Celestial Sisters

Chapter 1-Luna, Andromeda, the Garden, and a Childhood

Father could not see them in the garden.

Luna hid in the flowers, while Andromeda hid in the bushes. They were lovely, imaginative children, and Father was indeed very proud, but he was mean and hard and cruel. Therefore, he was unable to produce any love for the children.

The day was very sunny. The garden was teeming with life; it buzzed with bees; sung with birds; popped with rich color in the flowers; burst with dew on the leaves; and stood very proud and handsome in the sunlight. Father could not see them in the garden.

Let us first see the children as they were; now, imagine two girls, of age twelve, close in height, and seemingly very frightened. Luna - she should be on the left, amongst the colorful flowers - had curly black hair that hung in delicate ringlets, and shone in the light the color of midnight. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were moon gray. Her features were so perfect they seemed almost of another world; some may describe her as elfish, or like a fairy. Big, angular eyes, with long, curly, black lashes; smooth, milky white skin; a perfect gem nose; and a forehead proportional to her head shape - not too big, not too small. Her expression was soft and kind, and she wore a delicate, flowery dress with lace and pearls and bows.

Andromeda was a delicate creature as just Luna was, but Andromeda was sneaky and sly, and her radiant loveliness held the notorious scents of evil. Not that she was evil, nor had that kind of heart, but she contained a capability of it; and she looked it, too. Her deep blue eyes glinted with cunning - a seemingly innocent leer. Her smirk on those lovely red lips was irresistably alluring, yet demanding much need for wariness. Andromeda's skin was not as pale as Luna's, but instead held a bright, rich, vibrant, youthful color. Her hair was long and hung in perfect waves and was the exact color of honey. Imagine Andromeda as cowering in the bushes, on the right, nestled amongst leaves and shadows from the trees and perfectly concealed. Her dress was very dainty and exquisite, and unfortunately got very much tousled up in the bushes.

They heard Father's footsteps just outside the garden. Each rustle of leaves and snap of a twig filled their youthful hearts with excited terror.

"Luna," Andromeda whispered.

Another noise signaled Father's coming.

"Luna," Andromeda repeated.

Luna put her finger to her mouth and shook her head.

"Luna!" Andromeda whisper-shouted.

Father was closer.

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head furiously; she was thinking, No, no,  no, no...

A scream erupted from the garden.

—-

The house was lovely and constructed of brick, with large windows that let in plenty of sunshine and gave the illusion that the house had eyes - as if it were observing you to find out everything about you; and, indeed, as the days are yet to come, the house would know many, many secrets.

Mother sat in the serenity of her drawing room window. Here she could peer from the windows down at the tiny, useless world below her. She could act as the house's eyes that knew so much, and so would observe as those eyes did - from the background, sneakily. Mother was a fussy, nosy lady. However, it is not to be put to her blame the reason for her incessant nosiness; she was often found clueless about everything. It's only natural for those lacking in knowledge to start to wonder. Mother called to her maid, Rhoda, to bring some more sugar for her tea, as Mother really did despise the bitterness. "Such fine tea," Rhoda remarked.