Celestial Sisters

Chapter 32: The Key

Luna awoke with her cheek pressed against the cool, leather seat of a car. There was a chorus of muddled whispers around her. A warm, callused hand massaged a tender bump on the back of her skull. She didn't know where she was or who was talking or why someone was massaging her head but as a sharp pain appeared at the base of her skull, she couldn't find the strength within herself to care. A strangled sound escaped her throat and the voices quieted. One by one whimpers escaped her lips just like water from a leaking faucet. She desperately wanted to stop the pain but when she tried to move she found her body paralyzed and locked in the fetal position.

"Luna?" She knew that voice. The voice was deep and smooth like molasses with a slight southern drawl. It was the voice of a boy- who Luna who had grown up with since she was a child.

Will.

She cried out, her mind unable to put together a sensible response. Continuing to caress the back of her head, he gently nuzzled his nose against hers and gently shushed her. He whispered promises that the pain would go away and that everything would be alright. She felt compelled to believe him because he was Will and he had always been right before. Surely enough the pain did abide and feeling slowly returned to Luna's limbs. Still, she had yet to process where she was or how she ended up with her head netted nestled on Will's lap when before she was being attacked by cult of hooded men.

"Open your eyes, honey. Everything is okay, you're safe now," Will's lips brushed against the shell of her ear.

Safe? What had happened to her? Unable to deal with her agonized questions any longer, Luna opened her eyes to find some answers. Will was  leaning over her body, his usual golden halo of curls was matted down and sopping, as if he had just taken a shower or came back from soccer practice. His amber eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot as tears raced one another to see who could reach the base of his chin faster. He looked so different from the all-American teenager Luna had fallen in love with and she couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Don't cry for me," With a shaking hand, she wiped the tears from his face. "I'm fine."

Those two words were so simple and small and yet it was such a complex and sizable lie. Luna did not feel fine. In fact, she felt as if a speeding truck had rammed into her from behind and then, as if triggered by the memory of a forgotten item, decided to turn back around smack into her once again. The pain only intensified as she sat up and met the stares of her sister and her new friend. A stark realization ran through her like a chilling splash of water. She was alive.

Alix and Twyla sat in front of her her. They were in a limo of sorts, stranded in the middle of metropolitan traffic as horns and curses sounded ablaze around them. Twyla seemed to be faring no better than Luna as she gritted her teeth, her hands fisted and crossed over her chest. There was a small crescent shaped cut above her brow, looking startlingly similar to the pendant around her neck. Alix was, of course, unscathed- her green eyes examined Luna thoroughly cut any other cuts or bruises.

"What happened?" Luna eventually asked, as a silence settled over the vehicle.

Nobody responded.

"Will?" He had his turned to the window, suddenly interested in the city's nightlife festivities. Looking back at Luna begrudgingly, he shot a scathing glare at both Alix and Twyla for not offering an answer and cleared his throat.

"We don't really know, Lu. One second we're standing guard by the limo and then next thing we know, you and your sister are appearing out of thin air, lying unconscious on the ground."

His hands began to shake as he recounted the gruesome scene. They had approached the twins who were lying in a pool of their own blood, in the middle of the Delphi mansion's driveway. He mentioned how the smell of their blood sent Xavier into a frenzy and how he murdered the poor, unsuspecting limo driver in his moment of rage. He also stated how Alix's hands began to glow as she rushed to their sides and began muttering words in a language that was foreign to his ears.