Before she could say another word, I was gone.

I drove to Riverside. Normally, I was a pragmatic and practical person. Now I had to follow my heart. All I knew was that I needed to see Brandon and I couldn’t fight it any longer.

This time I didn’t need directions to Brandon’s house. The first time I drove there, it was daylight. With a cloudy night and freezing temperatures, the full moon only shone every now and then. In Riverside there weren’t streetlights illuminating the way, only white or yellow lines and reflective tape against the guardrails. I wasn’t really used to these more rural roads, especially at night, and the trees were spooky when the headlights hit them. My heart began to race. What if I got a flat tire? How would I explain my location to my parents? And on this lonely road, would my family find me before a wayward stranger did?

As I pulled into the private drive, I got cold feet — what was I doing here to begin with? I shouldn’t have left the comfort of my friends on the right side of town for the unknown adventures on the wrong one. At this moment, there was nothing to keep me at the gymnasium. Instead I was drawn toward Brandon.

My headlights shone on Brandon’s Jeep.

Breathless, I knocked on the front door. The dog barked, but no one answered.

I ran to the back of the house. There was a small outbuilding the size of a two-car garage with a light shining from the window. I peered in, expecting it to be filled with tools, an old car, and a riding lawn mower. Instead there was a single bed, dresser, and TV. In the corner were a hockey stick and helmet and the pair of skates Brandon used yesterday. My scarf, pan, and card were sitting on the dresser. I felt warmth spread through me, knowing my things meant enough to him to have them displayed. I noticed some other things: a small wooden desk with a lit lamp and a laptop, a few bottles of medicine and bandages for his hand, stacks of books on wolves, deer, and other wild animals.

From the hilltop I could hear the faint sound of chopping. I followed the noise.

“Brandon?” I called.

I scaled the hill and was almost out of breath when I reached the top.

Brandon, in his brown leather jacket, was doing his best to chop wood. He struggled because of his wounded hand. He swore under his breath and shook out his hand in pain.

Then he caught sight of me. Startled, he jumped. “I didn’t see you there,” he said.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No — I’m glad you came.”

“You hurt your hand again—”

“Oh — it’s nothing. I’m really surprised to see you,” he said. “I guess that scarf is really important to you. To leave the game…”

“Oh, yeah,” I said. “The scarf.”

“But you’re wearing another one,” he said, pointing to my green-and-white-striped one. “How many do you have?”

I didn’t answer, I just stood nervously.

“I’ll get your things for you. I just have to adjust this.”

He stacked the broken pieces of wood with his good hand.

I didn’t care about the scarf. I only cared about him. I wanted Brandon to touch me so badly and I wanted to touch him, too — to feel his embrace and lips against mine. I wasn’t about to make the first move, and neither was he apparently. It wasn’t my personality to be so romantically forward.

“Do you need help?” I finally asked.

“No, you sit down. It will just be a minute.”

I sat on the chopping log.

Was he stalling so that I’d have to stay with him in the woods longer?

I rubbed my shoulder. If something didn’t happen soon, I was going to scream.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Just tension,” I said.

“What do you have to be tense about?”

“Oh, everything, I guess. School. Tests. Boys.”

“Boys?” he said. “Ah… that is stressful. Here, let me,” he said, and came around behind me. “Your scarf is in the way. Do you mind?”

“Uh… no.”

He peeled away my scarf and pressed his hand against my skin. My flesh tingled in his warm, strong hand. I was so in heaven, finally having Brandon being so close to me. Before I knew it, I felt his lips against my neck.

I was so overwhelmed I was afraid I’d fall off the chopping block and melt into the snow.

Suddenly Brandon stood in front of me and extended his good hand.

I stared up at him, his royal blue eyes shining down at me. I took his hand, stood, and he drew me close to him. Even through our heavy coats, I could feel the heat from our bodies pressed together. Overhead the clouds drifted apart, exposing a perfectly full moon.

The moon glimmered above us, magically illuminating us. When I’d looked at a moon like this before, it had always been when I’d felt alone — now it seemed to be smiling at me, as I was finally under its romantic glow.

I remembered Dr. Meadows warning me about the full moon. Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever. She had been right about the snow, the woods, howling, and an outsider. But what was the chance that she was correct about the rest? And what did it mean, really? I was so attracted to Brandon, I didn’t know what to do.

“What? Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Oh, just something someone said. About the moon.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Just like…”

He gently glided my hair away from my face.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I first saw you,” he said.

It was then he leaned into me and did what I’d been dying for him to do for so long. Since he first looked at me in Mrs. Clark’s class, passed me in the hallways, and saved me in the woods. Brandon kissed me. His lips were so tender I thought I was in a dream.

It felt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Deeper and more soulful than when I kissed Nash.

Something truly special had happened to me after seventeen years of living in Legend’s Run. I’d fallen in love.

I began giggling with delight as Brandon wrapped his arms around me.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m just so happy.”

“I am, too.”

I was in heaven in Brandon’s strong arms. I didn’t want to go back to the game. I didn’t want this moment to ever end.

He caressed my cheek, and we kissed again so passionately I thought I’d gone to heaven.

I leaned my head against his chest and he stroked his fingers through my hair. I could feel his heart pounding as fast as a bullet train. I gazed up and saw he wore a soft smile.

The full moon shone strong. He continued to stroke my hair and then kissed my neck and ears. My body tingled as his lips tickled my skin.

We kissed again, but suddenly he drew away.

“I don’t have to leave,” I said, referring to the game.

Brandon didn’t answer. Instead, he released me from his embrace and stepped away.

“Really,” I said. “I won’t go. Not if you don’t want me to. At least not yet.”

“It’s not that…” Brandon turned pale. “I feel odd.”

“Maybe you should sit down,” I said, pointing to the tree stump.

“No — it’s something different. I feel really hot.”

“That’s because you are,” I said, grinning.