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“I want my friend back.” Sincerity shone in his eyes. “That was recorded a few weeks ago. That’s the Moon I know.” He glanced away, shoving his phone back inside his pocket. He held her gaze once more but she saw tears shimmer in his eyes. “I need him to be fixed.”
“I’m going to do whatever it takes,” Joy swore.
* * * * *
Moon snarled, rage a living thing inside his body. He couldn’t think and nothing made sense. Pain, anger, and the urge to explode was all he knew. He threw back his head and howled. He wanted something. No. Someone. A female.
A memory struggled to surface but it was buried under layers of haze. She’s real, isn’t she? He wasn’t sure. He paced the cell, snarled at the bars that contained him, and wanted to run. His chest slammed into them but he couldn’t get free.
He wiped at his mouth and a scent made him freeze. He sniffed, drew
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Rejected Luna 41
Justice North sat behind his desk while Tiger and Fury had taken seats perched on the sides of the massive piece of furniture. Joy swallowed, waiting for the last person to arrive. Dr. Treadmont finally showed up for the meeting Joy had asked for. He closed the door behind him.“What did you wish to speak about?”“Moon believes he is at site four.”Silence greeted that statement until Dr. Treadmont asked a question.“What the hell is that?”“There were remote sites we were relocated to after we were freed from Mercile,” Fury answered. “We were hidden from the press and given time to assimilate into life outside of Mercile.”“They were motels,” Tiger added. “Out in bum-fuck nowhere that the government was easily able to buy or gain access to because they were abandoned. They sent in crews to clean them up, do repairs, and that’s where we were housed. They put
Rejected Luna 42
Her mouth opened, closed, and her breathing became erratic. “I don’t dislike Geraldine.”“Lie,” he stated.“She’s a colleague of mine and I’ve never said I dislike her.”He muffled a snarl. She wanted to start an argument to distract him from sharing sex. It wasn’t going to work. “You look at her with disgust and irritation. You don’t like her and you won’t allow her near me.”Her hands flattened on his chest. They felt good but would feel even better if she were touching his bare skin. “We treat our clients differently, that’s all.”“What is the difference?”Joy licked her lips, teasing him with her tongue. “Besides her making more money? Degrees. She’s got more of them than I do. As far as training and qualifications though—not much. We’re both doctors, trained in psychotherapy. She’s a psychiatris
Rejected Luna 43
THE PC ROOM was hot with thirty running computers, though only three stations were occupied. It was stuffy and dark and smelled like the shrimp chips and instant noodles sold as snacks.Ahn Jihoon loved it. He clicked with nimble fingers, his left hand glued to the hot keys, his right hand sweeping the mouse over the screen.“If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late,” Oh Changwan said, his hands waving like anxious butterflies with nowhere to land. He’d long since logged off after losing his own game.“Then we’ll be late.” Digital armies marched across Jihoon’s screen.“I can’t be late again.” Changwan frowned. It highlighted his exaggerated features. His ears were too big and his nose too long. A puppy who hadn’t grown into his looks yet.Jihoon knew being late wasn’t Changwan’
Rejected Luna 44
JIHOON WAS DREAMING. He knew this even though there was nothing to particularly signal this. It was just an overwhelming sense of knowing.The forest was silent as he wove through trees made silver by the moonlight. Fog obscured the forest floor, so he couldn’t make out his own feet. For all he knew, he floated above the ground, as his steps made no sound. In fact, nothing did. No rustling of leaves from wind or birds. No snapping of twigs from scurrying creatures. No noise of any kind broke the complete stillness of the woods.He’d never been aware while dreaming before, but it had been a strange night all around, so what was one more weird thing to add to the pile? He remembered hearing someone say that if you could lucid dream, you could make yourself do things, like breathe underwater, or fly. He mused over it a moment, then took two running steps before leaping into the air . .
Rejected Luna 45
HAVE YOU EVER wondered where the gumiho came from as you lay awake fearing the full moon?Some say the first gumiho came from the land to the west, traveling down the peninsula to settle in the mountain forests they preferred. Some say the first true gumiho arose in Korea before the country claimed the name. That tale begins as Prince Jumong—the Light of the East—founded the Goguryeo Kingdom.There lived a fox, already over five hundred years old, who watched the activities of humankind with curiosity. She was strong and sleek, and hunters coveted her beautiful pelt. No matter how fast their bows, they were never able to catch her. Even Prince Jumong, the grandson of the water god Habaek, renowned for his hunting skills, could not catch her. Out of one hundred arrows shot, he hit his target one hundred times, until he came up against the fox.She wander
Rejected Luna 46
“Eat yeot. It’ll make the knowledge stick.” “Yes, Halmeoni.”“Here, take this out to table three.” Halmeoni handed him a tray of stews, still boiling in their stone pots.“Then get back in here. I’m going to finish fixing the seasoning in this next dish for table six,” Somin’s mother said before resuming her bickering with Halmeoni.Somin gave Jihoon a smile and an eye roll as she also picked up a tray.Jihoon followed, for once grateful for the chaos that was his life. By the end of the lunch rush, he’d almost completely forgotten about fox-girls and goblins.&
Rejected Luna 47
DO YOU WEEP for the battered, empty heart of the gumiho? You should. Though she has often yearned for love, she has always been denied it.There is a tale that takes place long after the first gumiho had become nothing but myth. And many more had risen to take her place as monsters of the night. Humankind traded stories of their existence like they were fables warning men against temptation. And only a few knew that there lay truth in the terrifying stories.During this time lived the son of a poor scholar, bright and precocious.Along the road to his private tutoring sat a Chinese Scholar tree.All were warned not to stand under the tree at night since the spirits liked to visit it when the moon was high.One night, the boy walked home long after the sun had set. He spotted a figure under the tree and app
Rejected Luna 48
JIHOON ZIPPED THROUGH traffic on the small scooter. A flag on the back flew the name of Halmeoni’s restaurant.The moped never hit over forty kilometers per hour and was always five seconds away from dying. A deathtrap on two tread-bare wheels. Really, Jihoon wondered why his halmeoni had such little regard for his personal well-being.He prayed it wouldn’t break down as he veered around a large bus spitting out exhaust.Here the neighborhood had given in to chain stores. Doors swished open to let customers out. Blaring pop songs followed them. Jihoon bopped along to the beat.The scooter protested as he turned onto a steep hill, and despite Jihoon’s urging, it gave up five blocks from the restaurant. He debated leaving it in the middle of the street, but dutifully pushed the scooter along. His halmeoni wouldn’t be happy if he abandoned the piece
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