Page 42 of In Between Darkness
“I know, but it sucks that I have all this power and can’t use it properly. You’ll know exactly how I feel tomorrow,” She adds, her eyes widening and a grin forming on her face.
“Don’t remind me.” My body tenses just thinking about it. I’ll finally be given my Gift after eighteen years of waiting.
“I know you’re scared, but honestly, it’s fine. I thought meeting my God would be awkward and terrifying, but it was amazing…just amazing.” Her smile softens, and her eyes travel to mine. I can tell her heart is warmed by the encounter.
“Hey, don’t get all mushy on me,” I joke and prod at her arm. “Come on, we’ve got to get to History.”
She follows me off the bench, her arms wrapping tightly around her books.
***
“The divide between Moon and Sun is centuries old,” Mr Vivian reads the words on the chalkboard. His bald head is shining under the warm lights of the room. “But it wasn’t always like this.” His long ginger beard jiggles as he talks. “Who can tell me what event caused the divide to manifest?” He uses a red handkerchief to dab at the sweat droplets on his forehead. The class is silent. “Right, well, I guess I’ll pick someone then.” His eyes scan around the room and fall on William. “You, Mr… with the yellow scarf, want to take a crack at it?”
“Ermmm, was it something to do with the Great Blackout?” William’s voice is shaky and unsure.
“DING DING DING!” Mr Vivian chimes loudly, causing us all to jump a little. “Correct Mr…?”
“Watson, sir… William Watson.” The attention causes his cheeks to redden, but he smiles at the small triumph.
“Excellent. That’s today’s topic. The Great Blackout.” He emphasises each syllable, creating a sort of rhythm with his sentences. “What caused the Great Blackout?” His eyes scan the room again. “You with the eyes.” His chubby finger points at me, and the heads of all the students pivot to look at me.
“Asha… My name’s Asha,” I reply matter-of-factly. “Moonkind’s strongest shadow wielders conjured shadow hawksto fly around the sun, creating darkness for thirty days. This was in retaliation to the new law Sunkind had created after a member of the RHE was killed by a sky serpent; it allowed the slaughter of any sky serpents that came within ten feet of Palidonia’s villages. The Sunkind were weak and could not draw their power for thirty days, so they eventually had to dismiss the law. The relationship between Moon and Sun was never the same,” I parrot the section from ‘The History of Palidonia’book I’ve read a hundred times.
“Very good, Asha….” His voice bellows as he seeks out his next victim. “Why are ‘interdaecial’ relationships forbidden?” His chubby finger wafts at Alex, who is slumped in his chair.
“Cos the Moonkind are all ugly freaks,” he retorts sarcastically, making the class chuckle.
He grins at the ones chuckling and revels in their amusement. He couldn’t be further from the truth.
“What is your name?” Mr Vivian’s voice is strong and bold. Alex’s smirk is quickly wiped off his smug face.
“Alex, sir… Alex Rotherman,” he says shakily.
“Well, Mr Rotherman, you seem to have strong opinions on the Moonkind.” Mr Vivian’s face hardens as he walks towards Alex. “I guess you won’t mind skipping second meals to write me a thousand-word essay on the formalities of ‘interdaecial’ relationships,” he states, leaning over Alex’s desk and sending him an unapologetic smile.
Alex goes quiet and sinks back into his chair.
“It is forbidden for a Sun and Moon to engage in a physical or sexual relationship because the Gods do not allow it. The very nature of the bloodlines is said to repel each other like two positively charged magnets; therefore, procreation is not possible.”
I can’t help but let out a slight chuckle at this. My blood is drawn to Ryder’s like a moth to a flame. My whole body yearnsfor him, and yet my genetic makeup is supposed to cringe at the thought.
“The Gods made the hypothesis that the coming together of Moon and Sun, as opposites, would cause catastrophic damage to our world and therefore, anyone who defies this will be stripped of their Gifts and exiled.”
I think again of Ryder. The punishment is harsh. I couldn’t bear to see him stripped of his Gifts and exiled. He’s right. I am playing a dangerous game. I need to keep my feelings out of this. Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t seen him since the archives.
“During The Great Blackout, does anyone know how the Gods portrayed their unrest?” Mr Vivian asks, and hands rise in the air. Guess they know that if they don’t, they will get picked on, anyway. Nala has her hand up. Go on girl!
“Yes, you, black hair at the back!”
“It’s Nala,” she says, and he nods in acknowledgement. “The Gods caused natural disasters to take place. There were countless earthquakes and floods. I heard that thunder and lightning struck Palidonia almost every day.”
“Indeed, it did… That shows you the great power our Gods possess.”
He raises his rectangular glasses to the bridge of his nose and looks around at the class. “Today’s homework will be to research the effects that The Great Blackout had on Palidonia i.e. Moon and Sun relationships, the economy, the RHE and any other environmental effects. Please make notes, as you will be asked about your findings in class next week.” He clears his throat. “We will be covering The Battle of Verdona. You are not required to research this, but those of you who do will be receiving extra credit. Class dismissed.”
I look over at Nala and smile as we stand and shove our books into our bags.
“You know how I love extra credit,” I wink at her, causing a smile to elongate across her face.
