Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters

I walked into the Moreno house through the front door and put my backpack in the basket that held everybody else's junk. The family was going through its usual morning rush. Mr. Moreno was quickly putting on his jacket and work boots while Mrs. Moreno yanked out the keys to her car and put all the spilled contents back into her purse.

"Riley, dear," she began, looking around the floor for anything else she hadn't picked up. "I'm going to be working a little late today. Do you think you could start dinner? I've put out some chicken to thaw, if you wouldn't mind sticking it in the oven around five."

"I let out a small sigh. I was hired to take care of her children. The most I fed them was breakfast, a light snack, and lunch. I was the baby sitter for the girls. I wasn't the cook for the family. This woman wasn't even paying me. But, I needed the money that she owed me and to pay Luke back.

"Sure," I agreed, with a small, forced smile.

"Thank you, Hun!" She smiled, throwing her purse over her shoulder and walking towards the garage. Mr. Moreno followed her, grumbling about something to himself. I didn't really like Mr. Moreno, but he was more on my good side right now than Mrs. Moreno was.

Jack stormed by me and rummaged through the backpack bin. I knew he was in a rush, and looking for his car keys. I lifted my backpack off the top of the pile, along with everyone else's bag so Jack could find what he was looking for.

Why the hell are you messing shit up?" he spat, yanking his backpack out of the basket and tossing it over his shoulder.

"I was just trying to help you find your stuff," I answered, trying not to cringe at the bark in his voice.

"Just stick to your job of booger-wiping and stay out of the way," he snarled, charging out of the door.

"I blinked at his hostile attitude and put back all the bags in the bin. Jack was like that to me all the time. I don't remember what I ever did to him, but he treated me like I offended him greatly with every breath I took. I didn't really have the nerve to retaliate when he started yelling at me. Instead, I would pretend I didn't hear a word.

Izzy, his girlfriend, probably pissed him off yesterday or something, and that was why he was such in a foul mood.

It was only seven thirty in the morning. Luke and Jack went off to school, and the girls usually didn't wake up until nine or so. I went to follow my daily routine; watch TV in the Moreno brother's room until the girls started to move around.

One of the two beds was empty with the sheets falling onto the floor, while the other one had a body in it. Luke's dark curly hair was sticking out over the top of the blanket. I rushed over by his bed to wake him up. He had to go to school. Mrs. Moreno would not like it if I let him stay home. I couldn't leave to drop him off at school. I had to stay back in case the girls woke up. His classes started in thirty minutes. If he was going to make it on time, he had better start running.

"Luke," I said loudly, poking his back. "Luke, wake up!"

"No," he grumbled, kicking the sheets off. He looked just like Colby when I tried to wake her up.

"Luke, you have to go to school." I started to shake him a little.

"I'm not going to school," he breathed with his eyes still shut. "I'm sick."

"Luke, your mom is going to murder me if she finds out I let you stay home," I told him in hopes that he would get up.

"I'm sick," he croaked.

"I'm not going to believe that," I chuckled. Was he seriously trying to get away with that?

"No, I'm serious," he mumbled. "Feel my face."

I couldn't feel his face, since he was lying on it. So, I pulled the sheets down a little bit and touched his back. He was really warm, but that could have been because he was sleeping on it most of the night. I moved my hand up to the back of his neck, the second best place to check for temperature. His neck was warmer than his back.

"You are a little warm," I admitted, taking my hand off his body and returning it to my side.

"Told you," he coughed. It sounded like he was trying to choke up a lung.

"Alright, you can stay," I sighed. I didn't want Luke to hate me as much as Jack did, but my employment was more important than his feelings towards me. I did not want an angry Moreno mom coming after me.

"Mhmm," he hummed.

Do you want soup or anything?" I asked, making my way towards the door.

"Sleep would be good. But Jack pretty much killed that dream with all his yelling," Luke mumbled, his voice cracking. "Ramen noodles would be amazing, though."

"What kind?" I wasn't sure how picky was Luke was about his food. I accidentally made Jack a turkey sandwich instead of a ham sandwich once and it nearly ended in my assassination.

"Beef is good," he answered, rolling onto his back. "I'll be out there in a minute."

I never cared for Ramen noodles since they tasted like the dime they cost, but I obliged the sick Moreno's request and prepped the five minute soup. Luke sat at the table, dangling the noodles in front of his face. He was playing with his food more than actually eating it. To my relief, Colby and Karen hadn't woken up yet. I was actually kind of hoping that they would stay asleep most of the day. I didn't feel like playing referee and splitting up the two girls ever time my back turned.

So you're into Bob Dylan?" I asked from the kitchen. I was horrible at trying to make small talk. I immediately regretted speaking.

"Yeah. He's like my hero," Luke answered, shoveling the noodles into his mouth. "Jack idolizes him a lot more, though."

Their bedroom had at least four Bob Dylan posters in it. I couldn't remember what other posters were in there, other than the half naked girls holding beer bottles.

"He's in his late sixties now, isn't he?" I chuckled. I had to look away from him when talking. I always had issues with looking at someone while talking to them. I had to busy my hands so it didn't seem like I depended all on them for entertainment. I decided to clean the kitchen counters.

"Oh yeah. He's old," Luke agreed with a big smile. "But he's still rockin' it out."

"I'm more of a Hendrix fan myself," I informed him. I immediately rolled my eyes at myself. Like he wanted to know that.

"Hendrix is cool," he agreed with a nod. He began twirling noodles on his fork, hanging them in the air.

"Is there something wrong with the soup?" I asked cautiously. I felt somewhat offended. I mean, it's not that hard to make soup, especially one that only calls for a cup of water and the occasional stir. You just add water and stir. There was no way I could have messed it up too much.

"I've only seen you take one bite of it. Is there something wrong with it?" I asked with a painful smile.

"No, it's good. I'm just a slow eater. I like to play with my food." He cracked a grin.

I nodded my head in a sort of understanding way. /span/span"Luke, can I ask you something?" I questioned, wanting to slap my palm onto my face. Of course I could ask him something. I just did!

"Uh, sure. I guess," he answered nervously. He dropped the noodles back into the bowl and looked up at me.

Since he gave me his full attention, I guessed it was fitting to give him mine. I folded the washcloth I was using to clean the counters and dropped it in the sink.

"What is Jack's issue with me?" I asked, biting my bottom lip. It was a question that had been bothering me for a little while. I had never really done any harm to Jack. I never said anything ill or rude to him, even when he lashed out at me. I didn't really care how he felt towards me; I just wanted to know what about me that he hated. If it was something that I could change, or something he just needed to get over.

"Oh," Luke sighed, sounding relieved. He returned to playing in his soup. "I honestly have no idea. I asked him that this morning, but he didn't answer me. He just kept yelling," he shrugged.

It seemed like Jack had yelled at Luke before he lashed out at me. I wanted to ask what for, but that would be too nosy. I just returned to cleaning out the sink to prepare for washing dishes.

"I just don't understand it," I mumbled to myself.

"Eh, don't let Jack get you down. He's just an ass sometimes," Luke shrugged.

"I just kept cleaning the sink, not knowing what to say. If there wasn't a specific reason for Jack to hate me, then I shouldn't be treated the way I was. It didn't matter if he was just going through some things or if he was just born an asshole.

"You know you can go home if you want?" Luke asked, letting some noodles dangle out of his mouth. "I'm here and can watch the girls if you want leave."

"Oh, I can't leave. I'd be cut a day's pay, and won't have enough money to pay you back," I replied, filling the sink with warm water and soap.

"You don't have to pay me back," he said, scratching the top of his head.

"Yeah, I do. That's your money," I insisted.

"Luke shook his head at me and mouthed 'no'.

"I can't take your money and not pay you back."

You didn't take it. I gave it to you," he said, shaking his head.

"I can't accept it like that, Luke. I have to give it back to you," I told him, dropping dirty plates and bowls into the sink.

"I'm not going to take the money back," he blatantly stated, leaning his chair back to balance on its back two legs. "If I wanted pay back, I would have said so. I gave it to you for keeps."

"I shook my head at his stubbornness. I didn't want to say anything else about it, but he was going to get that money back.

"I think I'm going to hang back. Unless I'm bothering you and you want me to leave?" I added.

"No, no. You're not bothering me," he said, shaking his head. "I like the company, especially since I feel like crap. I just wanted to tell you that if you wanted to leave you could. You're not forced to stay here."

"Are you even sick?" I asked, laughing. He seemed perfectly fine besides the fact that his voice was a little raspy.

"Well I don't exactly feel good. I've got a bad cough, a sore throat, and a headache," he explained.

"If you need anything, just let me know."

"I think I'm going to drink some tea and take a nap when I'm done with this," he informed me, nodding his head at the soup. "I'll help you clean up after the girls tear this place up," he smiled. "The girls loved to rip the house to shreds and not clean up after themselves. Of course, that is why I was around.

"Well thank you. I appreciate that," I said with a grin.

***
Luke never went to take a nap in his room. He just lazily stretched across the couch, listening to the Best of Simon and Garfunkle CD that he put in the DVD player. Colby and Karen were sitting at the dining room table, playing with play-doh. I had to cover the table with a shower curtain so they didn't get it all over the place. I had finished cleaning up after the girl's lunch, and wanted more than anything to sit down. I hadn't sat since I woke up Luke.

I walked into the living room and scanned the couch for a spot. The Moreno family had a small, three-cushioned couch, and one separate recliner. The recliner was Mr. Moreno's, and the first rule I was told was to not sit in his chair. That was his drinking chair, and he could tell in an instant if someone else's ass had touched it.

"Do you want to sit?" Luke asked, looking up at me from underneath his messy hair.

"Would be nice," I shrugged. I didn't really want him to move. It was his couch, and he didn't feel good. So I felt bad for asking him to get up or move over.

Luke sat up, and scooted down to the middle of the couch. I took the spot next to him on the right side, and awkwardly stared at the blank blue screen of the TV.

"You can change the TV if you want, you know?" he said, pointing at the remote.

"Uhm, that's okay," I mumbled, shaking my head. I usually just put it on cartoons or the girls to watch. Plus, I didn't really want to upset Luke by what I chose to watch.

"Alright then, will you hand me the remote?" he asked, holding out his hand.

I grabbed the remote that was sitting on the end table next to me, and handed it to Luke. He took it and started channel surfing, passing up millions of cartoons and soap operas.

"You have to be one of the most shy people I've ever met," he said, reading through the TV guide.

"I just don't have much to say," I admitted, fiddling with my hands.

"Why?" he asked chuckling. "I'm not as bad as Jack, you know?"

"It's not that. It's just I'm not a people person," I shrugged. I was the picture next to the word 'anti-social' in the dictionary.

"Why? What's so bad about people? Are you afraid they're going to hurt you or something?" Luke asked, looking at me straight in the face.

"I dunno. I'm just not really that interesting so I don't have much to add to conversation," I explained, shaking my hands in frustration. I immediately wanted to slam my head onto the end table. He probably thinks I'm some sort of boring hag.

"Well that's completely normal," Luke said, shrugging a little. "Just don't over analyze it too much. You're pretty mysterious if you ask me, which makes you interesting. You've worked in my house five days a week for how long now, and you've said about ten words to me before today."

"Sorry," I muttered, shrugging into my jacket. "To be honest, this is probably the longest conversation I've ever had with someone who was over the age of eleven, and isn't my roommate," I chuckled.

"Your roommate," Luke whispered, squinting his eyes. "I remember her. She was a junior last year. Her name is Dolly or something, right?"

"Dawn," I corrected with a smile.

"Kind of heavy set, long black hair with red underneath?" he guessed, running his hand over his imaginary waist length hair.

"Yep, that's her," I nodded. Dawn dropped out of school, too. She worked three jobs. She worked at the bowling alley, Wal-mart, and Sonic. I had no idea how she could do it, and still be alive.

"How come you left school? I remember you used to be like a grade grubber," Luke asked with a teasing grin.

"I was not a grade grubber, okay?" I said with a small smile. "I just wanted to keep good grades, and with my mom failing wasn't an option."

"Alright, alright. You weren't a grade grubber," Luke laughed. "But why did you leave school?"

"Well, I had to help Dawn pay the bills. School was taking up so much time that I could use to make money. So I had to leave," I explained.

"What happened to your parents? If you don't mind me asking," he added quickly.

"Well," I sighed. It was a long story, but I had learned to trim it down to one run-on sentence. "My mom passed away and my dad didn't feel he was ready to take on a teenager. He's lived in Ohio for the past years, you see," I explained with a shrug. Of course, it bothered me that my dad didn't want to step up and be a man, even after my mom died. It wasn't as if he was around in the first place. Nevertheless, I thought that sympathy or some sort of caring streak would show up.

"Damn, that's intense," Luke said, running his hand through his hair. "So you moved in with Dawn after that?"

"Yep. She was just leaving her house after she filed emancipation from her mom. They got into many fistfights, so Dawn moved into a small house with an extra room, and I needed a place to stay. It worked out nice. Kind of," I grimaced. It would have been perfect if I were able to at least get my G.E.D.

"Do you miss being in school?" Luke asked, turning sideways on the couch so he faced me directly.

"Well, I don't miss the early mornings, the annoying students, and the boring teachers," I chuckled. "But I do wish I could have finished. More than eighty percent of today's jobs require a high school diploma."

"You can always go to night school," Luke suggested. "It's from four in the afternoon to eight."

"I can't do night school. I have to baby sit them until six thirty," I reminded him. "Besides, night school is scary." Night school was where all the behavior problems went to avoid the good students. It was where the pregnant teens and remedial kids went for class. I was scared of night school.

"Aww, why? Are you scared of the dark?" Luke teased with a toothy grin.

"No, I'm not," I sneered. "I'm just terrified for my safety."

"Night school isn't that bad. Mason goes to night school," he shrugged.

Mason was not a good example of the beauties of night school. Mason Sikoski was one of the biggest morons I've ever met. He was one of Luke and Jack's friend. He was tall, with thick wavy hair. He had to be mixed with something; there was no way he was just white. He was too tan and his features threw me off. He was sort of cute, until he opened that gigantic mouth of his.

"I've never really talked to Mason before," I informed him. The most Mason ever talked to me was when he told me to make him something to eat, or if I knew where one of the Moreno brothers were.

"He's a good guy. I'm sure he'll be around here sometime this week. I'll give you the proper introduction," Luke offered. "I really think you should go back to school."

"Even if I did hit it off with Mason, there is no way that I could go. I still have to baby sit them until six thirty everyday. I can't quit, Luke. I need the money."

"That's fixable. Jack and I get home at two thirty to three o'clock. Instead of going out with our friends, we'll just come home and watch them," Luke explained.

"I don't think that Jack would come home early on my behalf. And, how will your mom really know that I've been working?" I asked. I don't think that Mrs. Moreno would trust me like that.

"Easy," Luke shrugged with a smile. "I'll talk to my mom about it. She'll understand. I'm positive that my mom won't reject to you going to school. And hey, if you need to stay over some nights, you can. I mean, it wouldn't be a problem. Scotty and Kevin practically live here on weekends. So during the week when you have school, you can chill here if you don't feel like going home," Luke suggested.

"I still don't know," I mumbled, biting my lip. To be able to go back to school would be amazing. However, I had to think of Dawn's in take on this. I think she would be furious that I would even consider going back to school, leaving her with her three jobs. She acted like she really didn't care about school. But I think she knows that schooling would solve a lot of her problems. I don't think she would be as accepting as Luke about this. As for Mrs. Moreno, I just didn't want her to think that this was an opportunity to cut my pay. I'll still be working most of the same hours.

"It'll be alright," Luke smiled. He grabbed a loose piece of my dirty blonde hair and attempted to twist it around his finger. Instinctively, I flinched away from his hand that approached me, but he either didn't notice or didn't care as he tucked the stray hair that escaped my ponytail behind my ear.

"Thanks, Luke," I said quietly with a small smile.