THE UNTAMED LUNA

BLOODLINE AND THE MOON

"Ma… my father?"The words left my lips in a whisper, trembling like a flame in the wind.

I was frozen. My throat closed up as if a hand reached from the past and wrapped around it. The warmth in the room turned cold. Time slowed… or maybe it stopped altogether. My mother’s eyes met mine, and something in them shattered.

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying.

Mom’s voice came like a hush in a storm.

"I had just found out I was pregnant… the day before. We were going to tell Jolina and her husband the good news that night. But… then the fire happened. I never got the chance. After that... I couldn’t stay. I couldn't even breathe in that house without seeing him everywhere. I knew it was cowardly to run. But I wasn’t strong enough."

She looked down, her hands clenched tightly in her lap, as if she were holding the broken pieces of her past together.

"I needed to go home. Back to my parents. To something familiar. To anything that didn’t hurt so much."

Jolina’s voice cut through the heavy silence.

"I tried to find you, Solidad. I did. I went to your dorm, but you had already left. I called… over and over. Nothing. Your number was gone. I even tried your parents. No answer."

Her voice broke. Her pain was raw. Tangible.

Mom’s lips trembled. Her shoulders hunched, as if the weight of her regrets were finally too much.

"I know. I was a terrible friend. I should never have left. But I was drowning, Jolina. I felt like I was dying inside. I was bleeding every second of the day, and no one could see it. The only thing that kept me alive was Jezz. My daughter. She saved me when I couldn't save myself."

She looked at me then... really looked with eyes red-rimmed and full of years lost.

Jolina stepped forward, her voice thick but full of conviction.

"Solidad, I never blamed you. I just… I just wish you had let me be there. For you. For Jezz. Robert was like a brother to me. I loved him too, and I would’ve loved your daughter. We could’ve raised them together, you know? That’s what we always said.”

Mom looked away, ashamed. Her voice barely a whisper.

"I know. I shut everyone out. I couldn’t get out of bed most days. My head ached for months. It wasn’t just grief — it was like a piece of my soul had been torn away. And I didn’t know how to tell anyone… I didn’t think anyone would understand."

The silence hung thick for a beat. Then, Marvin stepped forward.

His voice was soft, yet it filled the room.

"Solidad... I remember you. That day... the fire. It's etched into my memory. You carried me out of the flames when my mother couldn’t. You and Robert saved us. You risked everything. We never forgot."

He knelt before her, reaching for her hand, a simple gesture that felt like a bridge across a chasm of years and pain.

"Every year, we light candles for you both. You are part of our family. You always were. And Jezz… Jezz is part of us too. We’re grateful you’re here."

Mom gasped softly. Her face crumpled as tears fell freely.

She reached out, cupping Marvin’s cheek with a trembling hand.

"Marvin... You were just a boy. A sweet, innocent child. I loved you like my own. I would’ve died to protect you that night. And all these years, I thought... I thought you'd hate me for leaving. I thought I had lost everything."

Her voice cracked like glass.

"But seeing you here now… a grown man, so kind, so strong… It feels like I’m being given something I thought was gone forever."

Marvin leaned in, wrapping his arms around her, holding her like a son who had finally come home.

"You never lost us. We’ve always carried you with us. And in the next room... there’s a book. Full of photos. Of you and Robert. Of better times. We’ve kept them safe, for Jezz. For when she was ready. For when you were."

Mom sobbed into his shoulder, years of sorrow finally finding a voice.

And I stood there, silent, tears running down my face, watching two broken halves finally begin to heal.

For the first time in my life… I felt the weight of what had come before.

But I also felt something else:

Hope.

"There is more we want to fill you in on about our lives. But for tonight, let's just have a meal together and get to know your family better." Jolina suggests.

"That sounds good. Thank you." Mom said and we both followed her into the kitchen.

"I hope I didn't burn everything." Jolina says as she looks at all the pots and pans.

"I turned them all off," Joel says.

Mom and I get busy helping Jolina to prepare our food, and bring it to the table. Meanwhile, the boys are setting out the dishes. Dad is sitting at the table, looking a bit out of place. I can tell he feels like he doesn’t quite fit in at the moment.

I went over to him and gave him a big hug. He hugs me back and whispers,"Thank you, princess. “We finally all sat down and started passing food around. Jade breaks the silence.

"So, it's true. We knew Abby Jezz was special."

"Yes, she is very special,"Jolina inserted as she looked at me.

"I immediately felt comfortable here." I told them.

"Yes, when I met the twins, I felt some sort of connection, like I could trust them."

Mom tells us all. Marvin looked at me again with a deep, penetrating stare. Mom again looks from him to me.

"Princess, tell them that you are an amazing cook. You guys know, Abby Jezz here is the chef at home." Dad proudly tells them.

"Is that right? I would love to cook with you sometime, Jezz. You should come over more often. I could teach you some tricks. Of course, I would love for you to come too, Solidad. I've missed your friendship so much over the years. I would like to have my best friend back." Jolina said, and Mom looked at her and nodded.

"I would love that too. You won't be able to get rid of me now." Jolina replied.

"So, Marvin, what are you doing now?" Mom asked him.

"I'm actually an English teacher." He pauses.

"Abby Jezz's English teacher."

He adds something and looks at me. Mom's eyes go wide, and she looks at Jolina. She nods. I don't know exactly what just transpired between them, but it's big. Mom looks back at me. Her face is like stone. She gives nothing away. Then she looked again at Marvin. What is she thinking? Is she going to keep me from coming over here?

"Like I said, there is so much to tell you, Solidad," Jolina says.

"Are you sure Mom's cooking today is delicious?" Jade asked, he was just joking with Joel.

"I see Mom's cooking, and I notice that each recipe is now complete," Joel replied. Because he finally felt that their mother was feeling better now, she reunited again with her long-lost friend Solidad, and knew that she was the mother of Jezz. So, everyone looks at each other and laughs because of the conversation between the two.

Late in the evening, when we got back home, Jolina called us on the phone, like she wanted to tell us about something urgent.

"Marvin had already started to feel the separation fatigue. He knew this was possible; he just didn't expect it to happen so quickly or so strongly. Jezz must be miserable. Marvin knows she isn't as physically strong as him. He has had weight, combat, and defensive training for years. But he knows she is mentally strong, and that will help. The same as you before, Robert," Jolina said.

"Yeah, I understand; we will come tomorrow. Thank you and good night." Mom says the line was cut.

"Shouldn't I be happy? But why do I feel sad?"

I'm still reeling from all the revelations tonight. Dad was pretty quiet on the way home. I don't know how he feels about learning Mom lost the love of her life. She came into my room and gave me a big hug. I didn't know what to say to ease her pain. I had no idea she went through all of that. Not long after getting home, I started feeling the headache come back. My whole body is a bit itchy, and my stomach hurts. I decided to get some fresh air on my balcony. I step out into the cool night. I took a deep breath.

Then suddenly, I received a text message from Tagi. My best friend

"Remember the returning horse that you enjoyed riding before? The animal that I fear most is now my friend. Before, I was really afraid to ride on its back, but now, this is what I love to do in the mountains with my grandfather. So, I made a plan to stay there next summer vacation if you like. Just let me know."

"Are you sure? Can you compete with me until the finish line? Ha.ha.ha"

"Sure, I am, but not now. I am still in focus, you know? Studying for a technique? Bahahaha"

Tagi says it in her text message and laughs.

"Okay, I will ask Mom and Dad to take me there, or they will let me go there and commute".

"Okay then, good night. Sleep tight, beshie." Her last message.

"Good night too, besh." I sent my response.

In these fleeting moments, the scent of Marvin drifts through the air, wrapping me in a soothing embrace. Even though I can’t see him, his presence is unmistakable, filling the space around me with comfort. As I ponder the situation, I realize that spending the night outdoors might just be the best idea after all.

As I gaze up at the resplendent moon, a longstanding fascination with its ethereal beauty resurfaces. The moon's serene glow instills a profound sense of tranquility within me, but at last, my restless mind continues to elude calmness.

I'm exhausted, I feel something lonely in my heart. But when I look at the moon light, something is calling me within. The shape and its color, it's a huge size. I can see there is a big golden throne and it was like a home to me. Did I'm dreaming?

An air whispered to my ear. Then I raise my hands to cover my eyes from the light. Assuming that I didn't see anything. When I removed my hands later, the images were gone.