❝you know, you're pretty cute, considering you're 4,000 years old.❞
❝thank you?❞
luna clair loves museums. she loves history, mythology, all that old shit. so when her best friend's dad gets a new job as the night guard of the new york national hist...
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
❝There is a reason, after all, that some people wish to colonize the moon, and others wish to dance before it as an ancient friend.❞
James Baldwin
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Luna can't breathe. For months, she's had nightmares about what this might be like, thought for hours about how to choose, how to justify killing someone so that Ahkmenrah could live, how to justify killing Ahkmenrah so that the others could live, but nothing could have prepared her for this.
Larry's pleading hopelessly with Lancelot, who's staring, frightened, at Teddy and Sacagawea, both frozen, unmoving; at Attila, lying at the bottom of the stairs and stirring feebly; at Ahkmenrah, decaying before their eyes. They're out of time. Unless Luna gets that tablet, they'll die.
"Luna. Luna!" Nicky shakes her shoulder. "Come on! You gotta do something!"
"The tablet..." Luna gestures feebly at Lancelot. "I can't..." She doesn't know what to choose. But not choosing at all is worse than choosing. Her head spins as she sits there, arms limp around Ahkmenrah's waist.
And then suddenly she snaps back. Realizes the love of her life is dying in her arms.
"Ahkmenrah." She shakes him frantically, trying to get him to respond. "Ahk! Please! Wake up!"
He moans, clearly in pain, his hands viselike on the rusty metal railing. Luna cups his face in her hands, pulling him to face her. "Ahk, please!"
When he doesn't respond, she sobs, "I love you. I love you. Please stay with me." It's the first time she's said it out loud. She's thought it for ages, but never had the courage to say--
And only the power of selfless love can stop the looming destruction that comes...
As its power drains, the daughter of the moon absorbs its power and the life it gives...
The prophecy says that we'll fall in love, and that when the tablet does fade or whatever happens to it, you'll have to choose between my life and someone else's...
One to save and one to lose...
When it comes time to choose, your heart will tell you what you must do...
And it's suddenly crystal clear. Luna's not sure why it's only now she understands. It's not about the tablet at all. It never was about the tablet. Selfless love... It all makes sense now.
Nicky rushes down the stairs to crouch beside Dexter, who's curled in the fetal position on the ground; Larry takes his hand, staring into his eyes; and Lancelot stands, unsure, staring around at the destruction surrounding him.
Luna stands up, letting go of Ahkmenrah, who slumps noiselessly against the railing, and stands at the top of the stairs, arms wide. "I know what to do."
Nicky and Larry whip around, staring up at her in surprise and confusion. Dexter's limp hand falls to the ground, lifeless, and then the clouds blow away across the sky, revealing only the faintest sliver of moon: the new moon.
Teddy, although unable to speak or move, is staring up at the sky and shaking with sobs. Ahkmenrah closes his eyes, dropping to his knees, almost unrecognizable as his skin rots and his eyes cloud over.
Luna stares up at the moon and then takes a deep breath. "I've made a choice. And you're not going to like it."
The moon is the same. Unmoving. So Luna continues. "I get it now. It was always supposed to be this way. The tablet was never supposed to have your power. I was. Merenkahre was selfish. He wanted his family to live forever, and you didn't like that. So I was your failsafe. You created a prophecy that was airtight, so perfect that I'd have to sacrifice someone in the name of 'selfless love' to keep the powers you gave me and save Ahkmenrah."
"Luna--" Nicky breathes.
"But Ahkmenrah got it wrong. We were never supposed to fall in love. Our fates were entwined and nothing more. But we did fall in love." Tears pour down Luna's face, but her voice is surprisingly steady. "I love him more than anything in the world. So I could never sacrifice his life. And I couldn't sacrifice anyone else to save him, either. Your prophecy is a failure then, right?"
Something flickers inside her. Something dark and sinister. But Luna won't stop now. There's only a few more hours till dawn and it's time to act. "But the prophecy never mentions anyone dying. It only says 'one to save and one to lose'. So I've made a decision. I'll lose the power you gave me and I'll save the tablet. Because I'm not a selfish bastard like you and I do have selfless love. I choose to lose the power of the moon and give it all back to the tablet."
For a moment, all is still. Luna worries for a split second that it's all a fluke, that it won't work--
But then the tablet glows brightly again, corrosion flaking away, and Lancelot drops it, looking worried. Ahkmenrah gasps, his eyes flying open, their normal piercing blue again. Jed and Octavius stir on the asphalt next to Attila. Teddy can stand and Sacagawea can move. Dexter's eyes open and he leaps into Larry's arms with a chirp of happiness.
Something tears inside Luna. She drops to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut. It feels like something's being ripped out of her, burning and tightening--
Two pairs of hands grab her and pull her to her feet and vaguely, she's aware of someone shouting in pain--
And just like that, it's over. She opens her eyes. The screaming's stopped. Larry and Nicky are on either side of her, both looking worried. "Are you okay?" Nicky whispers, concern lacing his tone.
Luna reaches out wordlessly and twists her fingers. There's no glow. Nothing stops. Nothing moves. She gasps. It's over.
"Luna," Ahkmenrah says hoarsely, and the grief Luna feels is over. She pushes Larry and Nicky away, dropping to her knees next to him and cupping his face in her hands.
"You did it," he whispers, smiling tiredly. "But your powers--"
"I could never lose you," Luna breathes, feeling the softness of his skin beneath her fingers. He's safe and real and here in her arms. "I love you too much."
Ahkmenrah's eyes widen and he drops his forehead to hers. "I love you, Luna Clair. More than--"
"Shut up." Luna kisses him, closing her eyes, tasting the familiar cinnamon on his lips, cupping his face in her hands. Nothing, not even the tablet's power, compares to this. This isn't what the prophecy meant by selfless love, but it's love all the same.
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i'm so anxious to finish this story so here's a bonus chapter because i love y'all <3
