Bittersweet Umbra

1.

*please note: I use the gender-neutral pronoun they/their to describe an individual at various points in the book. Don't worry, I made sure everything is clear and easy to understand but, hey, here's to being even clearer :)*

Many years and the moon shows no sign of fatigue; it looms high above the earth, its orange light shining down as it has been since all those years ago. The air is cold yet rife with a numinous essence; no-one can explain this strange phenomenon.

Tully sits with her legs crossed, chin in her palms and eyes towards the sky, mesmerised by the Orange Moon. Besides terror and mystery, its light also brings about great beauty and wonders. The flowers, the grass, the trees - the land has never been the same since that strange orange glow spread itself upon the Earth.

For better or worse.

"Tully," Zee says, "it's time to go."

"Just a bit more, Ma. Please."

"No. We don't have enough time."

Tully slams her door, disrupting the peace of the silent night. Zee gives her a look of pity, knowing that nights like this are hard to come by; not always running, not always looking for a safe place to hide. She turns towards Tully, who stares forward, upset, and is about to place a comforting hand on her shoulder when she decides against it. What is she to do? She brings the girl to places like this to provide some sort of reprieve to the constant stress of being on the move. But she always wants to stay "just a bit longer."

The sooner she learns the serious nature of their circumstances, the better.

The station wagon rumbles awake, its lights flickering and small clouds of exhaust puffing into the clean forest air. The vehicle seems to hum with annoyance at being woken up as it slowly reverses. It turns into the dirt road, subtle clicks as it shifts gears, and it moseys forward, carefully following the winding path that leads them out of the forest.

***

As they drive along the cliffside, Tully stares out into the open wild, wondering at the beautiful and colourful vista before her; the Moon has changed many of the leaves from bright greens to that of oranges and yellows, making it seem as if Autumn had come early when, in reality, they're in the middle of Summer.

Even the clouds, noctilucent, are coloured a sweet peach by the lunar glow.

"So beautiful," Tully says, breaking the long silence. "Wish we could've lived here."

"I know," Zee replies, sighing, her eyes straight on the road, her expression stern, but her heart softened by Tully's voice. It's never easy when they fight, not when all they have in this world is each other. "Whatever this Moon is, it sure has a way of turning things pretty. But the forest has always been beautiful."

"Mmm. I remember we used to do those trails at that resort. Back when dad was still around."

"Simpler times," Zee replies, gripping the steering wheel just a bit tighter.

Almost an hour has passed and they've descended the mountain. They're still in the thick of the forest but will soon be out. In the meantime, a few cabins can be seen along a nearby lakeside. The lake rests behind a tall row of trees lining the road, Tully catching glimpses of it between each tree. The cabins have probably been abandoned for some time, a lot of them unkempt and debilitated, but the sight still inspires nostalgia. Tully pictures a soft bed, blankets to snuggle up in and an open window to stare out into the starry sky.

She wonders if she could ever see the Moon, in all its alien beauty, and not also be reminded of all the pain and fear it brought into the world. The reality is bittersweet; unrivalled beauty marred by death and treachery.