Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 27

Luna stood on the helicopter platform, the air crisp around her and each gust of wind sending shivers through her. She let herself focus on the air, and the way she could reshape the air into wings. Wings that spread out behind her, filling her with a feeling that she was being reunited with something she had lost.

She let the wings lift her off the ground, pushing against the air until she had reached the hologram. She stared at the moon, reaching her hand towards it before fluttering back down. She let herself hover for a moment, watching as the others struggled into the air. Lloyd and Lily were pushing each other around, Colin was trying to help Razaia off the ground, and Harper was watching Sylvia trying to get her bearings.

Luna let her body drift back into the air, the gusts created from her wings disturbing the others. She giggled lightly, flying up to the hologram again. She looked beneath her for approval, and Grant just shrugged in reply.

Luna let herself float past the glowing barrier, breaking through it like taking a breath after emerging from water. She took a few deep breaths, letting the air seep through her. It was different being above the mountain. The air was the same, the town was the same, the rules were the same, yet she felt free. This air was clear. And she was the only thing in the sky.

Luna could hardly see the city beneath her feet, the small buildings like white flowers in a never ending field. She looked up towards the azure sky, speckled with stars like bright paint on a deep indigo canvas. The moon was a disk above her head, so close she felt she could just reach up and touch it. There wasn't a cloud for miles.

The night was still, and there she was, a young girl with angel wings hovering above a mountain. Too far to be seen by anyone. Too far to be told what to do. But too close to escape. Too close to be truly free.

☆★☆

Luna landed on the rocky platform, her wings folding against her back before they fully dissipated into the air. The others landed behind her, with a few feet scuffling and a groan. They were still getting the hang of flying through the sky, using the cover of night and mountains to stay hidden. It wasn't as difficult as Luna had imagined, the beating motion of wings behind her becoming second nature. Luna didn't want to stop flying yet, but she knew it was almost sunrise.

Sylvia stepped forward first, noticing Luna's hesitation. She placed a hand on the rock in front of them, and it pulsed under her touch. She stepped through it, her body disappearing without a trace, not even the echo of her footsteps present. Luna took a breath, stepping through the hologram after her. She was standing at the end of the hallway, staring down the green-grey paneled walls towards the other end. Sylvia was somewhere in the middle, debating which room to enter. She looked between the Conference Room and the Training Room, before she silently slipped to the floor.

In front of Sylvia stretched a long hallway. Anything around her was lost to the dark, no matter how much she tried to focus. She looked down at her feet, a glowing white light in place of her shadow. As she stepped forward, it moved with her. As she moved her arms, the light-shadow moved its arms. A dull ringing was present in the back of her head, scattering any thoughts she could have formulated. As she stepped forward, she started to see eight doors, each accompanied by a different feeling. The space around her was less of something she could see in front of her, and more of something she could see in her memory. Which was strange, considering she felt like she was walking around in a secluded corner of her own mind. She turned towards the door she could feel as her own, placing her hand on the smooth surface. She couldn't feel it, like her sense of touch was invalid in the realm. It was metal, she could tell, with gold and silver patterns running along the plain grey. She reached for the nob and the door swung open. She stepped inside, her light-shadow brightening until she couldn't see anymore.

Sylvia opened her eyes, a sensation of seeing the world for the first time wafting over her. Sylvia started to hyperventilate, a vast array of emotions seizing her, not giving her a moment to react. "What happened?" She rasped, pushing up against the floor. Her hands felt numb and chills were racking through her body.

"You're okay, you're okay," Harper knelt down beside her. "You're okay."

Sylvia grasped for her hand as Harper tried to steady her against the cold metal floor. "What happened?"

"You passed out," she replied, lifting the smaller girl on to her feet.

Sylvia held a hand against her face. "Oh."

"Did you see anything?" Luna asked as she walked up to them.

"Yeah," Sylvia covered her eyes with her hand. "It was a dark hallway, and there were these doors, I don't know." She sighed, dropping her hand to her side. "The Shadow Realm, I guess."

"Are you okay though? Did you hit your head or something when you fell?" Harper stretched out a hesitant hand towards her before dropping it.

"No, I'm okay," Sylvia stepped away from her, looking down at her feet. "Thanks," she added in a hushed tone.

"Okay," Harper shifted back.

Grant stepped out of the Training Room. "Well there you are, come on now, don't drag your feet."

They followed him back in, a collective groan and tired sigh following them.

☆★☆

Luna was tired and dripping with sweat as Grant went over basic sword techniques. The sword was shaking in her grip, her hands sticky and her locket burning against her chest. Her breath was heavy, her chest heaving and her throat burning.

A silence fell over the room as Harper hit the floor, her pink hair falling over her face.

Harper was walking down a pitch black hallway. It looked like it had been fully bathed in a shadow, the way the aura of a Night-Timer seemed to wrap around them. Her shadow was the only light in the room, made of a burst of pure light which followed her as she walked, illuminating the space around her feet. Around her were eight doors, each a dull grey color. She started to walk forward, searching for the door that called to her.

She wandered some more, getting closer and closer to the white door at the end of the hall. That one was different, she could tell. Each grey door was meant for one of them, but the white door was something else. She could feel it was a neutral space, but also one of great uncertainty.

The door that called to her was to her was now directly to her right, a feeling of excitement washing through her as she turned towards it.

Once she stepped up to it, the door swung open for her, and she stepped cautiously inside, a rush of fervor shook through her and her eyes wrenched shut.

She gasped for breath, feeling as if she had been fully submerged in water, then very quickly yanked out, a cold feeling slipping through her body.

Her head was resting on Sylvia's knee, the others standing around awkwardly waiting for her to sit up.

"What... what happened? Was that the Shadow Realm?"

Grant nodded, turning to put his own sword away. "I think that this is enough training for today, I can't have anymore of you passing out on this floor. Someone will get hurt." He stepped out of the room without another word, the door leading outside shutting with a reverberating clang.

Sylvia struggled to help Harper to her feet.

"Uh, thanks," Harper rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes wandering around the room.

"Mhm," Sylvia hummed, turning away from her. After a small silence she spoke again, still not turning to face her. "You're okay, though?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good, I'm going home now." Sylvia said.

"Why don't you come hang out with us?" Luna asked her. "We're going to hang out, probably at the park. Trae might be there too, you can always come with us if you want."

Harper gasped happily, nudging Sylvia's shoulder. "Please come with us! It's going to be so much fun!"

Sylvia smiled. "Are you sure you want me there?"

Harper nodded. "Please say yes."

"Okay, I'll come."