The Last Moon

Chapter 2: The Goddess of the Moon

After 3 classes, it's lunch break and my parents will pick me up to go to Mr Robert's house. Mr Robert our landlord is one of the prominent men in town he owns the biggest lumber shop and supermarket chain in this burg. His family is well known throughout the neighbouring cities. 

I hope we won't take long there, I still need to take the classes on the other half of the day. 

I just have one more class to go to, I'll just drop off these books in my locker to lessen my load. It shouldn't take long.

I walk past the series of lockers, it should be here somewhere, ah there it is. 

"Hey, Halea right?" a girl with brown short hair came to talk to me as I tried the locker lock combination given to me. I looked at her and smile

"Yes, that's correct! And you are?"

"Hi! my name is Adrienne Zaiter, I'm the daughter of the head nurse Rosie. Welcome to Vale!" she said as she introduced herself.

Hi! Adrienne, nice to meet you!" I said while I placed the books I got. I shut the locker and locked it.

"You should sit beside me there's still an empty chair next to me in this subject,"

"That's great, at least I know someone," I chuckle as we glide to the next classroom

I sat beside Adrienne just 2 rows from Caleb. That's somehow a relief, he has been staring at me at the other class. As if I'm an apparition of something. I've met a few more classmates. Adrienne introduced me to some of the girls who were in the same seat row as we are.

The class went on for 45 minutes, Mr Donner, the Physics teacher got us on our feet with all the problem-solving equations he has been teaching. He gave some funny examples which were good, it allows us to easily understand the subject.

“Hey, Halea,” Adrienne whispered, “Where will you go for lunch?”

“My parents will pick me up and bring me back for the afternoon class,”

“I see so we’ll see you after lunch then,”

“Yeah,”

“Tomorrow will show you our hang-out if you’re not busy,”

“Sure, that’ll be fun, see you later,” I simpered back at them as I slowly went out to see my parents. I waited at the gate and after a few minutes, they arrived.

Elmo was driving the car, Dad was in the passenger seat while I sat at the back with Mom. Mr Roberts house is not that far after a few turns we’ve reached a gated modern villa. Their house was big and had several servants, we went in and was greeted by his wife and his daughter. 

“Come in Doctor, I’m Jenny and this is my daughter Veronica. Robert is on his way and will be here in a few minutes,” Mrs Stark said

We went in and sat at the receiving area, the maids served tea while we waited for Mr Robert. Veronica asked me if I wanted to see the garden, I’ve accepted her offer not to get bored with the adult’s conversation. Veronica is pretty. She has her mother’s eyes, accentuated with thin eyebrows and has long brown hair. She looks so elegant in the way she moves, she’s also in the same uniform as the girls in my school so it means we are in the same school.

“So which class are you in? I heard you came from school?” she asked as I followed her to the garden.

“I’m in Ms Simien class,”

“So you’re in grade 9, I’m in grade 11,” she said as she sat on a big swing under the Java plum tree. “Come sit beside me, Lea right?” 

I sat beside her and pressed my hands on the seat, “That’s Halea,”

“Halea, what a unique name,” she said, “How do you like Vale so far?”

“Thank you,” I beamed, answering her question, “I haven’t been out yet, just house and school so I still cannot say anything in particular. Other than the night sky which is so visible here compared to my former home,”

Veronica moved the swing slowly and leaned on the backrest. We stayed like that for a while looking at the sky and the black fruits that the tree had.

Then we heard a loud car sound, and I think Mr Stark just arrive

“Ah, finally Dad’s here,”

“Should we go in?” I asked and I stood to look at the sky, I covered my eyes and lifted my head to see the big clouds.  I like how the sun rays touch my face

“Let’s wait till they call us, you know how old people talk, it will take them some time to chit-chat before we finally go for lunch,”

“Do you eat this kind of fruit,” she pointed at the black plums

“Yes, when I was a child my grandmother has a similar tree in her backyard,”

“Nice, this tree produced seedless fruits and it’s very sweet,”

“Urhum,” a sound coming from the door. Veronica stands and runs to the man who is now near us.

“Rahul!” she called him

“Hi, I’m Rahul, Mr Robert asked me to call both of you to join lunch,” he said as he introduced himself giving his hand.

I took his hand and shake, “I’m Halea, the doctor’s daughter,”

Veronica holds his other arms, “he’s my future husband,” she said, raising her brow and gave me a grin.

Rahul took off her hand, “Veronica, stop fooling around she might believe you. I’m not anywhere close to what she described. His father is my godfather, that’s why we’re like brothers and sisters,” he said sneering

“You will be my future, Dad said so,” Veronica said with annoyance, “Let’s go inside,” as she marched towards the dining hall.

Rahul looked at me and chuckled, I hid my smile not to embarrass Veronica.

We are now having our lunch, I’m sitting opposite Rahul. I can feel how he sneaked up just to look at me. And whenever our eyes meet he smiles. I just realised how good looking he is, he had a deep green glow in his eyes but when I look at him closely I can see that he has black orbs. He has this very strong force in him at first glance and as you vent closer it slowly shifts to something gentle which is quite intriguing. As if there are two different people living in him. 

Hah, I’m getting weirder by the hour. Is it me or is it this place.

I just keep my silence as the adult talks about their businesses. Rahul speaks from time to time as Mr Robert asks his opinion. I leaned a little close to Mom and whispered to her about my remaining afternoon class. Mr Robert must have heard and asked Rahul to take me and Veronica to school.

I politely say my gratitude for the meal and pardon for leaving early.

After a few minutes, we are inside Rahul’s car. I sat at the back as I know Veronica will take the passenger’s seat which she did.

“Are you okay there at the back? Is the AC reaching you?” Rahul asked

“Yeah, no worries, the school is so close,” I said as he drives out of the compound. 

After a few minutes, we arrived in front of the campus. I stepped down the car and waved goodbye to both of them and headed inside. I heard Rahul asked Veronica to also go to her class, as I didn’t see her come inside I assume they went someplace else.

I walked past the rose garden where most students stay for a break, I still have about 15 minutes to spare then I saw Adrienne. And they also saw me and asked me to join them.

“You guys had lunch?” I asked

“Yeah, we normally go to the cafeteria or stay at Jurassic Park,” Amelia said to one of my classmates and Adrienne’s friend.

“Jurassic Park?” I asked

“Oh, that’s the park behind the Math building, it’s decorated with nets where the bushes can crawl and used to have a statue of a pterodactyl, that’s why they called it Jurassic Park,” Adrienne explains

“Ok, I haven’t been there,” I said

“We should give you a tour of the campus after class so you can familiarise yourself,” Amelia retorted.  

The boys walked past us and I saw Caleb staring at us from the corner of my eyes. I didn’t look, not to give any attention so he’ll just move on.

I heard Amelia giggled, “he’s looking here,” she whispered, enough for me and Adrienne to hear.

“Hush, he might hear you,” Adrienne said, “So Halea tell us how you have silenced Caleb?”

“Yeah, I heard the guys teasing him on how you were not swayed by his moves,” Amelia curious 

“I didn’t do anything, I just gave him the same dose of his own medicine,”

“Like?” 

“Tell us the whole story,”

“Hahaha,” I chuckle, “I called him dog boy and furball after he insists on giving me a nickname which is so phooey,”

The girls laughed, “I envy you, you have the guts to call him the dog boy,” Adrienne said

“Yeah, he hates to be compared with a dog. His buddy calls him alpha sometimes so just imagine him an Alpha dog,” Amelia laugh, “I got to tell this to his sister,”

“You know him close enough,” I said

“Yeah, I’m friends with his sister we belong in the same community,” she said

“Girls, let’s go to class,” Adrienne said

We went to class and I sat next to the two girls. I felt more at ease now having to laugh with the girls. I somehow managed to know a lot of people and make friends with them. I’m the type of person that doesn’t get attached to anyone. We moved a lot in the past and making long term friends is difficult, physically, and emotionally. I normally just stay silent, get acquainted, and not get attached but somehow today felt a bit different. 

After 2 subjects we have a 30 minutes break so I went with Adrienne and Amelia. We grabbed some snacks from the cafeteria and stayed at Jurassic Park. 

“I should let you meet my Nana, we should go out for an outing one of these days,” Adrienne

“And why is that?”

“She and some of the old woman from the mountain belong to a tribe of woman and dances during the new moon and eclipse to pay tribute to Dia Haliya,” she said

“Dia Haliya?” I asked

“Dia Haliya is one of the Goddess of the Moon,” she said

“I heard of her in folklore, but she is not as popular as the Dia Miyari,” Amelia said

“I’m lost, care to enlighten me and why would your Nana be interested to meet me?”

“Well, this is the first time I heard a name similar to her favourite Goddess,” Adrianne

“Plus you somehow tamed an Alpha,” Amelia giggled

Is there anything weirder than this, “Okay, I’m listening,”

“Dia Haliya is referred to as I mentioned Goddess of the moon or the Warrior Goddess of the Moon, she wears a mask to hide her beauty. She is known to fight off the Baconava the dragon serpent. It is said that the demigod, one of the sons of the Goddess of the ocean was mesmerized by the beauty of the moon, but the moon didn’t give any attention to him, and so the demigod shaped-shift into a dragon serpent and swallowed the moon. When the supreme God Battala found out what happened he asked the dragon to spit the moon, only the full moon managed to maintain it’s light but not the other moon which is the new moon.” Adrienne narrates the story

“How popular is this story here?” I asked

“Not so much, only those old mountain tribes because they are still following her,” she said

“How about you Amelia, do you know the story?”

“Not that one, I only know that Haliya is Miyari’s Twin. It’s like a full moon and new moon, where our tribe believed in Dia Miyari the full moon,”

“So both of you belong to the old tribe?” I asked

“Kind of, yes you can say that,” they both answered

I smiled as I ate my snack, I recalled my dream last night Naga Unda called me ‘Dia Halea’. And now, I’m hearing stories of Halea or Haliya, things are getting interesting.

“Do you know what Naga Unda is?” I asked

“I heard of the Lake Unda but not Naga Unda, wait Naga is also a folklore creature it’s like a mermaid or a spirit protector of a certain place,”

“Like a nymph in English myths?” I asked

“Yeah, something like that,”

“How about Lake Unda?”

“I heard it from old tribe songs, but it doesn’t exist,” Adrienne said, “Where have you heard of it?”

“Nothing, I dreamed of it,” I said

“If you’re dreaming of Lake Unda and creatures like that, my Nana would tell you more stories of them. We should visit my Nana, I’m thrilled to introduce you to her,” Adrienne said.

And I just smiled, this place is getting more interesting by the day.