mark of the moon child

The Betrayal

Elle had been aimlessly walking for 2 hours. She'd gone through a park, down streets in a neighbourhood she didn't recognize. She didn't want to go back to her aunt's house, couldn't go back to the hospital. What would be the point? They can't fix her. She wanted to be alone. There was only one place she could think of now.

Elle found a bus stop and looked up the routes on her phone to get to where she needed to go. Two hours and multiple bus transfers later, she found herself on the main road in front of the beach where she'd first run into him. By the time she arrived the evening had come, and though the day was winding down there were still too many people around. She wanted to be alone. Elle looked to her right where she could see the cave Jay had brought her to the night of the first day they met.

She dodged people, picking up the pace as she got closer. The sound of the waves already calming her. When she reached the end of the beach, she looked up at the cave opening very clearly out of her reach. She remembered the way Jay had picked her up faster than a split second and jumped down to the sand. Elle slipped the strap of her duffle bag over her head so it sat across her chest and grabbed onto the first indentation in the rock wall.

Slowly she climbed up, slipping a couple times, and found her way to the edge of the cave where she pulled herself up. Finally, she threw her duffle bag on the rocky ground and sat down next to it with her legs crossed. People were further away from her now and she could see and hear the water lapping over the sand, hitting the rock wall below her. She took her first real breath. When she let out her second breath, emotions rose. Tears began to spill over and she lost control. Her hands covered her face and her hair fell around it as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

She let the tears come. Let everything wash over her. Finally knowing that it wasn't all in her head. The grief of losing a father she'd never had to begin with. The betrayal she felt from her mother. The fact that she had no idea who she was or where she truly came from. Her life had been a lie up until now. Everything had been pretend.

It was darker now, the beach had some stragglers left over. Finally she laid down with her head on her duffle, staring out at the ocean. She had watched the sun set with bleary eyes and now only pale blues and purples remained as the darkness began to take over. The quiet breeze ruffled her hair and made her skin shiver.

"Didn't I get you a coat?" Elle didn't react when she heard his voice. She kept her head down on her duffle.

"Go away." She said weakly, staring out at the ocean and the pale moon. Jay looked down at her then sat, legs over the edge, next to where her head lay. He then removed his jacket and draped it over her. They stayed like that in silence until darkness took over and the moon shined brightly, reflecting over the water.

"We need to talk about this." Jay said gently, almost in a whisper. He looked at the top of her head, her lashes, her nose, the way her hand gripped one of the duffle bag straps.

"I don't want to talk."

"I know. And I'm sorry, for everything." He looked back out to the ocean. "But we do need to talk about this. About the grotto." They sat quietly for another moment.

"My mom was there when I woke up." Elle finally said. He waited. "She was touching my mark. I thought I was dreaming of her at first. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes. She told me not to trust you." Jay looked back at her then back out again. "I can't trust her either. I can't trust anyone." She sounded alone, lonely.

"Have I given you reason not to trust me?" Why should her opinion of him matter this much? Why should she matter so much?

"I don't know you. You don't know me." She sighed. "I don't even know who I am."