Luna of Rogues

Part 6 - A Glimpse of the Future

Wasn't going to update this until summer but all you guys voting and commenting made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so I decided to write you this chapter ;)

Just to be clear, there's no time skip at the end of the chapter, that's just a bit of foreshadowing *insert evil cackle here*

That night, the three of us sat around a campfire, just as we had done every Friday night for as long as I could remember. I was perched on a log outside our hideout — a run-down hunter's cabin on a hillside. I had discovered it while stumbling around in the dark, trying to find a quiet place to piss. Over the next summer, we had fixed it up with scrap wood and materials from a junk-yard. My siblings and I spent every weekend there to relax and mess around.

"Skye, you next," Fion said with a lazy smile. She was drunk, of course. What else would teenagers do without adult supervision?

I raised an eyebrow at her, but threw my pebble at the target—an overhead branch. Having had a few drinks myself, my aim was a little off, and it fell short. Fion smirked triumphantly, taking another swig from her beer can.

"What'll it be?" Rhys asked, grinning

"Dare," I answered instantly. Truth was boring. It had always been boring, and no one ever answered it honestly anyway. At least, I didn't.

Rhys and Fion exchanged a glance. They didn't need words to communicate, or the mind-link. We just knew each other too well. Then my brother inclined his head towards the fire and gave me a look that clearly said you know the drill.

"This is so pointless," I muttered, eyeing the fire doubtfully. All teenager enjoy playing with fire, but even the bravest don't enjoy touching it.

"This whole game is pointless, or we wouldn't play it. Pointlessness is what makes it recreational," Rhys argued. But he seemed to sense my reluctance, because he poured a bottle of water over his own hand and met my eyes. "Fine — I'll go first if you're too chicken."

I snorted. He either genuinely thought I was scared or he was attempting to use reverse psychology, and unfortunately for me, it was working. I sighed then raised my eyebrows at Rhys, accepting the challenge. He splashed more water over himself and then watched with amusement as I copied him.

"Last chance to back out." Fion said as she poured the remains of her beer on the campfire. As the fire flared up, the resulting light reflected off her eyes, making them glow golden.

I really should explain myself at this point. It was almost midnight and we'd been drinking all evening, despite it being a tiny bit illegal. Irresponsible, yes. But Rhodric had never done anything except encourage our recklessness, claiming that we would only learn by making mistakes. It was probably true, but a good thrashing might have worked just as well.

So, without anyone to tell me no, I was about to put my hand in a fire, just because I had been dared to. Stupid? Yup. Dangerous? Very. Pyromanical? Little bit...

But we were Rhodric's kids, we were drunk, and most importantly, we were young.

Rhys went first — waving his hand over the flame before dunking it straight in a tray of water. He examined his unburnt fingers and grinned at me, daring me to copy him.

I eyed the fire for only a second, then plunged a hand in and out. But before I could put it into the water, my oh-so-caring siblings threw the entire canteen of water all over me. I sat there, dripping and outraged. It took approximately a minute of cussing to reach the appropriate level of offence. Then I flipped Rhys off and dived at Fion, tackling her off to one side.

Personally, I was surprised that my after-alcohol-coordination allowed me to miss the fire and actually hit my target. My sister and I wrestled in the undergrowth while Rhys laughed his head off on the other side of our camp.