Celestial Sisters

Chapter 10: Whispers in the Wind

Luna's white, silk scarf sat abandoned in the passenger seat of her car. Her sleek golden tendrils twisted into gnarled knots as the wind raged on. A rumble of thunder could be heard from the overcast sky as storm clouds settled above her head. Teardrops and raindrops slid across the alabaster plains of her face as sobs wracked through her body. Later, Luna would shed a few more tears over her ruined leather seats but in the moment, she didn't care enough to pull up the convertible top. Her wet jeans clung tightly to her itching skin and her sopping white t-shirt turned transparent in the rain.

Everyone has a limit. It's an invisible line that lies within one's mind and though no one can see it, they can feel it. The feeling tends to be described as a downward spiral of shock and anger combating one another for the attention of the person who they have inhibited. In her mother's office, hearing the shocking admittance of her true identity and seeing her first glimpse of physical magic, Luna knew she had reached her limit. And yet, she persisted. She felt cheated and rather jaded for being deceived for eighteen years. In her usual self-righteous state of mind, Luna thought learning why her mother hid a very prevalent part of her life from her,  would somehow enable her to accept the truth.

But it didn't. It only made it worse.

Some things are better left unknown. She had read that phrase somewhere in a book before and never truly understood the meaning until today, in which she wanted to burn the entire conversation from her memory. For twelve years she lived in an ignorant state of bliss. There was no reason to look over her shoulder or lock her door before she went to bed because she lived in tiny, insignificant New Brooks where the most dangerous thing that ever existed was her sister. But even her sister had disappeared, rendering the little town completely safe. At least, she had thought it was safe. Now, she was no longer sure. Any out of place shadow or lingering stare could have belonged to one of them, the very people who had been hunting her sister and herself for their entire lives.

It was absolutely crazy to think that anyone would be out for her for anything more than a homecoming crown.

Blinking the tears and drops of rain out of her eyes, Luna peered up at the small, two story brick colonial that sat before her. The house looked just as it did last week when she visited, and the week before that and the week before that. It was her home away from home where there no lingering memories of Twyla to haunt her. Luna didn't actually step out of the car until the painted olive green door cracked open, revealing Mrs. Haverstock. Mrs. Haverstock bounded down the steps of her porch carrying a fluffy cream towel in hand. She didn't say a word to Luna as she swaddled her like a baby and pulled her inside.

The Haverstock's cozy living room differed greatly from the colossal parlor in the Goodwin's manor. Unlike in Luna's home, the fireplace was actually used for more than just decoration. Yellow and orange flames swayed and jumped in a sort of discombobulated dance as heat poured into the room. There were two sofas pushed against the far wall and a glass table that sat in the middle of the room, displaying a tray of freshly baked lemon tarts. The sweet citrus smell wafted through the air as the little golden tarts quivered, beckoning for her to take a bite. Knock-off paintings from various flea markets hung above the sofas and a large flat screen tv was mounted on the wall. Pictures of both Luna and Will, documenting their adventures as children sat on the fireplace mantel.

There was nothing about the Haverstock's home that had changed since Luna was a child, the ping pong table that Luna and Will broke when they were eight still sat beside the washer in the basement. Mrs. Haverstock's liquor cabinet was the second cabinet on the right of the stove and though Mrs. Haverstock claimed it was always locked Luna and Will learned from experience that it was indeed not. There was never a moment in their house where Luna felt weird, or alone. It was home.