I didn't say a word to my mom, who I heard getting the coffee cups from the cupboard in the kitchen. I dashed off of the couch and slid out of the front door, as quietly as I could. But she heard me. Shit.

The last thing I saw before I made it out of the door was her running through the living room with a vicious look on her face, yelling something. I couldn't understand what she was saying, it sounded like a different language. Was that Latin? All I knew was that it sounded horrifying, and it definitely wasn't my mom. I slammed the door before she got to it and darted off down the street. Behind me, the door was thrown open, but luckily I was already a good thirty feet away and gaining ground. That's when I heard it. My mom, face turned to the sky, her jaw open wider than I thought was humanly possible. Her teeth were sharp and unnatural, jutting out of her mouth. She was screaming — a shrieking, unnatural cry, that sounded like nothing I had heard before, sent shivers down my spine. It filled the street, and I'm sure it woke up anyone left who was still asleep. I ran faster.

Soon, the front doors of every house began to open, like they were responding to my mom's cry, and the people who opened them looked at me as I ran by. Their bodies were stiff, and their head movements synchronized. Each one of them tilted their head up to the sky — no, the moon — and began to scream as well. It was as if they were alerting the others of my whereabouts. As if they were tracking me. They were all goners. All of them changed. Different than before. I don't know how, but they were. They had all looked at the moon, apparently. They must have. The next thing that happened was even more terrifying — they began chasing me. Entire families ran from their houses and chased me down the street. Luckily I was at the cul-de-sac that led into the woods and had a good fifty-yard lead. I sprinted into the woods with no regard for my safety and just kept pressing forward — tree branches and twigs tearing up my thighs and shins along the way.

Five minutes had passed and I hadn't seen a single person. I think I lost them. I was about to reach the meeting point. I could see the fort just up ahead. As I approached it I saw the ladder we set up all those years ago. I climbed it and crawled into the fort. Riley was already there.

"You made it!" She threw her arms around me. I closed mine around hers.I missed her so much.

"I don't know what's happening," I whispered. "Everyone's gone mad."

"I know," she responded. "It'll be alright, though. It doesn't hurt."

What does that mean?

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It just takes a second," she said.

I pulled myself back. "What does?" Her eyes looked empty inside. But her smile, that damn smile. It was so beautiful and true. I missed that smile.

"It's safe," she said, her smile piercing my heart. "I promise you. We can be together, you and me. I've missed you so much."

"We're together now," I said. I missed her. I really, really missed her. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Even when we grew apart, she was still the only person I knew that would never lie to me. Or hurt me.

"Yes," she answered, "but I mean, we can be together."

I wanted it to be true. So bad I wanted it to be true. But part of me couldn't help but think this wasn't her speaking. But then there was her smile and it was Riley's smile. "I would like that," I said, holding back the tears. Everything was nuts and scary, and she was the only thing that felt good in this world. Then she kissed me. It was quick, I didn't have time to prepare. She just leaned forward and kissed me, and it was good. And warm. Her lips parted a little, as did mine. It felt right. It was too good to be true, but I didn't care.

She pulled apart and smiled at me again. I couldn't help but blush a little."That was unexpected," I said.

Her smile grew. "I've been wanting to do that for a while." There was a moment of silence between the two of us, both of us unsure of what to say next. She finally broke it. "So... you ready to do it?"

I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but my blood started pumping faster when she said it. Whatever it was, the answer was yes. One hundred percent, yes. I was hers. I didn't care how it happened, I was just glad it happened.

"Yes," I said. Like a dweeb.

She kept smiling. Her warm smile, warm lips. What I would do to keep on kissing her.

"Come here," she said, reaching out her hand. "Let's look together."

I grabbed her hand and scooted my body toward hers. We both faced the window we carved into the wooden wall when we were kids. We locked eyes.

"Ready?" she asked.

I nodded my head.

She said something after I nodded, but I couldn't understand it. It was foreign. It definitely wasn't English. She smiled again. I smiled again. When she smiled, however, I noticed something about her I hadn't noticed before. Her teeth. Something was different. They were sharp — especially the canines. Her front teeth were sharper as well. They were all bigger, too. She reminded me of my mom... from earlier tonight... I brushed it off. I don't think I cared anymore. I was with her now and that's all that mattered.

Her head turned first and looked out towards the moon. Her smile grew, once again. She seemed happy. I wanted to be happy with her. Her face looked different when she looked at the moon, though. I saw things, unnatural things — I saw through her, almost. Through her skin. For just the briefest of moments I saw through her skin — then I saw another form take her place. It was demonic. Pointed jaw. Jagged cheekbones. It was red. So very red. Like raw meat. But it was only for a second, and that's all I could focus on — that it was only for a second. If she looked like Riley ninety-nine percent of the time, then that's more than I could ask for. That's more than enough for me

So I turned my head and lifted my eyes towards the moon. It was the second most beautiful thing I saw that night.