The Moth and The Flame

Chapter 3: Veiled

Jason's eyes gazed through the candlelight upon the sleeping girl. He watched her chest rise and fall to see if she was breathing.

"Phew. I haven't walked in on a murder scene," he thought.

He stepped towards her, trying his best to mimic a mouse's quietness. As he got closer, a board creaked underneath. The girl shot awake, staring at him in shock.

"Wh- what are you doing here?" she asked, clearly as surprised as he was.

Jason was speechless at first. She was very pretty, with a tan complexion and curly cinnamon-colored hair. None of the girls at his school rivaled her.

"S- sorry. I can leave. I didn't think anyone would be here. I've come here the last few afternoons after school to think and clear my head," he answered.

"I know."

Jason blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, you know? I've been alone each time. No one else was here."

The girl stood up and walked to the piano. She sat on the bench and began playing. Jason immediately recognized the song.

"That song. 'Clocks' by Coldplay. I literally played that earlier today. On that same piano. How...?"

She stopped playing and motioned for him to join her on the piano bench. He walked over, taking a seat next to her.

"You thought you were alone." She kept playing. "That no one heard your story, your struggles. I did. I was there, listening. Caring," she said.

Jason looked at her. Her golden-brown eyes glinted in the warm light of the candle. They were captivating. He noticed himself staring and looked away.

"Didn't mean to stare. Sorry...I don't understand. There was no one here. It was just me and this little moth."

"Anna. My name's Anna. I-." She paused. "This is going to sound nuts," she said with a giggle. "I'm your moth."

Jason shook his head. "What? What do you mean?"

Anna smiled at him. "I'm a shapeshifter. I'm not the only one, there are many of us who can take the form of one type of creature or another. Me, I'm a moth."

Jason stood up. "No, no. That's not possible. Like, physically. I must be dreaming. There's no way."

"I'm telling the truth! Watch."

Anna stood next to him. She held her arms straight out and closed her eyes. A swirling veil of light surrounded her. In a split second it went dark, and she had disappeared.

Jason looked around. "Anna? What the hell?"

Jason then noticed the fluttering shadow of a moth on the wall next to the piano. It landed on the keys. He sat next to it and held out his hand. The moth crawled onto him. He stood and walked to the center of the room.

"Oh my god..."

A flash of light blinded him for a second. When he opened his eyes, Anna was standing before him.

"Ta-da!" she laughed. "See, I'm telling the truth!"

Jason's mouth was agape. "That's incredible. This has got to be a dream. Hey! Ow!"

She had pinched him. "No, silly! It's totally real! See? You aren't asleep."

"You know, you've caused me some lost sanity? First, I was talking to a moth. Turns out that moth is actually a girl who shapeshifts. What the hell," he said.

She laughed. "But I'm worth it, right? Now you have a friend!"

Jason chuckled. "Yeah...sure. So, how in the hell does this shapeshifting thing work?"

Anna took his hand. He felt his face run hot. She pulled him back over to the piano bench.

"Sit," she ordered. Jason sat, and she followed.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I've only been here for a short time. All I remember is hearing muffled voices whispering 'he will come, and you will know him. Heal him...' before I woke up in this room. The ability to change form was just natural. It all felt...normal. Odd, but normal. If that makes any sense," she explained, staring deeply into his eyes. He felt his face get even warmer and gulped.

Anna smiled at him, causing a swoon he'd never experienced. A warmth unlike any other. He felt her hand slip into his, her soft fingers interlocking with his. She laid her head on his shoulder. Her aroma was amazingly pleasant.

"I think I'm here for you, Jason. I care about you."

Jason looked across the room and pulled away. "But how can you? You don't even know me."

"I do know you. When you walked in for the first time, I somehow knew that the voices I heard were talking about you. They said I would know 'him.' You're 'him,' Jason. When you talked about how tough your life has been, I knew I was supposed to help you. To give you someone who cares about you. To help you heal."

There was a long silence. Jason was trying to make sense of it all in his head. He stood up abruptly.

"I... I need to think. I need some time. I'll see you later," he said as he started walking away. He looked back as he passed through the doorway. Anna looked concerned and saddened. Jason turned and kept walking.

He made the journey home, trying to make sense of what he'd just seen and heard. "This shit makes no sense. It defies logic. So why does it feel real? Someone has to be playing some sort of prank on me," he thought.

He snuck up to his room, laid in bed, and stared up at the ceiling. He looked over at his alarm clock. 3:02 AM. He had to be up in 4 hours. However, sleep was the last thing on his mind. No school, no abusive and neglectful parents.

Just a moth. Veiled in mystery.