The Moon Mark

Chapter One

I was not having a good day. That could be said for the past two years so far too. You wouldn't either, if you found out your mother had been called to spend ten years in a different dimension, one you can't go to since you are only a compound and not a full element. Or that you still couldn't visit outside The Village, my home for the past four years, because you had THREE MORE YEARS before you are an American citizen. I had previously lived in Mexico, which isn't something I like to talk about, and it frustrates me when The Council tells me I am not an American citizen (the only good thing to come from Mexico was that I can speak Spanish).

Today was making it on my list of Top Ten Worst Days of My Life, with number one being my dad's death and number two being the day my previous boyfriend, Nathan, ran away. It was one of those days I wish I stayed home. I know it sounds like a cliche, but some days you are better of staying home and avoiding a whole lot of stress.

My morning was fine. In fact, my day was going really well until the whole "Water Poison" incident. It seemed most terrible days were like that; going good until one event happens, then everything goes downhill from there. I probably would have missed the incident if it wasn't for my best friend showing up at my house. Not that she's the one to blame...

She came in uninvited, her long, wavy platinum blonde hair and nerdy glasses making it obvious who the intruder was. She was out of her normal working uniforms and in her trademark outfit. Gwedheil (or preferably just Gwen) was two years older than me and hated having to pick out different outfits. She was usually found in a white blouse, unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up with a black tank top matching her black shorts and combat boots. The one thing she always had on was her silver necklace with a diamond attached.

Gwen moved from the entrance into the living room, where I was sitting. She yanked on my hair as a greeting. I had gotten used to her doing that. She joined me on my couch.

"Hey Gwen. What are you doing here?' I asked. It was a weekday, so normally she would be working one of her many weird jobs. Gwen shrugged, but her smirk told me it wasn't nothing. I frowned, suspicious and missing something.

"Oh you know, just the casual visiting," she teased. I glared at her. "Fine, I'm not here visiting. You obviously forgot what you are doing today." I felt confused. I was sure my day was clear, besides the usual work in the morning.

"Yea, I did. I'm guessing you know what I'm doing." It feels like my memory was getting worse each day. Every day, I forget events or things I need and end up being late or missing an event completely. Though, that's not as terrifying as the three times I've forgotten my friend's name. Gwen likes to tease me about it, but she warned me that she'd say something if it got serious. Honestly, I didn't want her to tell anyone about it.

"Magena, you need a calendar, agenda, or something to keep track of these things." I hated calendars and agendas. "Anyway, you planned to meet Zach at Troy Coffee with me. You said you had something to tell us. We're supposed to be there in fifteen minutes." It took a moment, but I finally remembered it. I cussed in Spanish. I normally talked to Zach at Troy Coffee after lunch, and I had invited Gwen to come along so I could tell them both something. I'd been delaying telling them for a month, but Mom forced me into this. I was far from ready to be seen in public, wearing old Hello Kitty shorts (I kept them for certain days) and an old Taylor Swift t-shirt (though I still love her). Gwen watched me hurry to my bedroom to get changed into a decent outfit.

Five minutes later, I came back out in a light blue tank top with a gray vest and jean shorts. Gwen didn't say anything about the outfit, so I figured I was good. We would take the bus, the main only vehicle transportation, to the coffee shop. Slipping on silver sandals, i followed Gwen out the door.