The Surrogate Luna

Chapter 1

*Aailyah's POV*

The Present

I’m staring out of the window of the airplane as I wait for the rest of the passengers to board. I’m not sure if it’s the nerves of my first flight, the fact that four burly men had to surround me, or the reason behind me boarding this goddess-forsaken plane. The only bright side is that Felipe gets to stay with me. He’s the only friend I was ever allowed to have.

His father, Lord Ernesto deJesus, is the head warlock of the Shifters Allegiance Council. He oversaw my existence. He watched me to see which of my parents' powers I was going to inherit, in order to follow through with this stupid curse. When both fairy wings and witch runes sprouted on me on my 11th birthday, two whole years before any child is expected to receive their shifters gift, I knew I was never going to be let free. He never showed me outright hatred, but he never showed me love either.

Felipe’s mother, Miss Miriam, took pity on me, growing up inside the council hall by myself as if I was a science experiment ready to go off at any moment. She would bring me home to their home a few days at a time and feed me home-cooked meals. She’d give me proper bubble baths and wash my hair correctly. She even learned braided hairstyles from someone in their city because the councilmen would leave my hair sticking out in all directions otherwise. After my first shift on my 11th birthday, she found a fairy and a witch in the nearby village to help discover and train my types of magic. It was hard at first, but by the time I was 14, I could out magic any adult.

Miriam did everything I’m sure my own mother would have if she’d had the will to stay alive. Miriam taught me self-love and self-care. She refused to let the councilmen treat me to the bare minimum. She forced them to make sure I had a solid education and nice things in my “room”. It had no real windows. It was a room made of four walls of one-way glass. On my side, I covered every inch I could with posters of singers, bands, and movie stars. But on the outside, from every side, the councilmen, and quite frankly, whoever felt the need, could look in on me to see what I was doing. They’d watch me practice my magic, do homework, read, sleep, and eat. Someone was always watching. I’d gotten pretty good at telling who it was. If it was a normal councilmen, the aura around the room was a peaceful green or blue. If it was a security guard or servant here to baby sit me or clean, the aura would be purple. If any of the eight kings were around, the aura would turn red. I often pretended to be asleep or did as little as possible in front of them, unless it was formally requested.

I have elemental fairy powers, controlling wind, air, earth, and fire. My wings were bright pink, my favorite color. I was excited the second time I shifted. The first time I was in so much pain, I slept for 3 days. My eye color permanently changed to pink after my 16th birthday. Nobody knows what happened. It was a random Thursday in the council hall. The servant on duty came to wake me for breakfast, and I nearly gave him a heart attack when I looked at him. I also am a full celestial witch, meaning I can enhance my magic with crystals, plants, herbs, potions, the stars, and literally anything. My mom was a black witch, but they had no clue what type of magic her parents did to see if I inherited their genes.

I’m thrust back into the present by one of the many bodyguards bumping into me to get to his seat. No “excuse me, Aaliyah”. No “sorry, LiLi”. Just a grunt of acknowledgment. That’s been my entire existence. People skirt around me, afraid to do anything that will make me upset or cry or overly happy in fear of what will happen. But who can blame them? When your mom has been compared to a Disney villain your whole life, people aren't sure what to make of you.

The stewardess advises everyone to fasten their seat belts and begin what I believe is a well rehearsed speech on safety. No one seems to be listening, but I can’t help it. What if this thing goes crashing down in the first 30 minutes? It’s a far stretch from Texas to Tokyo. We have a layover in Honolulu. But my bodyguards made it clear I wasn’t going outside the airport.

When the stewardess took her seat, I let out a shaky breath. Felipe grabs my hand and holds it tightly. His warm skin was overly tanned from too much soccer in the Texico sun. He spent most of his time with his primos and tios hunting in the woods. Although Lord deJesus was a warlock. Miriam was a werewolf, and so were Felipe and his seven sisters.

“It’s okay, hermana. It’s going to be fine. I’ll be with you the whole time.” The look in his eye was a sad but determined one. He’s been in every meeting with me since my first heat at the age of 18. That was when the councilmen decided it was time to begin preparing me for this mission. It’s sick and disgusting to be brought up for such a purpose, but it’s the only way to make things right.

“I know you will. That doesn’t mean I want to go through with it.” I check one more time that I had the bag of crystals in my purse. My stomach lurches as the plane begins to pull out on the runway. I close my eyes and pray to Selene to knock me out cold until we make it to Tokyo.

Selene must have favorites, and I apparently am not one of them. Not only was I awake the entire ride to Honolulu, but it rained the whole way there. The plane shook from turbulence so much I vomited. Felipe rubbed my back, and Jin, one of my bodyguards, got me some ginger ale and crackers to settle my stomach. The moment we were free from this death trap, I ran to the doors of the plane. The stewardesses and other passengers didn’t seem sad to see the back of me.

Jin and the other bodyguards must have taken pity on me because they rented a jeep from the airport, and we took a ride around the island since there was a four-hour layover. We ate at a nice restaurant near the beach. After taking a short walk along the shore and stretching my wings while Felipe and the guards stretched out their animals, we hopped back in the jeep and headed back to the airport. Jin grabbed some “medicine” that should help with nausea and hopefully put me to sleep. I’m sure it’s an edible from one of his many connections. He always knows somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody.

This plane ride was much more relaxed. Thanks to Jin. I was curled into my pillow with my earbuds listening to Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album on repeat through my earbuds. It’s one of my top 5 albums and one of the very few albums the councilmen tolerated me blasting in my room.

I felt Felipe nudging me awake, and I stretched myself out. The rest of the plane had departed. I look out my window, and my heart sinks. There are 4 giant SUVs with the Kitsune Kingdom’s flags on them. As we descend the stairs, a pleasant looking man in a dark suit greets us. He looks like every traditional Japanese man I’ve ever seen while studying or watching movies with Miriam and Felipe.

“Welcome to the Land of the Kitsune. I am Haruto Watanabe. I am your ambassador while you stay in our lands. Please follow me. You must be tired from your trip. We will head to your lodgings and rest before dinner.”

Felipe and I are about to hop in the first SUV before Mr. Watanabe clears his throat. “I’m sorry. King Sohma requires the young Miss Flowers to ride alone. He wants her mind to be clear for what is to come.”

My heart flops into my stomach. “I was promised a guard at all times. I am not riding alone, no matter what any king wants. If he doesn’t like it, I can move on to the next kingdom.” I can feel my eyes brighten with the power of my anxiety. I take a deep breath and exhale, trying to calm myself.

Felipe steps in front of me and says in a clear tone, “The rules are set. One of us will be with her EVERYWHERE she goes, no matter what she is doing. We are the only ones who have her trust and have been blessed by the Goddess and the Council to follow through with this assignment. If King Sohma is trying to bend the rules for his own gain or to enact revenge, he will suffer the consequences of the Council itself. Aaliyah is already suffering enough. She doesn’t need anything added.”

Mr. Watanabe pulls his phone out and begins speaking in fluent Japanese. I can understand the conversation fully, much to his ignorance. He’s explaining that he couldn’t separate me from a bodyguard, and we were standing firm behind the rules. I’m not sure what was said on the other end. His face remained stoic.

He walks up to us after he hangs up and nods. “King Sohma understands the rules. You may proceed together.”

I let go of the breath that I didn't realize I was still holding and jumped in the back seat. The scenery of Tokyo is astounding. If I were here for any other reason, I'd be able to take it all in. We pass by busy streets filled with people. Billboards and signs flashed with brightly colored advertisements. There were beautiful parks and even some scenes I swear I've seen in some anime. There was a huge mountain off in the distance that any wolf or lycan would love to climb.

We drove up a long stretch of street filled with cherry blossom trees and lined with red and gold lanterns. We pulled up to a bright red and gold gate with the kitsune emblem. Felipe wiped tears that I didn't realize fell as we pulled into the gate.

My punishment has officially begun.