Page 29 of In Between Darkness
I want to turn around and ask him more questions, but I don’t. The desire inside me is growing and I need to distance myself from his warm, hot body.
“You know where to find me when you realise I’m right,” he calls after me.
I stumble back towards the castle, and I hear his footsteps trailing off into the depths of Moon Forest. My breaths ache for him, my lungs only wanting to breathe in his air. I think about my mum and the man in the photo. A cool shiver runs down my spine. Am I just like her? Is it some sort of rite of passage for the women in this family to fall for a Moon? Or is this just the liquor talking?
Chapter Eleven
The first bell cuts through me like a bullet to the brain. I groan and force myself to roll out of bed. My head is pounding, and I can feel my heartbeat in my temples. I wince and use my fingers to rub the sides of my head in circles to soothe the feeling. What the fuck happened last night?
I look over at Nala’s empty bed. She must’ve stayed the night with Charlie. I don’t remember getting back to my dorm room. I rub my eyes in hopes that it will paint a clearer picture on the blank space in my mind, but I am none the wiser. What the hell was in that liquor?
Dragging myself to the bathroom confused, I stare at my wild hair in the reflection. My fingers fight through its strands, trying to conquer the curls and knots, but give in, not strong enough to tame the beast that is my hair. I throw it up into a messy bun. My eye is still bruised, and I use my finger to lightly dab concealer over it, which, although it doesn’t do much, definitely hides some of the redness. My stare intensifies as I look hard at myself. I’m still wearing the same clothes as last night. I must’ve just passed out.
My eyes then focus on my reflection, trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle—the party, the drinks, River’s friends, the kiss and then Ryder. My cheeks grow hot thinking about him, and my stomach flutters. What did he mean when he said,‘I was different?’I’m sure he’s just trying to mess with my head. He’s a Moon; they can’t be trusted.
I shake the thought off and unclasp my bra, but a light shuffle on the floor distracts me. I look down. Something has fallen out of it.
My eyes follow the sound down to the bathroom floor to see a small, folded piece of paper. Did I put that in my bra last night?
I bend down and pick it up, the blood rushing to my head momentarily. I unfurl the first fold, hoping it will iron out the creases of my mind.
‘Sun Woman Missing Kidnapped by Moon!’
There is a date in the top left-hand corner; it’s a newspaper article from twenty years ago. I unfold it again, and I stare at it in shock. A woman who looks just like me is plastered on the front page.
‘Laura Windsor, kidnapped from Sun Sovereign in the early hours of the morning. Witnesses speculate that she was taken by a criminal Moon. The RHE still do not know the Moon’s motives with Laura and are currently doing everything they can to find her and bring her back safely.’
I can’t hide my shock. It’s her… It’s my mother. My mum was kidnapped by a Moon? Why didn’t my dad tell me any of this?!
My eyes scatter aimlessly over the page, the words not really processing in my head. I pause for a moment.
‘Luca Thorncroft suspected of the kidnapping… Moon Terrorist to be put to death for conspiring against Sun people… £10000 Reward for anyone that finds him dead or alive.’
I repeat the name in my head a few times until I finally realise where I know it from. I run to the suitcase under my bed and pull out the Moon yearbook, frantically flipping through the pages until I see a glimpse of the man holding my mother’s suitcase. Luca Thorncroft is staring back at me in photo form. My mother’s kidnapper. I go cold.
My stomach churns and sloshes, and I feel a pressure building at the back of my throat. I run to the toilet and arch myself over its rim, surrendering to the feeling, retching and heaving out the contents of my stomach; pink liquid spatters into the toilet bowl, and I heave again until I can’t bring up anymore. My stomach feels hollow now. Every remnant of last night is gone, expelled from my body, including my memories. How did that newspaper article get in there?
I peel myself away from the toilet seat and splash my face with cold water in the sink. I’ve probably missed first meals now, but I don’t care; the thought of eating anything makes me gag. My body feels weak and limp, I drag myself over to my wardrobe and throw on a cream jumper and black leggings. This will have to do.
Nala is next to me in Medicinal Potions class. She looks as rough as I feel. I haven’t been paying attention to Mr Evelyn. My mind is filled with inconsistencies. I keep running through last night’s events in my head. I remember leaving Ryder but then… Nothing, it’s all blank.
Then there’s the news article. I must’ve gone back into the archives and found it. That’s the only logical explanation. I think I would’ve noticed if someone had placed a folded piece of paper into my bra. Wouldn’t I?
Nala turns her head towards me and leans close.
“How did it go between you and River in the end?” she barely whispers, interrupting my thoughts.
“Ummm, it went okay. He’s really lovely,” I reply, thinking about our kiss last night.
“Really lovely?” she repeats my words back to me, and I shrug my shoulders. “That’s it….?” She gives me a serious look and pries further. “Wow, you really don’t like himlike that,do you?” Her face is shocked, and I am honestly just as shocked asshe is. I don’t know why I don’t have feelings for him. He seems like the perfect guy for me.
“Is it that obvious?” I feel guilty as I say this, guilty that my stupid heart beats faster for a Moon than for a Sun.
“What happened?” she asks as she rests her hand on my shoulder.
“We get on really well, but it just doesn’t feel like how I expected it to feel, you know?” I think about Ryder, about the surge of heat that ran through my body when I saw him.
“I get it. Maybe you just need to see him again,” she replies matter-of-factly.
