Crescent Luna

Chapter 1

Year 2013

Akron Colorado

The girl lay in her bed, twisting and turning fretfully in her sleep, long dark brown hair spilled across the pillows sticking to her forehead. A beam of moonlight spilled threw the curtains and shone on the girl's face, twisted in sleep as if she was having a horrible nightmare.

Anastasia was dreaming, she was running through the forest, something or someone was stalking her. Her body was cold, freezing in fact, fear laced her blood as she ran, and she could hear every sound in the forest, as though her senses were somehow sharpened. The tiny creatures crawling in the underbrush, the dart of a rabbit as it scrambled out of her path, the gentle rustle of the leaves amidst the darkened forest trees. She was running with super human speed, but she did not know how. All she knew was that they were hunting her down. Suddenly she skidded to a halt a beam of light appeared in front of her. A beautiful woman robed in a white dress, stepped forward. Upon her head sat a crown of silver crescent moons, and in her right arm she carried a golden staff.

"Anastasia Corvinus , the time has come ". "You must fulfill your destiny ".

I will open your mind and allow your powers to flow. You must accept this, time is running out. It is the only way you will be able to access your true potential and vanquish your enemies."

Anastasia was in shock, who was this woman .As if hearing her thoughts the woman smiled and held out her staff.

"You are special child; you will be the one to save us all. As the Sacred Mother of all witches, I bless you with the power of your people, you will have the power of all the elements combined, Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit."

She placed the staff between Anastasia's eyes and she felt a warm glow settle within her body. She no longer felt cold, power laced through her veins, making her feel confident and strong. Anastasia stepped back in wonder and awe. She had never felt this way before. What was happening?

The woman smiled tenderly at her. "Go now child, and awake, you will have the answers you seek soon enough ". Then she disappeared in a burst of light.

The world around her suddenly became a haze of fog, and Anastasia felt her conscious slipping.

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"Anastasia get up, or you will be late for school". Someone tore the curtains aside and blasted the room with sunlight.

"Hmmmm I groaned, Tyron go away ", and close those curtains, I have a headache". A small body scrambled up on my bed and pulled the pillow off my face.

"But Anna, it's your birthday , you have to get up , don't you wanna see my present " Tyron asked petulantly .

"Ok ok, I'm up", I opened my eyes cautiously and winced from the too bright light in my room. I looked at the little boy staring up at me with a mischievous grin on his face. He was cute, wearing a blue romper and T shirt with his head covered in a mop of golden curls he was the image of angelic. But I knew better, he was a little devil in disguise.

"Happy birthday Anna, here I brought you your present ". He removed the hand he was holding behind his back and give me a shoebox. I took the box cautiously from him, and placed it on my knees, the lid had small irregular holes punched into the top.

"Thank you Tyron" I said, and opened the box, nestled on a bed of leaves, a small green snake lay coiled up in a corner of the box. Tyron looked at me and smirked , waiting for my reaction . I looked over at him and smiled. Then I gently picked up the snake and it immediately coiled itself around my hands. I petted its small head and looked over at Tyron.

"awe thanks Hun , he is cute ". He looked at me in disbelief, a look of surprise on his face. "Aren't you scared at all Anna? No fair you never get scared of bugs or spiders. He sat on the edge of my bed with a look of disappointment on his face.

He was right, animals did not scare me, I always had an affinity with them, as if somehow they sensed that I was one of their own."

I laughed at him, don't worry Ty you might get me next time ". I reached over and rumpled his hair." Here why don't you look after him for me ".

I replaced the small garden snake in the box and handed it over to him. He must have dug him up in our neighbors' vegetable garden next door. There would be hell to pay for this later, but I allowed him some slack, after all it was my birthday. Tyron grabbed the box and ran out the room, leaving me to gather my thoughts.

I rubbed my temples, that headache was still there. Probably from the strange dream I had last night. It was really weird. I didn't know what to make of it. I got up off the bed and dragged myself into the bathroom for some tablets to ease the nagging pain in my temples. Grabbing the bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet above the sink, I popped two into my mouth. Leaning over the sink I placed my mouth over the tap and drank the cool water. After I was done I went back into my room and took off my PJs to go take a shower. But as I was about to head into the bathroom again, I suddenly felt a searing pain across my back, as though someone was branding me with a laser. I cried out in pain and immediately fell to my knees. Then just as soon as the pain came, it went away, as though nothing had happened.

I sat on the floor and tried to get my bearings, what the Hell was that! I walked over to the mirror on my vanity and gasped in shock. Across my back between my shoulder blades was a tattoo. It was a crescent moon surrounded by tiny stars; at the bottom of the tattoo were two symbols that I had never seen before.

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