Beyond the Border | ✔

31 | rule 03

RULE 03: OPEN YOUR HEART TO A BEAST AND DEVASTATION SHALL FOLLOW.

✷ C H A P T E R T H I R T Y - O N E ✷

"Glad to see you again, Luna," an unfamiliar voice spooked me, the low creak of the front door opening resounded throughout the house.

    I was still standing in the entryway with my small bag of belongings at my feet. My surroundings did not matter to me. I was only focusing on one thing: Theo's words. He wanted me to become his Luna, to assume the position beside him. Accepting Theo would seal the fate of the Borderlands; the Borderlands would fall, and the whole Border would crumble down with it. Our entire way of life would be nothing but a memory.

    More importantly, Pa would die.

    My chest wanted to cave it at the thought of the Borderlands no longer existing. But, I tried to convince myself the Borderlands would not falter. Even more so, I tried to convince myself Theo would have no expectation of me answering promptly. I needed time — three weeks. However, I knew I could not fool myself to believe this fantasy I was trying to craft for myself. He had wanted me to be Luna; he just didn't want to pressure me into it. He didn't want to be like his father.

    In another life, maybe things wouldn't have been so complicated. Maybe I would have been accepting of Theo, accepting this life. But, that was not reality. My life was back behind a Border, and I couldn't forget that. My selfish needs were not above those of the Borderlanders.

    No matter what side I would choose — Theo or the Borderlands — there was no winning. There was no coming out of this on top, the victor. I could see that now. But, I would have no choice but to side with my homeland – too much was at stake.

    You could always leave the Borderlands if it came down to it, I thought, but I knew it would be hard to leave Pa. The thought alone had my knees shaking, palms sweaty. Pa was a revenant loyalist to the Borderland way of life. He had instilled his beliefs in me. While they may not have stuck to me as hard as they clung to Pa, I knew I owed it to him to make it back to the Borderlands with a witch.

    I could not lose sight of that. I would not lose sight of that.

    "Sage, my name is Sage," I turned my head to see a familiar face. It was Mabel. The roots of her hair had grown out since the last time I saw her, a dirty blonde poking through her golden dyed hair. "I believe we've been over this."

    "I apologize," she shifted the red cooler in her hands, directing a smile towards me. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She promptly took off her shoes before entering further into Theo's home. "I hope you've liked the food I've been sending to the Alpha Wing during your stay. We were training a new girl, and I find she is quite heavy-handed with the salt."

    "All the food has been really good," I reassured her, as she made her way to the kitchen. Slowly, I followed behind her.

    Theo's house was small but cozy, a nice change from the large and somewhat daunting Alpha Wing. The bottom floor of the house consisted of a living room, dining area, and kitchen. There seemed to be a half bath behind the staircase which opened up into the garage. It was interesting to see Theo live in such a small dwelling when the packhouse was so large and grand.

    His home reminded me of the Borderlands. In my homeland, we did not live extravagantly. Many houses had been built eighty years ago. Some of these houses had been big, with too many rooms for one family. As a result, many of these rooms would be boarded up; it made heating the house easier that way. That is what we did to my childhood house. Pa had to sell it when Ma left us. He couldn't pay the rent, so we moved to Gran and Pop's place and have been there ever since.