It was a cold night, sometime around mid autumn. The moon shone brightly through the clouds in the sky as I walked through the dark neighborhood. It was eerily still and quiet despite the late hour. I felt like I was disturbing the stillness, but what was there to disturb? This wasn't the first time that I had taken one of these late night strolls, and it wouldn't be the last either. I turned a corner. The first few times that I went on these walks I would just wander around aimlessly, but now I knew exactly where I was headed. Most of the trees still had leaves on them, but I could still feel some shuffling beneath my feet as I walked. I noticed a car coming and ducked down behind a bush until it passed; being only sixteen I wasn't supposed to be out so late, especially on a school night. I stood there for a moment, taking in a deep breath of chilly air and then continued on my way to the park.
The park wasn't far from my house, but it was far enough that I felt like I was someplace else. When I came to the fence it didn't take a whole lot of effort to climb over it as I had many times before. There was a single light next to the playground and benches maybe thirty feet away from the swings for picnics in the summer. I climbed up the stairs on the playground, making my way up to the slides. I jumped ontop of the cover over the tallest one and perched there, staring up at the moon.
I smiled quietly, this seemed to be the only time when I felt comfortable. At night, here alone. There were only a few days until the full moon, but the moon was full enough to make the night seem bright. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath of fresh, cold air.
"Enjoying yourself?" It was a male voice from below me.
I nearly jumped, having to grab onto the slide to keep from falling. I shook from the shock of it and jumped down.
"Who are you?" I asked quietly. I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold, but my voice shook.
"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?" I turned to where the voice was coming from. I could only see his outline. He was standing under the playground, ducking down slightly so as to not hit his head, covered by shadow.
I stayed silent, holding my ground. I heard him sigh slightly and he came out from under the platform and stood before me. His hair was disheveled and he had a black eye. He was taller than me, by a lot more than just a few inches and ten times more muscular. I was taken aback for a moment. I knew everyone around here and he didn't look familiar at all. He came closer, but I didn't step away. His hair was dark, maybe brown or black and his eyes looked green from what I could see. He was certainly handsome.
"I just moved here. My name's Darke." He said, his voice was soft but strong. I stayed quiet, not quite sure what to say. He held his hand out, prompting me to shake it. I stared blankly at him. He had introduced himself to me, but he was still a stranger.
He waited a few moments then dropped his hand. "Do you go on late night walks often? I'm sure that's not as safe for a girl as pretty as you."
I instinctively took a step back and he realized what he'd said wrong.
"Oh! Heh. I'm sorry. I didn't think before I spoke. I didn't mean to say that I was going to harm you or anything. I was just hoping to make a friend... You see, I start school here tomorrow and-"
"Wait. How old are you?" I asked, cutting him off.
"I'm sixteen. I turn seventeen last day of this month." He replied, obviously not caring that I'd cut him off.
"You're birthday's on Halloween?" I took a step closer now, feeling more comfortable.
He laughed, but somehow it felt hollow. "Afraid so. But I feel strange telling you this without even knowing your name."
I'd forgotten that I hadn't told him. "It's Tsuki."
"It's nice to meet you, Tsuki."
I nodded quietly and he reached out his hand again. This time I took it. I felt a strange surge go through me and immediately let go. Something told me that something wasn't right, but I still felt drawn to him. I heard him shudder just as I had and I stumbled backwards.
"I-I should go!" I said, spinning around and jogging away.
"Wait!" He called out. I stopped against my better judgement, not turning back around.
"Meet me here tomorrow, about the same time?" He asked.
I didn't reply, I just continued to jog away.
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