"He was good for you," my mother says. "But what's important is your happiness. Maybe this will encourage you to try to get out more?"
"I don't want to get out more. I'm happy being an introverted hermit. I don't care how poor or anti-social I am! If that's not good enough for him . . ." I fight back tears.
"Okay, baby." My mother clears her throat. "Anything I can do for you?"
"No. Thanks, Mom."
"Let me know if you want to go out for a cinnamon roll or something."
"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow." I hang up, tired of being upset. My eyes blur as I stare at the screen of my laptop.
Black Moon Draw is the name of the story that's waiting for me, an unfinished fantasy novel I found on Wattpad, a site where authors write books in real time by uploading a new chapter every so often.
I discovered it this morning, after finishing everything in my Kindle on my to-be-read list and then surfing the net for more books by my favorite author, a mysterious figure who goes by the initials LF. There's no website or bio anywhere for this author and I was thrilled to discover this partially finished story after rolling through her catalog over a period of three days. I assume LF is a woman - most romance writers are.
This book was written for my shitty week.
It features the ultimate, non-redeemable character, the Shadow Knight of Black Moon Draw, whose soul is so black, the sun can't warm its depths. The violent, half-man, half-beast knight rules a kingdom where there is no daylight, only the perpetual fog and grayness of twilight. He spends his lifetime in battles and steamrolls over everyone in his path.
There's no peace, no love, no hope in Black Moon Draw. Only death and destruction and a knight who doesn't know mercy or forgiveness.
"I love this. I wish I could chop off people's heads with one strike," I murmur, rereading the last little bit before the chapter ends. "Freaky but cool."
The book speaks to me, which is why I keep hitting refresh on my browser in the hopes that the author has updated in the time it took me to read. Thinking about the knight makes me shiver. He's sexy in a very caveman way. Definitely not civilized, which fits my brittle mood today.
I glance at the television and sit up straight, exhausted after spending the day alternately crying and reading. I've had my four all-time favorite movies - Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story, and Pride and Prejudice - playing on a loop all day. I'm on vacation this week and supposed to be in the final stages of planning a wedding, not stuck in my house.