Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 28

Sylvia stood alone in the center of the park, her heart beating quickly. Maybe they had changed their minds. Maybe they had forgotten about her. Maybe they had left her alone on purpose...

"Hey, Sylvia!" Harper's tone was cheerful, bringing Sylvia out of her thoughts.

Although she felt relieved to see her, her heart rate had only sped up.

"Harper!" Trae quickened his pace as he walked up to her, not giving Sylvia a moment to respond. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you guys," she responded, a sheepish look on her face as they met up where Sylvia was standing.

"Aren't you worried you're going to get caught?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Uh, no..." She looked away from him as he let her out of a hug.

He looked behind her, spotting Sylvia. "Sylvia's here... oh." His face fell, his lips curling into an apprehensive grimace.

"Don't be like that," Harper nudged him. "Be nice to her."

"Uh, um, hi," he tried, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to force a smile.

"Hey," she muttered in response, stepping behind Harper.

"When's Luna going to get here?" He asked, looking around the park with unfocused eyes.

"She said she'd be here soon, but I didn't see her on the way here." Harper responded, biting her lip.

"I knew I should've stopped by her house on the way," he muttered to himself, looking at his phone with the same unfocused gaze and running a hand through his hair.

"Relax, Romeo. She'll be here soon," Harper responded with a laugh.

"Shut up," he muttered, looking at his phone screen again.

"Hey guys," Lloyd's voice came from somewhere behind them. "Are you guys waiting for us?"

Trae turned, his smile brightening when his gaze landed on Luna. "Hey," his voice squeaked as Luna met his eyes.

"Hi," she responded, her eyes crinkling as she smiled.

Lily was clutching Lloyd's arm, an uncomfortable smile on her face.

"Razaia said that she and Colin are already at the waterfall," Luna said.

Trae grimaced, his lip curling up in one corner. "We better get over there before they've had enough time alone."

"Oh, hush." Harper swatted his arm, shoving him in the direction of the water.

Sylvia trailed along, falling into step behind Harper as she talked to Trae. She hated herself for the way her stomach burned when she heard Harper's voice, and the way her eyes would flick to her hand at her side, the way jealousy swam through her whenever Trae looked at Harper... She looked away with a sigh, staring at her hands as they shook lightly. She felt hollow, as if someone else was moving her body and all she could feel was the burn of bitter envy.

By the time they had reached the hidden trail, Harper had fallen away from the group to walk beside her. "Hey."

Sylvia tried not to look at her. "Hey." Her voice sounded weighed down, as if she were low on energy.

"You seem tired," Harper noted. "Are you sleeping enough?"

Sylvia blinked, looking up at her. "I-I mean I guess..."

Harper nodded, her cheeks dusting with pink.

Sylvia ran a hand through her almost white hair, twirling a waving lock around her finger as she stared at Harper's caring turquoise eyes. Under the silver light, they were a much darker teal than they had been during the sunrise, making Harper look more mysterious. Sylvia looked away, focusing instead on not tripping.