The last Silunar

Alice… I heard the name call out to me again; feral and malicious. I ran as fast as I could, my feet bare on the cold forest floor. The forest was illuminated by moonlight, as though the sky had opened up and the light washed down on the trees. Yet they still held this ominous feeling that I desperately wanted to get away from. Someone was after me, no it wasn't someone. Something was hot on my heels and I had no idea what it was. I heard a feral growl and the snapping of branches behind me. I tripped and a shadow loomed over me. I turned to see what my attacker was and a loud scream tore out from my throat and resounded through the forest. I woke up with a start. I grabbed my blankets while sweats streamed down my face, my heart beat erratic. It was morning, I looked at the clock by my bedside, 6am. The house was still—not yet. I could hear the aggravated steps of someone marching up the stairs, to my room. The door slammed open and I flinched. I watched as my adopted sister, Clara made her way to my bed, her beautiful features scrunched into an ugly frown. Thwack!! Her palm landed sharply on my cheek, stinging my eyes. I raised a hand to my face and winced. “Why haven't you answered me despite my several calls?" Clara said loudly, I turned to face her as her expression contorted in contempt and rage. “I didn’t hear y…” but before I could finish the sentence, Clara responded, "You can shut it, nothing good is obviously going to come out of your mouth, Mara needs your attention now!!" She turned and stormed out of my room and down the staircase. I dragged myself to my feet and followed after her, still in my night dress. Clara could be wicked , but Mara , she was ruthless and brutal , acted like she came from the pit of hell herself. I saw her, sitting on the sofa, her long golden blonde hair suiting her perfectly. She sipped her coffee like the whole world revolved around her. She raised her icy brown eyes to meet mine as I stared intently at her. If angel Lucifer wasn’t a man, I would have believed she was Mara . “We’ll be starting college in a few days,” Mara said with that proud smile of hers, the one that always made me feel small. I forced myself to nod, keeping my eyes low. Then she turned fully to me, her smile twisting into something cruel. “You are better off scrubbing the floors but due to dad’s words, you’ll be joining us.” Her words stung, but I didn’t dare react. My stomach knotted. My throat burned with words I could never say. Still, I whispered, “Yes.” She stepped closer, her eyes roaming over me slowly, from my hair down to my shoes, and I could feel the disgust in her stare. “Don’t forget,” she added, her voice cutting sharp, “you are to attend to all our needs. Both mine and Clara’s. You understand?” Fear rushed through me so fast I almost shook. I nodded quickly. “Yes, Mara.” She smirked, satisfied, like my obedience was her favorite reward. “Good. Now go make me a sandwich.” I didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.” I turned on my heels and hurried out before she could find another cruel thing to say. My heart was pounding and my palms damp. At the door I heard her say, “ The moon doesn't always shine on strays forever” I got to the kitchen, pulled the bread out, set it on the counter, and tried to breathe. But her voice was still in my head. I took a deep breath and hurriedly prepared the sandwich, placed it on the dining table and headed to my father's room. He'd been sick and down for a couple of days and I'd go to his room everyday to check on him. He was the only person who treated me like a human being in this house and I loved him. He'd tried to make life better for me but sometimes his love for Mara's mother weakened him. I pushed the door open gently, the hinges creaking as I stepped into his room. The air was heavy with the faint smell of medicine. My eyes found him lying there, propped up by pillows, his skin pale and his breathing uneven. My chest tightened instantly. “Dad…” I whispered, walking closer. “Are you getting any better?” He turned his head, managing a small smile. “I am… Don't worry about me.” But I could see it. The weakness in his eyes, the way his hands trembled slightly against the blanket. He wasn’t fine. I sat down on the edge of the bed, fighting the sting in my eyes. “You don’t look better.” My voice cracked. “I’m scared.” His fingers reached for my arm, squeezing gently, trying to reassure me. The words tumbled out of me before I could stop them. “Mara and Clara hate me. Is it… is it because I’m not their blood?” My throat tightened and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. He shook his head firmly. “No, Alice. They don’t hate you.” “But—” I tried to argue, but he cut me off. “Listen to me.” His voice was softer now, but carried a weight that made me go still. “You have to be strong. Life isn’t easy. You’ll understand one day.” Confusion clouded my mind. I wiped at my tears quickly. “Why are you talking like that? Like… like something’s going to happen?” He gave a small laugh and grasped my hands. I felt something cold settle in my palms and when he released my hands, I looked at it. On it was a small white necklace. “Take it,” he said, his voice gentle. I stared at it carefully, the coolness of it pressing into my palm. I looked back at him, holding it like it was the most fragile thing in the world. He smiled faintly. “ Wear it… wear it most times, Alice.” I clutched it to my chest, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I will. I promise.” “And when it burns, run”. I stared at him and at that moment, I didn’t care about Mara, or Clara, or anyone else. I only cared about him. And the unsettling realization—that maybe, just maybe, I was running out of time with him. Later that night as I sat at my window twirling the necklace around my finger, lost in my thoughts, a piercing scream tore through the silence. “ALICE! COME QUICK!” It was Clara and her voice held a note of urgency instead of the order she threw around. I rushed out of my room, my heart pounding and instinctively headed for dad's room. I burst through the door. Clara stood frozen, her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with horror. My gaze followed hers—straight to the bed. Father’s body lay still, unmoving. “No… no, it can’t be…” I whispered, stumbling forward. My knees hit the floor by his bedside as I grabbed his hand. It was cold. Ice cold. “Dad? Please… wake up. It’s me. It’s Alice.” My voice cracked as I shook him vigorously “You promised me… you said nothing would happen… YOU SAID!” Clara and Mara’s sobs echoed in the background, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. The door opened behind us, the doctor rushing in with servants trailing close. He placed two fingers on Father’s neck. Silence stretched for an eternity before he pulled back with solemn eyes. “He’s gone.” The words shattered me. The doctors were whispering something to my stepmom who had her arms wrapped around her and a sunken look in her eyes. I looked at dad's body and noticed some silver residue on his skin and I caught something like, curse…murder. My heart froze and I looked at my dad again. He was murdered. By who?