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Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World
Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World
Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World
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Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World

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In Sirrico's first young adult novel, Cameron Dewitt, who is fresh out of college, has the world at his feet. No longer chasing the love of his life that cheated on him, Cameron accepts a teaching job in Virginia in hopes that he can gain a fresh start at life. But when he stops at the I-55 North rest stop just across the Tennessee state line he doesn’t realize it will change his life forever. After a night full of events that he can scarcely remember, he wakes up in a local hospital, where he is told he was in a terrible car accident. The pieces will soon fall into place as Cameron meets Valena. He quickly learns that nothing could have prepared him for her. Their meeting will lead to Cameron being forced to choose between his past or embracing his future as he is thrown into a feud he has nothing to do with. An unexpected romance and unavoidable changes push him further into an unknown world where he learns many things about himself and his purpose in life.

Expect the unexpected as everything is not what it seems.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 1, 2014
ISBN9780984814633
Luna Morba: What A Wonderful World

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    Luna Morba - Sirrico Whitfield

    project.

    CHAPTER 1

    I SEE CLOUDS OF BLUE

    I find that fate is an interesting concept. The idea that some things happen simply because we believe they were supposed to happen has always been intriguing to me. I’m not so sure I am totally sold on the idea that life is a series of predetermined, predestined events without any hope of changing or altering its outcome. What kind of world would it be without the hope or promise of change?

    I guess I do believe that we make choices every day that affect our present and ultimately our future. Can you imagine if the world believed there was no opportunity to make better, wiser decisions to make us better people? Because the decisions we make in life are the very fiber in which we create our own destiny, right? Without the hope of change, the Grinch’s heart would have remained three sizes too small. Scrooge would have had to bear chains which were ten times as heavy as Jacob Marley.

    Every decision we make should be made with our futures in mind. I would never have thought stopping at a rest area was the kind of decision that could change the course of my life, but it did. It really did.

    It was two o’clock in the morning when I decided I had pushed myself as far as I could go. I had decided that I would not drive any further without first making a quick stop. After ten long hours, three small cups of coffee, a Pepsi and four bottles of Aquafina, my bladder had finally reached its limit. Realizing this, I pulled into the I-55 North rest area just across the Tennessee state line.

    Had I really been driving this long? I quickly hopped out of the car with my eyes focused on the dimly lit sign above the restroom. It seemed oddly busy for that time of night but I managed to make it to the restroom door without too much trouble. As I crossed the threshold, my nose was immediately hit with a wall of unpleasantness. Someone’s poor attempt to mask the uncleanliness with an overdone pine smell had actually made things worse.

    Then, finally, I got some relief. It seemed like fifteen minutes of relief. But then again, a lengthy relief is necessary when you have been traveling with a full bladder which reached its capacity four beverages ago. I had scoffed at the idea of pulling over and finding a bush to help with my miscalculated liquid intake so the highway rest area was a surprising and welcoming sight.

    I left the restroom and strolled back to my car in much less of a hurry than before. Nearing the vehicle, I noticed children playing in the parking lot. What were their parents thinking letting children run around in a parking lot, full of strangers at a rest area at two o’clock in the morning? Just ridiculous, I thought.

    I hopped back into my car and just as I began to start it, I realized I did not have my keys. Okay, I know I had my keys when I got out of my car but now I’m wondering if I left them in the restroom. I was very tired and starting to get annoyed by just about everything at this point.

    I jumped out of my car once again and began to retrace my footsteps back into the restroom and over to that glorious urinal of relief, which of course was now occupied. The occupant looked at me and then looked at the three empty urinals beside him and then back at me. We both knew it was weird for me to be waiting for that particular urinal when there were three others available. We chose not to break the bathroom man code and neither one of us spoke but I knew he was wondering why I was waiting for that particular urinal. Unfortunately, I was the only one who knew what I was looking for.

    He finished and flushed and I gave him a nod as I walked over to the stall. He just rolled his eyes. I immediately noticed that my keys were not in the restroom but because he was still in the restroom washing his hands, I pretended to use the bathroom again. Yes, silly, I know. As soon as he exited, I quickly flushed and made my way back outside. En route to the car, I heard her voice for the first time….

    Sir, your keys are over there in the bushes, she said.

    Excuse me? I asked, stopping in my tracks and looking at the woman.

    Your keys are somewhere over there in those bushes. I heard you drop them and then a group of kids picked them up and started playing with them. I asked them what they were doing and they threw the keys. They landed somewhere over there.

    She pointed in the direction of a cluster of overgrown bushes. As I looked at her, I couldn’t help but think that she was absolutely beautiful. She had long, dark, flowing hair and amazing, soft, brown eyes.

    Umm, thank you so much, I replied as I walked toward the bushes, realizing I had not responded. Over in this area?

    Yes, right there by those bushes, she said, pointing again.

    I quickly fumbled through the un-landscaped myriad of greenery looking for the keys but I couldn’t find them. On both my hands and knees now trying to quickly get out of the wet grass and bushes, I heard the most unforgettable screams coming from the parking lot. I slowly lifted my head and saw what looked like a group of bears attacking almost everything that moved.

    Those screams for help have never left me to this day. I stood up, about to run back to the safety of my car when I noticed something rustling behind me. Slowly, I turned around but could not see anything or anyone.

    Then I noticed two glowing red spheres in front of me. They were eyes. I stood frozen with fear. I could hear the animal slowly approaching me. I heard a growling unlike anything I had ever heard and I knew I was about to be in the fight of my life. Had it been light outside, I would have been just close enough to see what the creature looked like, but it was dark and I couldn’t make it out. It seemed to maneuver through the darkness with skill and guile.

    I couldn’t help feeling like the moment of truth was upon me and I could finally see that this was no bear. In God’s name what was it? It leaped toward me and all I could think was that if I survived this ordeal, I would have a great story tell. If I survived…

    In the moment just as it leaped, I feared for my life. Suddenly, the beautiful woman I had just spoken to stepped in front of me as if to protect me.

    Haud! Non is unus! No! Not this one! she yelled.

    The creature abruptly stopped directly in front of me as if it had been yanked by a chain. It circled around, growled directly at me and then ran away to join the others terrorizing the parking lot.

    We are walking to your car, the woman directed as she firmly grabbed my arm. Do not look at anything but your car. If we are approached by anything or anyone, do not look in their eyes and do not speak.

    Can you tell me what is going on? I asked. I was still shaking and literally scared out of mind.

    She quickly placed a finger over my lips. Do not speak.

    I still had not found my keys but I was not going to say another word. We walked briskly to my car as the chaos continued all around us. I kept my eyes fixed on my car but could not help but notice that there were at least four of these overgrown beasts or whatever they were destroying everything in sight.

    As we finally approached my car, I noticed a man running toward us. He looked oddly familiar but I could not place his face with any meaningful memory. He looked at my helpful counterpart.

    Tell them I am no longer hunting, he said. Tell them I denounce my clan and wish to be set free!

    Then it hit me – he was the man I had seen earlier in the restroom. Just as he spoke, one of the beasts pounced directly in front of him. It was bigger and more muscular than the one that leaped toward me. It growled at the man and was just inches away from his face.

    Subsisto! Stop! the woman commanded. This creature appeared to listen to her and backed away.

    The man then looked at me with confusion. He knew I had no idea what was going on and I’m sure he wondered why I was even there. I wondered why this was happening and I, too wondered why I was there. The beast stood right in front of the man as if waiting to hear a signal that would allow it to tear him apart.

    The woman then turned to the man. You are a traitor! she exclaimed. You would be hunted by your own kind even if I granted you mercy.

    As she spoke, more of the growling beasts slowly surrounded the man. The intensity was building and I waited for the man to respond. I must have lost my concentration because my eyes accidentally met with one of the beasts. It quickly confronted me and exposed its teeth while growling so deeply I could feel its rumble in the pit of stomach. Realizing I had not followed the woman’s directions, I quickly looked down at my feet and submitted to the beast. It continued to growl, letting me know that I had better keep my eyes somewhere else, and I did just that.

    I am no longer a hunter you monsters! the man yelled at the beasts who were now circling him as if he were their prey. He slowly turned and looked at each one. I am my own man and I don’t care if you kill…

    Never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated what was about to take place over the next two minutes and how it would change my life forever. I never saw who was holding the blade but I saw it tear through the man’s chest from behind. As I was violently knocked to the ground, thick smoke appeared out of nowhere and I saw glimpses of quick movements and flashes of shining lights flowing through the air like magic.

    The growling got louder and the upheaval was out of control. Although it sounded like fighting, I could not see anything. Within minutes, the smoke began to clear. Everything suddenly got eerily quiet as I lay on the ground, wondering what had just happened. Where was the woman? Where was the man? What was going on?

    I slowly moved to my hands and knees and crawled around the car to find that an absolute massacre had just taken place. The man, who just minutes before had been circled by animals, now lay dead and was surrounded by a group of men who met the same fate. I noticed each of them had a wound across either his chest or back and daggers protruded from their bloodied, lifeless bodies. Overwhelmed, I began to vomit. I had never seen so much blood before in my life and I had never witnessed anything that terrifying. I pushed myself up just enough to sit with my back against my car. I could not wrap my mind around what had just happened.

    My poor car, like most others in the parking lot, looked as if it had been in a multi-car collision. The windshield was shattered, and the hood and driver’s side door were bashed in. All of a sudden, I heard music playing and it startled me so badly that I banged the back of my head against my car.

    The song was clear and I could hear it vividly.

    I see skies of blue, and clouds of white, it rang out. The bright, blessed day, dark, sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

    My mind finally recovered enough to realize the music playing was my ringtone. My cell phone was ringing inside the car. I mustered enough courage to pull myself up and leaned my entire body against the car for support. After attempting to open the driver’s side door, I found that it was impossible and the thing wouldn’t budge. I carefully walked around the front of the car in an attempt to open the passenger door. I could see the light from my cell phone in the car.

    I was hit by something as I grabbed for the door handle. It felt as though I had been tackled by a bear. The sheer force of the blow knocked me down and I landed two or three feet away from the car. Dazed, confused, dizzy and once again on the ground, I saw it walking towards me. Unable to keep my eyes open, my mind begin to escape to a better place.

    While walking across the stage at my graduation, my mind wandered. I had finally survived over four years at the University of Texas at Austin and I was receiving my degree. I walked across the stage and looked out at my fellow graduates trying to find her. Samantha Davies was the love of my life. I had spent the better part of two years chasing her and over two years trying to keep her. Our eyes met and she smiled at me. I walked off the stage and back to my seat. Everything seemed so surreal.

    After sitting through the rest of the ceremony, I quickly made my way over to her. I had planned on trying to apologize for the argument we had the night before. My grandfather and grandmother were both teachers and Samantha was upset that I had accepted a teaching job in Virginia.

    My grandfather had taught for fifty-three years and my grandmother for forty-six before she passed away two years ago. My grandfather put in a good word for me and, low and behold, a few weeks before graduating, I had a teaching job lined up. Samantha was fuming because I accepted the job without first talking to her about it. She apparently was so upset with me that she slept with David Osbourne, the All-American quarterback who had great potential of being drafted into the NFL.

    Of course, her infidelity took place two months prior to me telling her I got the job. I guess she was psychic.

    When I found out what she was doing and who she was doing it with, I confronted her last night and we argued. She told me she only did it because I was leaving her to teach in Virginia. The problem with that fairytale was that she had been cheating on me for two months and I only just recently told her about the job with my grandfather.

    I wanted to apologize to her because I had said some very hurtful things out of anger. I know how this sounds – she cheated on me so why should I care if I hurt her feelings, right? Well, let me just say that Samantha Davies is the kind of girl you would strongly consider forgiving if she cheated on you. Very popular in many circles, very talented and yes, very perfectly built.

    I could not believe my self-esteem had reached such an all-time low that I had actually believed that nonsense! I did believe it and no one could tell me any different. I guess I honestly thought I was dating out of my league to begin with so I just figured there would be certain things I would just have to deal with.

    Samantha and I met in the crowd of people and she smiled at me.

    Hey Tinker, I said, using her nickname. Listen, I want to apologize for the things I said last night–

    Cameron, wait, she interrupted. Don’t put yourself through this. You and I, well, we just grew apart and that’s okay. And listen, I wanted you to hear this from me before anyone else tells you.

    And it was at that point in the conversation when she dropped the bomb on me.

    I think I’m pregnant with David’s baby, Tinker said to me. I’m sorry, it just kinda happened, you know?

    No, I don’t know. Tell me, how does something like this just happen? I asked, raising my voice. I was suddenly feeling ill.

    Cameron, lower your voice, please. People are watching us.

    How could you do this to me? I thought we had something special.

    Just then, and out of nowhere, I saw David walking over to us with half the football team and an entourage of his family trailing behind.

    Sam, I would just like a word with you alone, please I pleaded, knowing Mr. All-American was just about to steal all of my thunder.

    David walked right up to me and whispered in my ear. Listen bro, begging looks bad enough, but it looks even worse on someone as ugly as you. Give it up, dude, and don’t ruin my moment.

    Jerk, I mumbled under my breath.

    He then punched me in the back of the head so hard that it felt like I bit almost completely through my tongue as I fell to the ground. A group of people in the crowd grabbed him to try to calm him down.

    This jerk stole my girlfriend, sucker-punched me and, as I lay on the ground bleeding and spitting blood, his friends were yelling at me and telling him not to waste his time on me because I wasn’t worth it.

    He’s a waste of your time, bro, they jeered. Don’t throw your career away on this loser.

    I gathered myself and stood up. The campus security and surrounding faculty seemed too distracted by all the picture-taking with families, not to mention the poor idiot who tried to deploy fireworks through his sunroof while sitting in his car. Unfortunately, his nerves got the best of him and he forgot to open the sunroof. So, he will forever remember his graduation as the day he received a diploma and second-degree burns, all on the same day.

    My situation made me less of a spectacle – believe it or not – and although no fire was involved, what had happened to me burned just the same. The only difference was that my second-degree burns were on the inside.

    If I ever see you again, I won’t be this nice, David barked at me as I was still trying to gather my bearings. He then looked at me and spit directly in my face.

    I could not believe it, he had always been a jerk but I could not believe what had just happened. Dr. Numar, my physics professor and frequent weekend chess nemesis, saw the whole thing and walked over to console me.

    Are you okay? he asked.

    I looked at him. No, I thought. I just had my entire brain punched from the back of my skull to the front of my skull. But I simply nodded.

    Cameron, don’t let the Davids of this world stop you from becoming who you are supposed to be. I believe you are destined for greatness, he calmly whispered as he patted me on the back. Good luck to you, Cameron. Don’t be afraid of your destiny, and then he walked away.

    I felt a knot with my fingers on the back of my head just as I saw David brush himself off and then turn toward Samantha. He reached into his pocket and got down on one knee. His entire entourage behind him went wild. I started to walk away but turned around just in time to see her mouth the word ‘yes’.

    I was absolutely crushed. I left trying to get as far away as I could from that whole scene. I could see my mother and father and the rest of my family walking toward me in the distance and I tried to clean myself up before they got to me.

    Despite my blurred vision, I could see something big slowly walking in my direction. I was lying on the ground and overcome with chills from the cool night air. I must have been knocked out because I could feel myself trying to wake up. As I strained to see what was in front of me, I realized that it was one of the beasts.

    I noticed it was limping, but it still looked as ferocious and dangerous as before. Even though it was obviously injured, it quickly made its way over and stood above me. This animal, this angry beast, was nothing like anything I have ever seen. It opened its mouth and showed its many teeth to me, it growled and then it whimpered.

    That petrifying face was so close to mine I could feel its breath pushing through its sharp, piercing fangs. Its eyes were different than before. No longer displaying the glowing red spheres piercing through the darkness, the shapes had changed and they now looked more like human eyes. They were now a light shade of green behind the red with a hint of vulnerability.

    The beast started to breathe heavily and it stood still on all fours. It closed its eyes and I could sense that it was dying. One of its back legs gave out and it began to wobble back and forth as if it were trying to regain its balance. But it was losing the battle to remain upright. I was too scared to move but the thought of this beast dying and falling on my 175 pound frame was more terrifying – it would crush me for sure. I began to slowly drag myself out from under it. The beast’s labored breathing got slower and slower. I wasn’t sure what was keeping it up, but I knew I didn’t have much time before it collapsed. I inched away just enough to ensure more than half of my body was no longer beneath it.

    I decided to try to make a run for it. I pushed myself up turned on my knees and just as I began to get away it opened its eyes again. The faint, red glare in his eyes now hid behind the green. It knocked me over onto my back with its shoulder and growled at me again. It became very clear that this animal was dying. I tried my best not to make eye contact but I was too afraid to close my eyes.

    Before I knew what was happening, it raised its claw-like paw to my head and slid it down the right side of my face. The weight of its paw and the sharpness of its claws caused those nails to sink into my flesh like a razor through paper. I was in intense pain as I felt blood slowly make its way down my face. Suddenly, the beast fell over onto its side and lay right beside me. The animal-like breathing turned to what sounded like a man coughing and gasping for air and I had to turn my head. After a moment, the beast was gone. Now lying beside me was a man.

    This is your journey now, he sighed as he turned and looked at me.

    He broke a chain attached to a locket around his neck and gave it to me.

    Caveo luna. Caveo luna. Beware the moon. Beware the moon, he said as he lay still. He took his last breath just as I passed out from my pain and exhaustion.

    CHAPTER 2

    I DIDN’T MEAN TO PRY

    The brain is a peculiar organ. It is constantly receiving sensory data which must be quickly analyzed, resulting in a thought or an action. It becomes particularly interesting when you are depending on this organ to retrieve useful information such as a memory.

    If we see something, then naturally a memory is created, stored and immediately retrievable, right? If we see it with our own two eyes, we can then stamp it as fact and file it away in our brain’s internal filing system until called upon, correct?

    Wrong. Simple optical illusions often prove that what our eyes see and what our brains tell us we see can be two totally different things. In all actuality, what we see visually and what our brains tell us we see have more to do with our brains than our eyes.

    This is very important to remember after a traumatic event. Trying to decipher what you saw and what really happened versus what your brain tells you what happened can be quite tricky.

    So, here are the facts. I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed with an IV in my left arm. I was completely disoriented as the right side of my face was bandaged from the top of my head to just below my chin. I wasn’t sure how long I had been there or even what day of the week it was. However, I did remember my name. My name is….

    Well, hello there, sir, the nurse said as she walked into my room.

    Good morning, I mumbled, looking around the room still trying to retrieve my senses.

    Well, it’s a little late for a good morning, she retorted. It’s almost seven o’clock in the evening. How are you feeling?

    She was a younger nurse who seemed genuine enough. Her scrubs looked pressed and everything about her seemed together. Her hair was nice and neatly coiffed. Even her name tag looked perfectly placed. She had quite the bounce as she walked around the bed to grab my chart. She was either getting off soon or was just beginning her shift.

    I’m pretty sore, I replied. Where am I?

    Well, you are right here, safe and sound at Delta Medical Center in the heart of the city’s downtown, she answered. From what I understand, you are pretty lucky to be alive after being in such a horrific car accident. I was told it was just terrible and that your car is just as banged up as you are!

    A car accident? No, you must be mistaken. I wasn’t in a car accident. I am still trying to put everything together but I know it wasn’t a car accident.

    Well, there’s no need in getting worked up about it right now, she kindly responded. The important thing is getting you better, right?

    Yes, I guess so, I agreed.

    She took my vitals and checked my bandages rather quickly.

    How is your pain right now? she asked.

    I could certainly use something to help take the edge off, I told her.

    Well, I’ll be back with some medicine and the doctor will be in shortly! He will be very happy to see you awake and coherent after almost three days. I’d say you’re doing very well! she proclaimed.

    Three days? Did you say three days? I asked, astonished at the possibility of missing three days of my life.

    Yes, Mr. Dewitt. It has been three days and you haven’t shown much improvement since you arrived. I am very excited to see you doing so well!

    I couldn’t believe it. Three days? Had I really been out for that long?

    So, like I said, the most important thing is getting you better. I will be back with your pain medication and Dr. Granger, she reported. By the way, my name is Valerie and please let me know if you need anything. She smiled and left the room.

    Okay, why does she think I was in a car accident? I don’t remember everything that happened but I know it wasn’t a car accident! How did I really get here?

    There was a knock at the door and it opened slowly.

    Hello, I’m Dr. Granger. How are you feeling? he inquired.

    Well, I would be much better if I knew what happened to me, I said in an inquisitive voice.

    Well, it seems you were in a pretty bad car accident, the doctor said. After being thrown from your car you never regained consciousness.

    Doctor, I huffed, I’ll tell you like I told the nurse. I wasn’t in a car accident! I was attacked by something! That much I know!

    Well, I can tell you that your friends, the ones who brought you in, were adamant about just how bad the accident was and how lucky you are to be alive, the doctor explained.

    Friends? What friends brought me in?

    I think you should probably get some rest right now, Dr. Granger said. We can work through everything else in the morning. I am sure they would love to see you when they get back.

    Just then, Nurse Valerie walked in holding a syringe.

    I’m back with your medicine! she announced.

    Well then, Dr. Granger said. We’ll let Valerie take care of you and I’ll be back to see you tomorrow morning. Try to get some rest, okay? See you in the morning. With that, the doctor walked out of the room.

    You see, everything will be just fine in a minute or so, Nurse Valerie said as she injected the medicine into the IV.

    Uh, Valerie? Is it okay to call you Valerie? I asked.

    Well, being that Valerie is my name, I think that will be just fine, she said with a chuckle.

    Umm, yes, so can you tell me who brought me in? I asked, still wondering about whom they were describing.

    Your friends did. Those are three very nice people and seem to be good friends to you. They are very concerned about how you’re doing. You know, your lady friend sat right at your bedside all day long, both days!

    Where are they now?

    "Well, just as

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