The Girl Who Heard the Moon

The moon disappeared on the night Elara Vale turned seventeen. Not behind clouds. Not behind smoke. It simply vanished. One moment, it hung above Bellhaven like a silver coin, bathing the village in pale light. The next— Darkness swallowed the sky. Elara woke with a gasp. She sat upright in bed, her heart hammering against her ribs. For a few seconds, she couldn't see anything. Her bedroom had always felt familiar at night. The wooden desk beside the window. The bookshelf her father had built before he disappeared. The faded blue curtains her mother had sewn when Elara was little. But tonight, everything looked different. Wrong. Then she heard it. A whisper. “Elara.” Her entire body went still. She slowly turned toward the window. The curtains were moving. The window was open. Elara frowned. She distinctly remembered closing it before going to sleep. “Elara…” The whisper came again. This time, it sounded closer. She climbed out of bed. “Who's there?” Silence. Only the distant sound of wind moving through the trees. Elara stepped toward the window. Cold air brushed against her face. She pulled the curtain aside. Her eyes widened. Bellhaven was completely dark. Every lantern along the main road had gone out. Every house was silent. Even the enormous clock tower at the center of the village had stopped. But that wasn't what frightened her. It was the sky. There was no moon. Instead, where the moon should have been was a perfect circle of absolute darkness. Elara stared. “What…?” A loud bell suddenly rang somewhere below. Once. Twice. Three times. Then another sound reached her ears. Horses. Lots of them. Elara looked down. Figures were entering the village through the northern gate. They wore black cloaks. Silver symbols covered their chests. And every rider carried a weapon. Her stomach tightened. Bellhaven had never seen soldiers like these. “Elara!” She spun around. Her mother stood in the doorway. Lyra Vale looked terrified. Not worried. Not surprised. Terrified. “Mum?” “Get away from the window.” “What happened?” “Come here.” Elara didn't move. “Who are those people?” Her mother crossed the room quickly and grabbed her hand. Her fingers were freezing. “Elara, listen to me carefully.” “What?” “If anything happens tonight, you must run.” Elara stared at her. “Run where?” “Anywhere.” “That doesn't make sense.” “I know.” Her mother looked toward the window. The sound of horses grew louder. Then came shouting from outside. “Elara!” Her mother squeezed her hand. “Whatever happens, don't tell them your name.” Elara's eyebrows pulled together. “They already know it?” Her mother didn't answer. Three heavy knocks shook the front door downstairs. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. Lyra's face went pale. “They found us.” “Who?” She looked at Elara. “The people I've spent seventeen years hiding you from.” Before Elara could ask another question, her mother ran downstairs. “Mum!” “Stay here!” Elara followed her to the bedroom door. She stopped when she heard voices below. A man's voice. “Where is the girl?” Lyra answered coldly. “What girl?” “The girl born beneath the eclipse.” Silence. Then another voice. A woman this time. “Elara Vale.” Elara's blood ran cold. They knew. Her mother had lied to her. For seventeen years, she'd told Elara that there was nothing unusual about her. That her father had left. That Bellhaven was safe. That there were no secrets. Now strangers had arrived in the middle of the night asking for her by name. Elara stepped backward. A floorboard creaked. The voices downstairs stopped. Then came footsteps. Someone was climbing the stairs. Slowly. One step. Two. Three. Elara looked around her room. There was nowhere to hide. The footsteps stopped outside her door. The handle turned. Elara grabbed the brass candleholder from her desk. The door opened. A tall man stood there. He wore a black coat with silver markings running along the collar. Two soldiers stood behind him. But Elara barely noticed them. Because beside them stood a boy. He looked around eighteen. Dark hair. Pale skin. A thin scar above his eyebrow. But his eyes— His eyes were silver. The boy stared at Elara as though he'd just seen a ghost. The tall man stepped forward. “Elara Vale.” She raised the candleholder. “Who are you?” “My name is Lord Voss.” “I don't care.” The soldiers exchanged glances. Voss smiled faintly. “You have your mother's temper.” Elara's grip tightened. “How do you know my mother?” “Because your mother has been running from us for seventeen years.” Elara's heart dropped. “What are you talking about?” Voss looked directly into her eyes. “You were never supposed to survive.” Elara froze. The boy with the silver eyes suddenly stepped forward. “Voss.” The commander's expression hardened. “What?” “Something's wrong.” “What?” The boy looked at Elara. Then at the window. “The moon.” Everyone turned. The darkness in the sky had changed. A thin silver c***k appeared inside the black circle. Voss's face changed. “Impossible.” The boy whispered, “She awakened.” Elara looked at her hands. Silver light was glowing beneath her skin. “What is happening to me?” Voss raised his weapon. “Take her.” The soldiers moved. “Elara!” Her mother's voice came from downstairs. Then— A glass bottle shattered. Blue smoke exploded through the hallway. The soldiers coughed. Voss shouted. “Find her!” Elara couldn't see. “Mum!” “Window!” Her mother's voice came through the smoke. “Jump!” Elara ran toward the window. She looked down. Two floors. “You've got to be kidding me!” “JUMP!” Behind her, the smoke began clearing. The soldiers were coming. Elara climbed onto the windowsill. The silver-eyed boy stood across the room. Their eyes met. For the first time, he looked afraid. “Don't do it,” he said. Elara frowned. “Why?” He looked at her glowing hands. “Because you don't know what happens when you fall.” Too late. Elara jumped. The wind screamed past her. The ground rushed toward her. She closed her eyes. And suddenly— Everything stopped. The falling rain froze in midair. A bird remained suspended above the rooftops. Even the leaves stopped moving. Elara opened her eyes. She wasn't falling anymore. She was floating. Silver light surrounded her body. “What…” A voice whispered inside her mind. Wake up. Elara's breathing stopped. “Who are you?” You already know. “No, I don't!” The silver light became brighter. Images flashed through her mind. A city burning beneath a red moon. Thousands of people kneeling. A black tower stretching into the sky. And at the top— A woman. Elara stared at her. The woman slowly turned around. She had Elara's face. Exactly. The woman smiled. Then whispered: “You finally came back.” Elara screamed. The vision shattered. Gravity returned. She crashed into a pile of hay below. Pain shot through her shoulder. “Ow…” She pushed herself upright. Above her, the soldiers appeared at the window. And beside them stood the silver-eyed boy. He stared down at her. Elara stood. “What am I?” The boy didn't answer. “Who was that woman?” Still nothing. Elara stepped toward him. “I asked you a question!” The boy's expression hardened. “You really don't remember.” “Remember what?” He looked toward the sky. The black circle where the moon had disappeared was beginning to glow. Then he looked back at Elara. “You were never born, Elara.” She stared at him. “What?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “You were awakened.” And somewhere beyond the darkness of the vanished moon— something ancient opened its eyes.