The Prophecy Luna

Chapter One

Marked by the moon.

Smoke – thick, black smoke blanketed me and the smell of burning gas filled the air. I could hear a small buzzing sound but it was easy to ignore when the panic of suffocating to death coursed through my veins.

I frantically reached out in front of me, trying to grab something, anything. But my hands came up empty. I blindly walked around, the rough pavement scratching my bare feet.

"Fire, there must be a fire!" I thought. I dropped to the floor, remembering how the smoke was thinner the closer you were to the ground and hoping that I might be able to see something.

I was wearing a long white nightgown, the length and flimsy material doing nothing to shield me from the smoke. But what surprised me was that the floor felt cold. In fact, despite the smoke surrounding me, it was a little chilly.

Marked by the moon.

Something shone in the distance so I crawled towards it as quickly as I could, the rough pavement scratching not only my bare feet but also my arms. The light shone brighter the closer I got so I hastily stood up and ran towards it. And abruptly stopped on my tracks.

It was a car. I stood in front of it. Or what was left of it at least. I took a step closer, and realized the smoke was coming from it. Only one of the headlights worked and it was probably the only thing that worked with how totaled the car was. Everything was bent and cracked.

Even the woman inside was broken.

Marked by the moon.

Blood was splattered on the shattered glass. I took another step closer and I could feel the cold cling to my skin, seep in, and swirl inside me.

I had seen this scene before.

I knew that a woman in her mid-30s was driving her car. She was going to pick up her daughter from school because it was her fourteenth birthday and the woman had promised they would spend the rest of the day however she liked.

Marked by the moon.

What she didn't know was that a father of two had just gotten laid off from work earlier that day. He proceeded to go to the bar down the block from his former office and got a very early start with some vodka and beer.

But his wife called him and said that his youngest had gotten into trouble and that they needed to bring him to the hospital. The man scrambled to his car, got in the driver's seat, and forgot to buckle his seat belt like how he forgot that he had downed seven vodka shots and four bottles of beer.

He was driving home and when he reached a curve, his vision steadily blurred that he didn't notice that he had switched lanes. He hardly felt the impact.

The man miraculously survived.

But the woman didn't.

"Mom," I choked.

Marked by the moon.

I didn't know how long I stood there, sobbing at the sight of my mother's broken body.

Marked by the moon.

But I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away as my wails and sobs filled the air like the smoke did. When exhaustion started to take over and only small hiccups escaped from my lips, that's when I noticed that the buzzing sound was not just a buzz but someone whispering. Her voice was so soft that it felt as if a feather was tickling my ears.

Marked by the moon.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I croaked, my voice raspy from crying.

Marked by the moon.

Whoever she was, she didn't reply. But her voice grew louder and more urgent.

Marked by the moon.
Marked by the moon.

"What do you want?!" I screamed, panic once again washing over me.

Marked by the moon.
Marked by the moon.

I clamped my hands on my ears, and closed my eyes shut. I couldn't take looking at my mother anymore. I couldn't take listening to this voice anymore.

Marked by the moon.
Marked by the moon.
Marked by the moon.

Cold wind swept past me, my long black hair whipping along with it. The whispers grew louder, the urgency in it slicing through me, as if forcing me to listen and understand.

Marked by the moon.

And as quickly as the wind came, it stopped. So did the whispers.

I slowly opened my eyes, and found that the car and smoke were gone. And now, I was standing by the sea, the smell of gas replaced by the saltiness of the water before me. I could feel the sand on my toes, and the soft waves lapping at my feet. A gentle breeze was caressing my skin.

It was still dark and only the full moon shone bright up in the sky.

From behind me, I heard a howl.

But this time, I wasn't afraid. Instead, I dipped my foot further into the salty water, one after the other, until the cool water was waist-deep. I felt a tug on my wrists, stopping me from going further and deeper. I stared down and something shining under the water caught my eyes. I dipped my hands in, the cool water causing goosebumps across my arms.

My hands clasped around something hard, its edges sharp that I felt pain shoot up my arms and saw my blood stain the clear waters. Still, I held on it and lifted it up and out the water.

It was a silver crown. It was a very simple one, only adorned with a single diamond shaped like the waning crescent moon that shone under the moonlight. Only the red of my blood colored its silver surface.

I felt a tug again and realized that my wrists were bound to silver chains. My eyes trailed after the chains and I turned around to find that the other ends were tied at the neck of two wolves. My left hand was connected to a black one, while the other hand was connected to a brown one. Both wolves, which were standing at the opposite ends and were situated pretty far from each other, were massive. I knew that if they wanted to, they could drag me and even break me in two.

Both wolves howled and it felt like they were calling me, as if willing me to come closer to them. But which Wolf do I choose?

I looked up and stared at the beauty of the moon as if to ask her for guidance, and it was then that I noticed how she seemed to shine just for me at that very moment.

And then I heard the whispers again, one last time, soft and ticklish like it was the moon herself that told me.

Tied to a maiden
Marked by the moon
Her choice shall crown one
King of the wolves