Moonrise

Chapter One

Ellette was in her own little world. A place inside of her mind that, for whatever reason, seemed to offer so much more than what her three sisters were doing to occupy themselves. She had not put a great deal of distance between her sisters and herself—the distinct crunching of snow beneath their feet could be heard if she bothered to listen closely—but it was enough to hint that she preferred the solitude she created.

Not that she understood entirely why she wanted to be alone. It had been, after all, the night of all nights. The full moon was still high in the sky, and her body still tingled with the warmth of her people's light. The last thing she should have been doing was distancing herself, but it seemed the appropriate thing to do while her Father's earlier words refused to leave her mind.

'You are the youngest, Ellette, but do not mistake your position for one deserving of lenience. Your Mother encourages your curious nature, but I will not. It ends now. Before you shame the entire family. Before you shame our people.'

The 'curious nature' to which her Father referred was Ellette's inability of rejecting the aspects of life that did not pertain to her or her people.

She loved her kind; there was no question about that. And every month when the full moon was perched high in the sky, and the songs of praise and gratitude were sung loud and proud, she had never been more honoured to belong to such a family. But that night was always only one night. And for all of the nights that followed it until that next one night, Ellette could not help herself from dreaming of what else laid beyond where her eyes could see, beyond where her voice could reach and beyond where her mind could imagine. She longed to know what else was out there in the world that inhabited so many, yet made her feel so alone.

"Come on, Ellie! Sing it with us!" Raisie, the closest to Ellette in age as she was the third daughter, shouted.

Even though her back was turned to her sisters, Ellette sensed the smile that was undoubtedly placed upon her sister's face.

"Yes, please do, Ellie!" Nissa, Raisie's twin and Ellette's second eldest sister, requested. "It cannot be a proper harmony without you, you know that. Tell her, Freya! Tell her to sing with us!"

"Tell her, Freya! Tell her!"

Their giggles erupted from the otherwise silent night, and although Ellette was determined not to give in, not even she could deny the smile that slipped past her lips.

"Come on, Ellette. Will you not slow down and join us?" Freya, the eldest, finally chimed in.

Though Ellette loved all of her sisters dearly, Freya had always been the sister with whom she was closest. With only four years of age between them, the two sisters often found solace in each other, and, more often than not, were forced to pair up in order to handle the twins.

Born the eldest certainly should have granted Freya the role as leader, whose judgment was always right and never to be questioned. A role their Father hoped would shackle his eldest daughter in order to steer the other three along the right path. But 'leader' was not a title Freya had attached to herself, and for that, Ellette was most grateful.

"You know they will not stop until you do," Freya continued. "Will you not spare both of us the torture, sister?"

In response, Ellette only threw the hood of her red cloak over her head as the winter night grew colder. She did not need to look up to know the clouds were racing to cover the full moon; the fact that the slight whisper of the wind—dancing around the trees of the surrounding forest—was beginning to penetrate the barrier of warmth that had engulfed her entire being hours before was confirmation enough that the night of all nights was beginning to come to an end.