Luna Wendale shot up from bed, coughing and breathing heavily. She patted down her body to ensure that she was all there, and when she found that she was indeed alive, she glanced at her alarm clock. She jumped up out of bed and quickly got dressed. As she combed through her dark brown waves with her fingers, she zoomed into the kitchen, where she found her roommate, Christian, making some coffee. He did not drink it, but when he heard Luna's gags and wheezes from the room over, he knew she was finally awake.
"Had another dream?" He inquired as she fished through the pantry for some pop tarts. She nodded. "Lemme guess—same people, same scenario." He sounded almost annoyed, but he couldn't help it, and neither could Luna. When she had a dream like that, she could not wake up from it until it was over. She would say the universe was trying to tell her something, but Christian just thought it was sleep paralysis.
"I would tell you," She said, "but I'm late for class,"
"It's fall break, Luna," Christian said. "There's no school for a week," Luna froze and looked over at him, her blue eyes bloodshot since she had just woken up.
"You're joking," Luna sighed and closed the pantry door.
"Hey, brighten up. You can spend your time drawing or…whatever today," Christian told her. She smiled faintly at him.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," She replied, "I think the dreams ended last night anyway," Christian was suddenly intrigued as she went to grab her drawing tablet from her room.
"Oh? What happened this time?" He asked. He did not think the dreams made sense but asking Luna about them seemed to brighten her day a little more. This time, however, she looked almost sad.
"Well, Lunabelle and Alejandra escaped to Carlisle, and she had her baby finally," She began.
"Isn't Carlisle the forest place?" He asked, surprised he remembered. Luna grinned at this, but it soon faded away again.
"Yeah," She poured herself a bowl of cereal since the box was already on the counter. "Anyway, they named the baby Aevaan. The birth was... fascinating. Alejandra did most of the work because Lunabelle couldn't push hard enough because of how small she is, and she was in a lot of pain, too. He did a pain relief spell on her and helped her give birth by grabbing the baby with his telekinesis. So... that was a sight to see, I guess," Christian hummed and poured Luna a cup of coffee. He set it on the counter next to her.
"So why do you look so down?" He asked. Luna sighed quietly and looked over at him.
"Alejandra and Lunabelle got executed. The empress adopted Aevaan, and now he's the heir to the throne," She sipped on her coffee. "But anyway, thanks for the coffee," She took her coffee and cereal to the table, and Christian watched her intently for a couple of seconds before making himself his own bowl of cereal.
"Well, what now?" He asked her after a couple of minutes of silence. She hummed.
"What do you mean?"
"What about your dreams?" Luna looked up at Christian and shrugged.
"I dunno," she said. "We'll just have to wait and see," She took another bite of her cereal while turning her tablet on. "Until then, I'm gonna draw. I might go to the library today, too," Christian chuckled.
"You just went there the other day," He teased. Luna rolled her eyes and smiled.
"My best friend works there, and she's the only one who works there," Luna told him. "I like to help her out when I can," Christian finished his cereal and stuck his bowl in the dishwasher.
"I have to work today. I'll be gone most of the day. We have a big job to do," Luna nodded and pulled her stylus out of its slot.
"Okay," Christian went back to his room to get dressed, leaving Luna in the kitchen to draw. He pulled off his t-shirt and kicked the door closed. When he was in nothing more than his underwear, he glanced in the mirror. He had long light brown hair, tanned skin, hazel eyes, and a light scar under each pec that he gained before he reunited with Luna after high school. He was a mechanic and a welder, so his muscles and scars on his chest would have made perfect sense for his profession, and he felt no one would suspect a thing regarding his transition; however, he was still too nervous to show Luna because she was familiar with that kind of thing and he did not want her to change any feelings about him. He went over to his desk and picked up his testosterone shot, completely ignoring the unopened Adderall bottle sitting beside it collecting dust.
He put on his usual work attire after taking his t-shirt—black cargo pants and a tank top. After getting dressed, he brushed his hair and put it behind him in a bun, and tended to and clipped his still patchy facial hair. He slipped on his work boots. He did all this while thinking about Luna and her dreams.
He has known her since they went to high school together. They have about a three-year age gap, so after he graduated, she spent a couple more years at the school before asking for a place to stay because of family drama involving her "condition." What condition that was, no one knew. Things as minor as sleep paralysis have been mentioned, as well as some bizarre forms of schizophrenia. Either way, he cared for her deeply and wished only the best for her and her endeavors, even with her crazy dreams occasionally.
Christian left his room and found Luna with an empty cereal bowl and an empty coffee mug in front of her as she scribbled away on her tablet. Christian took it upon himself to put her dishes in the dishwasher, but she did not even notice him there. She just kept drawing and scribbling away, a look of both concentration and frustration knitting her brow together. He smiled faintly and almost lovingly at her as he grabbed his keys.
"I'm gone," He called softly as he walked over to the door. Luna kept drawing. "Luna?"
"Yeah?" she said quietly. Christian smiled at her again.
"I'm leaving for work now," He repeated. She looked back at him and smiled.
"Be careful," she told him. "I have a weird feeling about today," He did not quite understand her, but he nodded anyway.
"Yes ma'am," He said. He took one last good look at Luna before opening the door. "Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself all day?" She nodded.
"I'll find things to occupy me," She reassured him. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay," Christian sighed quietly.
"Alright. Bye. See you tonight," He called.
"Bye, Chris," He left the house and closed the door behind him. He had to force himself off of the front porch, simply because a part of him did not want to leave Luna home alone. He was worried about her, but he also enjoyed her company; even though she was, in his mind, shrouded in mystery.
What was it like to fall asleep and not be able to wake up? Was it scary? Does it hurt? What's up with the coughing and nausea after she wakes up?
Those were just a few of the many questions he had about her condition that he was too afraid to ask and that only she could answer with confidence.
Christian got in his truck and backed out of the driveway, once again forcing his own body to press on the gas. Was this the weird feeling Luna had that she warned him of? The best he could do was wait and see.
Meanwhile, Luna was in the middle of sketching out an elaborate digital portrait of the prince from her dreams—Aevaan Y'Mauai. She was about to start refining the line art when she had a sudden urge to get out of the house. She thought she might as well—there was no school, and there was nothing else for her to do.
Might as well hang out at the library.
Luna set down her stylus and went to her room to get dressed. She was not in the mood to look perfect; the most decent thing she could manage at that moment was a hoodie, leggings, and sneakers. She put in her piercings and slipped on her glasses before grabbing her shoulder bag and going back for her tablet. She stuck the device in the bag, grabbed her keys and helmet, and headed out the door, locking it behind her.
Her motorcycle was parked near the back of the driveway, covered up with a tarp so no one would try to steal it. She uncovered it, hopped on, switched it on, and put on her helmet. Within seconds, she was zooming out of the driveway, bouncing off the curb, and driving down the road.
When she arrived at the library about five minutes later, she was surprised at how little of a crowd there was. On late Monday mornings, the place was usually packed with college students looking for last-minute study materials; and the nice little old ladies from the town quilting club, gathering for a session.
Today, however, it was quiet. Only a few cars were parked, one of which Luna recognized as her best friend Kylie's old blue Subaru.
Luna parked her bike and took off her helmet as she walked through the door. She shook her head, and her curls fell back into place.
She walked through the library until she found Kylie's desk. She was sitting and reading a book herself. Her straight and long blonde hair was in a high ponytail behind her, and her bright brown eyes shimmered behind a pair of purple-rimmed reading glasses. Luna grinned.
"Kylie!" She whispered loudly. Kylie looked up quickly and beamed.
"Luna!" She whispered loudly back. She motioned for her to come over, so she ran to her desk. She set her helmet on top of a pile of checked-in books. "How are you doing? Have another dream? " Luna nodded.
"Yeah, I did," she told her. "Lemme sit, then I'll tell you," Kylie nodded enthusiastically, and Luna pulled up a chair behind the desk. Kylie closed her book and turned to Luna, already listening intently.
"So, what happened this time?" Kylie inquired. Luna sat down and leaned forward a little.
"Well, Lunabelle and Alejandra escaped for a little bit, and she finally gave birth," Kylie gasped. "However, when their son turned four, Albrecht found Al and Lunabelle and executed them. Marilynn adopted the son, whose name is Aevaan, and now he's the heir," Kylie smiled.
"Geez, what an ending! Such a shame Albrecht couldn't get his damn act together," She checked her phone for the time, then looked back at Luna. "You should definitely make your dreams into a book! You can get it published, put it in this library..." Luna chuckled.
"Thanks, but no thanks." She said with a chuckle. "I'd rather not put my crazy, wacko dreams out there for the entire world to see,"
"Aww, c'mon, Luna! You could probably make some good money off them, too!" Luna raised an eyebrow.
"No," Kylie did not press on, and simply nodded slowly.
"Alright," she mumbled. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be happy to get in touch with some publishers for you," Luna smiled.
"Thanks for the thought," Luna replied.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Kylie went back to reading her book. Luna decided to get out her tablet and continue her portrait of Aevaan. At this point, she was smoothing out the line art and was about to color when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and to her surprise, it was Christian calling her. She answered it quietly.
"Hey, Chris. What's up? " She whispered.
"Hey, this is Chris' boss," she got as a reply. "You were listed as an emergency contact?" Luna's stomach churned.
"What happened?" She asked, packing her things. Kylie looked over, concerned.
"He just had a little accident, screwed up his leg a bit," She stood, pat Kylie on the head, and grabbed her helmet.
"Define a little." She asked, unsure.
"We think it's a sprain, but if it is, it's a bad one,"
"Why didn't you call an ambulance or something?" She hissed, making her way out of the library doors.
"Christian refused to call one until he saw you," his boss said. "He said you would know," Luna sighed and jogged to her motorcycle.
"Well, he's not wrong," She replied. "I'm on my way. Tell him to stay put," She hung up, dropped her phone in her bag, put on her helmet, and drove down the street as fast as she could.
When she swerved into the garage, she saw Christian sitting on a towel and leaning against the wall. She sighed with relief. It was not as bad as she thought it would be. As she hopped off her bike and threw her helmet off, Christian looked up at her in awe.
"How did you get here so quickly?" He asked. She kneeled next to him and propped his leg up on her thigh. He flinched.
"I broke about five traffic laws trying to get to you." She locked eyes with him. "That's how much I care." He blushed as she pulled up his pants leg and found a massive bruise on his ankle. "Yup, just as I suspected. A sprained ankle and knee. A nasty one," She placed her hand on his ankle, and Christian noticed that her hand was super warm. It almost gave him a sense of comfort. "Your boss made it seem like a bigger deal than it is. I thought you might have broken your leg or something," Christian swallowed thickly.
"N-no. Just tripped and landed weird, that's all," Christian explained. Luna hummed and looked back down at his leg. She had a sudden flashback to one of her dreams.
She usually asked the question, "What would Lunabelle do?" After all, Lunabelle was a big influence on how Luna acted and what decisions she made.
The dream she saw at that moment was of Lunabelle performing a small healing spell on a rebel soldier. Luna felt like she knew the symbols and words deep down in her heart. However, she brushed it off and remembered that it was just a dream. Magic can't be real.
Right?
She looked back at Christian, who was staring at her with his sparkling hazel eyes. She smiled and rubbed his leg up and down to comfort him. Luna decided she would try the magic. She had such a strong urge to do it that it was almost impossible to refuse.
So, she slid her hand off his ankle and thought about nothing. Without thinking, she drew that small symbol on his ankle that she saw Alejandra do in her dreams, and as she drew, the symbol started to glow a very faint pink. Christian almost yelled out of surprise, but Luna shushed him and continued.
After the symbol was drawn, she placed her hand over it, and her hand was engulfed in pink light. It started to trail up her arm, and eventually, her eyes began to shine that miraculous light pink.
Christian was comforted by the warmth of the light, but at the same time was taken aback by Luna. He remembered this from a dream she used to talk about constantly.
The pain eased, and so did the light. Eventually, the room was back to normal, and so was she. She seemed startled by herself and yanked her hand off Christian's leg. She scrambled back, sat on her behind, and stared at her hands.
"What the hell was that?" Christian asked, breath taken. Luna looked up at him and shrugged.
"I... I dunno!" She cried.
The people who were in the room were all staring at her in awe. Her face turned red with embarrassment.
Luna scrambled over to her helmet, put it on, ran to her motorcycle, and sped off without saying anything to Christian. He stood, his leg feeling numb at first, but then returning to normal.
"It's... it's healed!" He exclaimed. "The bruise is gone, too!"
"Your girlfriend's a witch!" One of his coworkers said. Christian looked over, confused.
"She's not my girlfriend, and she's not a witch either!" He called back. "Let's just get back to work, guys!" Christian went back to what he was doing before he sprained his leg, but the whole day he had his mind on Luna.
Who was she?
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