BLEEDING SILVER

Chapter 18

Later that night, Alina finally gained the courage to confront her parents. With a couple of rings, she hears her mother's voice. "Hey darling. It's already late at night. Is there something wrong?"

Ellen hears nothing else other than her daughter's soft breathing.

"Alina?" she once again questions, "Are you alright?"

"Hey mom." Ellen hums in response. Alina warily continues, "Or should I still call you that?"

Ellen's eyes widen in realization. She choked on her own words, careful of the next ones, "I guess there is no point in hiding it anymore then."

Alina replied with a hopeful stillness.

"Since you cannot sleep, I might as well tell you a story. Long ago, before Tellus was formed, the goddesses of the moon and the sun decided to create a land blessed by their own blood, or so the legend says. The goddess of the sun gifted the land with prosperity as goal in mind, starting a civilization ruled by the erudite golden blood during the day. Meanwhile, the goddess of the moon, wary of the danger of the night, decided to build a defensive layer thus the beginning of the strong silver blooded who roam in the dark. Said to have been formed for an army, the moon goddess granted royalty to one specific bloodline, earning titles as the generals—the so-called alphas." Ellen briefly pauses as she continues, "One of them is a female with midnight black hair and the same eye color as yours. The founder of Lunaria. My childhood friend, Stella Nightwalker—your mother."

Alina frowns at this recollection but remained quiet nevertheless.

"Everything back then was going on as smoothly as the goddesses planned until the time where the Helios get ahead of themselves and feared the unnatural strength Lunox are graced with. Fearing their incapability to apprehend the race in case they rule out by force, Lunox are then seen as a threat to the still blooming civilization. It was then finally decided—the execution of the people of the dark. On the night of the purge, Stella was the only one among the two surviving alphas who bore her successor," Ellen's voice emanates apparent sadness, "and died in the process. Since then, Sirius and I vowed to take you in and protect you no matter what."

Alina succumbed to every word that came from her adopted mother's mouth. "Two surviving alphas," she traces.

"Yes. He was raised by an influential Helios, a comrade, who also sided with the Lunox. We never intended to make you take the responsibility left behind by your mother but as much as it pains me," Ellen shortly halts, gasping for air, "I believe you have met him already. The one whom you are supposed to rebuild your race with."

The mild heat of the sunlight now caresses Alina's pale skin. She flutters her eyelids open, still feeling exhausted from a sleepless night. Alina chose to keep her reality for today as she gets up and dresses for school. She steps on her Wednesday's first period later than her usual time with her Crayola tube tucked in her high-waist denim jeans. After entering, she was greeted by an expectant Lucian who leans by the wall near the door. As soon as he notices Alina's presence, he leads her to a far end of the room, removes his denim jacket and hangs it on her shoulders. Lucian is now left with plain black V-neck shirt with jeans and running shoes of the same color.