Keepers of the Moon

Chapter 2. A new start (1)

Indigo

The rain had long turned to snow and changed the world into a magical place. All sounds were drowned by the thick white blanket and Abi had been playing outside for hours. Right now she was sprawled on the floor with her head underneath the heater. If I hadn’t known any better I would have sworn she was dead. There was a stack of papers on my bed and my spare possessions were still packed in my suitcase. The room was small but cosy, with dark blue, heavy curtains and two big soft beds. Tucked into the corner was a tiny kitchen, which definitely needed an upgrade, but it was clean and functional. The only other room in the apartment led to a small bathroom, with a bath and a toilet. I had never ever taken a hot bath in my life before and it was a luxury I was eager to experience. Right across the kitchen was a small shabby table and two chairs that were questionable in strength. Just a single closet was spaced between the beds and in the corner under the window was easiest one of the ugliest chairs I had ever seen in my life. It was bright yellow with red and purple roses, along with undefined stains and dark wooden curly legs. The window looked out into the normal crowded street. But the sudden wintery storm had put the daily lives of people on hold and the street was abandoned. I just sat at the window, mesmerised at the sight of emptiness. It was so much calmer here, yet so much more alive. People greeted us, while we were looking for the right address and there was no judgemental look in their eyes. They didn’t avoid me like I was a walking disease, neither did they grab their purses a little bit tighter. The initial knot that had settled in my stomach was slowly coming undone and for the first time in months I felt like I had a future. A chance on a somewhat normal life. I could build up a life for Abi, possibly even get her into a school. Wouldn’t that be something?

I had already put out six applications for a job and was delving into newspapers for more jobs. Most of them didn’t pay much, I didn’t have an education. But a true job, a steady income was more than I could have ever thought possible.

Night fell fast and I decided to tuck Abi in under a load of blankets. She didn’t even stir as I moved her. I let myself slide into the other bed and stared at the ceiling. The mattress was soft and the pillow smelled like flowers. My hands ran over the soft fabric and it felt as if they were floating. Abi snored and all was right with the world.

I couldn’t remember falling asleep, just the eerie dream that followed me. The same dream I’ve had a thousand times, yet this time it felt different. More like a memory. I was standing on a cliff made out of layers of black rugged stones. The wind was whipping at my face and every inch of my body was cold to the bone. Right on the edge of the cliff was a woman. She was wearing a long, heavy dark blue, hooded dress and she had her back turned to me. The sun was setting and it was like the sky was on fire, through the roaring of the crashing waves below the cliff I could hear a wolf howling. It was close and menacing, almost mocking. The woman stirred, but did not turn around. She looked up, towards the ever darkening sky and spread her arms. She took one step and inched closer towards the sickening edge. I tried to shout over the roaring wind and sea, but she didn’t seem to hear me. Then she let herself fall forward and disappeared into the raging sea. The wolf howled again.

I woke up with a cold sweat and the blankets all tied up between my legs. My breathing was shallow and my heart was pounding in my chest. I rubbed my hands over it, but all they could feel were the ragged edges of the scar on my chest. With stumbling feet I managed to get out of bed and still panting I walked over to the bathroom. I flicked on the lights and whimpered as my eyes were not adjusted. The sink provided some support and the running cold water calmed my nerves. I looked up into the mirror.

My grey eyes had sunken into my face and my cheeks were red and swollen. My blonde hair was wet and my braid had come undone due to the tossing and turning in bed. My skin was as pale as ever and the warm lights above the mirror did nothing to improve that. Meredith always complained about my complexion, telling me to get out into the sun instead of walking around like a ghost. Except that sweet Mere was pretty much the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, with her jet black curls and her perfect coffee coloured skin. Lucky Mere because she could use that beauty to get around, poor Mere because she never had the chance to hide. And now she was just a memory to the world buried in an unmarked grave near the river. She was one of many that had befallen the same fate, I later learned. It was close or I would have accompanied her into the Beyond.

Shaking of the painful memory I splashed more water into my face and decided to get dressed. When I entered the main room, Abi was already delving into the refrigerator. At the sound of the door she turned around with a block of cheese stuck in her mouth. This was such an innocent movement that I burst out laughing.

‘Not mad?’ Abi asked after she pried the cheese from her teeth. Her big brown eyes looked at me with a confused worry. Normally I wasn’t a fan of her steeling food. Especially when this steeling involved me getting chased by an angry market vendor.

‘No, not mad. But if you want something, please just ask. If you are hungry I will give you something. And seriously, don’t steel anything. Always ask before you want something, we don’t want any trouble here.’ She nodded vigorously and thrust the block cheese in my hands with her chubby fingers.

Together we shared a small breakfast emptying most of the fridge. If I didn’t find a job soon we wouldn’t have breakfast tomorrow. My savings were just enough to get this apartment for one month and groceries for two days. Worst case scenario I could go fishing at the shore to try and fix us some dinner there, hopefully that wasn’t necessary. I looked out of the window and saw that people were setting up stands for a market. Great so I could spend the last of my money as well as head into the crowd and ask around for a job.