The Hidden Three (Book 1 of the Hidden Trilogy)

Chapter One: The Moon

~Tsuki Hyashi~

(ATH)

I sighed and swept away a lock of midnight black hair from my face as I dipped my toes in the pool. I lived in a large enough home to have a small pool out back and I lived alone. You might wonder how does a 16-year-old sophomore live alone in a house with a pool? We'll get into that later. I go to Maverick High considering I was stuck in this human form. I don't really know how I ended up on earth, but if I close my eyes at night, I can still smell burning sulfur and the cries of stars. I sighed and shook away the terrible foreboding chills that raced down my spine. I jumped into the water, clothes on and all. Water cleared my head, probably because I could breathe underneath it- but only at night. Moonlight beams danced around the surface of the water but faded around me when I sank deeper. I rested my head on the side of the pool and closed my eyes. Suddenly, the serenity of the atmosphere was destroyed by a hand reaching down and grabbing me out of the water. I flew out, landing on the ground dripping wet. I glared at the person in front of me. It was a little upstart named Rayn Cassie. His messy black hair swept over his eyes and he regarded me. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?! I don't care if you're depressed, but drowning yourself is not a valid option! You should've told me and I could've helped." I glared at him. My silver eyes flashed dangerously. I could show him who I was. But without a connection to the moon, the only thing he saw was my eyes getting brighter. I don't think that gave him the idea I wanted. When I was upset, my eyes would brighten. I'm not even kidding. I could use them for mini flashlights if I wanted to. But usually, they were just a faded gray. Enough about my eyes. Now back to the boy who stood above me, smiling as if he'd rescued me from some terrible thing like himself.

Rayn was the most obnoxious person in the school, and he enjoyed dropping by my house to annoy me. I'm sure he thought he was courting me or something but more I thought about it, the angrier I felt. He'd literally broken into my house and gone to the backyard and disturbed me from a very relaxing swim/sink.

"Like I need to tell you anything. You're a pain in the butt." I snapped quietly.

"You don't have to push me away like everyone else. I can help."

"Help?! If you want to help... Then LEAVE!!" I hissed. I'm not a shouting person. I prefer quiet poison. But don't get me wrong. The right things can get me excitedly loud. But this was not exciting. "How did you even get in here?!" I demanded.

"Your butler." Rayn held out his hand. I got up and walked over to him.

"Now if you wouldn't mind, I would greatly appreciate it if you would Leave. My. House." I said, letting my eyes glow brighter. Rayn sighed and turned to leave.

"Remember, suicide isn't the best choice." He said and walked into my house, leaving from where he came in.

"As if I could kill myself." I scowled. "Good riddance." I decided that now the calm atmosphere was gone, I'd better get changed.

I took a quick warm shower and towel dried my hair. I tugged on fuzzy PJ's and sauntered downstairs, bumping into my moonlight butler.

"Good evening, Miss Tsuki." He bowed.

"Evening," I said, and he stood there, waiting for an order. You see, moonlight people aren't exactly real, they do feel an emotion and have physical bodies. The only thing they lack is a soul. As I've mentioned before, my butler vanishes at sunrise and come back at sunset. I've grown to be fond of him. I also have a cat- a real cat. She completely black with white stockings and a white circle around her eye. I named her Moondust. She's really young, and I could make her immortal (living forever unless mortally injured) if I wanted, but since I've lost touch with my Moon, I can't. Oh, my butler's name is Daisuke. "Daisuke..." I paused and his eyes snapped to mine.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Could you install a new lock?"

"Yes, Miss."

"And never let Rayn Cassie in," I added.

"Of course Miss," Daisuke said with a bit of a smile. I shook my head and headed to the kitchen. Moondust sat mewling on the counter. I grabbed some canned tuna and fed it to her. She happily ate it up and I stroked her soft fur. After she was done, she jumped on my shoulder and balanced herself affectionately.

'So what are you doing now, Moon Guardian?'

Since cats were predominantly nocturnal, I could understand them.

"I have to do homework." I groaned. Moondust meowed softly, laughing.

'I'll be outside if you need me.' She meowed again and jumped off my shoulder, momentarily throwing me off balance.

"If I need you. Sure." I replied, leaning on my fridge. Hey wasn't now a good time for a snack? I grabbed some black licorice and nibbled on the end as I fumbled with math problems. Sometimes it sucked to be in high school.