Page 51 of In Between Darkness
“That is what you were made to believe. You are rare, Asha. Fertilisation only occurs during an eclipse.” She takes a stand and gazes off into the distance. “There was a time when the Starkind lived peacefully amongst Sun and Moon.” Her hands shift downwards, and the stars around us fall. She claps her hands and they reconvene, creating an image. It’s amazing - like being in a cinema. I look up at the story being told before me. There are Sun, Moon, and Star people living in harmony. Laughing and joking. Our people were not separated; the Sun were out at night and vice versa. This world looks perfect.
“What happened?” I ask, my jaw still dropping in wonder.
She looks back at me with a somber look in her eyes, and the image begins to change.
“The Sunkind feared us… Our power. Starkind have the rare ability of both Sun and Moon powers. The Sunkind felt threatened and convinced the Moonkind we were dangerous and were planning the extinction of both Sun and Moon. They came together and waged a war against our people. The battle was unfair. For every Star, there were thirty Moon and Sun people slaughtering our kind. We didn’t stand a chance. All we wanted was to live in peace.”
I can hear the pain in her voice. Now the stars show scenes of war and violence. Starkind are running from the Sun and Moon army. They ride elions and sky serpents. They are brutally murdering them. There is fire and destruction, and I can’t look anymore. I turn my head away from the horror. A stray tear runs down my face.
“How could the Gods let this happen?!” My tears float into the ether around me, and I stare in shock.
“The Gods have rules. We cannot interfere with the physical realm.”
She leans closer to me. “Asha, you are rare. You must tread carefully. When the Sun people realise you exist, they will stop at nothing to end you. There has already been talk amongst the Gods of my awakening. You can’t let them know you exist… At least, not yet.”
I study her face as a silver light pulsates around her. She really is beautiful; her eyes are like diamonds shimmering with the light.
“I-I can’t do this.” I turn to walk away, but Oriah appears in front of me.
“Don’t be scared, child. You were made for this.” She touches my face and then tucks my hair behind my ear. “Find TheSoldark. You know the way of the Sun, now you must learn the way of the Moon.” Her voice echoes slightly in our surroundings.
I can’t help but look around and wonder if we really are in space.
I look back at her like she is crazy. “How am I supposed to learn the way of the Moon without drawing attention to myself?”
My feet start to tingle a little, still elevated above the ground.
“You’re a smart girl; you’ll figure it out.” She smiles at me with her eyes, and they flash with hope for me. Hope that I am the last of her kind. I am what she has been waiting for. I gulp and feel my heart race, trying to brace her high expectations to keep the pressure from crumbling on top of me. I have so many questions, but I can’t seem to find the words. I stick with something a little easier.
“What about my Gifts…What are they?”
Oriah had said that Stars possess the power of Sun and Moonkind. Surely, this is not possible.
“Ahh of course.”
She takes a step towards me as her fingers spark with a lilac electricity. She places her thumb on my forehead, and a surge of energy flows through me. A current jolts under my skin, and my eyes are forced to the back of my head. My body shakes with potential as the power brews in each of my cells. Energy coerces each of the tiny hairs on my body to point upwards, sending a warm tickle down my spine. I compel myself to open my eyes. Oriah is now standing behind me. My reflection is staring back at me through a kind of silver mirror. Its pane is fluid-like. I reach out to touch it, and it ripples around my finger. My eyes meet mine in the reflection and light up with a glow, both shining their respective colours; the right one brown and the left one blue. I blink a couple of times, and the glows extinguish before lighting up again. My left hand is now cupping a white light, like the light workers hold. It is fierce and pulsates softly.My right hand is supporting a black sphere, its energy dark and haunting. My head tilts as I stare deeper into my reflection. How is this possible? To have both Sun and Moon powers? I feel like an abomination.
“You are not an abomination. You are the only one who can save our kind.”
She removes her thumb from my head, which breaks the rippling mirror before me. I can’t hide the confusion on my face. How did she hear my thoughts?
“Find The Soldark.” She conjures a glow and begins levitating again. “You’re not alone. I can channel your thoughts. I will be with you on this journey, even though you will not be able to see me,” she says as she begins to drift away from me.
“Wait! I have so many more questions!” I call out, and she drifts back towards me, a sympathetic smile caressing her cheeks.
“I must go. Any longer, and the other Gods will know where I am. You’ve got this. I believe in you, Asha.” Her last words echo around the atmosphere. Her glow brightens, and at lightning speed, she disappears into the distance.
A door appears in front of me. Its outer edges glow with a lilac hue. It calls out to me. This must be the way out. I hesitantly take a step towards it and place my hand on its circular handle, twisting it and opening it ajar. The lilac glow consumes me, and I wake up in my bed dripping with sweat.
‘You are special, Asha. When they ask who you were visited by, say it was Heira. Only use your light powers in front of the Sunkind, they can’t be trusted.’
Oriah’s voice speaks to me through my mind; it echoes around my head, which startles me.
‘I told you; I will be with you on this journey, watching over you. If you ever wish to speak with me, just call out to me in your mind and I will be able to communicate with you.’
I nod my head in response to this, not really feeling like I have a choice in the matter. This is insane. The photograph finally makes sense. Luca and my mother were together; that’s why he had her suitcase in the picture and why she had a photograph of her kissing him on the cheek in her locket. Luca is my father. My head spins for a moment, and I hold on to the windowsill for stability. I take some deep breaths to try to calm my mind, and the swirling stops. I look over at Nala, who is still sound asleep.
What time is it? I glance at the clock after my eyes adjust to the dark.Three a.m. I pull my curtain to one side and peep out at Moon Campus. ‘Now you must learn the ways of the moon.’That is going to be way harder than it sounds. I slump back into bed and stare up at the ceiling in thought. What the hell am I going to do?
