MOONBORN: The Hybrid Luna

The Heat Within

CHAPTER 2

"Selah!"

From afar, across the wide university grounds of Atheris North Academy, Selah heard her name being called. She turned, and her face instantly lit up when she saw her friend, Eva, running toward her.

“Hey! What’s up?” Selah greeted her brightly, leaning in to kiss her on both cheeks.

“I’m good. How about you?” Eva replied cheerfully, walking ahead of her but facing backward, her steps light and playful.

“I’m good… you know, I’ve always wanted to go to California to visit my relatives, friends, etc.” Selah said, rolling her eyes. “But my mom wouldn’t let me. So I stayed home doing ‘holiday tasks.’ You know… the usual.”

Eva burst into laughter, falling into step beside her.

Several months had already passed since she started attending school, and ever since she became a regular student, they had spent the holiday season in Atheris North, which was relatively close to the university where she was studying. Somehow, she still hadn’t been able to return to California, something that annoyed her throughout the whole holiday. Because she misses her old life. She's had homeschool for her entire life, but she was able to go outside doing parties and attend extreme activities with her friends, like going to the beach, wearing her two pieces and sunbathing and dating hot guys.

Now in Alaska, she can’t even do those things anymore. Aside from being far from the cities, the place is freezing cold—it really kills your mood to go outside. Instead of enjoying her holidays with friends like she used to, she stayed locked in her room most of the time and only helped with household chores.

“What tasks? Cleaning your backyard? Collecting eggs into a basket? Baking cookies? Reading all your books on the veranda?” Eva said, teasing her hard, while laughing.

“Exactly! What else?” Selah shot back, her eyes widening in mock disbelief before she laughed. It was ridiculous how perfectly Eva described her entire holiday.

Together, they entered the laboratory building, greeting their classmates with high-fives. The room buzzed with energy and her classmates were laughing loudly, tossing crumpled paper, and shouting over one another. Selah laughed loudly too; she didn’t care how noisy it was as long as she was enjoying herself.

The noise died instantly when professor Olson walked in, carrying bundles of herbs and vividly colored flowers. They were unfamiliar wild-looking blooms with a strangely sweet, intoxicating scent.awtomatikong napasunod dila ng tigin sa hawak nito.

“Good morning, class,” the professor began. “Since you’ve all had your holiday break, we’ll begin our new research. This semester, we’ll be experimenting with creating perfumes using these rare flowers found only on Mount Lathariel. Our goal is to produce thirty unique scents for the summer festival in town.”

A wave of whispers spread across the room.

Mount Lathariel... Selah’s gaze drifted slightly. The mountain was known in her hometown of Atheris. A distant, mysterious, and rarely visited place. She had only ever seen it from afar during long drives to school.

“Professor,” Eva asked, “what’s the purpose of making perfumes?”

The professor smiled. “It’s for the theme of this year’s festival. The La Perfume de Alorosso.”

Excited murmurs erupted again as the students began imagining the upcoming trip.

But Selah remained still. Eva nudged her gently, noticing her silence. She looked intently at the flowers, their color resembling blood. At that moment, a strange, cold breeze swept through the lab—unnatural, chilling. Selah shivered. She wrapped her arms around herself, but suddenly, she felt heat and her palms felt like burning. A soft gasp escaped her lips as warmth surged through her body, sharp and unfamiliar. It wasn’t normal heat, and it felt like something was awakening beneath her skin.

“What’s wrong?” Eva asked, concerned about lacing her voice.

Selah shook her head quickly, trying to brush it off. But her heart began to race. Her body felt… wrong. Too hot. Too alive. Too unfamiliar. Startled, she abruptly stood up, staring at her trembling hands. She expected to see something or anything, but there was nothing.

Her classmates had gone silent. All eyes were on her, shook and out of words.

“Miss Caster,” Professor Olson asked, his furrowed. “What’s happening to you?”

“Huh? N-Nothing, professor… excuse me,” Selah stammered before rushing out of the room.

She ran straight to the bathroom, gripping the sink as she tried to steady her breathing.

Her cheeks were flushed and her hands still warm. She lifted them again, studying them carefully. But nothing, no marks and no changes.

“What is happening to me?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

She splashed cold water on her face, shaking her head as if she could wash the feeling away. Maybe it was just the heat from the lab… the fire from the experiment earlier.

When she stepped out, Eva was already waiting for her in the hallway.

“Are you okay? You look pale,” Eva said, worry evident in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Eve,” Selah forced a small smile. “Maybe I’m just hungry.”

“Then let’s go to the canteen.”

“Yeah… let’s go,” she said, secretly looking at her hands again.

They walked together, soon surrounded by their classmates. The loud laughter returned, conversations overlapped, and little by little, Selah pushed the strange incident to the back of her mind and diverted her attention to her classmates. After school, they stopped by a small boutique in town to buy supplies for their upcoming trip to Mount Lathariel. Selah laughed along with her friends, almost forgetting everything—

Until a sleek white car suddenly pulled up in front of her. She froze when the window rolled down.

“Selah!”

Her breath caught.

“Mom?”

Inside the car sat her mother, elegant and composed, behind the wheel of a white Mercedes-Benz.

“Get in. Now.”

“Mom, what are you doing here? I’m with my friends—”

“I said get in,” her mother repeated sharply.

Selah sighed, irritation rising, but she obeyed, leaving her classmates behind. The moment she got in, the car sped off.

“Mom, seriously, what are you doing? You didn’t have to come. I was fine,” Selah said, frustration clear in her voice.

“Don’t argue with me, Selah. I know what I’m doing. If you don’t like it, I can pull you out of school and homeschool you again.”

Selah clenched her jaw, rolling her eyes. She hated this—the control and the constant watching. Memories of being homeschooled flooded back again. A year of isolation, and college was the only freedom she had ever given to her in this place. They had moved suddenly from California to a quiet town in Alaska, and her mother and stepfather never explained why. They just left without warning, saying that her stepfather had gotten a job, which was why they needed to move back to Alaska.

“Mom, I just want to live a normal life here,” Selah said, her voice soft but firm. “You only just let me go to university this year, and you’re still watching me like that. I’m twenty. I can take care of myself and am old enough to take responsibility for myself.”

Mrs. Julie Caster sighed, her expression softening as she reached for Selah’s hand.

“I’m sorry, dear,” she said gently. “You know I'm just worried. I just want to protect you and your Tim as best as I can. We’re new here… and I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”

Selah looked at her, then smiled faintly—half amused, half exasperated. Somehow, she still wanted to understand her, but sometimes the language barrier made it difficult, and at times she felt like her mother was going too far.

“Mom… I’m not a kid anymore.”

Her mother gave a small, reluctant smile.

“Fine. Next time, just call me if you’re going to be late so I don’t have to worry.”

“I promise.”

“I love you, dear,” her mother said softly.

Selah’s expression softened too.

“I love you too, Mom.”

But as she stared out the window, her smile slowly faded. Her hands still felt warm.

And deep inside… something didn’t feel normal at all.