When the moon remembers

ARIA

"Hi, good morning. My name is Josh."

The voice behind me was cheerful, too bright for my mood. I ignored it, hoping he'd get the message. Maybe if I kept walking, he'd stop talking. Maybe he'd leave me alone.

He didn't.

I kept going, passing sleepy-eyed students and morning chatter until I reached my locker. He was still there—smiling, persistent, like someone who didn't know what silence meant.

"There's no need to be a snob," he said, shrugging. "I just want to be your friend."

I paused, resting my forehead against the cool metal of my locker. I was tired. So tired. My eyes burned from the lack of sleep, and my head throbbed from another night of dreams that weren't just dreams. The forest outside my window whispered all night long. I could feel it moving even when everything else was still.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, pressing my fingers to my temple. "I'm just not in the mood."

"You okay?" Josh asked gently, his hand brushing my shoulder.

That's when it happened.

A sound rolled through the hallway—low, sharp, guttural.

A growl.

Every head turned. The air froze. Josh's hand dropped like it had been scorched. His eyes widened, and he took two steps back, head lowering in a motion I didn't understand, like he was apologizing to someone unseen.

Then he bolted.

Just like that.

Gone.

Whispers filled the hallway as eyes turned toward me—not curious this time, but fearful. Like I had done something. Like I had provoked whatever had made that sound.

I turned slowly.

And there he was.

The boy with silver hair and dark eyes.

Lucian.

He stood at the end of the hallway, half in shadow, gaze fixed on me like I'd just broken some ancient law. His expression was hard, jaw tight, eyes burning.

That's all he ever did—glare at me.

Since the first day I stepped into Duskwither High.

I didn't know what his deal was. Didn't care, honestly. I was done trying to make sense of anything in this town.

I slammed my locker shut and walked past him, ignoring the static that charged the air between us.

I had Spanish first period.

And unfortunately, so did he.

---

When I entered the classroom, the chatter dimmed. I took a seat near the window, needing the light. A few seconds later, the door opened and the room fell silent.

Lucian walked in like he owned the air we breathed.

Even the teacher stiffened, his greeting clipped.

Lucian didn't look at anyone—just moved past the rows of desks and sat behind me.

Not beside.

Not across.

Behind.

I felt his presence like heat on the back of my neck. Even the hairs on my arms reacted.

My pen shook in my hand. Every time I tried to write, I felt his eyes on me.

Watching.

Burning.

Judging.

Or was it something else?

I didn't dare turn around.

---

By the time lunch arrived, I was running on fumes. I grabbed a tray and found a table outside beneath a knot of twisted trees. The sun was weak—Duskwither's sky was always a bit too gray, the light a little too pale.

I didn't eat.

Instead, I pulled out my sketchbook.

My hands moved on their own, sketching the boy from my dreams again. His face—noble, haunted. Always with pain in his eyes, always with blood on his hands.

Today, the image changed.

I drew him crouched over something. No—someone.

Me.

His hand on my cheek.

My eyes closed.

Dead.

And him—screaming to the heavens.

My fingers trembled, the pencil slipping.

I shut the book quickly and looked around.

Lucian wasn't near.

Not that I could see.

But I felt him.

I always did.

---

LUCIAN

The growl had slipped.

I hadn't meant to do it, but when that boy touched her...

My control fractured.

Aria—Selene—was fragile right now. The bond was shifting, mending after centuries apart. Her soul recognized me, even if her mind didn't.

But anyone who came near her set my blood on fire.

I hadn't meant to scare her.

Only protect her.

Still, I stayed back.

Watching.

Waiting.

I saw her at lunch under the old tree. She was sketching again. I couldn't see the drawing, but I knew what it would be.

She always drew her dreams.

Even back then.

Even before the curse.

The winds shifted. I caught the faintest sound.

Her voice, soft. A whisper only the forest could hear.

"Why does it feel like I'm losing you, and I don't even know your name?"

My heart ached.

Because you already lost me.

And I lost you.

But I'd die before it happened again.

---

ARIA

My final class passed in a haze of numbers and whiteboard scribbles. I didn't speak unless spoken to. I didn't meet Lucian's eyes.

But I felt him behind me, always behind me.

When the bell rang, I didn't head straight home. Instead, I wandered into the gym. Most of the students were already gone for the day. The coach spotted me and raised an eyebrow.

"Thought you skipped last time," he said.

"Just observing today," I replied, forcing a smile.

He nodded, distracted, and went back to yelling instructions.

Lucian was there.

Of course he was.

He didn't join in the game, but he stood at the edge of the court, arms folded, watching.

Not me.

Everyone.

Like a predator surveying threats.

I left before he could approach.

But the weight of his eyes followed me into the evening.

---

LUCIAN

I wasn't supposed to be near her today.

But I couldn't help myself.

She was unraveling—slowly.

The scent of her confusion, the tremble in her aura—it called to me like a song only I could hear.

But when I stepped closer…

She looked straight at me.

Our eyes met.

Her soul cried out.

And for one heartbeat—I saw her.

Not Aria.

Selene.

I turned away fast. Too fast.

Because if she remembered me here, in this gym, under this roof—

The curse would take her before I could stop it.

---

ARIA

That night, I couldn't breathe.

The dreams came worse than before. Flames. Screams. The silver forest. My blood on the ground.

Lucian—on his knees. Crying.

You promised.

But this time, something changed.

The dream didn't end in death.

It ended in light.

A voice—my own—echoed in my head.

"Find me again, and I will come back."

I woke up gasping, tears soaking my pillow.

My throat was raw like I'd been screaming.

I glanced at the window.

The forest was still.

But I wasn't.

---

LUCIAN

She dreamed the vow.

I felt it.

The bond pulsed violently, dragging me from sleep. I stood on my balcony, shirtless, shaking.

The moon burned above the trees.

"You remember," I whispered.

Not all.

But enough.

And I had no idea if that was a gift...

Or the beginning of her death.

---

ARIA

The next morning, I found Josh at his locker, avoiding my eyes.

He mumbled something about homework and scurried off.

I should've been upset.

But I wasn't.

Not when the silver-haired boy stood across the hallway again.

This time, he didn't look away.

Neither did I.

Something in me shifted.

Something ancient.

Powerful.

Real.

---

LUCIAN

Our eyes locked.

The hallway fell away.

The past clung to us like smoke.

I should've looked away.

I didn't.

I couldn't.

She didn't smile. She didn't flinch.

But her soul reached out.

And for the first time in 600 years…

She saw me.

---

ARIA

I don't know what's happening to me.

I don't know who he is.

But I think I once loved him.

And maybe…

I still do.