Selena Rose, Daughter of the Moon

Chapter 1

May 10, 2003

She flushes the toilet and drags her hand across her face. Moving to the sink she washes her face then brushes her teeth to get rid of that foul taste. Thankful that this only happens in the morning, she takes the band from the end of her hair and lets down her braid from the night before. It is a recent practice, but it has kept her long, black hair vomit free. Looking in the mirror she sees the color returning to her skin. Being pale under her olive skin was not a flattering look.

What am I going to do? Gabriel just left for basic, I can't even tell him for another 6 weeks. I have to tell my Dad. He will be cool with it, right? Dad will understand and we can carry on until he gets home. He always said he would help if I got in trouble. This is a lot of trouble...

Hours later, "Dad, I need to talk to you in private."

"Ok, let's go outside, I'd like a look at the garden anyway."

* * *

They amble out to the garden, row upon row of vegetables lovingly tended by the gardeners set against the backdrop of the Appalachian mountains. Selena looks up at the hat protecting her father's copy-paper white skin. It has always amazed her how white he is and how he burnt so often. He healed himself every time he burned with a magic cream he bought from a fellow magic worker he met on one of his many business trips. She sometimes wondered how it was possible for someone so pale to be her father...

"So what's up kiddo?"

Looking up her father Selena decides to jump right into the fire, "Dad, I'm pregnant. It is Gabriel's. He just left for basic, and he doesn't know yet. But when he gets back..."

"NO," he says, two red spots blooming on his sour cream white cheeks," when he gets back you won't be pregnant. You're going to go have an abortion and we will forget this ever happened. You are not to see him again. I've tolerated you dating this boy because I thought it was some phase. I thought you would slum for a while and then you'd come to your senses and see that he is not worthy of you. His bloodline is beneath you and you cannot tie yourself to that. You would dilute our blood with that? That half-breed boy? I can't believe this." Apophis drinks deeply from his rocks glass, emptying it of the expensive bourbon he prefers.

Selena snaps her mouth closed and then opens it again to berate him, "What? What are you talking about? Half-breed? That is atrocious, I can't believe you would be so horrible as to say something like that!"

Apophis points at Selena, "You heard me. This baby would be a half breed like her father, she would never be one of us."

"No. I won't do that. I will not abort this baby just because you have these messed up ideas about lineage and who is beneath who. I don't deserve him! He is good and kind and he will be a great father. I am keeping my baby with or without your approval and that is my final word on the matter."

"You will, or I have his ass thrown in jail for rape." Selena rolls her eyes at him,

"You can't do that Dad, I am an adult and it was most assuredly not rape."

"Well, you sure as hell won't be staying here! You will not be breeding little mongrels in this house!"

Selena's heart breaks into a million pieces. Her father is the only family she has and now even that is gone, "Fine! I'll leave! But I am not aborting my child just because you are stuck in the past! I can do this, and Gabriel will be thrilled. We'll just be starting our family early. And who the fuck calls having a child breeding? You make it sound like I am a prized bitch that you plan to breed with some perfect lineage. Gross Dad. Gross."

Suddenly his hand hit her face and she flew back. Tears ran down her face as she got herself off the ground and turned toward the house.

"You leave here and don't come back till you get some sense!"

In her room, she packed a duffle bag with personal items and thanked all her lucky stars that she had been saving money in an account for a long time. Her father was very generous with her in that regard so she had never been without while still having a substantial amount stashed away. According to her last statement, she could get by just fine for a few years without running low as long as she was reasonable. Selena looks around one last time, picking up purse and duffle she walks out leaving the door open behind her. She heads down the drive and to her truck. It wasn't new by any means, but it had felt right when she picked it out and the Frontier was a good running truck. When she got to the end of her drive she called her friend Linnette and asked if she could stay for a while. Hanging up the phone, she pulled out of the drive and looked back at the house one last time to see her father glaring from the porch, drink in hand.

* * *

4 weeks later, June 2003

Gabriel pulls up to her father's house. He knocks on the door and waits to be admitted. The butler comes to the door and asks him to wait there before shutting the door again. Selena's father Apophis comes out looking very sad. "Gabriel, I hate to be the one to tell you, but Selena is out with someone else. After you left she started dating everyone. Turned into a slut. I don't know what happened to the girl I raised. Real skeezy dudes too. She is barely home these days."

"What? No. She would never do that! She loves me, she said she would wait..." He hangs his pale head, spikes of blond pointing at Apophis as Gabriel fights heartbreak and anger.

Apophis smiles slyly as his eyes glow a bit and he makes some slight movements with his hands while saying, "Sorry pal, women are backstabbing liars. You should just forget about her. Move on with your life."

Apophis manages to look appropriately sympathetic until Gabriel gets back in his car and starts down the driveway. Driving through town Gabriel spots Selena in a cafe with a group of people. He swerves into the lot, throws his car in park and runs into the cafe leaving his door open and the car running.

"How could you?"

Selena looks up, so thrilled to see him that what he said hasn't registered and she moves toward him, arms out to embrace him. The group of friends with her sit in silent shock at his accusatory words.

He throws his hands up to block her, "Don't come near me, you make me sick."

"What? What are you talking about?" Selena crosses her arms in front of herself, suddenly cold and bewildered.

"I went to your house, your Dad told me what you have been doing while I was gone. You sorry bitch! Couldn't even wait for me to get back? Had to go spreading your legs for everyone in town? I bet it was one of them!" Pointing at her friends, "I'm through with you!" With that, he turned and left before she could even close her mouth.

Her friends recovered from their shock first and crowded around her, hugging her and telling her it would be all right. She dissolved into a puddle of tears. She had been waiting for him all this time, they were going to handle this together!

Oh Goddess, my father was right about Gabriel. How could he come storming in here lying like that? Where would he get the idea that I was sleeping around on him? Now what am I going to do?

At that moment she felt her baby move for the first time, and she knew. She knew it would be hard, but they would manage. She would find a way for her child.