Evermoon

Chapter 2

Present...

A candle flickered gently heating the glass walls of the mason jar that contained it and she quickly moved it from hand to hand trying and failing to manage the pain that would surely be marked as a burn later, but she stubbornly held on determined to finish what she set out to do. She walked along the pavement of the sleepy town of Blairs Hollow, through the small town that was home to a population of 3,759. The town was extra quiet this evening as if it too remembered what happened on this fateful night 5 years ago, but she didn't mind the quiet so much or the isolation, it allowed her to think and every time she walked this route she always thought about that night, how things could have been different. Crossing the road, she took a turn at the end, muscle memory leading the way at this point. For the past five years, on the night before her birthday she would walk the route that would lead to her old home and back, The first year was the hardest, adjusting to living with Grandma Claire and Lucas was difficult at first, she had never lived with a boy before. Luckily school wasn't affected, that was one area she excelled in without really trying, her friends tried to help as much as they could but what could they do really? They were just kids, like she was trying to make sense of what was going on. As the months went by with no contact from her parents, the reality began to sink that they weren't coming back and soon the police agreed with that idea too, stating there wasn't enough evidence to support the theory her parents were missing, so they were going to close the case.

A whole year had gone by and she had begun to believe the stories, her parents were dead. They were never coming back. She left the house in search of anything that wasn't inside there and she walked, aimlessly deep in thought, when she finally stopped and looked up the sky had grown dark, the constellations shimmering against the dark backdrop and her house stood dilapidated and unloved. She waited.

And waited.

She stared up at the stars again, misdirected anger built up within her, her eyes began to glow and she let out a deep sob she had been holding in for a long time. Dropping to her knees she crawled to the edge of the kerb and sat holding her head in her lap.

"Ahem" a deep male voice cleared his throat.

She lifted her head slightly, it was Lucas, she didn't let that stop her from crying. Unbothered if her wailing would wake up the neighbours, unbothered Lucas would see her ugly cry, all she was bothered about was the slither of hope that was hanging by a thread, that her parents might have returned to the scene of the...

Lucas didn't say anything that first night, he just sat there as if walking around the town at night minding his own business was his normal routine but she didn't mind although she wouldn't admit, he was the only one she didn't mind being around during this moment, when she was ready to walk back, he stayed by her side and brought a candle. A vigil he called it. It had been their unspoken anniversary plans for her parents.

This night was no different, except for the fact this time tomorrow she would be eighteen. An official adult according to human law and apparently witch law. Not only would she be able to legally vote, get married and own a property she'd also be able to read minds, levitate objects and stop time. Slight exaggeration, but the point was, this day approached quicker than expected. Her two lives were about to become one and despite all the careful planning and evading, the three most important people in her life only knew a fraction of what was really going on. But there had always been a perfect constant.

She glanced in Lucas's direction, blushing slightly at the direction her thoughts were taking her.

"As you say, a penny for your thoughts, pequena"

They walked side by side, the cool autumn air still but filled with the promise of rain, heading back to the Stellanova family home.

"I just can't believe it," she thought quickly on her feet, "5 years have gone by so quickly. They were supposed to be here, teach me the ways of the old, how to control it. I miss them every day."