DAY AND NIGHT by Kimberly

Chapter One _The Split Sky_ Fantasy, fantasy, fantasy. It’s always the ones who live in the dark who are evil. But have you ever heard of a daylight evil princess? In ancient times, there was a great forest where the beings of Day and Night lived together. The sky itself was split in two — half eternal sunlight, half endless stars. The two holders of the sky were actually twins, born from one but different. One carried the Day soul, the other carried the Night soul. And they loved each other. Until the day Day’s lover chose Night. Day was already pregnant. So was Night. The lover’s betrayal turned Day against her own sister. Her rage was so fierce it took both their lives. But the children survived, saved by the magic of purity. Yet the rage, and the cruel memories of Day, were inherited by her daughter — little Day. The little Day and little Night were named Runa and Nita by the magical spirits. --- _Chapter Two_ _Runa and Nita_ Runa entered the scene with a sweet song. Her voice floated through the golden trees, light and warm, like sunrise. But halfway through, flashes of her mother came to her mind. Anger. Betrayal. Fire. Her song cracked. Her knees buckled. And she passed out. Her nanny rushed to her, lifting her gently and carrying her home. Their village didn’t have castles. Everyone lived in tree houses, woven high in the branches. But Runa’s home was different. It was elegant, and the biggest of them all. After all, it was the home of the Day Keeper. On the other side of the split sky was Nita. A kind and peaceful soul. She was playing in the sky with her little bat friends, lending her voice to the moon, singing a sweet song. It was the kind of song that always made the villagers happy. Her village didn’t have tree houses. It had nests — soft, woven homes for the bat people. Vampires slept upside down, hanging from the trees like fruit in the night. And in the very center of the village stood Nita’s home. It was full of stars.