“It was my job to find the mirror, the mirror from Earth to the council in Avidaura. Do you remember all those trips to antique stores, all the mirrors we looked at?”
“Yeah.” Luna remembered staring at all the mirrors, and never taking any of them home.
“I was searching for the way back to the council, to find help for Eranox. It was a waste of time…” She trailed off, her eyes watering.
“You didn’t find it?” Luna asked, there had been thousands of mirrors, one of them must have been the right one.
“Not even a clue as to where it is. Not even a clue…”
“So you stopped looking.” Luna remembered the antique stores, the adventures she and her mother would have trying to find them in the darkest corners of the shadiest back alleys, then one day they had stopped. Luna always thought it was just because she had grown up, her mother had taken a more serious job, and Luna had more school work to deal with.
“I had to Luna, we couldn’t keep looking forever. At some point I had to let you live your life. It wasn’t fair to you.”
“So that thing that I saw.” Luna stared at the ring on her finger, remembering the dark man, the one that had scared her into running towards the Gateway in the first place, “That was my dad then?”
“That’s his ring Luna, I would recognize it anywhere.” Her mom smiled slowly.
“He was here.” Luna remembered his shadow standing in the door, a dark void that no light could penetrate.
“He must be trapped in the Gateway with the others.” Luna’s mom nodded in agreement, she seemed thoughtful for a moment, “That’s probably what happened to him...” Her voice grew soft like she though he was trapped with the other creatures.
“No, mom,” Luna stared at her mother, trying to get through to her, “he was here at the house.”
“What?” Her eyes were so wide that Luna could see her own reflection in them. “That’s not possible.” She stared at the covered window in her office, “Here? At the house? How did he get out of the Gateway?”
“He was here, trying to get in. Like a dark shadow, he looked like he was made of smoke…” Luna shivered, remembering his hand pressed against the glass at the front door. “That’s why Lucas and I ran for the woods.” Luna answered, her mom stared at her, piecing it together.
“Lucas was with you?” She sighed as though she was relieved that her daughter hadn’t gone into the woods alone. Though she made no comment on Lucas’ current whereabouts, he hadn’t come back with Luna.
“He’s not from here.” Luna informed her mother.
“He’s not?” She sounded surprised, though there was a note of uncertainty. “He’s from Eranox…” She trailed off thoughtfully. “He looked so familiar…” She seemed to be wracking her brain for the person she had known that could be a relation to him.
“He is.” Luna growled. She was still bitter that she had allowed herself to trust him, that she had followed him like he was a friend, and then he had betrayed her.
“And he stayed there, he didn’t come back?” She looked curious, “What happened to him? Was he okay?”
“He’s still there.” Luna crossed her arms, “He took me to the castle, and they locked me up…” She huffed, “But I escaped, and I came home.” She added proudly.
“Escaped?” Her mom seemed confused, “What did you do? Why were you locked up? Were you in the dungeons?” The questions spilled from her mouth as she stared at Luna.
“No…” Luna frowned, “They had me in a room, but I heard them, they weren’t going to let me leave.”
“Oh Luna,” Her mom reached across the gap between them, pulling Luna in for a tight hug, “They would never harm you.” She whispered in her ear.
“They locked me up.” Luna repeated.
“You are eighteen, Luna, you always had to return.” Her mom shook her head, as though Luna wasn’t understanding something, “They would never hurt you, you are too important.”
“Important?” Luna was utterly confused.
“We were always supposed to return Luna, just not like that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Isn’t that why Lucas came looking for you?” Her mom seemed to understand something that she didn’t, “You’ve reached your eighteenth year.” Her eyes flickered, with understanding and a small amount of panic. “They need you to stop the curse.” She breathed. “We couldn’t find the mirror, and now they want you…”
“Mom, how could I do that, I’m not even from there.” Luna nearly laughed, she might have been from Eranox, but she hadn’t been raised on Earth. How could they expect her to end a curse that her own parents couldn’t stop?
“They don’t know that Luna.” Her mom stood, pacing the room. “They don’t know...” She repeated under her breath.
CHAPTER TWO
Luna was still reeling, they had left her mother’s office, but the conversation was still repeating itself in her head. She was struggling, trying to piece together what had really happened in Eranox, it still felt like it was just a bad dream.
They had wanted something from her, that much she was certain of. But what and why were still escaping her comprehension. Despite her mother’s efforts to explain what had happened to Eranox and to her, Luna still couldn’t grasp what was at stake. She knew that it meant a lot to her mother, that it was her home world, but to Luna it was just a strange place in the woods, a dark flash in an otherwise normal life.
The day had passed in a blur of tea and toast, the only thing that Luna could stomach while her brain was trying to make sense of it all. Still, her stomach rolled as she tried to sip at her cold tea, sitting on the couch next to her mother, the television glowing softly out of focus across the room.
“So that man I saw, the one who looked like a shadow…” Luna whispered.
“He was your father, I’m sure of it.” Her mom answered, biting her lip again.
“How can you know that it was him.”
“The ring Luna, he wouldn’t have taken it off. He wouldn’t have given it to anyone.”
“But he gave it to me,” Luna still couldn’t believe her mother about the shadowed figure. He had chased her from her home and out into the woods, he had followed her and Lucas through the labyrinth. Lucas had said that they needed to get away from him, she had felt the same.
“I know Luna,” Her mom was reading her face, “it’s hard to believe that he could still be alive.”
“I’m not sure that he was.” Luna answered, the smoky haze of the dark figure that she remembered so vividly from her nightmares couldn’t be more than a ghost.
“He was cursed Luna.” Her mom huffed, clearly growing tired of Luna’s insistence that the other world didn’t make sense.
“What about Lucas then,” Luna stared at her mom, “did you know who he was?”
“I didn’t, not at first.” She admitted slowly, “It became more apparent later, but he hadn’t spoken to me yet. I thought you would have a while before they called you back.”
“Called me back?”
“Yes, Luna.” Her mom sighed for the fiftieth time, “You’re a High Wizard’s daughter, at eighteen your powers reach their height. They would expect you to help with the curse. I already told you this.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Luna grew quiet, “About Eranox?”
Her mother paused for a long time, staring at the back door as she chose her words carefully, “I didn’t think we were ever going back.” She finally whispered.
“What?”
It was the last thing she had expected her mother to say, that she had given up and abandoned her home. She had always seen her mother as a strong person, fighting to keep everything right in a world full of chaos. The number of times they had moved, the number of times her mother had started fresh, just to give Luna a new chance. The words sounded wrong coming out of her mouth.
“You have to understand Luna, I thought your father was dead. I thought there was no hope. We nev
er found the mirror, there is no one that can break that curse. Even you. I didn’t tell you about Eranox because I didn’t want you to know. You were happy not knowing.”
Luna shifted, setting her mug on the coffee table, she wasn’t sure how to feel. Her mother was putting her family first, that much could be said, but Luna had seen the Gateway and the creatures. To know that they had been human and just leave them like that was horrible.
“Then why did we move to River Falls?” Luna asked, “Why now, if you’ve already given up, why come back at all?”
It seemed that her question had struck home, her mother looked uncomfortable at revealing the answer that was coming.
“I didn’t know if Eranox was still there, it’s been eighteen years Luna.” She sighed softly, leaning against the couch, “I knew they would come for you, if they were still there, I just wanted to finish it.” She answered.
“Finish it?” Luna didn’t understand what he mother was saying.
“They were coming for you Luna.” She stared at her mug, “I was going to send them away, this was it, the last stand.” She looked into Luna’s eyes, pleading with her, “I was going to say no, and then we were going to walk away.”
“Were?” Luna caught the hesitance in her voice.
“Your father is alive…”
“And that changes things?”
“It does.” Her mom nodded slowly, “It changes everything.”
“So you’re going to keep looking?” Luna wondered how many mirrors there were that they hadn’t seen yet.
“Maybe, I haven’t really decided.” She sipped at her tea, thoughtfully, “If the curse is still active, then it’s too dangerous to return, but there is always the possibility that we find the mirror, get help for them…”
Night had fallen over River Falls and Luna wasn’t the slightest bit tired. There were too many thoughts racing through her head, too many questions for her to ask.
“I need to know more.” She said simply.
“And you will.” Her mother promised, “But for now, I think we should take a break. Tomorrow I can explain more…” Her mom rose from the couch, returning from the kitchen a moment later with an armful of snacks and a pad of paper.
“Why don’t you pick a movie, I’m going to make a list of all the things you need to know. I’m sure it’s a lot to take in, you’ve already been through so much.” She suggested, handing Luna the remote for the television.
“Okay Mom.” Luna shifted down the couch to make room for her mom.
Luna settled in for the evening, biting back all the questions that still lingered on her mind so her mom could write out her list. She was sure there would be questions that her mom wouldn’t think to answer, but she could always ask them later.
“Hey mom?” Luna shifted, covering her legs with a blanket, “Do you think if the curse is lifted, we could go visit sometime?”
Her mother smiled, “I’m sure if the curse was lifted we could visit anytime. But you belong here Luna, Eranox is not really your home…”
“But it’s your…”
“Not anymore Luna… pick a movie, I’ve got a lot of questions to answer.”
“Okay.”
Luna turned back to the television, it felt strange to be doing something so mundane after all that she had been through, after all that she had learned. Knowing that there were other worlds out there made it seem silly to be staring at a television, watching a movie. She set down the remote, trying to act as normal as possible, but she didn’t really know what normal was anymore.
Her phone pinged again, Jessica trying to check in on her.
“Who is that?” Her mom asked, watching as Luna checked her phone.
“Just Jessica again.” She sighed, setting her phone back down.
“Honey, you should probably call her. She sounds worried…” Her mom gave her a knowing look.
“Fine,” Luna agreed, “I’ll be right back.”
Luna walked down the hall to her mom’s office, sitting behind the desk as she pressed the call button.
The phone hadn’t even rung when she heard Jessica’s voice on the other end.
“Luna? Is that you? Are you okay?” Jessica sounded rushed.
“Hey Jess, it’s me.”
“Luna, oh gosh, I thought you’d lost your phone or something, you haven’t answered me all weekend.” Jessica rambled on.
“What’s up?” Luna waited for her response, knowing that Jess just wanted to hear her story, as much as anyone else in River Falls did. It was the talk of the town after all.
“How are you? I heard you got lost in the woods?”
“I’m fine,” Luna lied, “it was just… a long night.” Luna tried to find a way to explain her ordeal to Jess without lying.
“You should have seen the party.” Jess went on, “There were police everywhere, looking for you. We even had a search party.” Jess gushed.
“Is Bev mad that I ruined her birthday party?” Luna asked, worried that she would suffer the wrath of Bev when she returned to class.
“Oh she’s fuming.” Jess laughed, “It was amazing…”
“Well I’m glad you had fun.”
“Come on Luna,” Jess whined, “are you coming back to class soon?”
“I’m taking the week off, trying to let it blow over…” She admitted, wondering if it ever would.
“They’ll still be talking about this when they’re retired…” Jess admitted, “It’s the only exciting thing that’s ever happened, “Were you okay though? I heard you were lost?”
“I’m fine.” Luna told her again, “Just trying to forget it ever happened.”
“What about Lucas?” Jessica whispered, “He wasn’t in class today, have you seen him?”
Luna paused, no one had realized that Lucas had been with her. He wasn’t exactly missing, he was back in Eranox where he belonged, but chances were Jessica would never see him again.
“He had to go out of town.” Luna lied, not sure if that was the best response.
“So you’ve talked to him? He isn’t answering my calls either…” Jessica dug for more information.
“Maybe he changed his number…” Luna suggested.
“Really, so he’s not coming back?” She sounded skeptical.
“I don’t think he is.” Luna answered flatly.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jessica sounded concerned, “Should I come over, do you want company?”
It was the last think that Luna wanted, trying to act normal in front of Jess would be too hard, “I think I’m just going to watch a movie with my mom and go to bed.” Luna answered quickly before Jess could hang up, “But I’ll call you tomorrow after school.” Luna promised, hopeful that that would be enough time to get her head straight.
“Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Jess sighed through the phone. “Call me if you need anything though, I can be there in five minutes.” She promised.
“Thanks Jess.”
Luna hung up, she felt sick. Lying to Jessica had been hard, she was a good friend, and had clearly been worried sick. Luna felt bad that she couldn’t share the truth. But knowing Jess, the truth would be too much for her.
Luna stared at her phone for a moment longer, it was new, her mom had replaced her old one that morning before they had gone to the police. It wasn’t the same, none of her friends numbers were in it, not even Lucas’. She had thought about him a lot since she had returned.
He had known about Eranox, he had been using the portal in the woods for months without her knowing, spying on her. She had considered him to be a friend, and he had betrayed her.
She would never forgive him.
Luna still couldn’t figure out if he had meant to take her into the Gateway that night, or if it had really been a fluke. But that didn’t change how he had acted after they had arrived in Eranox. She knew that they weren’t going to let her leave, he had let them take her prisoner. He had been a Prince of that strange place in the woods, and hadn�
�t even told her before he had introduced her to the King.
He couldn’t be trusted.
Luna heard her mom calling from the living room, she was still staring at the phone in her hand. She tucked it back into her pocket and walked down the hall to the living room.
“Sorry Mom.” She tucked herself back in on the couch, the movie had already started, but she wasn’t planning on paying much attention anyway.
“Everything okay?” Her mom asked, “Was Jess asking about that night?”
Luna laughed, “Of course she was Mom, it’s a small town. Apparently they’ll be talking about it until they die…”
“It won’t be that bad…” Her mom promised, though there was a note of uncertainty in her voice.
“You’re not the one who isn’t going to hear the end of it…” Luna mumbled, melting into the couch
“Just don’t over think it, okay Luna?” Her mom tousled her hair and turned back to her notebook, “It will all work out.” She promised, sounding more sure.
Her mother flipped another page, still scribbling furiously while the movie played in the background.
“How much have I missed out on?” Jessica shifted, trying to stare over her mom’s shoulder, she had already written three pages and didn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Her mom paused, thinking. “Imagine if you had gone to school but in a different world.” She started slowly, “You missed everything that you would have learned there…” She stopped, staring at Luna.
“That much?” Luna gasped, “And you expect to explain it all in a day?” She stared at her mother like she had grown a second head, “That’s not possible.” She whispered, shaking her head.
“I know Luna, and I’m not expecting you to get it all in a day.” She stayed calm, “This,” she pointed to the notebook, “is like a cheat sheet.” She smiled, “I’ll explain as much as I can, but these notes might help you figure some of it out on your own.” She smiled.
“Mom,” Luna rolled her eyes, “you are insane.”
“Sometime I wonder…” Her mom chuckled, turning back to the notebook and flipping another page. “Just watch the movie, try to relax?” She suggested, still writing while she talked.
Eranox- Cursed Page 2