Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 4

It was early in the night, now a few days past Trae's bloody nose; the moon almost to its midpoint, and stars splashing across the deep indigo sky. Luna had just stepped out of her house with Lloyd on her heels, when someone flung themselves at her. The form hugged her so tightly she could feel the air escaping her lungs and her back cracking under the pressure. Lloyd let out a startled gasp as he shut the door behind them, then chuckled lightly, the sound catching in his throat.

When the person let Luna go, she realized who it was. Tears stung her eyes, and her heart clenched. "Harper?" Her voice was strained and almost silent.

Harper nodded, her turquoise eyes brimming with tears and mascara stains running down her cheeks. Her eyes had a glossy film-like shine over them, the way all Day-Timer eyes did. "I thought I'd never get to see you again," she sobbed, hugging Luna against herself. Luna squeezed her back, resting her head on her shoulder. Harper let her go to hug Lloyd, his look of surprise morphing into sorrow. "I thought I'd never get to see either of you again."

"Harper, what are you doing here?" Luna asked her incredulously, studying her best friend, a few tears escaping and rolling down her jaw. Although they lived next door to each other and texted almost every night, they hadn't seen each other in years. Harper had changed a lot, her eyes glowing brighter and her high cheekbones more prominent. She looked older with her cheeks more sunken in and multiple earrings in each ear. Her hair was dyed a bright coral pink, thick curls resting on her shoulders. She'd seen her like this in pictures, but it was different seeing her in person.

"I had to see you. My friends and I had a huge falling out... then I had a dream that I had lost you and I had to see you... I don't want to live in a world without you."

Luna paused, looking up at Harper. "You'll never lose me, I'll always be right here."

"I love you," Harper mumbled into Luna's shoulder.

"I love you too."

"Tell the others I said hi," she added as she backed off the porch. "And tell Trae that I miss him."

"I will," Luna responded.

Harper blew them both a kiss, swiping away her tears and running back in to her house.

Luna ran her thumb under her eyes, wiping away her tears. She looked up at Lloyd, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked like he was reliving memories, his brown eyes glazed over and his lips pressed together. Luna realized that her hands were shaking. She took a few breaths to steady herself before she and Lloyd started to walk down to the corner.

"Did she just... walk through the night?" Lloyd asked.

"You're right, I was so surprised I didn't realize... how could she even see us? Doesn't the night smother their sight?" Luna responded, her voice wobbling. "She shouldn't be able to see us, the modification makes it so that she can't..."

Lloyd shrugged. "That's what we've been told. She could have just texted you, she didn't have to risk coming over here."

"You know how she is," Luna sucked in a breath. "She seems pretty shaken up. Do you think she's okay?"

"You know how she is," Lloyd echoed. "She'll be fine, she always is."

"I hope so."

☆★☆

The conversation at the lunch table dulled, no one quite sure of what to bring up. Luna looked down at her food, summing up the courage to say something.

"So we saw Harper today," she stated nonchalantly, not looking up from her drink.

Trae spit out his water. "What?"

She looked up at him, her expression empty. "She came to see me this morning, before we left for school."

"Harper came to see you, and you didn't say anything?"

Luna shrugged. "Sorry."

"S-sorry? You saw Harper, didn't say anything, and just say 'sorry'?"

Luna grimaced. "I'm telling you now."

"Well how is she? Is she okay?"

Luna let a smile break across her lips. "She told me to tell you that she says hi," Luna watched his expression change, the corners of his lips turning up. "She's doing okay, I guess. Those fake friends of hers started some new drama and are trying to tear her down again."

"Oh..." Trae's face fell.

"She's alright though, she's strong." Lloyd cut in. "She misses you, Trae."

Trae nodded. "I miss her too."

Lily-Rose sat down at the table beside Lloyd. "Who's Harper?"

"She's uh, she's my best friend." Luna said with a faint smile.

"Our best friend." Trae corrected. "She's a Day-Timer."

"Oh." Lily's curious look dropped. "Is she nice?"

"Yeah," Trae said. "She's the sweetest."

"You two would be good friends," Luna said, tearing her gaze away from Trae's fluctuating expressions.

Lily-Rose smiled softly.

"So Lily-Rose... did you think about coming to the game tonight ?" Lloyd asked tentatively.

"Uh..." she stared at the table, her shoulders drooping. "I don't know..."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he said quickly. "I'd just like it if you were there."

Her lips twitched. "I..."

"If you want, Razaia and I can wait for you so you don't have to walk there on your own," Luna suggested.

"I..."

Trae shot them both a look. "I'm sorry on behalf of both of them," he said to Lily-Rose. "We don't want to make it seem like we're pressuring you into going."

"No, no it's okay..." Lily-Rose replied softly. "I'd like that."

Lloyd's smile widened across his face. "Really?"

Lily-Rose nodded. "Yeah."

"Great," Luna said. "We'll meet you after sixth period and we'll go together."

Lily-Rose nodded again, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. "Sounds awesome."