Crossing Moon Ch. 02

***

Hi! Welcome to the SECOND installment of CROSSING MOON

Don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!!

Jayleen

***

From Aveline Erickana Ruben's diary:

25th September 2008, 8.30 PM, somewhere in the sky.

Currently listening to: "Here With Me - Dido" (through the airplane's headphone)

I wish Alven would just move his big butt and let me have the stupid window seat! Ugh! Can't he understand how I loved to see the sunrise? I bet the view would be really awesome from above the sky. I have to make sure that I have my camera ready.

Eh, where the heck did I put that stinking camera?

Oh gosh! No! Wait, breathe in, breathe out, Avvie! Calm down! The camera must be in my small backpack.

No!! It's not in the bag!

And the stinking stupid human stewardess doesn't even want to take my suitcase from the baggage area! It's just a camera for crying out loud! Can't you just go in there for a second and get the damned camera for me? You worked for me!!

Oh all right, technically, the stewardesses worked for the pack and yes, they all think that we're just plain old humans who happened to stumble across the lucky genetic jackpot of being born with a silver spoon in our mouths.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but we can't just go into the baggage area and get the camera for you, you'll just have to wait when we land," she gave me this big bright smile.

I feel like clawing her fake smiley face off! How dare she stood between me and my camera!!

"Aveline, I have my camera with me," Carinelle piped in suddenly. I remembered whirling at her and growled.

"Gee, nice of you to offer it earlier," I said sarcastically to her but I took her camera anyway and I sat down on my seat sulkily.

I heard Carinelle apologized to the stewardess on my behalf. Oh, behalf my butt! I turned to her and asked her why on Earth she would apologize to an insensitive uncooperative sad excuse of a stewardess!

"She's just doing her job, Aveline," Carinelle smiled at me and then she looked out through her window seat.

YES!! Carinelle got her own window seat!! I tried to change seats with her but for some reason her cheeks turned red and she shook her head quickly. Seriously, she definitely needs some growing up to do and my parents said I'm the ONE who needs to grow up! Bah!!

After a few minutes, my anger faded away and then I turned at her, noticing that she wasn't like her perky self. I mean, yeah, she cried at the airport but people crying is normal, isn't it so?

Ah, I wonder how Mum and Dad are doing.

Ugh, GOD! I regret writing that...my mind had suddenly wandered off thinking that they're probably rutting all over the house now that we're gone.

I wish I hadn't stumbled upon their shredded clothes on the kitchen floor that fateful day after my birthday. Ugh! I had this permanent image of my parents torn clothes on the floor! It's a miracle that I grew up to be a sane and bubbly girl. Alven had laughed when he saw the look on my face but he laughed even more when I told him about our parents' remaining shreds of clothes on the floor.

"You're being silly, Avvie," I remembered him telling me that. "They're in love," he laughed at me, "Let our parents be," which reminds me exactly why I am the family's black sheep.

OK, I'm not going to spend the entire page writing about how open my parents are about displaying their affections to one another. I mean, it's not like I have anything against them being in love. It's just... ugh! WHY CAN'T THEY JUST KEEP THE ROMANCES, FOREPLAYS AND EVIDENCES OF LOVE MAKING TO THEMSELVES??

Where's the discretion here???

Oh wait, yeah, what the hell I'm talking about? We're wolves for crying out loud! We have mating sex in front of hundreds of watchful horny eyes! Yeah, who I am to complain about privacy??

Did I happen to mention about the other wolves coming with us? Yeah, they're in this plane and guess what? They have their own stupid window seats!!!

This is OUTRAGEOUS!!

There's got to be something good happening in Lexton!!

And gosh! Why is Carinelle still staring out the damned window??

Love, Avvie

From Carinelle Hynes Thorn's Diary:

25th September 2008, 9.00 PM, on the way to Lexton.

Lexton SUCKS.

Ditto

With love, Carrie

***

From Alven Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Alven: "Remind me again why I shouldn't kick Avvie's butt to Pluto?" -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.03 PM

From Aveline Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Baby Avvie: "Had a heel battle with Alven," -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.04 PM

From Alven Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Alven: "Seriously, if she doesn't quit stomping her heel on my foot, I swear there's going to be one gravely injured Ms. Nag!" -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.15 PM

From Aveline Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Baby Avvie: "I see I bruised a toe there haha, TAKE THAT loser!" -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.16 PM

From Alven Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Alven: "Malcolm, let's switch places" -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.25 PM

From Aveline Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Baby Avvie: "Alven is a BIG loser!!" posted 25th September 2008, 9.26 PM

From Alven Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Alven: "Hah! Alven -- score 1, Avvie -- score 0, thanks Carrie babe!" -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.30 PM

From Aveline Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Baby Avvie: "You may have won the war but YOU will lose the battle, loser and Ms. two-shoes!!" -- posted 25th September 2008, 9.31 PM

From Alven Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Alven: "Lexton RULES!!" -- posted 26th September 2008, 10.15 AM

From Aveline Erickana Ruben's Twitter...

Baby Avvie: "You got that right, loser!! LEXTON RULES!!!" -- posted 26th September 2008, 10.22 AM

From Carinelle Hynes Thorn's Twitter...

Carrie: "Lexton SUCKS!!!" -- posted 26th September 2008, 10.23 AM

***

"I'm tired," Aveline couldn't help but complain to Malcolm who jingled a set of keys in his left hand. "Open the door." She told him crabbily. She looked up at the modern double-storey high house and instantly approved of the tall glass panelling and windows. The house looked spacious and homey and she was desperate to lie her head on a pillow.

"Patience, young one," Malcolm said to her, "We should wait for the others."

Aveline wanted to say more but she knew better than to agitate him, the fierce Malcolm was kind and gentle but when he's angry, the wolf inside of him would burst and make the others felt obedient so she just settled on pouting and starred crisply at the rest of the pack members going out from the four limousines with the suitcases packed in a glossy black van. Alven, on the other hand, was probably miles away into the deep forest right now. He had ripped his clothes off the minute he stepped out from the sleek limo, not even bothering to take it off and making Carinelle blushed madly in the process. Aveline had laughed at Ms. Two Shoes' expression and added jokingly, "Carrie, are you a wolf or a wimp?"

A moment later, Malcolm inserted a master key into the keyhole and turned it to the left, he looked behind and saw all of the twenty pack members were there standing behind him and a crabby looking Aveline and a still blushing Carinelle. He took no notice of the fact that Alven wasn't there to look into their new home since he was well aware of Crown Prince's love for nature. He pushed open the thick glass-paned double-door and then turned to face, Aveline, Carinelle and twenty Ruben Pack wolves, his handsome face broke into a smile, "Welcome to Rubenston," he said, his arms went wide in a welcoming gesture, "This is our home for now..."

Aveline, naturally, had picked the best room in the house. Well, she had her eye set upon the big room high above in the tower, overlooking the private lake ever since she heard her father talking about it with her mother. She heard that she could see the sunrise and sunset perfectly from her bedroom window. Her room was circular but large -- it was large enough to have her own bathroom and a medium-sized walk-in closet with a built-in dresser. She didn't get a four-poster bed like Carinelle did but she was satisfied enough with a plain wooden queen-sized bed with purple flowery comforter. There was a built-in study table complete with book shelves and a plasma screen complete with its media gadgets. She loved the window seat the most though despite the luxurious comforts in her new room, the lake overlooking from her bedroom was perfect -- a beautiful Eden of life, there was a small wooden bridge where a few white boats were tied on. There was even a door which opened up to a few small steps of stairs down to Carinelle's bedroom.

Did she mention about her curved balcony? The balcony had a comfortable plush seat with a small circular coffee table and a furry snowy white faux carpet. Carinelle's bedroom had a balcony also but it was certainly bigger than hers and the view was astonishing as well.

Carinelle's bedroom was circular but there was a sufficient part of her room that was rectangular in shape. Her beautiful pink four-poster bed filled the rectangular area perfectly well, it was as if the bed was there to mesh with the room. Just like Aveline's bedroom, there was also a built-in study table, media gadgets, a walk-in closet and most importantly for a girl, her own bathroom suite.

Aveline had taken a peek into Alven's bedroom and she was certain that she was the first person to enter the room since her brother was still roaming all over the new territory. She would join him later but now, her priority is the house! His bedroom was spacious and it had a larger bathroom complete with a nice Jacuzzi. The bed had a metallic blue coloured comforter. The wall was painted creamy white and had a wooden border on the floor. The room also had a built-in study with shelves and media gadgets. Every inch and corner of Rubenston was luxurious and had a feeling of home. It was just how their mother had furnished it to be. Alven's bedroom didn't have a balcony like she and Carinelle did but instead there was a connected room that had a medium-sized basketball court with crystal clear walls and a mini-indoor swimming pool as well as a set of modern sofas with a big plasma screen and sound system with a mini bar. Aveline was certain that Alven would fall in love with his new bedroom than the nature itself.

She had half of mind to switch rooms but then again, she remembered how beautiful the view of the lake was from her balcony that she changed her mind. She would love to travel all over the world and captured each moment of sunrise and sunset in every country that she flew into. Won't it be such an amazing collection? She could grouped them together and make a big picture of sunrises and sunsets all over the world. Ah, perhaps she was born to be a photographer? She chuckled at that thought, a wolf -- and not just a mere wolf to state it by, she was an Alpha Princess and she was certain that princesses don't go running around the globe with their camera lens but then again, Aveline wasn't like any ordinary princess.

She was born to revolutionised -- well at least, her life anyway.

Carinelle loved the soft comforts of her new bed. She had lain there for a moment, staring up the ceiling and wondered if time would pass along quickly. Two and a half years in Rubenston? That seemed ages. Yes, sure, they would probably return back home during the holidays but it didn't feel the same. She liked the safety and comforts of her home. Rubenston was strange and unknown. Even the scents around her were new and her wolf was desperate to roam free but she held on. She refused to submit to her wolfy instincts. Aveline had came to her room earlier, suggesting that perhaps they might take a run in the new territory but Carinelle was still feeling a bit sulky from being forced to come here without her will and the memory of seeing Alven ripped his clothes off was still fresh in her mind. She blushed again at the thought and cringed.

Aveline had said that she was weird -- a strange little wolf to be embarrassed to see another naked wolf in the phase of transformation. She was fine with the nudity and the fact that the wolves were a very comfortable pack with sex and nudity display, it was just that seeing Alven in his godly beauty was intoxicating. Oh, his body wasn't built like those yucky over-muscled gooses but it was just nice and sculpted perfectly. It was as if he was literally sculpted by the hands of a highly talented artist.

"Hey, Carrie! Oii!!" Aveline snapped her fingers in front of Carinelle's face. She blinked abruptly and saw Aveline's beautiful porcelain face hovering above her. "What are you dreaming about? Some hunky guy I don't know about?" she grinned mischievously.

Carinelle shook her head quickly, "Don't be sappy, Avvie," she replied, sitting up straight on her bed. "What do you want?" she looked at her. Aveline then, jumped out from the bed and grabbed her hand, pulling her to stand up with her. "Hey!" she said, almost losing her balance.

"C'mon Carrie," Aveline said, "Let's go and check the town! Malcolm said that we could go but only until dinner!"

"Oh Avvie, gosh, I don't want to go!" Carinelle said with annoyance. "I thought YOU want to go and roam the forest!"

"Ah, the forest can wait!" Aveline snapped impatiently, still tugging Carinelle's hand, "Shopping complexes and cafes await!!" and then she added surreptitiously, "And hunky human boys for us to pick and play hahaha!"

Carinelle knew that Aveline was joking about the human boys but she still gasped and said, "We promised your Dad that we wouldn't!"

"You're such a goody two shoes, Carrie, do you know that?" Aveline pointed out to her, "For your information, Ms. Two Shoes, Alven and I are allowed to date the humans. Well, we started it out as a joke but Dad got tired of us so, he relented."

Carinelle pulled her hand back, shocked with Aveline's announcement, she cried "Are you for real, Avvie? Humans??"

"Aww, c'mon! Chill!! Relax!! You're really 18 going 100, do you know that? So stop being such a perfect boring Ms. Goody Two Shoes and ENJOY the freaking life!!" Aveline said with sheer annoyance. She didn't even bother to hear Carinelle's pointless protests as she continued to pull her out from the bedroom and practically dragged her out from Rubenston in Malcolm's jeep.

***

Lexton felt just like home, to say the least, it had the familiar scent of green leafy trees and the freshly mawned grass. The road was narrow and the houses had their own large garden. Carinelle quickly had the feeling of being in a Stepford-ly neighbourhood but minus the freaky wives and husbands. Trees were practically everywhere -- she had to admit that despite Aveline and Alven's maddening obsession with all things human-related experiences, they did make a great choice in school. Ah well, true that initially she had thought that Lexton was a big letdown but then again, she decided that a rash judgement was unjust. She'd give Lexton a chance to prove herself worthy in her eyes. She could care less about experiencing the things that her father had experienced during his early years in school -- she had no qualms on being just an Alpha Princess and she being just the only child to her parents, her future was set-stoned and secured. She would have the highest rank in her pack, after the Alpha of course so she couldn't understand Aveline's strange desires to be more than that. What was so exciting about humans anyway?

Yeah well, humans were unique -- she had to admit that. They were truly fragile and yet, strong enough to survive their daily tasks. Instantly, she was reminded with a memory of human girls swooning over Alven when they went to Star Hill Town, she frowned, biting her lips at the foul memory. It was as if she could taste the bitterness on the tip of her tongue. Damn those girls, she thought and then she felt guilty with herself. She was so afraid of his reaction if she ever decided to tell him on how she truly felt that she didn't dare or even bother to think the what-ifs.

Alven was confident and had that aura of leadership surrounding him. His wolf practically burst from every inch of his body and yet, his face was youthful and kind. He had that smile that could melt every young girl's heart and sweep every soul in the sea. Ah, well, then again, that was just her opinion. She might sound like a sappy girl in love but that was how Alven made her felt. He turned her world upside down.

"Hey, Carrie! What is wrong with you?" Aveline snapped out of the blue, her fingers snapping in front of Carinelle's face.

She shook her head in surprise, shaking her head, "I'm all right." She insisted but Aveline wasn't convinced.

"Your thoughts went wild, Carrie, I couldn't hear you well," Aveline said as she made a turn to the right, nearly hitting a mailbox at a curve.

"I was just thinking," Carinelle replied back, shrugging both of her shoulders.

"You're so weird lately, Carrie," Aveline said as she parked Malcolm's jeep swiftly into a parking lot. "But I'm going to just ignore it and pretend that you're having those weird Carrie days unless if you do have something to tell me."

"I'm perfectly fine, Avvie," Carinelle forced a laugh, "Maybe I'm just not used with being in Lexton yet, you know how I felt about this whole stupid trip."

Aveline killed the engine, swiftly taking the keys from the jeep, "Hey, it isn't stupid," she pointed out quickly, "We're here for the school."

"Yeah right, and you haven't thought about the possibility of making those pathetic human boys swoon over you..." Carinelle laughed and then she realized on where Aveline had brought them. Her eyes quickly darted to the cafe's sign and instantly fought a smile. "Wolvern Cafe? Seriously?"

"Yeah, Malcolm told me about this little place," Aveline said, smiling, "He found it humorous but he did say the coffee is the best in town and besides, he told me to get a cup when we go back home." She hopped out from the jeep and went to the glass door.

"What? We're going home after this?" Carinelle piped back, curious. "We just went all the way from Rubenston to the town just because Malcolm had the urge to drink coffee?" she found it highly unbelievable.

"Oh c'mon Carrie, this is Malcolm we're talking about!" she grinned, pushing open the door and then turned to look at Carinelle, "And besides, how can I test our swooning-seduction without the humans to be seduced?" she winked, a joke, just to annoy Carinelle.

"Eww, you're so disgusting Avvie," Carinelle stuck her tongue out.

"Learn to love it, Carrie babe." She replied back, swishing her hair.

***

What was it with Lexton and the obsession of making it felt like home? Carinelle felt really drawn with this funnily named cafe. The small cafe wasn't decorated lavishly like what she was used to back home but the scent and aroma of the place reminded her of Thorn Estate. There were circular little coffee tables made entirely out of sturdy wood and comfortable armchairs of every sort of size and type but despite the mismatched design, the tables, armchairs and the little things she always would find in an ordinary cafe made the place meshed up well together. The smell! Oh, did she mention about the intoxicating smell? Even Aveline noticed the woody aromatic scent. The smell of fallen yellow leaves and that wonderful after-the-rain freshly mawned grass. They felt like never wanting to leave the place and just hug the invisible wonderful scent. Home, oh they had never really noticed before on how much they missed home.

Aveline noticed the scent on the first instance when she pushed open the door. Cool air-conditioned rushing to her face with a little hint of sweet lemon and lavender.

A strange thought of wolfy instincts crept into the back of her mind but she pushed it away. She still remembered her father's stupid terms and conditions and still thought that it was silly but it didn't mean that she wouldn't follow at least some of it. She swallowed and breathed another supply of that intoxicating smell before going to the counter to make Malcolm's order and she had thought that maybe she'd order one for her as well. The counter was empty. She looked around the little area for anyone to take her order.