seven.

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CHAPTER SEVEN


❝I like to think that the moon is there, even if I am not looking at it.

Albert Einstein


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Ahkmenrah is a very bright boy. He's always been told that; his parents said it, his tutors said it, and his brother said it (albeit mockingly and usually after beating Ahkmenrah up). He knows algebra and geometry, speaks multiple languages (he's still working on his Shoshone, as a surprise for Sacagawea), has read every scroll and book that he could get his hands on, and can recite the script to The Maltese Falcon almost word for word. (The staff at Cambridge had a real thing for Humphrey Bogart.)

But the most important things he knows are the things he's learned about Luna Evangeline Clair. (He's sort of in love with her name, reader; it's adorable.)

He knows her favorite musical is The Sound of Music, and that she played Gretl in her 7th-grade production. He knows she hates raisins with a passion and refuses to even look at them. He knows she likes to paint, and even though she says she's not very good at it, he really wants to see her paintings. He knows she likes to give handmade gifts and her favorite non-musical song is "The Circle Game" by Joni Mitchell and she has a thing for people with curly hair and her eyes sparkle whenever someone makes a stupid pun.

He knows she's perfect. And he can't get enough.

Tonight, Luna's brought her phone and earbuds again--"It's Wicked time!"--and they're sitting in the Sanford Hall of North American Birds in the dark, directly in front of a glass case of twittering stuffed golden birds--the plaque in front says American yellow warbler--and listening to "Defying Gravity".

As the song fades out, Luna pops her earbud out and looks up at him, a soft smile on her face. "Tell me about your family. Your childhood."

Ah. Ahkmenrah has wondered when this day might come. He's a little hesitant to talk about it; he's never actually told anyone what happened. But it's Luna, so he takes a deep breath and gives her a serious look. "My family story is not a happy one. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"I want to know everything about you," Luna whispers, and even in the dark, Ahkmenrah can see she's blushing. His stomach does an awkward little flip-flop. He doesn't remember ever feeling this way about a girl before. It's new and exciting and strange, but he doesn't really mind it all too much.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐓 ; ahkmenrahWhere stories live. Discover now