Fighting For Survival

Chapter 5

I sat on the back porch steps, looking at the stars, wondering what to do next. If my secret got out, all species would be after me, as well as the human hunters. Diana insisted I stay at her place tonight as she didn't want me 'running off in the dark and getting into trouble'. She wanted me to stay because I reminded her of my mother and their lost friendship. I was not about to argue as it gave me a comfy bed for the night without worrying about my safety and allowing me to process what I had learned. I looked up as Diana came and sat on the step next to me and looked up at the stars. She sighed.
"I wonder what the goddess has planned for you." I signed.
"I don't know Diana. I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to unite us all? I barely can parallel park." She laughed and bumped my shoulder with hers.
"I will help you figure this out Morgan. It is the least I could do. It would be what your mother wanted." My eyes snapped to hers, remembering Ben.
"Diana! Do you know she definitely died?" She frowned.
"Morgan, what are you talking about? You know your parents were killed in that crash by the hunters. I remember that day as if it was yesterday." Memories haunted her eyes. I shook my head.
"Something weird happened before I came here. I met a vampire called Ben, and he insisted that my mother was still alive and that she had sent him to me. He claimed that she had faked her death to protect me." I absent-mindedly reached inside my jacket pocket and pulled out the bracelet Ben had given me. The metal was cool against my skin. Diana was shaking her head.
"That's impossible, Morgan. I had to identify the bodies of your parents. I would have known if it wasn't them. I would have felt if your mother was alive. We shared an oath to protect each other, and when one person dies, the other party feels the pain and the oath breaking. I felt the oath break." I looked at my feet, trying to breathe slowly. After Ben had left, a small part of me had hoped he was telling the truth and that she was alive. I had hoped after they had died that there had been a mistake. I kept waiting for them to walk through the door, pick me up, and tell me there had been a misunderstanding. That hope faded as the years went by, and by the time I was sixteen, I knew they weren't coming back. They were dead. Ben had reignited that hope again just for it to be crushed once more. I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall. It was like I had lost them all over again. Diana pulled me into her arms, and I finally broke down sobbing. The grief was too much. Diana rubbed my back and murmured soothing words as I cried. I couldn't understand what she was saying as they were in another language but I felt the comfort. Eventually, my sobs quietened as my soul ran out of tears. I felt a kiss on my head.
"I'm going to get that asshole and make him pay for what he did to you." I pulled away to look her in the eyes.
"Why did he give me hope? How did he know about my blood, Diana? Why would he do this?" I was pulled into another warm embrace.
"I don't know. He was probably sent by someone who has connections to the royals. It would be the only way he would know that information." There was still so much I didn't know.
"Are you sure that they are dead? Could they have faked their deaths?" Diana gave a small smile.
"I don't know what else to say, Morgan. I felt the oath break, which only happens by death. I haven't heard of anyone being able to fool the oath's magic. The oaths are made by blood magic, the strongest form of magic. It's impossible. Come, you need to rest, and we can figure this out in the morning."

I was in a cold, dark corridor. I had yet to learn how I got here. The corridor stretched out in front of me with no end. I shivered and stepped forward. There were no doors or windows but I knew I had to go forward. There would be something there. I slowly walked down the corridor, wrapping my arms around me for warmth. Something was calling to me to go forward. As I walked, the corridor got brighter and brighter and I had to shield my eyes. I was terrified. Was I dead? I felt a chuckle in my mind.
"Child, you are not dead. Do not fear; step closer to me." The voice was female and soft. The voice was so reassuring that I stepped forward into the light. I blinked as the light suddenly disappeared and I was in the middle of a clearing in the forest. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was but there were just trees. Suddenly, the voice in my head spoke again.
"Do not fear me child. You are special Morgan. You are going to help unite the world." A bright light appeared behind and I spun around to face the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her skin was as white as snow, her raven hair flowed around her and she had the most radiant smile. She oozed power, but I was no longer afraid. I gasped as she opened her eyes; they were amethyst, the same as mine. She was glowing and hovered just above the floor. I was awed by her beauty and grace.
"Who are you?" I whispered. I felt if I spoke too loud, she might disappear.
"My name is Selene, but my name has long been forgotten. You will know me as the moon goddess." I gasped. This couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming. Her laugh was almost like music.
"Morgan. You are asleep, but this is very real. I can only reach you in your dreams when the moon is high. I have been waiting a long time for this moment, child." I was stunned. What would the moon goddess want with me? I was an orphan on the run, desperate to be safe. Selene gave a sad smile.
"I am sorry for what you have been through, Morgan. It was the only way to keep you safe until you were ready." I raised an eyebrow.
"Ready for what?" It then dawned on me that I was speaking to a goddess. I wondered if I needed to bow or curtsey or address her by her majesty. Selene laughed again; her eyes were sparkling.
"You do not need to bow to me child. You are of great power. You are destined to bring peace and unity to our world. You are descended directly from my line, which makes you powerful, and soon, you will start to radiate that power. People will submit to you." It was my turn to laugh.
"I can't imagine anyone submitting to me. I am a nobody. How can I have power?" She smiled.
"You have power child. It has been dormant since the day you were born and will only awaken once you are ready. You are a very gifted child. I have given you some of my own magic. You can do things witches have been trying to perfect for hundreds of years. Your magic is waking Morgan, and you must be ready. Many in this world will fear you and want to stop you. You cannot let them, Morgan. We need to unite now more than ever, and you are the only one who can do it." I could feel a headache coming on. I took a step back from the goddess.
"I have no idea what I am doing. How do I do this?" She stepped forward, shining brighter.
"Follow your instincts, child. They will guide you. You have people around you who will help you. Trust them." I shook my head. She had picked the wrong person. Selene tilted her head to the side, watching me.
"You are the one, Morgan. You can do this. I believe in you. This prophecy was written at the beginning of time." Selene frowned.
"It is time for you to go, Morgan. I will guide you as best I can." I started to panic. I didn't want to wake up. It couldn't be real. Selene began to fade as my body suddenly felt heavy. I could feel the darkness edging around my vision. Just before I succumbed to the darkness, I heard her whisper.
"Your mother is alive."

I bolted upright, panting. My eyes darted around the room, feeling disorientated. Where was I? It took a few moments to remember that I was with Diana. With a shaking hand, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. I closed my eyes and deeply breathed; it was a dream. As much as I wanted to believe that, I had a sinking feeling that it had been real. Throwing the covers back, I got out of bed and headed for the shower. I was hot and needed to cool off. My reflection stopped me in my tracks. My eyes seemed to be even brighter and almost glowed. As I looked closer, my irises looked like they were swirling. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. When I opened them again, they looked normal. With a shaky breath, I got in the shower.

Diana was drinking coffee at her bistro table with an ancient book. She looked up as I shuffled through the kitchen and straight to the coffee pot. She gave me a small smile. "How did you sleep?" I flinched at her words, and the dream was still fresh. "Not particularly well. Um, do you know what our moon goddess's real name is?" Diana tilted her head to the side and put down her book. "Her name hasn't been used in centuries, and I'm not sure. I could see if I could find out. Why?" I shrugged. "Well, I kind of had a dream. The moon goddess came to me and told me her name was Selene. She also said that I had magic, that it was starting to wake up and that I was directly descended from her. Also, I am supposed to unite our world and bring about peace. She couldn't have visited me, right? I'm sure it was just a dream and my insane imagination" I took a sip as Diana blinked. "What did she look like?" I shrugged and sat opposite Diana."She was pale and had black hair. Her eyes also looked like mine." Diana gasped and shot up from the table, nearly knocking her chair over. She went to her bookshelves and located the book she was looking for. The book looked ancient and was large, bound in leather fraying at the spine. She flicked through the pages before placing the book before me. I looked down and gasped. "Is that the woman you saw?" I gulped and nodded. Diana took a sharp breath and put a hand on my shoulder. "Morgan! That was the moon goddess! She has not been seen for centuries, and rumour is that she faded away and became part of the moon again." I just stared at the page before me. There was a beautiful coloured illustration of the woman who had visited me in my dream. Above the illustration was the title - 'Our moon goddess'. I was screwed. I gave a small smile. She was going to be even more shocked. "There's one more thing. The goddess said my mom was alive."