{Connor}
"I'm always more comfortable at night, under the stars shining brightly in the sky and the enchanting moon hanging in the night sky. It had this mysterious charm to it that made it seem irresistible to me. Almost like it was drawing me in."
"I still fail to understand what that has to do with anything Connor," Doctor Lindsay said, leaning forward to look me in my eyes as I lay on the sofa of the therapist's office. "I asked what you feel is making you act out in such an unruly manner. It's normal for younger people such as yourself to act out under pressure but you seem to be exhibiting a bit more… delinquent characteristics and your family believes that therapy will help you work through whatever troubles you are facing, as does the court and frankly, so do I Connor."
Doctor Lindsay then crossed her legs and leaned back into her chair, "Now, how about you tell me what's really going on?"
My nose flared slightly as I pondered what Doctor Lindsay said, "What was really going on?"
Truth be told, even I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that on that cold eerie night in October, something completely unusual happened and from the look of things, clearly my life would never go back to what it used to be.
All my life I've always felt like an outcast, fitting in was more or less like a distant dream to me. For starters, I don't even know who my real parents are. The people Doctor Lindsay mentioned as my family were actually my foster family. I've lived with them for over 15 years and that is a lot, considering I just turned 20.
Don't get me wrong, the MacArthur's have given me nothing but love and attention ever since I became a part of their family, they've always done their best to make me feel like one of them but if I'm being honest, it just never really clicked for me. I breezed past high school without so much as making a sound but I must say, being barely noticed did have its perks. At least I didn't go through the whole bullying phase like most people in high school, although that was mostly because no one knew who I was or paid any attention to me. It became something I genuinely found comfort in.
Of course, there was nothing about me that would make me stand out in a high school hallway. I was as average as they come. Average height, average build, average grades. Hell, I'm pretty sure I was average in looks as well. Even my jet-black hair was considered average. The only somewhat unique thing about me would be my amber eyes but still no one ever really noticed.
My foster mom would sometimes tell me that they had a hard time picking a kid but as soon as they laid eyes on me and I stared back at them with what she describes as; "those beautiful golden orbs" they just had to have me.
I always thought it was terrible decision-making; picking a child over the color of his eyes but who was I to complain, I ended up getting adopted into a family.
Of course, the only time I ever did feel a sense of true belonging was at night when I would gaze up at the moon shrouded in the dark night sky. There was just something about it, like it would envelop me in its presence making me feel secure and comfortable. Almost like we shared a bond, I would sometimes feel it calling out to me but such a concept seemed completely absurd or, so I thought.
October 2nd, just a few weeks after we came back from summer vacation. The day I'd soon come to know as the day when everything changed.
I had decided to take a gap year and focus on myself since clearly I had absolutely no idea where I fit in, much less my actual purpose in life. My usual daily routine would be to lock myself in my room all day with an open laptop trying fervently to deceive myself into thinking I was actually doing something meaningful with my time when all I was really doing was watching random videos on YouTube, then some anime, then Netflix. I would occasionally do some research on something completely irrelevant and then it was right back to YouTube videos.
My little foster brother; George, would sometimes pop into my room whenever he got back from school and I'd humor him by playing Fortnite with him all to keep up appearances that I was on top of things. He was just 12 years old and couldn't really tell that my entire life was nothing but a joke and that's what made me enjoy taking out time from my self-proclaimed busy day to play with him.
George was a scrawny kid with brown moppy hair, warm brown eyes, and an adorable personality. He never judged me or asked any questions, all he did was enjoy my company as much as I enjoyed his.
Then occasionally, whenever night-time came I would go outside to the backyard and sit on the swing as I basked in the ambiance of the night all alone.
That night as usual I came out of my room and headed downstairs.
"Speak of the devil, Connor, come here for a minute." Came a voice from the living room.
"You wanted to see me, Dad?" I said walking into the living room. My foster father; Jack MacArthur was seated on the sofa with a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other.
He looked like your basic suburban dad, with brown hair slicked backward, and a cheeky smile on his face highlighting his impressive cheekbones. His big brown eyes stared intently at me through his glasses. He had on khaki brown shorts and a blue t-shirt with what I can only assume were flip-flops on his feet.
Right now he may look like a harmless and easygoing man but Jack MacArthur was actually a Managing Partner of Smith and Associates. A prestigious and absolutely vicious law firm right in the heart of town with branches spread across America.
"Connor, I have great news." He said, handing me one of the glasses, "I was able to pull some strings and got you…"
"Hold on I want to see the look on his face when you tell him." My foster mother said rushing into the living room with a glass of her own.
"Mom why are you wearing a dress, are you going out?" I asked.
"Oh you know me, I like to get dressed up for special occasions." She answered with a soft smile and a wink, walking to Jack who dropped his glass and casually took her hand in his.
Laura MacArthur was the wife of Jack and of course my foster mother. She had beautiful blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and the kindest smile I'd ever seen. She was a bit on the short side but one thing was for sure, she was absolutely stunning, and in that dress she definitely made herself look like the big deal she was.
"Alright, go on darling," Laura said.
Jack cleared his throat and began, "I said I was able to get you in."
"What do you mean, in where?" I asked, slightly confused by what I had just heard.
"Ridgenell Connor, I got you into Ridgenell. In a few weeks, you'll be off to College." Jack said not even trying to contain his excitement, he had the biggest smile I'd ever seen on him, and with that, he proceeded to pour the wine into each of our glasses.
He raised his glass in the air, "A toast, to the beginning of an amazing experience for our Connor."
We clinked our glasses and drank to Jack's toast. I could tell both Jack and Laura were really happy for me, but I was yet to feel the same way, nothing seemed to excite me, not even getting into the college of my dreams.
"To celebrate I made your favorite; black rice and baked chicken." Laura beamed.
"That's awesome mom. I'm just gonna go out to the backyard for a bit, it's a lot to take in right now."
"That's all right sweetie, you take your time." She said giving me a small hug, "I'll go get George."
Jack hurriedly gave me a thumbs-up with both hands accompanied by his classic cheeky smile. I smiled back at him before leaving the room and heading out back.
I casually swung on the swing set, pondering how I was about to start college in a few weeks. A beautiful full moon shone over the town, its alluring white light enveloped everything making it seem somewhat other-worldly.
I slowed my pace on the swing and stared at what was happening around me, "Was I the only one who felt like this under the moonlight or was everyone actually experiencing this?"
Suddenly a strange howl disrupted my thoughts almost making me jump off the swing. I frantically looked around in fear, trying to locate the sound and my eyes settled on the vast forest just beyond the MacArthur house.
Being the spineless shut-in I am, my first thought was to run back into the house and lock myself in the safety of my room but I found myself subconsciously walking towards the fence; the only obstruction between me and that howl.