Moonstruck

𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮 | Two Little Lambs

Mustering up her confidence, Ellie cleared her throat. "It was an umbra attack. I'm sure of it."

She felt herself shrink beneath the combined condescension—blank stares, indulgent smiles, and faux attention—of all the adults in the room. At the dead center of the cluster of investigators, Caleb Reagan nodded with mock gravity. "Thank you for your... input, Ellie," he said. "We'll make sure to consider it when ruling out unlikely scenarios." He exchanged knowing glances with the other men as if to say, so sorry about the two of them. I wish I didn't have to bring them along—they're just children. Foolish, cumbersome children.

Ellie shot a pointed look at Seth, hoping he would remind his father that all three of them—not just Caleb alone—were supposed to lead the investigation on the tragic, mysterious, and cruel and unusual death of one Douglas Jackson. After all, it was for this express purpose that they had journeyed from Cardina all the way to Byzantium, a small town situated on the outskirts of Sanguine territory (and neighboring Ellie's hometown, Rosette). Didn't Seth technically outrank his father as the Alpha? Didn't they both outrank him?

But Seth refused to meet Ellie's gaze, refused to even attempt to join the adults' discussion. He simply stood still and silent on the outskirts of the group, eyes downcast like a chastised child.

"Listen," Ellie tried again. "There's been—there have been many umbra attacks recently. I've personally witnessed some of them. This is the same thing—I can sense it. I swear."

It was true. When they went to the crime scene earlier, they had been briefed on the case's essentials: Douglas had been a male, middle-aged human office worker, husband, and father of two. His autopsy reports had indicated that he had died a slow, gruesome death; his body had been mutilated almost beyond recognition.

But Ellie could see beyond these cold, hard facts. Somehow, she knew—as if recalling an old memory with a long-forgotten source—that Doug had had a gruff and hot-tempered, yet loving personality. He loved pastries, hated his boss. He had a bad habit of swearing, especially in front of his kids. The trucker who had been the first to discover him threw up upon seeing the state of his mutilated corpse. And permeating the site on the road where he and his car had been found was a faint yet distinct aura of dark energy. The same as that of an umbra—unmistakably.

Why couldn't Ellie convince them to take her seriously? Maybe she wasn't using the right words. Did she not sound mature enough, sophisticated and eloquent enough? Or competent enough? Maybe if she explained herself better... "Some of my powers as the Luna entail having visions of the past." Ellie internally cringed at how crazy she must sound. "And I also have this kind of... sixth sense, for magic-related things, I mean..." Her voice trailed off.

Out of the corner of her eye, Seth finally met her gaze and gave the slightest shake of his head in warning.

"That's very nice, sweetheart," one of the men cooed at her. It didn't escape Ellie's notice how he and all of the others, including Caleb, leered at her. Like they couldn't decide whether they wanted to eat her or throw her out. "You've been so very helpful to us. But why don't you give your pretty little head a break and let the grownups handle the rest, hmm?" It didn't escape her notice, either, how they were both crowding into her space and crowding her out of theirs.

"Why won't you listen to me?" snapped Ellie, finally losing her composure. And then, heart sinking, she realized her mistake. "I'm trying to help—I mean, I'm trying to do my job. And I know what I'm doing—"

"Elaine," Caleb cut in coldly. Ellie couldn't help but fall silent, nearly recoiling at the gathering storm coiled inside the glare he shot her way. And then he smiled, baring his teeth in simultaneous threat and dangerous poise. "My colleagues and I have been at work for a while now. When you're feeling a bit more cooperative, would you mind brewing some coffee for us?"