Bloody Moon

By Ugonma Emeruem

Mar Summers, an adopted orphan from Sainthew Orphanage, lives an ordinary life. Her ordinary life takes a turn as the moons color changes to red and then settles into an orange hue.

After getting a head injury from an earthquake, she is left feeling confused, facing illusions that she must determine if they are real or fake. Her best friend, Susan, is able to find Mars real family, and Mars life gets even more exciting when she discovers that she is a lost princess of Monaco. Everything seems like it will get better from then on, but the orange moon looming causes events that put people on edge.

Mar realizes that despite her hurt and her confusion, the orange moon is more connected to her than she could have imagined, and in this coming-of-age novel, Mar is able to pull courage from within to face an unexpected task that will determine the fate of the very world in which she lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481750219

Ugonma Emeruem

Ugonma Emeruem grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. She graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Biological Sciences, and she is expecting to receive a master’s degree in Public Health in 2013. She began writing novels as a child, and Bloody Moon is her first published work. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

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© 2013 Ugonma Emeruem. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 6/14/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-5023-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-5022-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-5021-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013908137

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

1. BREAKUP

2. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

3. GRADUATION

4. REAL MOM

5. LOST SYMBOL

6. FULKS

7. SUSAN’S ADVENTURE

8. MAR’S BEGINNING

9. HELP ARRIVES

10. UNEXPECTED PROGRESS

11. PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER

12. ROYAL BLOOD LINE

13. A LONELY JOURNEY

14. AFTERMATH

1

BREAKUP

M AR STEPPED LIGHTLY ON THE pavement, leading her to home. She was a student at Georgia Institute of Technology, and it was finals week. She was bothered about an essay she was writing for her teacher in the Advanced Literature in English class she was taking this semester. The essay was about the toxicology issues faced by the public health department in Miami. It was pure fiction, but she was trying to get some facts right to make the story more believable. Suddenly it began to rain, and Mar grimaced. She was just about to get to her apartment. Now she would be drenched. She sped up.

Bruno stood in front of Mar’s apartment in Midtown, Atlanta. He had something important to tell Mar. He spotted her running toward him. Bruno held his breath as he politely took Mar’s bag and moved slightly away from her front door so that she could open it. They both stepped in together.

Hey! Mar said as she pulled off her drenched sweater. Bruno smiled and dropped her bag on her sofa. Mar moved to kiss him, but he shrugged her off. Mar was stunned.

Bruno was sheepish. I’m sorry, Mar, but we have to break up, he blurted out.

They both stood still and faced each other. Bruno put his hands in his pockets and stared. Mar was blindsided. She was having a bad day, and now this.

Mar, you’re going to be okay, and I’m sure you’ll find another guy. You’re beautiful— Bruno started.

Why? Mar asked. This is finals week, and you have the nerve to tell me I am beautiful.

Bruno put his hands up. It couldn’t be helped. Let us try and keep this short.

Mar waited for his reason. He left her with a simple one. He just met someone else.

Mar was a twenty-one-year-old orphan who grew up in Fayetteville, Georgia. It was a peaceful place, but the orphanage Mar resided in during her earlier years was nothing to write home about. There was a ray of light though at the orphanage. Nurse Mandy, now a fifty-eight-year-old woman, who rescued her from a bin. Mandy named her Mar, short for March. It was on the fourth day in March that she found her as an infant. Mar fished her cell phone from her bag and called Mandy. Hello! Mandy said. Mar started crying and began to relay the day’s events to Mandy. Mandy’s mood became serious, and she told Mar to take a break from studying for the night and put some chicken noodle soup on the stove to eat so she could feel better.

Mandy was still working at the orphanage, which was called Sainthew. The treatment at the orphanage had steadily but slowly changed internally, but some of the acts that went on were still deplorable. One evening as Mandy was packing up to leave for the day, a child was complaining about a burning throat and ran into the infirmary. She discovered that a chef had put bleach into the Sprite bottle, because kids where stealing Sprite from the pantry. He hoped that the bleach would send a message to the kids to not steal from him again. The bleach was to give the Sprite bottle liquid a fizz.

Mar told Mandy she loved her before she dropped the phone down on the countertop. Mar put the chicken noodle soup on the stove. She suddenly had a headache.

The next morning Mar was feeling hyper. She tossed on some workout pants and a top and went out for a quick jog. She tried to forget about finals for now. Her jog turned into a run, and it was exhilarating. She raised her hands to the sides and sped fast. It was dangerous to do that on the sidewalk with people passing by, but she felt she had to let go. Someone was approaching, so she let her arms down and stopped running. She smiled at the person, who just huffed. Give me a break, he muttered. Mar looked daggers at him, apologized, and took off again.

She decided to stop by a bookstore and buy a magazine. On second thought, she was not interested in gazing at other beautiful women. It made her think of whom Bruno was dating currently. She started crying again. An old lady gave her a pat on the back and told her it would be all right. Mar wiped her tears, went to the coffee shop in the bookstore, and ordered a decaffeinated cappuccino. She took a seat in the bookstore and grabbed a novel. It just so happened that the book was about dating. She tossed it aside.

Hey, Mar! Mar looked up to see Mandy. She was pleasantly surprised. Mandy came over to console her. I took a break from work today, whispered Mandy, just for you. Mar smiled appreciatively. See, people can make sacrifices just to be with you, said Mandy.

Mar smiled through her tears. Bruno and Mar had been dating for two years, and everybody had said that they were perfect for each other and that they would get married. Well, everybody except Mandy, who Bruno tried his very best to please but to no avail. Mandy held one of Mar’s hands as she drank her coffee with the other.

He is just not that good for you. You know, said Mandy. Mandy knew more about the relationship than Mar. She had hired a private investigator to check out Bruno about a month ago. She did not relay what she had discovered to Mar for fear of being too nosy. In the end, Bruno did what Mandy wanted in a crude manner: a breakup. Do you need to study today? Mandy asked.

Yes, I do, Mar said.

Mandy acknowledged her, whisked her car keys from her pocket, and said, You got really far. I have my car over here. Mandy heaved Mar up and began to lead her to the parking lot, where her Toyota was parked.

How did you find me? Mar asked.

Oh, I asked the security officer at your apartment, and he pointed me toward your usual jogging path. And then when I couldn’t see you I asked a policeman on the corner about your description.

Oh, wow, lucky you found me in here— Mar started.

Mandy said, I haven’t finished. She continued, He described you as ‘that crazy girl flailing her hands and running.’

Mar laughed. Mandy the investigator. Mandy smiled. That is a good laugh.

At her apartment Mar took a shower, opened her laptop, and began to type. She made a quick call to her best friend, Susan, and told her about the breakup.

I’m coming over. You should have told me yesterday, dear. What were you thinking? Susan said emotionally.

I just wanted to sleep honestly, said Mar.

Mandy came to peep into her bedroom. Mar smiled. Mandy brought some chicken and rice. Mar said, Oh, keep it in the fridge for me. I will wait until Susan comes and then I’ll eat.

Okay, replied Mandy.

Mar flicked through her Advanced Literature in English textbook for some tips on essay writing. A senior at Georgia Institute of Technology, Mar was very good in writing. She was an English major at college, and she planned to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing. She focused on her essay in her small room.

Mandy set the plate of chicken and rice down on the kitchen countertop. She covered it up for her dear Mar, went to the living room, and spotted a picture of her and Mar having dinner at a nice restaurant. That reminds me, Mar, we have dinner tonight on me, said Mandy. You should bring Susan along.

Sure! shouted Mar.

At 1:00 p.m. Susan arrived. She brought some strawberry ice cream, and she kept talking about what a jerk Bruno was. I can’t believe it, you know? Susan said, eating some of the chicken and rice Mandy had prepared. I mean, it’s unbelievable to me. I thought you guys were perfect, a match made in heaven.

I wouldn’t go too far, said Mandy.

"What? Really? Come on, Bruno is not that bad. Or at least was not that bad," replied Susan. She ate her food.

Mandy smiled and told her, You know his eyes have been shifty these past months. I don’t quite like him already, you know.

Susan laughed. He has been cool to me at all our meetings, and remember Christmas when he sang that love song for Mar? Wasn’t it perfect?

Mandy grinned. That was nice. Actually he won my heart that day.

On Christmas day Bruno had brought his guitar to Mandy’s Christmas party at her home in Fayetteville and performed a song he wrote straight from his heart for Mar. He titled it appropriately Mar, I love you. Mar was enthused. She started crying. She was bit of a crier. Mandy, Susan, Bruno, and a couple of friends attended, along with Mandy’s husband, Drake.

You know, Drake was telling me before I left that you should take it easy for now with Bruno. Don’t go calling him, asking him why, why, why. Take your time, because he might be a little mad at you, said Mandy.

Mad at me? asked Mar.

Yep, the way he broke up with you was too mean. Maybe something triggered it, Susan said.

That’s a good idea, said Mandy.

Mar bit her lip. She wanted to go and grab her cell phone, dial Bruno’s number, and leave messages on his phone. She confessed to Mandy that she had left at least one message this morning on Bruno’s phone. She told him that her heart was broken and that he was mean. She reminded him of how cool he was during Christmas and asked how he could just change his stripes and act this way.

It was April, and spring had arrived in Atlanta. The flowers outside Mar’s second-floor apartment were pretty. Just a weekend ago Bruno had come over to hold her hand when she got a C in statistics. This was Bruno’s last semester at culinary school, and this breakup meant that Mar would not be invited to her ex-boyfriend’s graduation party.

Bruno was in his apartment in Sandy Springs, Atlanta, with his new girlfriend. He deleted the phone message from Mar without even listening to it. His new girlfriend, Patricia, went to culinary school with him. Mar had met Patricia briefly before. Bruno was practically finished with school. It was late April, and he was in his kitchen, cooking some fish with Patricia. They were getting ready to have lunch.

Looks good, said Susan about Mar’s essay.

Really? Thanks, I was uncertain, said Mar.

Mar and Susan were going to graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology this spring, and Susan was a French major. These young women had bright futures ahead of them. They both had landed teaching jobs. It was that altruistic spirit that they developed together as best friends while at Sainthew Orphanage. Neither of them was adopted there. Mar, with her reddish-brown hair, spotless complexion, and almond-shaped eyes, would stare politely, with Susan’s hand in hers at twelve years old, hoping to be adopted by one of the loving people who came to the orphanage. The two of them had good times and bad times over there.

It started raining. I don’t believe in love anyway, said Susan.

Mandy looked over from the kitchen, where she was preparing some mac and cheese and chicken gumbo from scratch for Mar to eat later. Don’t say that again, said Mandy.

Every time Mar went through a breakup, Susan said that. Susan had a boyfriend, but it was not serious. She always made sure not to get too attached to her beau. Susan kicked up her legs on the coffee table and continued, Love just doesn’t happen. It’s a myth, I tell you. I haven’t met one real couple. Mandy kindly reminded her about herself and Drake. Susan smiled and said, Yeah, you’re one of the exceptions. Mandy and Drake had a son who was twenty-nine years old and happily married, and she mentioned him. Susan rolled her eyes and said, Sure.

Mar and Susan were both twenty-one, and they had made plans when they were still at the orphanage to live together eventually. Mandy and Drake had offered to adopt them when they were seventeen and when no one else had come forward to adopt them. Mar and Susan had declined, stating quietly that they were happy on their own and would soon be moving. Mandy responded by hugging them and quietly telling them, It is never too late to have a family. The three ladies started crying, with Drake and his son in the background.

That day they moved away happily from the orphanage, and the two girls never looked back until they were juniors in college. There was a girl at the orphanage who had childhood cancer, and Mandy was in charge of organizing a party for the sponsorship of the cancer treatment the girl would undergo, and also for the general sponsorship of the orphanage. Bruno and Mar baked a nice big cake and carried it off to the orphanage, and Susan brought a variety of pies. The party was eventful, and new companies interested in sponsoring the orphanage showed up. That day the orphanage changed for the better. It acquired better beds and money for sophisticated bathrooms and a new playground. Mar and Susan promised to visit the orphanage when they could. At the event Bruno dished out cake to the children. Mandy danced with the children while Drake observed.

Drake was a quiet man, who truly loved his wife, Mandy, and appreciated what she did at the orphanage. He was an accountant and used to work at a local bank in Fayetteville. He had a greater income in the later years of his life, and adopting Susan and Mar and offering to help pay for their college tuition made him very happy; he couldn’t do that with his son. He invested in some real estate. He liked taking incomplete homes and making them unique homes that he could sell to select buyers. He retired eventually from accounting and turned his real estate job into a retirement job. The greater income proved handy for the college tuition of a very grateful Mar and Susan, who couldn’t believe that their luck had changed so quickly with Drake and Mandy’s adoption.

How is Drake’s business? asked Susan. Susan had black hair and some freckles. She had a pretty smile and was a genuinely happy person.

Glad you asked, because he has a new house he purchased that was under foreclosure previously. It is about to be bought by a man who is willing to pay a lot for it. You both should come over and look at it, said Mandy. Mandy’s cell phone rang. She saw it was Drake, and she put him on speakerphone so the girls could talk to him.

Hey, girls! said Drake.

Hey! they replied.

He directed his question to Mar. How are you feeling?

Not too bad. I will come up to see you at work tomorrow, replied Mar. How is the construction going?

Everything is fine. I will finish the construction right on schedule, said Drake.

Susan got three bowls of ice cream and handed one to Mandy and one to Mar. She sat cross-legged with her bowl of ice cream and dug in.

Susan jumped into Mar and Drake’s phone conversation. How do you do it, Drake? Keeping up the love spark in your relationship? Mandy laughed. Love spark, yeah! Mandy said.

Drake laughed too. You know, I met her and I just knew that every morning when I would see her I would be reminded of how much love I have for her, and I’d keep working for our relationship.

Mar licked ice cream off her spoon and looked moodily at her bowl. She was feeling a lot better and a lot stronger. She was still moody, but she could manage it.

Well, I would love to have one of you come by the construction site tomorrow and take a look at the completed mansion, Drake said. Susan said she was busy. Mar took a minute. Drake said, Mar, I think you should come. The drive down will do you good, and also I know you’ll love what I did with the house. It is your style.

What style? Mar asked.

It’s a bit gothic in nature, said Drake. Drake paused and then said, Well, I wasn’t going to tell you all a surprise I had.

What surprise? the three women asked.

The house is pretty much bought. Signed the dotted line and everything, said Drake.

Whoa! they all exclaimed.

Drake couldn’t hold back his excitement. The buyer paid cash right up front and said he would like to move in as soon as possible, so you had better come in and check it out before they get the keys.

Will do! said Susan, who had changed her mind.

Mar and Mandy smiled. I’ll be there tomorrow at the site since you are coming, Susan, said Mandy.

I’ll bring some champagne, and we can toast the purchase over there, said Drake. Bye, ladies.

Bye, they all said.

Mar returned to her room as Mandy continued cooking with Susan. She couldn’t help returning her thoughts to Bruno. She remembered when they had both gone hiking and she had become a bit dehydrated. Bruno managed to carry her lithe five-foot-nine-inch build up the short hill and stopped at a place where she could get some water. Bruno was a six-foot-tall guy with wholesome good looks. He was Caucasian, while Mar was half African American and half Caucasian. Mar had beautiful brown skin that was now covered in perspiration because of all the energy she had expended. Bruno got a small towel and wiped off Mar’s sweat. Next he handed Mar a bottle of water. Mar was content with her bottle of water.

You’re a lifesaver, said Mar.

No problem, said Bruno. He flashed a heartwarming smile at her. Mar giggled. She was twenty years old at that time.

Now twenty-one, she couldn’t believe her dream guy had dumped her like a bag of bricks. I am going to be okay, Mar mumbled to herself. She called out to Susan for more ice cream as she typed away. Her Advanced Literature in English teacher had it in for her. This was part of the reason the essay for the finals was giving her stress.