dancing. Ballet is my favourite, but tap is a close second. Whereas Anna always has her nose in a book or a new recipe on the go. She’s funny and self-conscious and beautiful, she’s more than my best friend, she's my sister and I will hurt anyone who tries to belittle or ridicule her.

Poor Anna has to drag my lazy ass to training every day. I think if I didn’t have her, I would be cast aside by our Alpha, Alpha Adam. The Crescent Moon doesn’t set much store on dancing as a skill set, which is really unfair because my cousins on my mum's side, who live in another pack, get to perform in shows and enter various competitions and I’m a much better dancer than them.

I often pretend that we move to the Scarlet Moon pack, and I can perform in showcases and win awards in competitions. That’s all I see when I think of the future. Ballet! Anna sees baby boys and girls and I see tutus and pirouettes; I wonder what the Moon Goddess makes of that!

After training, we get the school bus home. Despite our transport being escorted, some of the older, unmated males from our pack still hang around the bus stops trying to get our attention, by whistling and catcalling. We must stick together to protect the girl that is in season.

Dating and courtship is forbidden except with your fated mate. Occasionally, one of the boys will get lucky, because despite all the measures put in place, there are girls whose integrity could be called into question. The ones who like to be whistled at and chased, ones who want to be kissed by any man, not just their mate, and there are the men who take advantage of that.

I would die of shame to be one of those girls. I’m saving myself for my mate, that’s who I’m giving my first kiss to. I pray to the Moon Goddess for her to not mate me with one of the boy slags hanging around the bus stops giving kisses to any girl who’ll accept them. I want a man who waits for me, who is all mine!

As we walk home, we talk about class and training and dance and cake and the future. Anna pops into my house on her way home so she can see my younger brothers. Kyle and Kelvin are my two-year-old twin brothers, and I think they love Anna more than they love me.

They circle Anna and shout “up!” and she picks the nearest one up on her back and they pretend to be a plane flying through the sky, then she swaps them over and gives the other one a plane ride too.

Anna has so much more patience with them than I ever could have. She is a complete natural when it comes to children. We help my mother with her chores and then we all walk Anna home. It’s to keep Anna safe but to also try and wear out the twins ready for bedtime.

I always feel bad when Anna has to go into the empty house. Her aunt will be home in a couple of hours after she closes her shop for the night. I think this is the reason Anna wants a big family. She must be so lonely.