Twin Moon - Chapter 237 - Family Photo
Zelena.
I know fear. I lived my whole life with fear. It has shaken me to my very core, and attached itself to every inch of me. But the kind of fear that was currently swarming through my stomach, was something I have never experienced before. Before now, fear was all about me. What if he kills me, what if he disfigures me, what if I never escape him. Then after I found Gunner, it became, what if he doesn’t love me, what if he tires of me, what if I lose him. And now, I no longer matter. Everything is for them. What could this prophecy mean for them, will it hurt them, how can they be protected from it. A million and one possible terrible things ran through my mind in quick succession. Disaster after disaster. And my two sweet and beautiful children are right in the center of it all. I looked up at Lunaya. She was sitting on the edge of her seat, watching all of the emotions flicker across my face. I took a deep breath, my lungs burned with the force of it. I swallowed down the sob that wanted to fly free and the scream that was turning in my stomach.
“Are you sure?” I asked her. My voice sounded small and broken. For a moment I sounded like my old self. I could feel my skin prickle and the heaviness start to settle over me. The power was starting to swarm through my veins, looking for its opening.
“Yes love. I'm very sure” she answered. A small whimper fell from my lips before I was able to stop it. I gripped the sides of my head and tried to steady myself before I lost complete control. Lunaya moved and sat on the coffee table in front of me. She reached to place her hand over the top of mine. But I quickly pulled away.
“Why did you wait until now to tell me? You’ve had weeks to do it and multiple chances” I shouted at her.
“Why wait until they are already here! Why wait until the danger is real! I could have done something, I could have stopped it, I could have protected them. Why! Why would you wait?” I screamed. Tears were flowing from my eyes, my chest heaved with broken breaths as the panic started to settle over me.
“Zelena, Zelena, breathe sweetheart. Calm down, it’s okay, just breathe” Lunaya tried to soothe me, and failed. I stood to my feet and paced back and forth in front of her.
“It's not alright, don’t tell me to calm down. They are my children, this is about their lives. It says one of them has to die. How can I be calm when destiny calls for the death of my baby” I screamed, waving my hands around my head as I did so. The door to the library burst open and Tobias stood with a murderous look on his face. He stepped through the door, looking over the both of us.
“What is going on, I can feel you’re in distress” he grumbled and then glared at Lunaya. I paused for a moment and stared back at him. Would he know about this? Would Selene know about this? Did this begin with her, did she create the prophecy? If she is involved, that would mean Tobias could be too. I don’t know what to do. If there is something I can do to break this prophecy I will do it, no matter the cost. If the cost is my life however, I know that he will do everything he can to stop me. I don’t know if I can trust him with this. I don’t know if I can trust anyone with this.
“It’s nothing, I'm sorry. We were just arguing” I said slowly and glared at Lunaya. I tried to indicate that I wanted her to keep her mouth shut. She looked back at me with surprise in her eyes. Her gaze flicked quickly between Tobias and myself, before she huffed and dropped her shoulders.
“I was trying to apologise for my behaviour” Lunaya said softly without looking at Tobias.
“And I clearly didn’t take it well” I added, still glaring at the top of Lunaya’s head.
“You’re okay, little one?” Tobias asked me. He was hesitant, I don’t think he was convinced. But I can’t tell him about this, not yet, not until I know that both he and Selene have no involvement.
“I’m fine. I'll try and keep it together, I promise” I said as calmly as possible. Tobias looked over the both of us closely, and then backed out of the room, closing the doors behind him. We listened as his feet walked away from the door, then waited for a moment longer.
“You lied to him” Lunaya said softly, unsurely.
“I did” I nodded.
“Why? He is your guardian” she said with some more bite,
“I don’t know if I can trust him yet” I answered. I knew I had to tell her the truth. If she is the only other person that knows about this, then she is the only other person able to help me right now. I need her on my side.
“Zelena, he is your guardian, sworn to protect you, to help you, to guide you. Why would you think that you can’t trust him?” she whispered loudly.
“Because I need to put an end to this prophecy, and I will give my life to do it if I need to. I can’t trust him because if he knew that, he would try and stop me” I told her bluntly,
“And you think I won't?” she gasped,
“I think you will help me save my babies. I think you owe me that much” I grunted angrily.
“I won't let you kill yourself to do it” she hissed
“You will help me do whatever it takes to end this prophecy. You should have told me the truth. You shouldn’t have waited this long. You owe me!” I yelled. She was quiet for a moment. Just staring at me as I huffed and puffed through my anger.
“Oh sweetheart” she said sadly and dropped her face into her hands,
“You can’t stop a prophecy” she mumbled through her fingers,
“How would you know?” I barked,
“Because I already tried” Lunaya answered and looked up at me with a new kind of sadness in her eyes. She looked utterly defeated. It was an expression I had never seen her wear before. It honestly terrified me.
“What?” I snorted in disbelief and shock,
“Sit back down Zelena, there is more we need to discuss” she stated firmly. I did as she asked and slowly placed myself back into my chair. Lunaya looked overly pale, which is unusual for her, seeing as she usually has a nice sun kissed complexion.
“Don’t try and talk me out of it” I said harshly. Lunaya chuckled awkwardly and shook her head.
“I wish you knew your father. I wish I could explain just how much alike you both are. He was stubborn and determined too, just like you. Almost to a point you could call him pig headed”
“Are you calling me pig headed?” I scoffed,
“No darling, but you can’t deny that you have a strong will and an unwillingness to bend”
“So, you are calling me pig headed?” I laughed. I don’t know why I'm laughing. This is definitely not a time to laugh or joke. But the whole thing is just so unbelievable, that if I don’t laugh now, I may scream. And things tend to blow up when I scream.
“Not in those words exactly” Lunaya teased. I huffed and rolled my eyes with a smirk.
“You know that I heard about the prophecy when I was pregnant, well, when your father learned of it for the first time, phew, he went into overdrive. He was always protective, but he kicked that up tenfold” she said fondly. I could see the memories flashing through her eyes. I felt envious that she had memories of him to look back on. I wish I had something, anything to help me think of him.
“Did you love him?” I asked her softly,
“More than I can ever express. I really thought that I would die without him, when I couldn’t find him again, after the attack, I wanted to die” she said firmly. I nodded my head in understanding. I feel the same about Gunner.
“I wish I could meet him. Just to see him, you know, So I knew what his voice sounds like, what he smells like, what he looks like. All of it”
“Well, to me, his scent was like wet leaves and freshly cut grass. He reminded me of nature, of the forest. He could sing too, oh, he was a beautiful singer, and he often sang to my belly” she said with a sad smile. I can see how much it still hurts her, even after all this time. A stab of heartache shot through my chest. I want to make it all better, I want to make her feel better, but I know that could never happen.
“As for what he looks like, I lost everything when the hunters destroyed my pack. Everything except this”. Lunaya pulled a gold chain from around her neck and flicked open the small locket that hung from it. She handed it to me, and I took a deep breath. I slowly turned it around and studied the picture inside. Lunaya stood smiling brightly, her hands over the top of her large swollen belly. The tall man standing beside her was also smiling. I gazed at his face and saw myself. His golden eyes, just like mine. His deep black hair, just like mine. His light pale skin, just like mine. We have the same nose, the same shaped lips, even our smiles are similar. It has bugged me that I couldn’t see myself in Lunaya, but I get it now, it was because I look exactly like my father.
“He looks just like me, or I look just like him” I gasped.
“You sure do” she smiled adoringly at me,
“I can’t believe it” I chuckled and a small sob broke free.
“Are you okay?” Lunaya asked softly,
“Yeah, I'm just... I’m happy, I think. I feel so much more connected to him now” I smiled and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“I’m glad” she smiled back.
“And you’re pregnant, I'm technically in the photo too. It’s a family picture” I chuckled and pointed at her large belly in the photo. When Lunaya didn’t respond, I looked up from the picture to see her looking down with furrowed brows.
“What is it?” I asked,
“Yes, you are in the picture. So is your sister” she said as she looked up to meet my gaze.
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