Read Online Black Moon Draw by Lizzy Ford - Free Book Online

funeral in my life and have never seen anyone die outside of television. Staring at the blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, I get tunnel vision, and my ears start roaring. The world grows surreal, the blue sky swirling and colliding with the trees, the sense of floating descending over me.
    I want to throw up and pass out at the same time.
    “Come!” The kid pulls me hard enough that I almost lose my footing. He catches me and pushes me back onto my feet, and I shake my head.
    This isn’t real. That man isn’t dead. It’s a story. A dream. A movie. If I pretend these people are like those in a video game, I won’t get sick or run off screaming.
    Stumbling forward, I see another Green Dawn Cave man fall under a sword and look away quickly. Bile rises in my throat.
    This isn’t real.
    I chant the words with desperation I haven’t felt since Jason broke the news to me that he found someone else. Hot tears burn my eyes as that painful memory resurfaces.
    I’m in the middle of the field and claustrophobic, surrounded by death and blood and a nightmare.
    Wrenching away from the kid, I race towards the forest, not caring where I’m going or who might chop me down before I get there. I don’t watch scary movies, let alone can stand gore of any kind. Any thought of sticking it out to find the Hero dissipates.
    “I got her!” The shout is accompanied by someone smashing into my side and driving me to the ground.
    The air is knocked out of me and I lay, mouth gaping open, struggling to breathe. The man with a green circle has his hands raised in triumph and he’s signaling to someone else.
    As much as I despise him, his blow knocked me out of panic mode and I roll onto my stomach and start to cough as air reaches my lungs. My ribs ache from his tackle and I focus on the strand of vibrant grass before my eyes. I pluck it up, mesmerized by the moist, ribbony texture.
    It’s real, and so is everything around me. If I don’t get my shit together, I’m going to end up in a box before I can make it home.
    “I survived being bullied in high school and college, before I dropped out. I can survive this.” With a deep breath, I push away from the earth and climb to my feet.
    The man who tagged me stands nearby. The moment I stand, he whips out a club big enough to smash my skull in, and raises it to slam into me.
    I stumble away and drop to my knees, praying my Ninja Turtle shield won’t crack. Heat flares at my core, beneath the medallion touching my chest.
    His blow lands, but I barely feel it. I’m more surprised by the arc of purple sparks that fly off the shield at impact and light up a small dome around me. His club glances off, and the pale purple-pink shield around me fizzles and disappears.
    I may be new here, but I’m no fool. I’m not about to wait for him to find a spot not protected by the magic shield. I dart off at a sprint, this time aware of where I’m headed.
    Puffing hard, I’m breathless before I reach the tree line, my thighs burning like crazy. I weave through the fighting warriors to the first tree I spot with branches low enough for me to reach.
    Just like when I ran from the bullies in school. I was that nerdy kid who had glasses when she was six, braces all through high school, and sat in front of the class because I actually enjoyed school. My world revolved around my books and I made up excuses to skip gym class because I have no athletic bone in my body. Being humiliated as the person no one wanted on their team left a mark, one that got worse when my parents divorced.
    I felt like everyone hated me, even my dad when he left.
    To escape my life, I used to climb the tree in my front yard and sit with a book until it was too dark to read. I could pretend my world was better, different, happier, when I was in my tree.
    I really need that safe, secure escape from reality now.
    I throw myself into the task of climbing the tree with relish, anxious to get away from my pursuer and the