The air in the orphanage hallways seemed laden with an invisible tension, as if the weight of unspoken secrets lingered in every corner, enveloping those who lived there. Selene stepped out of the classroom, still caught in the distant echo of the last lesson, but as she turned the corner, her gaze met the slender figure of Lucian. He was waiting for her, his shadow cast on the floor like an omen. His smile, that familiar sneer she knew too well, was already spreading across his face before his lips parted to speak.
—Well, look who it is, half of the orphanage's inseparable little couple— he said, his mocking tone one Selene had long since learned to despise. His dark eyes, always brimming with something unspoken, ran over her with that mixture of interest and poorly concealed desire.
Selene stopped, as though her feet were anchored to the floor. She could feel her patience slipping away, worn thin. This time, she wasn't willing to let his insidious remarks slide, the ones he used to maintain his facade of cruel indifference in front of Darion and the others.
—Shut your damn mouth, Lucian— she snapped, her voice like a whip, sharp and venomous. Her eyes drilled into him with a contempt she didn't bother to hide. —If the only way you can feel relevant is by making up nonsense about Havel and me, then you're more pathetic than I thought—
The impact was immediate. Lucian fell silent, stunned by the harshness of her words. Over the years, their relationship had been colored by these venomous insinuations, but this time, Selene had cut through the surface, wounding something deeper in him. There was in his demeanor a latent need to draw her attention, to elicit some reaction, anything that would allow him to feel like he existed in her world. But those words, so cutting, hit him harder than he had expected.
—I wasn't here for you— he said, his voice rigid, trying to mask his discomfort. But Selene didn't miss the hesitation in his tone, nor the faint blush that colored his face.
—No? Funny, because you seem obsessed with me. Maybe you should find a life that doesn't depend so much on what Darion thinks of you— she retorted coldly, her words falling like stones in the silence that now filled the hallway.
Lucian clenched his lips, unable to respond. He knew Selene had touched on a truth he himself refused to confront: his desperate need for Darion's approval, always existing in his shadow, and his inability to express what he truly felt. It was a bitter truth that suffocated him, and the internal fury it provoked was reflected in his clenched fists.
—Whatever— Lucian muttered finally, looking away, seeking to escape the confrontation. Just then, Gideon stepped out of the classroom, completely unaware of what had just transpired between the two.
Lucian, seeing in Gideon the perfect excuse to slip away from the uncomfortable situation, turned to him quickly.
—Darion wants to talk to you— he informed, his tone attempting indifference but still laced with the tension of what had happened.
Gideon raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, but said nothing. He nodded and, without another word, both began walking down the hallway. Selene watched them as they left, and a cloud of questions began to form in her mind.
—What does Darion want with Gideon?—
The thought lodged itself in her consciousness, heavy like a shadow. Ever since Gideon's arrival at the orphanage, the dynamics had subtly but noticeably shifted. And now, with Darion involved, that sense of intrigue only grew. There was something in the air, a change she couldn't quite decipher, but she could feel its presence lurking on the edges of her intuition.
She crossed her arms, feeling a knot of unease tighten in her stomach. She knew Darion never acted without a hidden agenda, and that anything involving his intervention couldn't be simple. Something was brewing, something that involved Gideon in ways she didn't yet understand, but whose impact she could sense looming at the fringes of her awareness.
As Lucian and Gideon's figures disappeared at the end of the hallway, Selene shook her head, trying to dispel the rising suspicions that besieged her. She couldn't afford to be dragged back into Darion's power games, not after everything she had endured.
Still, she thought, something in the air whispered that this was only the beginning.
YOU ARE READING
Sad Moon
FantasyWhat is destiny? Is it even real? Or is it perhaps a lie that others use to make us part of their will? Maybe the world won't live long enough to know. Since the Moon no longer shines, the night is darker.
