by Kate L. Mary
The smile I throw his way is wide and free, just like I am. He’s been at my side every step of the way, holding my hand during the trial when I had to watch David on the stand, lending a shoulder for me to cry on when we found out his sentence would be so short. Holding me up when things started to get overwhelming. I can’t imagine getting through this or anything else without Jared.
When we step out of the terminal, I scan the crowds of people waiting, and it only takes me a second to find her. Even if she weren’t holding up a sign with my name on it, I would know it was her. The resemblance to my mother makes it feel like I’m looking into the past. My aunt told me on the phone she and my mother were twins, but I wasn’t ready for this. It takes my breath away, because I resemble her so much, too.
She’s the spitting image of my mother, only her eyes are full of life, and she has deep laugh lines from the smile stretching across her face, telling me it’s a common thing. This is what my mother would look like if she hadn’t let grief cripple her.
My aunt’s eyes light up when they meet mine then instantly fill with tears. “Willow?”
Tears are streaming down my cheeks before I’ve even reached her, and the sobs trying to force their way up clog my throat.
I have to swallow three times before I manage to say, “Aunt Lilly, I’m so glad to finally meet you.”
She throws her arms around me, her body shaking with her own sobs. Through the tears, she repeats the things she’s already told me on the phone. How often she’s thought about me over the years, how happy she is that I made it out, how much she wishes things had turned out differently. Every word out of her mouth makes my heart swell even more. I hug her back, overwhelmed by the fact that this woman is family and that she loves me. Sight unseen, she cares about me more than my own mother ever has.
When she steps back, she wipes the tears from her cheeks and motions to the people behind her. “Your family.”
My aunt’s husband—my uncle, I guess—and their two children smile. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl only a few years younger than I am, smile my way. I laugh when they, too, hug me. At my side, Jared beams, the loss of his only family temporarily dulled in the face of so much love. Looking back and forth between Jared and my four family members, I see a future stretching out in front of me that’s full of love and laughter, of hope. It’s bright and shiny, and more than I could have ever hoped for even in my wildest dreams. This is what I’ve always wanted, and now I have it.
Moonchild
Chapter One
The city of Athens is as silent as it is dark. Ominous, even. The ruined buildings that used to make up this town are nothing more than shells now. Skeletons left over from a world that no longer exists. They watch me with empty sockets as I make my way down the deserted street, keeping a close eye on the ground so I don’t stumble. Rubble litters the roads and sidewalks, barely visible in the dark night. Above me, the moon is tucked firmly behind the clouds, making it difficult to see what I’m doing. But I don’t need it. Six years I’ve been living on the streets of Athens—ever since escaping the coal mines. I could probably find my way through the city blindfolded.
When I turn the corner, the faint scent of ash tickles my nostrils. I press my handkerchief more firmly against my nose as I move faster, hopping over debris. From the smell of it, I’ve found the right spot. Last night, the boom of gunfire practically shook the roof over my head, and when I made my way to the roof the orange glow from the burning building lit up the streets of Athens.
The remnants of the building come into view, and the acrid smell of smoldering wood grows stronger. Whatever this building used to be, they did a hell of a job of destroying it. Not that it’s been in working condition anytime in the last hundred years, but at least it had walls before the pirates and enforcers got ahold of it. Now it’s nothing more than ash and dust. Like the rest of the city. I don’t have any sentimental attachment to Athens, but it still gets under my skin when I think about how reckless those damn pirates are. No matter how much destruction they leave in their wake, it never seems to be enough for them.
Not that they’re the only ones fighting. These days, it’s the way of the world.
I kick at a piece of charred wood and it crumbles into what seems like a thousand pieces. Ash rises up, swirling around me in a circle until I feel as if I’m caught in a tornado of dirt. The earthy scent of soot fills my nostrils, and I press my handkerchief more firmly against my mouth when a slow burn spreads through my lungs. Almost as if the ash has managed to work its way through the fibers of the cloth to invade my body. My throat constricts, and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to keep the memories away. It’s no use, though. The darkness, the filth, and the suffocating feeling of being trapped underground all come screaming back until I find it difficult to breathe. Even when I manage to get a mouthful of air, it’s thick with ash and dirt, making the memories more vivid. Two months. That’s how long I spent in the mines. Even now, all these years later, I feel like I’m never going to be able to escape completely.
I squeeze my eyes shut and count to ten, pushing the growing panic down where I hide all the damaged parts of myself. Thankfully, it only takes a few seconds for my heart rate to return to something that resembles normal. These days, weakness will get you killed. Especially out in the open like I am now.
At least I’m alone. The last thing I want is for someone to witness how close I get to falling apart when a flashback hits me full force.
I blow all the air out of my lungs as I once again start digging through the rubble. Odds are good that something useful is hidden in the debris. It’s the perfect opportunity for a scavenger like me to gather a few extra supplies. Anytime the pirates and enforcers go at it, I seem to come out ahead.
More dust puffs up around me as I sweep the top layer of charred wood away with my free hand, keeping the other pressed firmly over my nose and mouth. My gloved fingers brush against something solid just as the crunch of footsteps echoes through the stillness of the street behind me. I jump to my feet as my heart leaps to my throat. By the time I’ve swallowed it back down, my knife is out and I’ve backed into the thick shadows hanging over the building at my side. It could be pirates coming to stake out the area. Or worse, enforcers. Just the thought makes my stomach clench tighter than the fingers squeezing my knife. If it’s enforcers, they’ll be looking for fugitives, which is exactly what I am. I was only thirteen years old when I was sent to the mines, and I barely escaped the first time. There’s no way in hell I’m going back to that prison. Ever.
I lean against the wall at my back and watch as two people come into view. It’s hard to make them out in the darkness, but the one on the right is definitely too small to be an enforcer. The second one is only a head or so taller, but broader. Thick. Pirates? Or possibly other fugitives. Neither option helps me relax.
My body is as stiff as the cold stone against my back when I inhale, holding the air in until my lungs threaten to burst. It burns when I finally let it out. Even that doesn’t calm my nerves, though.
The people are nearer now. Maybe fifteen feet away. They haven’t spoken, but they’re standing close to one another, and something about it strikes me as off. It’s too intimate.
The smaller of the two pauses to kick at the ground. A rock scuttles across the road, and a soft gasp echoes through the empty street. Everything in me freezes for an instant, then, quick as lightning, thaws. My muscles relax and I take a deep breath. The air is thick with ash and coal dust, and the gritty flavor of earth fills my mouth.
“Rory,” I whisper, taking a step away from the wall.
“Scarlett?” The couple pauses, and the smaller one—Rory—turns my way. “There you are.”
I swear under my breath as I shove my knife back into its hiding place on my vest. Of course Rory came looking for me. Like everyone else, she hates it when I go out alone.
The handkerchief is once again covering my nose when I step away from the building and dart across
the street toward my friends. I hop over a pile of rubble just as a cool breeze sweeps across the ruined city, lifting my skirt so high that if anyone were around they’d get a good show.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I whisper when I’m closer.
Slivers of moonlight have broken through the overcast sky, illuminating Rory’s smile. She flips her caramel curls over her shoulder as she nudges me with her elbow. “We were just out for a romantic stroll.”
Behind her, Turk’s grin is big enough that I’d be able to make it out even if it were pitch black. When he steps under the moonlight, his white blond hair shimmers like silver. He runs his hand down her arm, and Rory smiles up at him. The way their eyes lock makes me shuffle my feet. It feels like I’m interrupting a very intimate moment.
“Don’t let me stop you.” I let out a snort as I turn back to where I was digging a few minutes ago.
I’m on my knees in the ash before either one of them has a chance to respond. The ground under my knees is rough and cold and soft at the same time, and I can only imagine how stained my skin will be when I get back. No way these stockings will stop the soot from painting my skin a lovely shade of black.
“What are we looking for?” Rory asks, kneeling at my side.
Unlike me, she’s wearing pants, but she still doesn’t get down in the dirt.
“Anything,” I mumble.
Rory sighs as she tosses a few pieces of charred wood aside, causing more ash to rise up around us. Turk stands a few feet away, kicking up debris. Neither one seems to be interested in looking for supplies. They obviously only came out to look for me—the idea of alone time was probably just a bonus.
Rory stops digging, but I stay focused on the ground in front of me. Just before they showed up, I found something. It was only in my hand for a brief second, but I have a feeling it was good.
“You know where we are?” Rory whispers.
The nostalgia in her voice is so thick it makes my fingers and everything else inside me freeze. Something tells me I’m not going to like where this is going. “No.”
“This is where Dex and I found you.”
I keep my eyes on the debris and dig like my life depends on it. “Oh.”
I remember when they found me, but it’s all the days and nights before that I don’t like thinking about. Running away from the mines and being on my own in a ruined city at the age of thirteen. Trying to stay warm at night. Trying to find food. The first few weeks were so terrifying that I started to believe serving out my prison sentence would be better. The mines were hard and dirty and there were any number of things that could happen to me, but at least I had regular meals and a roof over my head. On the streets, there was nothing to keep me going but my own willpower.
Slowly, though, I found my rhythm. Figured out how to get food—the enforcers who work in the mines have their own little village nearby, and getting in and out of their homes isn’t that hard once you know what you’re doing. Learning which buildings were safe to sleep in and which weren’t helped too. My existence wasn’t perfect, but it never was. I learned how to survive, and as far as I was concerned, that was the best I could ask for.
I did that for a year before Rory and Dex found me, and it was like having a family for the first time in years. We’ve been together ever since. Five years. Roughing it in Athens. Watching each other’s backs. Rory saved my life that day, and I should be able to look my best friend in the eye and tell her thank you.
I’ve never been one to face my feelings, though. Good or bad, I run from them faster than I do from enforcers. It’s easier that way. If you don’t have feelings, you can’t get hurt. You can’t get your heart ripped out and stomped on when everything falls down around you. And in this world, there’s a one hundred percent chance that eventually everything will come crashing down.
My fingertips brush over something hard and smooth, and I pull it free. A rock. It may have helped David defeat Goliath, but it sure as hell isn’t going to do me any good against enforcers.
“Scarlett?” Rory’s voice is soft, and behind me, Turk shuffles his feet.
I toss the rock aside and push my fingers deeper into the ash, ignoring Rory and the penetrating gaze she has most certainly turned my way. If I don’t find something, this trip will be a waste. Plus, digging will keep my mind busy. Will keep away the memories that Rory is trying so desperately to pull out of me.
She nudges me again, and when my throat tightens, I have the urge to scream at her. Only I doubt I’d be able to get even a small sound out, let alone the shout of fury that is now clogging my insides. My eyes sting, and I press the cloth tighter against my nose as I blink away the moisture. It’s from the ash, not the memories. I. Don’t. Cry.
“Come on, Scarlett. You don’t have to pretend with me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumble.
“I’m not one of the guys. You don’t have to act all tough when you’re around me.”
Rory gets me, but she doesn’t. She knows I put on an act, she just doesn’t understand why I do it. Showing weakness, especially in front of the guys, is the worst thing I can do, and crumbling to pieces isn’t something I can afford to let happen if I want to survive this world.
“I’m not acting.” I dig deeper, searching through the dirt in hopes of finding something that will distract her from the current conversation.
Again, my fingers brush something solid. This time when I pull it free, I’m rewarded with a throwing star. Just the sight of it makes my outlook on life brighter. Stars are my weapons of choice. They’re small and lightweight and easy to conceal. I found a hidden talent the day Dex introduced me to the deadly little weapons, and I can hit a man between the eyes from twenty feet away. Although I usually aim for the throat since it’s more likely to actually kill my target.
“Take a look at that.” I hold the star out for Rory to see, but she doesn’t respond.
When I venture a look her way, I find her sharp eyes narrowed on my face. I try to match the look, but she doesn’t blink, and within seconds my scalp is prickling under her scrutiny.
When she doesn’t look away, I jump up so fast that my feet wobble and I stumble. Rory is behind me, and when she grabs my arm my insides crackle like wood being singed away by fire. She’s the only one who can break through my carefully constructed walls, and she knows it.
“You okay?” Turk calls from a few feet behind us.
I toss a wave over my shoulder but keep my eyes forward.
Rory turns so she can reassure him. She’s good at stuff like that. “We’re fine.” Her hand is still wrapped around my arm when she turns back. “I’m glad we found you that day.”
How does she always seem to know when my walls are down? “Me too.”
Her hand drops from my arm and she kneels at my feet, brushing aside some rubble. She’s not digging for supplies. She’s giving me time. “It would be lonely without you.”
“Even if I am a pain in the ass sometimes?” I kneel at her side as I allow my head to bob in agreement.
She grins, and even in the darkness her gray eyes sparkle. “Sometimes?”
I let out a little laugh, making the ache in my chest less intense.
“You two about done?” Turk calls. A little too loudly.
Rory shakes her head and rolls her eyes. I think. The clouds have once again swallowed up what little bit of moonlight there was a few minutes ago, making it tough to see. It’s times like this, when the blackness of the night threatens to swallow me, that I can’t help wondering what it was like before the world was polluted. Back when the sky wasn’t constantly clogged with gray clouds. It’s hard to imagine.
“You trying to get caught?” Rory calls back. Also too loudly.
“This is why I like to go out alone,” I grumble.
Rory grabs my arm and hauls me to my feet. Her laughter is soft, almost childlike, and I can’t stop my walls from coming down a little bit more. Damn her ability to get to
me. I’m supposed to be stronger than this. Emotion makes you weak. Gets you killed, or worse, captured.
She wraps her arm around my waist and pulls me toward Turk, whispering in my ear as we go, “You know you love it when I come looking for you.”
“There are certain things I love about your company, but trying to scavenge with you is not one of them.” I press my lips together to stop the smile, though I doubt she would be able to see it with the moon hiding behind the clouds.
Only Rory can bring out my true smile. For some reason, when I’m with her, the pain of the past eases just enough to make me think things can be better. Why, I don’t know. There isn’t a lot to hope for these days.
Turk falls into step beside Rory, and her arm falls away from my waist. Within seconds all her attention is focused on him. I do my best to ignore the painful sting in the pit of my stomach. You’d think after all this time I’d be used to abandonment. Well, not abandonment exactly. Mom and Dad didn’t leave me, they were killed. Disappointment? Yeah. That’s my life in a nutshell.
I force my legs to move faster, leaving Rory and Turk in my dust, and they don’t even try to keep up. Behind me, the soft tinkle of Rory’s laughter echoes through the air, and the whispers that get carried on the breeze almost make it seem like they’re taunting me. Pointing out that I’m the third wheel in this little group. When I glance back, the slivers of moonlight peeking through the clouds highlight their entwined hands. This thing between them is too new for me to have adjusted to it yet, and the awkwardness probably has to do with the fact that they are the first couple in our group—if you don’t count Dex and me, which I don’t. Too bad the pang of jealousy that shoots through me gives away the truth. I miss my best friend and the way she used to focus her attention on me.
The sound of their giggles forces my legs to move faster, and I’m in such a hurry when I round the corner that it takes a few seconds for my brain to catch up to what I’m seeing. Then, all at once, the world around me stops moving and my feet become cemented in place as every ounce of air leaves my lungs in a burst.
