My Secret Harem

Luna had never skied before in her life. That was the first thing she told the instructor. The second thing she told him was that she was afraid of heights. The third thing — which she did not say out loud — was that she only came on this trip because her boss made everyone come. "Team building," her manager had said with a bright fake smile. "It will be fun!" It was not fun. It was cold. The wind cut through Luna's cheap rental jacket like a knife. Her fingers were numb inside her gloves. And the mountain in front of her was so tall it made her stomach drop. "You'll be fine," said Kai, the ski instructor. He was young, handsome, and clearly bored. He had the kind of smile that said he had smiled at a hundred scared beginners before her. "Just follow me. Nice and slow." Luna nodded. She did not believe him, but she nodded anyway. The group started down the beginner slope. It was wide and gentle. Children were skiing here. Old people were skiing here. Luna told herself: if they can do it, I can do it. For the first ten minutes, she was okay. Shaky, but okay. She moved slowly, her skis in a careful V shape, just like Kai taught her. The snow was soft under her skis. The air smelled clean and sharp. Then her phone buzzed in her pocket. She knew she should ignore it. But what if it was work? What if her boss needed something? Luna had been fired from her last job three months ago. She could not lose this one too. She pulled out her phone with one clumsy gloved hand. It was an email from Adrian Black. Adrian Black. The CEO of her company. The coldest man she had ever met. He had fired two people last week without blinking. And now his name was on her screen. Her heart jumped. Her hand shook. The phone slipped — And Luna reached for it. That was her mistake. Her skis crossed. Her body twisted. The world tilted sideways. She heard Kai shout her name, far away, and then she was falling, rolling, tumbling down the slope, snow filling her mouth, her nose, her eyes. She tried to stop. She clawed at the snow. But the mountain was steeper than it looked, and she was moving faster and faster, and then — The ground disappeared. Later, people would say it was a small avalanche. Just a little slide of snow from the upper slope. Nothing serious. It happened sometimes in spring. But to Luna, buried under the snow, it felt like the whole world had collapsed on top of her. Darkness. Heavy, crushing darkness. Snow pressed against her face. She could not move her arms. She could not move her legs. She could not breathe. This is it, she thought. This is how I die. On a work trip. Because of an email. She thought about her small apartment. Her cat, Miso, waiting at home. Her mother, who would cry. She thought about Adrian Black's cold face, and how the last thing she would ever see was his name on a phone screen. I'm sorry, Miso, she thought. I'm sorry, Mom. And then — Light. Not the pale gray light of the sky through snow. This was different. Pure white light, warm and soft, coming from everywhere and nowhere. The weight on her chest lifted. Luna gasped. Air rushed into her lungs — sweet air, warm air, air that tasted like honey and rain. She opened her eyes. She was lying on a floor of white light. Above her, there was no sky — only white, endless white, stretching in every direction. No walls. No ceiling. Just... space. White space. "Am I dead?" Luna whispered. Her voice echoed strangely, as if the white space was repeating her words back to her. Not dead, said a voice. Not yet. Luna sat up fast. Her heart pounded. "Who's there?" No one answered. The white space was empty. But the voice came again — not through her ears, but inside her head, like a thought that was not her own. You were brave, the voice said. You did not scream. Most of them scream. "Most of them?" Luna's voice shook. "Who are you? Where am I?" This is the space between, the voice said. Between life and death. Between what is and what could be. You fell into the crack. Few ever find it. Luna stood up. Her legs shook. She was still wearing her ski clothes, still covered in snow — but the snow was melting into drops of light that floated upward and disappeared. "I want to go back," she said. "My cat needs me. My mom —" You will go back, the voice interrupted. But not as you were. The space does not let visitors leave empty-handed. It gives a gift to those who do not scream. "A gift?" Luna laughed — a short, scared sound. "I don't want a gift. I want to go home." You will have both. The white light grew brighter. It wrapped around Luna like warm water. She felt it sink into her skin, into her blood, into her bones. It was not painful. It was... strange. Like drinking something electric. Her eyes burned. Just for a second — a sharp, bright burn, like looking at the sun. And then the voice spoke one last time, already fading, already far away: Look into their eyes, and they will be yours. But remember, little one — every gift has a price. "Wait!" Luna cried. "What does that mean? What's the price?" But the white space was gone. --- "Luna! Luna, can you hear me?" Hands pulled her from the snow. Cold air hit her face. Bright daylight stabbed her eyes. Luna coughed, choked, and threw up snow and water. "She's alive!" someone shouted. "She's breathing!" Luna blinked. The world came back slowly — blue sky, white mountain, worried faces. Kai the instructor was kneeling beside her, his handsome face pale. "Thank god," he breathed. "Luna, you scared us to death. Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Luna tried to answer, but her throat was raw. A man in a red rescue jacket pushed Kai aside and shone a light into her eyes. "Pupils look normal," the rescuer muttered. "Miss, how many fingers am I holding up?" "Three," Luna croaked. "Good. Any pain? Head? Neck? Back?" "My... my head hurts a little." It was true — there was a dull ache behind her eyes, like the burn from the white space had left an echo. "You were under the snow for almost four minutes," the rescuer said grimly. "You're very lucky. We're taking you to the clinic. Just as a check." Luna nodded weakly. Kai helped her sit up. His hand was warm on her arm. "I'm so sorry," Kai said quietly. "I should have stayed closer to you. When you fell, I — I froze. I've never seen anyone go off the edge like that." Luna looked at him. Really looked at him. And that was when it happened. Kai's eyes met hers — and the world went silent. It was like time stopped. Luna could see everything: the tiny flecks of gold in Kai's brown eyes, the quick pulse in his throat, the guilt written all over his face. And deeper — deeper than his face — she could feel him. His thoughts, his feelings, laid open like a book. She could have died. It's my fault. They'll fire me. God, those eyes — And then, without thinking, without understanding, Luna pushed. It was like pushing a door that was already open. Something flowed out of her — through her eyes, into his — and she heard herself say, in a voice that was hers but stronger: "Forget what happened. You were never here." Kai blinked. His face went blank — completely, totally blank, like a wiped screen. For three seconds, he just stared at her, empty. Then he smiled, stood up, and walked away. He joined the other instructors at the bottom of the slope and started chatting like nothing had happened. Luna stared after him, her whole body shaking. What did I just do? The rescuer was saying something about a stretcher. The sky was too bright. Her head was pounding now — a sharp pain behind her eyes, like needles. But all Luna could think about was Kai's empty face. And the voice from the white space, echoing in her memory: Look into their eyes, and they will be yours. Luna lifted a shaking hand to her face. In the rescuer's sunglasses, she caught her reflection — Her eyes flashed violet. Just for a second. A bright, unnatural violet, like something not human. Then they were brown again. Normal. Hers. Luna's breath caught in her throat. Every gift has a price. She was going to find out what the price was. But first — first, she was going to find out what else she could do. A slow smile spread across her face. For the first time in her life — fired from one job, invisible in this one, scared of everything — Luna felt something new. Power. And she liked it.