CHAPTER 1
Luna leaned back in her lawn chair, staring up at the night sky. The Blood Moon was supposed to be a rare celestial event, but it felt like she'd been waiting for it her whole life. She'd always been fascinated by the mysteries of the universe, and tonight promised to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
As the moon rose higher in the sky, she could feel the energy shift around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to center herself. She'd been feeling restless lately, like there was something she was missing, something lurking in the shadows, something just out of reach. Maybe tonight would bring her some clarity.
A streak of light caught her eye, and Luna sat up straighter. The wooden old bench awards the quiet night with a creaking sound.
The meteor shower was starting. She watched as the sky filled with shooting stars, each one more beautiful than the last. Luna's heart swelled with wonder and amazement. She wished to count the shooting stars, but they were damnably too fast for her ordinary eyes. She felt small and insignificant under the vastness of the universe, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel connected to something greater than herself.
As the shower reached its peak, Luna stood up in utter awe, her eyes fixed on the beauty of it all. Her wondrous moment was however cut short when she heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. She tensed, drawing out a knife from her combat pants and getting ready to defend herself if necessary. But then she saw him.
A man stumbled out of the bushes, clutching his side. He was tall and muscular, with shaggy brown hair and piercing green eyes. Luna didn't for the life of her, recognize him and that's saying a lot as sylvercrest wasn't exactly filled with too many people. Hell, she knew everyone in her neighborhood.
She stared at him piercingly, still trying to be sure that he wasn't a threat. He did the same, taking her in and having a defensive stance of his own. He clutched his side tighter and her eyes were drawn to his wound where his blood dropped to the earth. He was hurt.
She quickly strapped her hand knife back in place and approached him, however, cautiously.
"You're hurt." She stated, as she tried to keep the sudden worry out of her voice. She had always had a very soft spot for wounded things but she'd be damned to let him see that. Especially when she didn't recognize him. " What happened?" She inquired when she got to his side.
He grimaced in pain. "I think I got bit by a dog or something. Can you help me?"
Luna hesitated. She didn't know who he was but the way he was looking at her, she felt he wouldn't ask for help if he didn't really need it. "Let me take a look."
She led him to the old bench and laid him unceremoniously on it.She examined the wound, which was deep and bleeding profusely. Luna felt a surge of panic. This was way more serious than she had imagined. How had he been able to withstand such deep stabs? She had to do something and quickly if he wanted him to survive.
"Stay here," she said, running back to her house. She grabbed a first aid kit and some towels, then hurried back to the man.
He had his eyes shut firmly, clearly in pain, but once he noticed her presence by his side, his eyes flew upon and he stared at her, with those piercing green orbs.
Luna ignored the untrusting look in his eyes and focused on cleaning to the best of her abilities. The man winced in pain, but he didn't complain when she poured some alcohol on the wound and bandage it up. Luna, as much as she tried, couldn't help but admire his stoicism.
"Thank you," he said, standing up slowly.
"Where are you going? The wound isn't even stitched." She voiced her disapproval to the stranger who already had his back to her.
He slowly turned back to her with an assuring smile. " I feel alot better. Good enough to head back home where I can get the necessary treatment. Don't worry."
As he turned to leave again, Luna noticed something strange. His eyes were glowing. She blinked, it was only the work of her imagination, but when she opened them again, they were still glowing.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "It's nothing. Just a trick of the light."
Luna knew he was lying, she couldn't tell how, but she just knew he was. Something was off and she could tell. But she didn't press the issue.
"Okay" came her nearly silent reply. She doubted he even heard it.
She watched as he disappeared into the night, his form blending into the shadows. She stayed there staring at the empty darkness he had just disappeared into, wondering if she had imagined it all. A chill ran down her spine and when she looked at the cotton wools now soaked in blood. His blood.
She quickly gathered her first aid kit and other things and decided it was time to head back into her small apartment.
As she walked back to her house, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was important. And she knew that she was going to find out what had happened and it was only a matter of time.
