The Luna Gypsy

Chapter 3

Amelia POV

“What just happened!”

Mother shouts as everyone looks on at me. I looked around, confused myself. That was the most vivid dream I’ve ever had.

“I must have passed out,”

I quickly answered before mother got angry again.

“Kezia, keep an eye on her tonight.”

Mother lifts my face up so I have to look at her. Her eyes are filled with an emotion I can’t place.

“Any more of that and you will face a worse punishment. I will be by your hut later with your special water.” She snarled, dropping my face.

My hands released from the vine's hold, making me drop to the floor. Kezia scoops her arms around me, helping me up.

“What was that?”

She whispered so no one would hear us.

“I passed out and dreamt of the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

“What did he look like?”

Kezia helps me sit down and looks at my back.

“All healed.” She says, pulling my dress up.

I look back at her, confused.

“How, you're still healing from last week's whips. How am I healed after only just receiving them?”

I try to look over my back, making Kezia giggle at me.

“Because you are special, Amelia.”

She strokes my hair as she says that.

“Tell me about the handsome man.”

She sits on the floor, her legs crossed, waiting.

“Oh Kez, I wish more than anything he was real.”

~~~

I close my eyes and think of the dark blonde hair, green-eyed man. I imagine running my fingers across his face, kissing the scar he has on his cheek, just beneath his eye, my lips touching his.

“Amelia!” Mother shouts, startling me from my daydream.

I’m no longer being caressed by the handsome man. I’m sitting on the floor of the main hut listening to mother going on about how we mustn’t let outsiders in, how they want to take what’s ours for themselves.

“Sorry, mother. I’m not feeling too well.” She looks over at me.

Her eyes scanned my face intently.

“You do look flushed, here drink your special water and then go lie down and we will continue tomorrow. The rest of you may start today's chores.”

My brothers and sisters start to mumble as they all get up and leave the hut.

Mother pours the herbal water from a flask she keeps on her belt around her waist and places it in my hand. I lift the glass of water up to my mouth and close my eyes, drinking it in one go so I can get it over with quickly. It tastes like someone’s vomit, but mother insists I drink it. It’s to help with my memory, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

“Amelia, wait.” Mother says.

I turn around and look at her, knowing not to speak unless she asks me a question.

“You do know your dreams are just that, don't you?”

I look at her, not knowing what to say. How did she know I had been dreaming of the handsome man? And if he’s a dream, why does he feel so real?

“Yes, mother of course.”

“Good. Go rest.”

She stands up and walks over to me. She takes my hand in hers and kisses it. I stand frozen, not knowing what to do. She’s never shown me any affection before.

“Thank you, mother,” I say before leaving her hut.

I lay down on the bed and close my eyes. I think of the handsome man and when my eyes open, I’m standing in a room. He’s sleeping on a desk, papers surrounding him. A little dog lifts its head up before barking excitedly and jumping up at me, licking my hand.

“Dobby, stop it.”

The handsome man groans. I pick the dog up and walk around the room. I notice something on his wall, so take a closer look.

I’m startled when I see a girl in the pictures who looks just like me. Her hair flows down her back and her smile is full of happiness, unlike mine. Mother must have been right after all. A dream is just a dream because why would I be in the pictures with him and no one can be as perfect as him.

When I turned to look at the handsome man once again, he was sitting watching me, his eyes bore into me.

“You came back.”

His voice sounds deep and sends pleasant tingles to my private area.

“Of course. I wanted to make sure you kept your promise.”

I walk around the room some more, running my fingers across the furniture. I make sure to keep my distance. It might be a dream, but he feels so real and I find myself thinking of him more and more.

Everything feels so real for a dream, I can feel the fabric of the chair as my fingers run across it, I can smell the small dog I’m carrying in my arms and I can smell him, he smells so sensual that it actually makes my mouth water, like apples and oranges being picked from the trees in the orchard.

“I would do anything for you. All you had to do was ask.”

His eyes never leave mine and it makes me feel shy. I can feel my cheeks heating up from his gaze.

“I can still feel your pain. Your heart calls out to me.” I say truthfully.

His eyes glisten. He stands up, walking closer to me.

“My pain will never go away. You broke my heart.”

He gently grabs me, sending pins and needles shooting throughout my body. It feels amazing. My knees shake and I don’t think I will be able to stand much longer if he’s touching me.

“I’m sorry,” I say before pulling back and waking up to Kezia standing over me.

“Did you see him again?” She asks.

I nod my head.

“I can’t stop dreaming about him, Kez.”

She sits beside me and leans in close.

“Amelia, I have to tell you something. It’s not a dream. Do you remember when I said you were special?”

I nod my head, looking at her, confused.

“Well, you have the ability to send a different form of yourself anywhere you want. It’s a special gift only you can do. It’s called astral projection. Mother wants you to think it’s a dream so she can control you, but it’s not the man you see. He’s real. He’s out there somewhere.”

“Kezia! Amelia!”

Mother’s shrill voice bellows as she walks into the hut, making Kezia shut up and move away from me fast.

“Mother, I'm feeling much better now. Thank you for letting me rest.”

Mother looks over at Kezia, her eyes full of hatred.

“Good. Kezia I need my hut cleaned. Now.”

Kezia scurries out of the room fast, leaving me alone with mother.

“Amelia, I don’t want to hear any more of this dream nonsense. You are grown now. It’s time to find you a husband. We will hold a ceremony and announce your marriage on the next full moon.”

My mouth went dry. I didn’t want to marry one of the males that I call my brother. That felt wrong. I wanted the man from my dreams. Even now, while awake, I could feel his heart calling out to me. I could feel his sorrow and despair, and it broke my heart to think of him in so much pain. But I couldn’t go against mother. I could make her annoyed that she puts it off.

“Of course, mother. Anything you say.”

~~~

“Amelia!”

I can hear my name being carried on the wind. I’ve come down to the river to escape mother's watchful eyes.

“Hello, Amelia,” Nineve says as she moves closer to the bank of the river.

Her long red hair sways in the soft breeze. She’s wearing a long blue and green dress that even though is in the water, never seems to be wet. Her voice is smooth and relaxing. I often find myself being lulled into a peaceful daydream when I listen to Nineve’s voice.

“Hello, Nineve. What are you doing here? Mother will be mad if she sees you again.” She rolls her eyes.

Nineve is a water iele. She’s one of the few supernaturals that can come and go from here, and Mother despises her. The idea bounces around in my head before settling.

“Tell me everything you have been doing. I love your stories,” I say, smiling to myself.

“Did I tell you about the powerful Luna who defeated me to save her Alpha and her mate?” I nod my head.

“Yes, you always tell me this one. I like it though. Tell me again.” I say excitedly.

She smiles and sits beside me.

“The Alpha was very handsome.”

I close my eyes and listen to Nineve's voice. It’s like I can see the story in my mind as she says the words, but I picture myself and the handsome man in place of her characters in the story.

“Nineve, what is the world like beyond this?” She looks at me.

“Wonderful. Maybe when the hag is dead, I can show you.”

“I would like that.”

I smile at Nineve, grateful that I can escape for a few moments by listening to her stories.

The sound of footsteps thumping on the ground vibrates through the earth behind us. It gets louder with each thud, meaning whoever it is, is getting closer.

“Someone’s coming, you better go,” I say.

Nineve smiles at me as she walks deeper into the water. She blows a kiss to whoever is coming, making me chuckle.

“Remember the story of the Alpha and Luna Amelia.”

She says before diving under the surface.

Luna Amelia bounces around In my head. I know Nineve didn’t mean I was a Luna. She was just saying my name at the end of her sentence, but it sounds familiar to me, it sounds pleasant and comforting.

“Amelia, what have I told you about talking to that beast?”

Mother sćrėams at me as she waves her finger towards the river.

“Sorry Florence.”

As soon as I say it, I hear a gasp and muttering.

“10 lashes.” She snarls.

I stand up, happy with myself. I will happily take the lashes. The more I upset her, the longer she puts off my engagement. I walk into the village center and lower my dress, and hold my arms out to my side so the vines can hold me in place.

Mother looks at me with a quizzical expression, but rubs her amulet.

I take my lashes with pride. Each one is a reminder of why I’m doing this. As the last one beats down on my tired body, I slump to the ground.

Exhausted but victorious.

“Come on, let's get you inside,” Kezia says as she helps me up off the ground.

“Kez, thank you for caring for me.” She looks at me and smiles.

“Of course, Amelia, you're my sister.”

“It’s more than that, though. I’m tired, I'm going to sleep.”

“You mean you're going to see him again?” She giggles.

“I can’t stay away from him.”

“Go then, don’t keep the Alpha waiting.” I open my eyes and sit up.

“What do you mean, Alpha?” Kezia looks at me.

“He’s an Alpha, a strong and powerful Alpha. Go before mother decides to come here.”

I don’t need to be told twice. I close my eyes, thinking of his beautiful green eyes. I can feel my heart tugging towards him. Like a rope is tethered to my heart and to him.

When I open my eyes, he is in an office again, but it’s a different one from the last one I saw. I feel a little sad that he’s not there. I enjoy looking at the pictures he has on the walls. I like to think the girl that looks like me is me.

“I was starting to think you had abandoned me.” He says, pulling me into his arms.

“I would never abandon you.”

I hear his heartbeat getting faster.

“But you did abandon me. You left me alone.”

He says the funniest things sometimes, and it confuses me to no end.

“I’m here, am I not?” I say as I pull away from his hold, not able to see the hurt in his eyes anymore.

“For now, yes. But then you will leave me again.”

I hate the sadness in his voice.

“Let’s enjoy this time we have then,” I say, looking around the room some more.

“I wish you didn’t have to go. I don’t care if people thought I was crazy.”

I giggle at him and he smiles back at me. My breath catches in my throat at the sight before me. His smile is truly breathtaking.

“I like seeing you smile.”

“I love seeing you.”

I can’t help but blush at his words. I hear footsteps getting closer to us.

“I have to go. Smile more. It suits you.” I say as I stand on my tiptoes and place a soft kiss on his cheek before opening my eyes back home in my hut.

~~~

I’m walking through the forest imagining I’m anywhere but here. The wind is blowing gently against my skin and it feels refreshing, like it’s blowing away all my worries.

I close my eyes, inhaling the fresh air when the smell of blood and something foul drifted in the wind toward me. My eyes snap open. I slowly step forward, careful of where I put my feet as the smell gets stronger. My stomach rolls from the stench and water fills my mouth. The trees thin out, but the undergrowth on the floor of the forest is thick. I look where the stench is coming from and see a bloody, meaty lump sticking out from beneath the bush. I turn quickly and run, wanting to get away from it as fast as I can, but something inside me makes me stop.

“Pull it together, Amelia,” I say to myself.

I turn back around and head back to the bush.

I know it’s just a wild animal leaving its meal hidden whilst it gathers more, but something is niggling at me, telling me I need to be sure. I get closer to the bush and look around. A large stick is laying on the floor so I pick it up and use it to push the bush back so I can see what is hidden.

I can feel the blood leave my face.

My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. The piece of meat that I thought was a small animal is attached to a bloodied body. Slashes cover the body, making it hard to tell who it is. Chunks have been bitten out of whoever it is. Weird teeth marks have been left in the flesh like it’s been gnawed on. Some of the skin has been peeled back, revealing the muscle beneath the fleshy surface. The person's legs look like they have been snapped back over and over so that the bone is no longer connected to the rest of the body.

A twig snaps further back and the stench of death sweeps closer to me.

I slowly back away, but luck is not with me today.

SNAP!!!

The sound of the twig I just stood on sounded like an elephant walking through the forest. It’s like all of a sudden the forest becomes still, the birds have stopped singing and the crickets and grasshoppers have stopped chirping.

My ears perk up as the sound of heavy footsteps moving extremely fast are heading straight toward me. My body moves on its own accord, my feet are moving toward the village, but it feels like I’ve been possessed, like someone has taken over to get me to safety. I run into the clearing just as mother is coming from her hut. She stops walking and looks at me. Her eyes have a menacing look in them.

“Monster!” I sćrėam, warning everyone of the danger heading this way.

“What did she say?” Lash asks.

He is one of the few males I actually enjoy talking with.

“Amelia, go to your hut now. Everyone carry on. She has been under a lot of stress lately and doesn’t know what she is on about.”

Mother snarls whilst her eyes blaze with fury.

I watch as everyone carries on like I’m the person who shouted wolf. Some look at me with sorrow and pity, but most with distaste.

“I said go to your hut now!”

“But mother.”

“Fine, two days in the pit.”

I feel two pairs of hands grab on each arm as I’m pulled over to the large hole. The wooden ladder is lowered down and mother looks at me expectantly. I walk toward the ladder and start my descent down into the darkness.

“I was imagining it, mother,” I say just before I see her foot reach out and push the ladder away from the edge, making me fall down, landing with a thud.