When the moon remembers

Aria

The days that followed were the same—constant glares and the echo of his warning in my head, ringing louder than the school bell. Lucian was always there. Every class. Every hallway. Every moment I thought I could breathe, he was watching.

And every night, the dreams returned.

Me, dying in his arms. Me, bleeding beneath a silver moon. Me, whispering promises I couldn't remember making.

"Remember," he always said.

But remember what?

I woke up each morning more tired than the last. Duskwither was draining the life out of me. I didn't tell Mom. She was finally smiling again—forced, but better than the silence she'd been living in before. I couldn't take that away from her.

I was falling apart. Slowly. Quietly.

And no one saw it.

Except him.

---

Lucian

The forest was playing tricks.

The same woods where she had died. Where her blood soaked the roots and her scream shattered the grove. The same forest that carried her soul back to me... was now coaxing her to remember.

She was waking up. I felt it.

The dreams were getting stronger. Her eyes lingered longer. Her scent shifted with fear and longing and something deeper—recognition.

I was trying to protect her. From the truth. From the curse.

Because if she remembered… she'd die.

Again.

Or worse—I'd be forced to choose.

I didn't know what I was choosing. Only that the moment would come. And I wasn't ready.

The punishment was cruel.

To see her from afar. To hear her voice. To stand close enough to touch. But never reach.

And if I lost her again…

No. I couldn't.

---

Aria

Gym class was the last thing I wanted. I told Coach I wasn't feeling well. He shrugged it off and handed me a jersey anyway.

"I'll keep it light," he said.

He lied.

We were split into pairs. Of course, I got Lucian.

I groaned inwardly. The boy already haunted my waking hours and dreams—now I had to spend gym class pretending not to notice the way his eyes followed me like they burned through skin?

"Partner up," Coach yelled.

Lucian didn't move.

Neither did I.

Eventually, I walked to him. I stood stiffly, trying not to make eye contact.

"Let's just get this over with," I mumbled.

He didn't respond.

When the game started—basketball—he moved like smoke. Effortless. Fast. But he didn't come near me. Not once.

He avoided me like I was a disease. Like I'd hurt him by existing.

And yet, every time someone else came close—Josh, who tried to pass me the ball, or Dani, who bumped into me—Lucian tensed like he was ready to rip them apart.

What was his deal?

By the end of the period, I was sweating, out of breath, and more confused than ever.

We were dismissed. I headed toward the locker rooms, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit me. The world tilted. My knees buckled.

Then—warm hands caught me.

Lucian.

His grip was strong, grounding. Electric.

"Aria," he said, voice low. "You need to rest."

I blinked up at him. "How do you know my name?"

He hesitated. Just for a second.

"I pay attention," he finally said, setting me gently against the wall.

His eyes searched mine. Something flickered there—pain, longing, regret.

"Do I know you?" I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

He stepped back. Walls slamming up.

"No," he said flatly. "You don't."

Then he turned and walked away.

---

Lucian

She asked if she knew me.

For a second, my heart stopped.

She was close. So close to remembering. Her soul recognized mine. Her body reacted. Her aura trembled when I touched her.

But I couldn't let her remember yet.

Not until I figured out how to break the curse.

Not until I knew I could protect her from it.

So I lied.

Again.

And every lie felt like a blade in my chest.

---

Aria

After school, I walked into the woods.

I didn't know why.

Something inside me pulled me there—past the Winslow house, past the old trails, deeper into the forest than I'd ever dared go before.

The trees whispered.

The wind sang my name.

And then—I saw it.

A clearing.

A circle of scorched earth. The trees around it were bent inward like they'd been mourning something for years.

Ash.

Silver leaves.

A single white flower growing in the center of the clearing.

My knees gave out.

I dropped to the ground, heart racing.

I didn't know what this place was.

But something inside me did.

I touched the flower. It pulsed with heat.

And then—

Memories surged.

Pain.

Moonlight.

A sword through my chest.

Lucian's scream.

My voice saying goodbye.

I gasped and ripped my hand back.

Tears burned down my cheeks.

"What is happening to me?"

I ran.

---

Lucian

She found the grove.

I felt it.

The bond twisted, snapped, and surged like a lightning storm across my spine.

She was remembering.

Too fast.

Too soon.

I shifted and ran through the forest, dodging branches, cutting through wind.

By the time I reached the edge of the grove, she was gone.

But her scent lingered.

And the flower had bloomed.

---

Aria

That night, the dream came again.

Only this time, I wasn't watching myself die.

I was watching Lucian.

He was on his knees, covered in blood.

Screaming my name.

The trees burned.

A voice echoed through the smoke.

"You will remember. And when you do… you will choose."

I woke up screaming.

My mother burst into the room. I was shaking. Crying.

"I need answers," I whispered.

"I think I'm going crazy."

She held me tighter.

But she couldn't help me.

Because the answers I needed weren't hers to give.

They belonged to th

e boy with silver hair.

And the life I had somehow lost.

---

Lucian

Time was running out.

She was waking faster than I'd feared.

And the moment she remembered everything...

I'd either save her.

Or lose her forever.

And fate was already watching.