Note: this chapter takes place after Ch. 12 and coincides with Ch. 13 a bit.
Calix
Should I chase after her?
I stand there, staring at the slammed door, speechless, and—I'll admit—a little hurt.
I'm not babysitting you... I simply want to spend more time with you. My brain whispers what I'd wanted to tell Lunar before she stormed out.
Exhaling a long breath, I let myself slump against the wall, running a hand through my hair before I can stop myself. Yet another habit I've picked from Lunar: running a hand through my hair when I feel stressed.
After a few minutes of replaying the door-slamming scene over and over in my head, my brain manages to wipe away the harsh external layer of her words and dig deeper into their meaning:
Lunar doesn't usually lash out like that... she's guarded, sure, but not spiteful.
There must be a reason for her sudden withdrawal.
I rush over to the kitchen counter where, just moments before, I'd been feeling happier than I'd ever felt with anyone else. Spotting my phone, I reach out and grab it, but not before something small and purple catches my eyes—Lunar's cat eraser.
I run my thumb over it, memories of Lunar, laughing, erasing my mistakes, popping up in my mind. Gently tucking it in my pocket, I open my phone to send Rainbow a quick message.
By the time I make it downstairs—after 25 minutes of painful conversation with my neighbour about her dehydrated cactus—Lunar is nowhere in sight. I let out a frustrated exhale.
Rainbow works at the bubble tea shop. Maybe Lunar was telling the truth and she really was heading to the shop right now. Throwing on the hoodie I'd grabbed in my hurry out the door, I head in the direction of the bubble tea shop.
The chilly air creeps through the fabric of my hoodie, engulfing whatever warmth I have. Lunar was only wearing a black shirt... is she cold?
Call it fate, but something in my mind tells me to look at the exact moment I see two figures—one of them is Lunar— entering the forest. I would recognize her anywhere.
Weird. Who goes in the forest this late?
Throwing a glance at the bubble tea shop, with its lights still on, and hoping Rainbow got my text, I hurry to follow Lunar and her companion, who appear to be making their way to the clearing.
Damn these branches. How the heck are they walking so smoothly? I let out an inaudible grunt as a skinny branch jabs me in the face. Normally I would have shown that branch who's boss, but I'm preoccupied right now.
By the time I make it to the clearing, Lunar is standing at one end of the circle, and the figure is seated at the other end. I'm too far to make out what they're saying, but the figure appears to be yelling something. Lunar's eyes are closed, her forehead creased in concentration.
The figure suddenly claps in delight and starts humming as I slowly make my way closer to them. A small gust of wind picks up around Lunar, allowing her teal hair to dance around each other. Her ears poke out, and it might just be my imagination, but they seem pointier than a normal human's.
But then the wind stops, as abruptly as it came, and her hair settled over her exposed ears again.
I gasp as a trail of light purple, faint at first, appears on top of Lunar head. She doesn't realize, since her eyes are closed in concentration, and I watch as the ethereal-looking trail lingers above Lunar's head, swirling about her like a snake.
Suddenly, the figure's peaceful humming quickens, and the shroud of purple covering Lunar starts getting pulled towards the hooded figure. Lunar gasps and collapses on her knees, as if in pain.
"STOP!" I roar impulsively as I charge out of the bushes and ram into the figure. Her hood flies off, revealing an old lady with the same teal hair as Lunar. Despite her age, her body felt strong and sturdy, and she only stumbles a little. She stops chanting though, and the purple strands speed back into Lunar's body, like frightened children.
Lunar looks up, staring straight into my eyes, and I realize with a jolt that they're not brown, but a gentle lilac. "C-Calix?" Her voice is trembling, shaky, and I feel the sudden, overbearing urge to run over and hug her. Comfort her.
"Hey," I try to give a reassuring smile and hold up the small piece of eraser from my pocket. "You, uh, forgot this at my house."
I breathe a sigh of relief as Lunar lets out a weak smile. Her smile disappears as the words, "You know magic?" tumble out of her mouth. Confused, I turn to look behind me at where she's looking, but something strong and overbearing forces itself around my neck, pulling me backwards.
"STOP!" Lunar yells, her fingertips reaching out to grab mine, but they only manage to graze over my fingertips as I'm pulled back.
The old lady has her hood back on. "How dare you disrupt my ritual! I will make you pay!"
What the hell is she talking about?
"Let him go!" Lunar's voice scares me more than the chokehold I'm in—which, by the way, is really freaking painful.
I'm not sure what the strand is made of, but it's definitely not a normal rope. The slippering texture is cool as my hands grapple at it, trying to free myself, but the pain is insidious.
It's getting harder to breathe.
My vision is fading into darkness.
I can't see.
I hope Rainbow saw my text, I think hazily as the strand loosens and my body falls on the ground.
Or maybe that's just the feeling of angels coming to claim me.