Moonchild

Chapter One - Lily

I flicked the light in my fingers, letting it dance around. It honestly burns, but I have to get used to it I guess. It lights up the area around me, sending little sparks flying in different directions. It's mesmerising...for a moment.

"Enough Nadia!" Avina sighs, leaning against a tree.

"I am just saying, this is a horrible idea," Nadia says, pacing around.

I look up, letting the light fall into my palm and slowly fizzle out. "Nobody's forcing you to come with us."

Nadia flicks her blue hair and lets it fall onto her shoulder. All while pacing around a couple of wild mushrooms. Avina's still leaning against a tree, letting her head fall back on one of the branches.

"We've been talking about this for weeks..." I continue, as it is getting dark and we still aren't ready. We're also surrounded by forest, so it would be more than difficult to leave.

"Fine then. I'll join. But just know I might have to use my magic and you both know I can't-"

"Nadia." Avina hisses, getting up and placing one arm on her shoulder, "We are meeting the boys soon and we have to be ready. Are you in or out? Seriously."

There's a silence, that you could cut with a knife. I make brief eye contact with Nadia before she turns back to Avina.

"Okay. I'll do it."

I let out a sigh of relief and gathered my things together.

"Thank the stars..." I mutter under my breath, but they both notice me, "Anyway, we ought to be going I guess. Marcus and Levi will both be there soon, and we still aren't dressed."

"Okay let's go. If they see us going into the house they won't suspect us going to the castle." Avina schemed, "Lily, we'll meet you there?"

I smile. "Absolutely"

"Alright then. See you soon."

In one swift movement, Nadia let her forehead rest on Avina's and they both disappeared in a cloud of mist. I simply turn and leave.

While I'm walking, I become more aware of my surroundings. There are trees everywhere, ones that curl into peculiar shapes and others that just trip me up. The forest floor is coated in leaves, like the ground somehow put on a coat or a jumper. Even though it's getting dark, I can still see the shapes in the trees, which are mostly leaves, but the occasional bird flies over me and drops things onto the forest floor. Avina, Nadia, Marcus, Levi and I normally all meet in that little area of the forest because no one can really hear or see us.

My boots crush leaves as I walk, and the wind lifts up my coat and flies around my head. But I have to focus. This is probably the riskiest thing the group has done in a while.

I remember the group going over the plan over and over. We were sitting around a tree, even though Levi and Nadia were hanging from the branches above.

"There isn't an opening between six-thirty and seven, which is why we should go to the castle at eight or nine," I remember Marcus saying sternly, clearly lost in thought.

"I have a dress. Are you guys ready?" Avina said, "Because I can organize some."

"No need Avy." Nadia said, hanging upside down next to Levi, "I've organized one for myself and Lily has Juliet. But I'm not sure about Marcus and Levi."

The tree was rough against my back, as I was sitting on the side but Marcus and Avina sat against the roots. The tree is on a slope that leads into a little clearing, which is where we would usually sit. Occasionally twigs would fall from above which was annoying, but besides that, we were all calmly revising the details.