A BEAUTY BEYOND WORDS

CHAPTER ONE THE GIRL BENEATH THE MOON New York City never truly slept. Even at midnight, its streets remained alive with the sounds of distant sirens, impatient taxi drivers, music escaping from underground clubs and conversations between strangers who would probably never meet again. But on the twenty-third floor of an old apartment building in Manhattan, Ariana Vale stood beside her bedroom window, watching the moon. Something about tonight felt different. She couldn't explain it. The moon was unusually bright, its silver light spreading across the buildings like a blanket. Ariana rested her fingers against the cold glass and stared at her reflection. At twenty-three, she had learned to live with the strange things that happened around her. The whispers nobody else heard. The shadows that occasionally moved against the direction of the light. The dreams that felt more like memories than imagination. She had spent most of her childhood convincing herself that she was normal. Tonight, however, her reflection seemed to disagree. For a brief moment, the girl staring back at her wasn't wearing the familiar expression Ariana knew. Her reflection was smiling. Ariana wasn't. She stepped away from the window. "What the hell?" The reflection returned to normal. She rubbed her forehead and sighed. Perhaps she needed sleep. Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. A message from her older brother appeared. DARIUS: Don't stay out late tomorrow. I need to talk to you. Ariana frowned. ARIANA: About what? Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then appeared again. DARIUS: Something important. I'll explain tomorrow. She rolled her eyes. Darius had always been dramatic. Ever since their parents died, he had taken his role as her protector seriously. Sometimes too seriously. She typed a reply. ARIANA: You're beginning to sound like a secret agent. No response. Ariana placed the phone down and returned to the window. That was when she noticed the man. Across the street, standing beneath a flickering streetlight, was a tall figure dressed entirely in black. He wasn't looking at his phone. He wasn't speaking to anyone. He was looking directly at her apartment. Ariana narrowed her eyes. Their gazes met. Even from twenty-three floors above, she could see something unusual about his eyes. They were violet. Not dark brown. Not blue. Violet. And they seemed to glow beneath the streetlight. A cold sensation travelled down her spine. She quickly stepped away from the window. When she gathered enough courage to look again, the man had disappeared. Ariana exhaled. "Okay. Definitely need sleep." She turned off the bedroom light and climbed into bed. But sleep refused to come easily. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same violet gaze. And somewhere deep inside her mind, a voice whispered a name she had never heard before. The Guardian. --- At exactly 3:17 a.m., Ariana woke up. She sat upright, breathing heavily. The room was cold. Unnaturally cold. Her bedside lamp flickered. Once. Twice. Then went completely dark. Ariana reached for her phone, but before her fingers touched it, a strange purple light appeared near the bedroom door. It moved like smoke. Slowly, it gathered into the shape of a woman. Ariana froze. The woman had long silver hair and wore a flowing white dress. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes were filled with an unmistakable sadness. "Who are you?" Ariana whispered. The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Ariana as though she had been waiting a very long time to see her. "My child." Ariana shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. This isn't happening." The woman stepped closer. "You have awakened." "What are you talking about?" "The blood inside you is beginning to remember." Ariana grabbed her phone. "Stay away from me!" The woman raised one hand. The phone slipped from Ariana's fingers and landed gently on the bed. Ariana stared at her. "Please," the woman whispered. "You must listen." A sudden headache exploded behind Ariana's eyes. Images flashed through her mind. A burning forest. A castle beneath a purple sky. A woman holding a newborn baby. A man standing before a giant silver door. And finally, a voice. When the last daughter awakens, the heavens shall tremble. Ariana cried out. The purple light disappeared. The room returned to normal. For several seconds, she remained motionless. Then she looked at her hands. A faint purple symbol glowed against her wrist. It resembled a small crescent moon surrounded by delicate lines. She rubbed it. It didn't disappear. Her phone vibrated. Ariana nearly screamed. It was a message from an unknown number. UNKNOWN: Whatever happens, do not trust the man with violet eyes. She stared at the screen. Another message arrived. UNKNOWN: He has been searching for you longer than you can imagine. Ariana slowly lowered the phone. Outside, somewhere beyond the glass, thunder rolled across the city. And for the first time in her life, she understood something terrifying. Whatever she had spent twenty-three years believing about herself was a lie. ---