Cloaked In Shadows
A Luna Grey Novel
Prologue
It was winter time in Atlanta, Georgia. It hardly snowed, but it was still cold. I sat snuggled up in my covers on my bed and watched with growing anticipation as my mom bought my present over to me.
"Happy birthday Luna!" my mother, Sharron Grey, said as she placed a silver and blue rapped box in my hands. Not far behind her my father, Brandon Grey, came in with a cake that had eleven candles on it.
"Time to make a wish princess!" my dad said and held the cake in front of my face while they sang the happy birthday song to me. When they were finished I blew out the candles. I grabbed my present and tore it open. Inside lay a pair of jeans and a shirt I would've died to have, the out fit I saw in the mall a month ago. I jumped up and hugged my mom and dad as tight as I could.
"Thank you so much!" I whispered fiercely then bounced back to my present and took the jeans and shirt out. When the jeans unfolded, a slip of paper fell out to the floor. I picked it up and instantly recognized that it was a plane ticket, this time to Tokyo Japan. "Not again. We just got settled here. Why do we have to move again?" I said, everything happy having flown out of me.
"It's necessary, but it'll be fun this time. Don't you remember saying how badly you wanted to visit Japan?" my father said, noticing the look of dismay on my face.
"It's going to be fun. This is where you always wanted to go." my mother said, backing up my father's explanation.
"That's true, but I wanted to go because I wanted to not because I was forced to." I said, crossing my arms.
"Honey, this is all for the best. You'll see princess. It'll be okay." my father said, trying to sound convincing.
"Once we get situated in Tokyo, you'll make new friends, go to a new school. It'll be exci-" She never finished, for what interrupted her was a loud explosion from the living room. My mother's eyes were wide with shock and horror. "It's too late Brandon. It's too late." she said as tears filled her eyes. My father had a similar expression on his face. Then suddenly he was calm.
"It's never too late. I love you Sharron." he said and hugged her.
"Daddy, what's going on? What's happening?" I said, my voice high with fear. He bent down and scooped me up, hugging me to his chest.
"I love you princess, always remember that." he said and reluctantly set me down. He walked over to my room door then stopped and looked back at me and my mother. "Don't leave this room no matter what." and then before I could respond he was gone, the door shutting behind him. Why did I have the feeling that I would never see daddy again? I huddled in my mothers arms while we backed into a corner in my room. I jumped when I heard a fierce battle cry, knowing it was my father. My mother sat beside me, shaking silently with tears. From the living room the sound of metal clashing could be heard. Finally I heard one agonized scream then all noise ceased.
"Mommy, is dad okay?" I asked. When she didn't answer I opened my mouth to ask again but she put her finger up to her mouth in a hushing gesture. From inside my room, I could hear someone walking down the hall, towards my room, towards my mother and me. I knew that wasn't my daddy. I whimpered and pressed closer to my mother. The door bulged then busted inward, raining wood fragments everywhere. There, in the doorway stood a cloaked figure with the hood up, drawn over the strangers face. Tall and menacing, it came towards us with a sword in its hand, covered in blood. I knew it was my father's blood.
I sat with wide eyes as my mother leaped of the floor. She suddenly had a sword in her own hands. With a shout of rage, she rushed the thing. Before she even reached it she crumpled to the floor, blood spraying out of her neck. The thing stepped over her and advanced in my direction. The monster was only a foot away from me when it suddenly jerked and slid to the floor. Behind it stood my dad, holding a sword, panting heavily. He was splattered in blood. Slowly, I looked from him, to my mothers blood coated body, to the thing on the floor, then back to my father just as he muttered the word "princess" and fell to the floor. My body was numb. My mind was numb. I was seeing gray spots in front of my eyes just before everything went black.
Slowly I became aware of voices. "...can't believe...just sick...blood everywhere..." Did we have guest over today? I don't remember having a big party for my birthday. I opened my eyes and found a stranger standing over me. He blinked down at me and I blinked back at him.
"Where is my mom?" I asked. He gasped and yelled "She's alive!" over his shoulder. He bent down and peered into my face and that's when I got a better look at him. He was Asian, short, and had graying black hair. He had a tag on his shirt that said Detective Benson. A man walked up behind him and by the looks of his name tag, he was Detective Sheppard. He was the complete opposite of Detective Benson. He was tall, very tan, and had dark brown hair.
Why were all these weird people in my room? I tried to sit up but found out that I couldn't. Why was I so tired? Detectives Benson and Sheppard helped me sit up.
"Are you okay?" Benson asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, I guess so." I said. Where were my parents?
"Do you remember anything?" Sheppard asked, taking out a pencil and notepad. I looked around my room and stopped at two lumps on my floor, covered in sheets. I looked away and came to stare at my walls. I don't remember those being red. I got up and my legs were so weak I almost fell.
"Whoa there," Benson said. "Why don't you sit down for a second and rest." I wasn't listening to him. I stumbled over to the wall and touched it with the palm of my hand. Distantly I heard "...her grandmother is here to see her..." But I wasn't listening. Everything that I thought was a dream, a nightmare, was true. I knew it was. My parents were dead. My mind went blank. I couldn't think.
"Luna? Luna!" I heard my name being called by a familiar voice. I turned around and my grandma Nancy was calling me. I blinked at her for two seconds then flung myself into her arms. I was shaking with grief, couldn't cry. "Come on Luna, let's go to the emergency room." Numbly I nodded following her out of the room, stopping to look back one last time.
