The Word Luna
1293 Words
Good afternoon Luna.
Avery froze in place.
The word hit differently. It did not feel like a greeting it felt like a title. Her new title. And something inside her… liked it.
Her chest tightened like her body recognized something her mind had not.
Adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream the moment she heard it.
The man who spoke the word gave a slight bow.
Avery’s expression locked. Embarrassment burned across her face, warm and sudden, impossible to hide.
Nearby students turned.
All eyes were on her and the man in front of her with confused, questioning stares. For a second, something like fear crouched inside her chest. Not hers alone something in the air shifted, as if the room itself had reacted.
Then recognition spread among the students.
They realized who he was.
Caelan’s waterboy.
This changed everything.
Without a word every student lowered their head and began leaving the classroom in silence, moving quickly, carefully, as if even breathing might draw attention.
Avery blinked slowly.
“Hey. Hey stand still.”
Her voice sharpened as she stepped forward.
“Why are you here? And why are you calling me that?”
The man stiffened instantly.
He stepped back, instinctively, like proximity itself was dangerous.
He hesitated.
“W-well… because…” He swallowed. “Because you belong to the Heir now.”
Silence.
The words landed heavily, like something final.
Avery tightened her brows.
Something about that sentence made her skin crawl, though she was unable to explain it. She turned slightly away, deciding she needed distance.
“I need to visit the bathroom,” she said quickly.
She left.
The bathroom was empty when she arrived.
Or at least it felt empty.
Avery stepped inside, found a stall, and locked the door behind her. Only then did her composure begin to c***k.
Her hand moved unconsciously to her neck.
Her fingers lingered there.
Her eyes slowly closed.
The memory came anyway.
Caelan.
His lips against her neck.
Her breath caught slightly at this thought, and a strange heat spread throughout her body.
Her heartbeat began to spike.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
Louder.
“This is temporary,” she whispered,to herself
Her body however did not listen.
Her pulse quickened again. The air felt heavier. The temperature of her skin rose slightly, as if responding to a signal she could not understand yet.
Then.
Voices.
Avery froze.
People entered the bathroom.
She recognized one immediately.
Alice.
“Alice, have you seen the student forum lately?” one of the girls said. “That girl has taken over the hot search.”
“I have no interest in her affairs,” Alice replied softly. Calm. Controlled. “All I know is that she might have begged Caelan to play along with her.”
Avery’s fingers tightened.
Another voice chimed in.
“That might actually be true. Caelan is untouchable. Some say he is not even interested in women. All his closest friends and council members are male.”
A faint laugh followed.
“Yes,” another girl added excitedly. “He is very close to the vice president. They always ride together, eat together, use the same car… even live in the same apartment. I think he might be.”
“Gay,” someone finished.
A brief silence.
Then Alice again, colder now.
“Don’t worry. This is just her facade. She wants to divert attention from her humiliation. I will find out the truth and make sure trash like her stays exactly where she belongs.”
Avery exhaled slowly.
And smiled.
Not warmly.
Something sharper.
For the first time, Alice sounded unsettled. Jealous, even.
And that… satisfied her.
Avery stepped out of the stall.
She walked to the sink and turned the tap on, washing her hands slowly, deliberately, like nothing happened.
She watched their reflections on the mirror
Alice saw her immediately.
“Oh. Sister, there you are.”
Alice tilted her head slightly, lips curved in something almost kind but not quite. “What a small world didn’t think we would run into you. Anyway, as your sister, I think it’s my duty to warn you.”
Avery did not respond.
“Do you actually think Caelan Blackridge would love you?” Alice’s voice softened, but it was fake. Carefully constructed. “Someone like you?”
A pause.
“No. He won’t. He is just using you.”
Avery turned off the tap.
Water stopped abruptly.
She looked at her reflection.
“Since he acknowledged me in public,” she said quietly, “I think that speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”
Alice’s expression turned sour.
“You bitch.”
The shift was instant.
Alice grabbed her by the hair.
But Avery moved first.
Instinctively.
She twisted out of the grip and caught Alice’s wrist, stopping her mid-motion. Her grip tightened.
Controlled.
The air changed.
A pressure spread through the bathroom, heavy and unnatural.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Then again.
The windows trembled slightly.
Water droplets in the sink began to rise slowly, unnaturally defying gravity.
Avery’s head lifted slightly.
Her eyes changed.
A dark golden glow formed in them, faint at first… then deeper.
Heavier.
Everyone inside the bathroom stepped back instinctively.
Fear filled the space like smoke.
Outside, the entire academy felt it.
A pressure rippled through the halls like something had awakened beneath the surface.
Caelan felt it too.
He stopped mid-motion.
“Who touched her,” he said.
No one answered.
He pushed his chair back so hard it scraped violently across the floor.
And left.
His friends were left behind, staring at the untouched utensils and abandoned food.
Proof he had been there only seconds ago.
He moved fast.
Too fast.
By the time he reached the junior wing bathroom, students were already shifting aside instinctively.
The door opened.
Alice and her group stepped out quickly.
Alice held her neck slightly, her expression changing instantly into something fragile, almost pitiful.
But Caelan did not look at her.
Not even once.
His gaze was fixed behind her.
Then he moved.
He held Alice by the collar and slammed her into the wall.
Hard.
“Touch her again,” he said quietly, voice low and lethal, “and I might as well forget you are a woman.”
He released her immediately.
And walked past her.
Straight to Avery.
Avery was weak now.
The glow fading. Her body unsteady.
“Let’s go,” Caelan said.
He lifted her without hesitation.
And ran.
The whole campus saw it.
Whispers spread instantly. Phones appeared. Photos were taken.
Minutes later, he was seen walking beside her towards her dormitory.
Avery glanced up at him.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nodded once.
“What is a Luna?” she asked softly. “Why do people fear you… and why do I feel strange around you?”
Caelan looked away slightly.
As if the answer existed but was locked behind something he refused to open.
“I will answer you one day,” he said finally. “Today, focus on your recovery.”
Avery studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
Silence settled between them again, heavier than words.
As they reached her dormitory, Avery stopped.
A shadow.
Behind them.
Tall.
Still.
Silver eyes.
Then it vanished.
Avery’s breath caught.
Caelan saw it too.
His grip tightened slightly.
Neither spoke.
“I will pick you up tomorrow,” he said.
Avery nodded and entered.
Her dormitory was colder than usual.
She locked the door immediately.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Then she saw it.
On her table.
A black envelope.
No sender.
No name.
She walked slowly toward it.
Picked it up.
A small note slipped out.
She read it.
And went still.
“THEY HAVE FINALLY FOUND YOU.”
- Writer
