I woke Wednesday morning to the sound of Gran coaxing me to life.

“Tonight is the night,” she whispered. “Time to rise and shine. We have a long day ahead of us.”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, hoping the small movement would let her know I was awake so she’d leave me be. Five more minutes. That was all I wanted.

“Wakey, wakey,” she said. This time, her voice sounded farther away. She was waking Gracie. She growled as she stretched. My sister was even less of a morning person than I was, which said a lot. “Up, lazybones. Now, you two,” Gran said with more force. She clapped her hands together, startling my eyes open.

I forced myself to sit up in bed, relishing the bits of darkness that still cloaked the room. From previous experience, I knew if one of us didn’t sit up and show true signs of waking, Gran would resort to flipping on the light switch, creating a strobe that blinded.

It was not something I wanted to deal with this morning. Today would be stressful enough.

“I’m up,” I croaked. My voice sounded strange. I needed water. The tank top I’d worn to bed was dampened with sweat and stuck to my skin. I tossed my sheet off, but it didn’t cool me enough. The room was too stuffy and hot.

“Good, breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes,” Gran said from the doorway. The door made a soft click as she closed it behind her.

I wiped sweat from my brow. Hadn’t I left the window open before drifting off to sleep? I thought I remembered propping the box fan in it too.

My gaze drifted to the window in question. It was closed and the fan sat on the floor, its blades not spinning. The sight of it irritated me. Who had closed it? Who’d turned the fan off? It was sweltering in here.

I narrowed my eyes on Gracie as I slipped out of bed. Soggy carpet squished beneath my feet. A slew of curse words spewed from my mouth. I tiptoed to the window and flung it open. Cool early morning air drifted into the room, making it easier to breathe, but it did nothing for the sopping mess on the floor. I reached for one of the dirty shirts Gracie had tossed on the floor and dried my feet.

“Why is the floor wet? And why did you close the window last night?” I growled at Gracie.

She sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “It was raining, duh,” Gracie snapped. “You put the stupid fan in the window and it kept blowing water in.”

“It was hot last night. I was trying to cool it down in here. How was I supposed to know it was going to rain?”

“Whatever, you get to clean up the mess.” She slipped out of bed and headed for the door.

I threw the dirty shirt I’d used to dry my feet at her, missing by a mile. She could aggravate the piss out of me sometimes. It was just like her to leave me to clean up the mess on my own.

I grabbed a couple of dirty towels out of my laundry basket and sopped up the water. What a great way to start my day. Had Gran noticed the water? She hadn’t said anything. I hoped she never did. She was still upset about the last time it happened. The carpet was sure to have a funky mildew smell to it now.

Maybe it was time to ask again for an AC unit in our bedroom. There was one in the living room and Gran had one in her room, but we’d never had one in ours. We just suffered.

As soon as I finished sopping up the carpet, I propped the fan in the window again. It wasn’t raining, so there shouldn’t be an issue this time. It would circulate air through the room, help dry the carpet, and it would also help get rid of the moldy smell building.

I carried the towels I’d used to the bathroom and rang them out in the tub. The scent of bacon drifted to my nose, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat any. It wasn’t for me. Not today.

Today, I would only be able to eat fruits and vegetables.

Starving myself was part of the cleansing process everyone went through before a full moon ceremony. It was another thing I hated about these nights. While I didn’t mind eating fruits and vegetables, I did enjoy meat. I knew some people could handle a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, but I wasn’t one of them. Maybe it had something to do with the werewolf genes in my DNA. Not eating animal protein left me crabby.

“Breakfast is ready,” Gran shouted down the hall.

I draped the wet towels over the edge of the tub and dried my hands. “Coming.”

My mouth watered as the scent of bacon intensified with each step I took toward the kitchen. My stomach grumbled painfully loud. I hoped Gran made something good for me this time. Last month, she’d given me a kale smoothie the color of dirt instead of the vibrant green I’d been expecting. It had tasted like grass, but she’d forced me to drink it anyway. I prayed for something better this morning.

The instant I stepped into the kitchen, I knew my prayers had been answered.

Apple slices of every color filled the bowl closest to me. Bowls of pineapple, every variety of melon, orange slices, grapes, strawberries, and pears were lined up beside it. A cluster of bananas sat beside a plate of kiwi cut into stars.

Gran had been busy this morning.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” I insisted. It was so much better than the nasty smoothie she’d made last month.

“Thank you, dear.” Gran smiled as she handed me a plate. It was the same fine china she pulled out every month when the moon was full.

Gran honored the moon goddess as much as possible. This was Gran’s favorite time of the month. It always had been. Even before I was of age to drink the tea concoction meant to trigger a reaction and awaken the werewolf gene within me, I knew Gran loved the full moon. She claimed there was raw energy that was easy to tap. To her, it wasn’t just about her wolf side; it was everything. She was a moon child through and through.

“I still feel bad for last month when I forced you to drink that horrible smoothie twice in one day and wanted to make it up to you. There’s everything fruit you can think of, except for mangoes. I know they’re your favorite, but they didn’t look up to par. Not for today.”

Gran had high standards when it came to the food we consumed today. Not just my food, but also everyone else’s. The entire day was meant to be celebrated. You celebrated the moon, even if you weren’t Moon Kissed. You were still a part of the pack.

I grabbed a few kiwi stars and a banana before moving down the lineup she’d created. Gracie stepped behind me and grabbed a plate from the stack set out. She bypassed the fruit and reached for a strip of bacon. I knew what she’d fill her plate with. It was always the same. Bacon, eggs, hash browns, and toast slathered with butter. She’d eat some fruit after I’d eaten my share. It was the way things went on mornings of the full moon.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked. Either he’d passed out on the porch due to another drunken binge and Gran had left him there, or he’d never made it home.

“He’ll be here. Don’t you worry,” Gran said with confidence as she stirred the scrambled eggs.

I wasn’t worried. I figured he’d show up at some point. He always did.

“Hurry up and eat some fruit,” Gracie demanded. “It looks good. I can’t wait to get my hands on the honeydew.”

“It’s all yours,” I whispered, hoping Gran wouldn’t hear me. She’d forgotten, yet again, I didn’t like honeydew. I didn’t like cantaloupe either. Watermelon was the only melon I cared for.

The sound of a vehicle pulling up to our trailer made its way to my ears.

“There he is,” Gran announced in a chipper voice.

Was she up to something? If so, it had to be something that involved my father.

“Oh, Mina, I forgot your drink.” Gran swung open the fridge door and my heart sank. I’d foolishly thought because she’d felt bad about the kale smoothie last month I’d get away without having to taste another this month.

“What is it?” I asked as she stepped toward me carrying a glass with a milky liquid inside.

“Pure coconut water.”

“Oh.” I liked coconuts. While I’d never had coconut water before, it had to taste better than her smoothie.

The front door to our trailer opened and Dad stepped inside. I took in his appearance. He didn’t seem as though he’d spent the night drinking. In fact, he looked clean-shaven and well rested. I also noticed his limp was virtually gone as he walked to where Gran stood.

“Looks like I’m just in time.” He grinned before placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Grab a plate,” Gran instructed.

“I will,” Dad said. He shifted his attention to Gracie and me. “Mornin’, girls. How are you feeling about tonight, Mina?”

“Okay, I guess,” I said. I was so sick of being asked the same question each month.

“I have a feeling tonight will be the one,” he said, same as every other morning of a full moon. “Which is why I went out and got you something.” He pulled a narrow white box from his pant pocket and laid it on the table beside my plate.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I said, surprised.

“I know, but I wanted to. I have a feeling this is going to be it. You’ll be Moon Kissed tonight. I wanted you to have something from me to commemorate it.” He nodded toward the box. “Go on, open it. It’s from Gran and me.”

I glanced at Gran. A wide smile had stretched across her face. “I feel the same way your father does. The Moon Kiss will be upon you tonight. This moon feels different. There’s so much energy to it. More than any other.”

I wanted to tell them they might be wrong, but I bit my tongue. They both seemed so sure of themselves. I didn’t want to be a downer, but I had my doubts.

Maybe I was wrong, though.

Gran had said this moon felt different. While I wasn’t sure how it felt any different from the ones before, I’d learned early in life never to question one of her feelings.

“Go on, open it. They already said you could,” Gracie insisted, her eyes glued to the box.

I reached for it. It was lighter in my hand than I’d anticipated. The hinges squeaked as I pried it open. Inside lay the most beautiful silver bracelet across a sheet of white satin. It was thick, but still delicate looking. The moon phases had been etched into its shiny surface.

“It’s beautiful,” I gushed. “Thank you.” I stood to give them both a hug.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it,” Dad said.

Gran pulled me into her arms. “You’re going to need it after tonight. I can feel it. There is some serious energy coursing through the air with this moon. I’m telling you.”

Hope blossomed through my chest. Maybe this bracelet would be my good luck charm. Maybe it would draw the moon goddess’s attention to me so she’d allow me to become Moon Kissed.

Silver helped keep us connected to the moon. It helped to keep our wolf on a leash, to maintain control over our wolf self throughout the month, and also to allow us to change when we wanted. Not just on a full moon. Once a person became Moon Kissed, they needed to wear silver. If they didn’t, and the connection with the moon was ever to become severed, I wasn’t sure what would happen but I knew it wouldn’t be good.

“It’s pretty,” Gracie said, pulling my thoughts back to the bracelet. “Can I see it?”

I passed the box to her, still unbelieving they had gotten me anything. Tonight’s full moon seemed to hold a lot of weight before the gift, but now it had doubled. I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t as though this was the last full moon of my eighteenth year. Everyone sure was acting as if it were, though.

“I love it,” Gracie said as she continued to stare at the bracelet. Her fingertips grazed the smooth surface, touching each of the engraved moon symbols. “It looks familiar.”

The second she said the words, I felt the same way. I had seen it before. I couldn’t remember where though. Maybe not this exact one, but I remembered the engravings of the moon phases on a piece of jewelry.

“I gave your mother something similar when we first started dating,” Dad said. His voice was low and pained. “It wasn’t a bracelet; it was a necklace with a long pendant charm on it that had the same moon phases engraved.”

An image of it flashed through my mind. I could see my mom leaning over to give me a goodnight kiss and the pendant charm touching my face. “I remember that. She never took it off.”

“No, she didn’t.” Dad chuckled as though struck by a memory himself. “The one time she did, you nearly lost it. We found it in Gran’s garden two days later.”

“Oh! I’d forgotten all about that! I wanted that necklace so bad. I’d put it on in the bathroom, but then Gran called me out to the garden and I couldn’t get it off. I didn’t want to break it or tell anyone I’d put it on, so I left it. Then I forgot about it. I don’t know how, but it managed to fall off when I was helping her. Gosh, I remember Mom being so upset while she searched for it.”

“I remember too. It was mixed in with my lavender,” Gran said. “That used to be your favorite to harvest.”

“It still is.” Not because it smelled good, but because there were so many uses for it. If I had retained anything from Gran at all, it was that lavender was good for just about any ailment.

Gracie took the bracelet out of its box and held it out to me. “Can I put it on you?”

I flashed her a smile and nodded. Our morning mishap over the soaked bedroom floor had been forgotten. “Sure.”

She wrapped the bracelet around my wrist and her tiny fingers fumbled with the clasp. “There,” she said once it was secured in place. “It looks good on you. Plus, I like that it reminds me of Mom.”

I made a mental note to get her one similar when the time came. “Yeah, me too.”

“It does look beautiful on you,” Gran insisted. “But I think it’s time you focus on eating breakfast. You know how important it is to purify your system and fill yourself with as many nutrients as possible. It makes the first shift easier on your body.”

I reached for one of the kiwi stars. My gaze drifted back to the bracelet. Another image of Mom wearing her necklace floated through my mind. God, I missed her. I wished she were here.

Why had she left us?

I knew why. She couldn’t handle Dad’s addiction to pain pills or alcohol. Didn’t she stop to think her leaving would only make those issues worse?

“There’s still so much to do in order to prepare for tonight,” Gran insisted, pulling me from my thoughts.

She was right. I picked up another piece of kiwi. It was time I prepared my body in case everyone was right and tonight ended up being the night I became Moon Kissed.