Page 50 of Blood Moon
If in battle, you fall before I do, I will remember that we still share the same sky.
Article IV, Lost Letters from Aadan the First
The following day, around six in the evening, Stevie zipped me into a dress. It was long and fitted with a trumpet. The underlayer, a light pink satin. Over it, a sheer intricate lace detail, complete with off-the-shoulder sleeves.
When I removed the pins from my hair, I gently separated the curls with a paddle brush and slipped on a nude heel.
The sight of myself was overwhelming. The last time I’d been this dressed up was for senior prom, and even then, I looked and felt different.
Not by much, but still, there was a hollowness in my cheeks and a tiredness beneath my eyes, signs of my youth dissipating. The resemblance to Rena stilted me.
A part of me wanted to continue to stare, if only to gleam at the fragments of my reflection that resembled my mother, but I refused to give in. It was time to go.
Classmates gathered in the lobby of Hester Hall, and me and my friends joined them, taking photos before half the posse was whisked away.
Then it was Em and I, side by side. We were the only ones with dates; the others had decided to go as a group. Chatter curved around us, and I stared into space in anticipation.
“Are you nervous?” Em leaned into me, her gold and pink flapper dress swaying. This close, I could see the glitter she’d sprayed on her body, in her hair. I smelled the sweet floral scent embedded in her skin.
“Yes,” I whispered, and she regarded me with a persistence I’d never seen before. It was compelling and crawling with a murkiness I couldn’t quite grasp.
“We can leave, ditch this whole thing,” she said. For a moment, I envisioned myself doing so—climbing into her Nissan, driving far into the starlit city, leaving it all behind—but in a blink, the sensation fled.
“No, it’s okay,” I assured, but she took my hand, silk glove squeezing my bare one.
“Are you sure?” she asked, reading my eyes like they’d reveal something. It made me think on the idea again, but it would require ditching Seven, and I wouldn’t do that to him.
“I’m sure,” I said, and when I did, Sev and Jak came waltzing through the double doors.
Em hurried to greet Jak, her hair bouncing as he kissed her cheek.
My heart thumped when Seven approached, and I felt a warmness everywhere.
He kissed my hand, glancing up with a glimmer in his eyes.
I had no right to stare at him the way I did.
No right to measure every detail of his all-black suit—tailored and fitted so well.
No right to be impressed by his fresh line and the way he smelled of midnight.
No right to feel weak in the knees at the mere presence of his dimples and his proximity to me. But I did.
Seven leaned in, the air from his lungs tickling my cheek. “You look stunning,” he uttered. “No one will care that I’m a quarterback when they see you.”
I smiled, looked away from him. “I doubt that will be the case.”
He touched my chin, slowly lifting my face to his. “I’m serious,” he whispered. “Everything about you is breathtaking.”
My throat felt tight. I didn’t know what else to say besides thank you. He held my hand as we took photos, and soon enough, we slipped into his black Mercedes and drove east.
The venue was located in Kansas City, Missouri, close to downtown. It was enough outside the cityscape that it was surrounded by rolling green hills that dipped into a line of trees.
Inside, the ceilings were a mile high, painted with swirls of blue sky, followed by a golden sun.
Curved glass windows overlooked a garden, bundles of twinkling lights wrapped around iron and vine.
A grand crystal chandelier glistened above the dance floor.
The opalescence was captivating, painting every surface and soul near it.
Altogether, the building was magnificent beyond belief.
We were seated at a table with sequined black cloth. Moss and a variety of green vines were scattered in the center. Resting above it was a bronzed candelabra, dripping with wax.
My friends joined us, filling in the empty seats, and already, Abi had removed the flask strapped to her inner thigh, passing it around.
“Someone had to do it,” she’d said, and I didn’t fault her. In fact, I thanked her, taking a large sip before returning it.
On a stage, a band played blues, and soon waiters served a three-course meal. After a brief announcement from a faculty member, the dance floor opened, gradually filling with people.
A new song played, slow and ballad-like. Seven turned to me and asked to dance. I followed him to the floor, and he wrapped his hands around my waist, specks of light flickering in his hair, on his nose.
For a measure, it felt as though we were the only people to exist. A bend in my spine when he dipped me, and already I felt myself caving for him.
Seven, he could be so easy to love. He was gentle and fond of all I was, all I’d become.
I could envision a life with his dazzling smile.
A simplistic, easy thing. We’d be so happy, living in a different city every week for his games.
I’d cheer him on from the sidelines, and he’d find my face in the crowd, anchoring him.
But my heart spluttered like a bad omen. A glaring reminder that my cursed blood would only ever put anyone I loved in danger. He’d pay a cost he didn’t deserve, and that, alone, made me want to recoil.
Sev brought me back to standing position and my stomach sank as I tightened my grasp around his body. I pressed my head to his chest with an understanding that I could never jeopardize him. I’d only cast a rain cloud on the bright future that lay ahead of him.
The more we spun, the sicker I felt. I shouldn’t have come. What if, by simply being here, I put everyone in danger? Julian didn’t present me with a timeline or a warning—just said to be safe, to run if I saw any wolves.
Once the song came to an end, my friends rushed in, forming a circle.
They swayed and jumped, enclosing me with their laughter.
I forced a smile, falling into motion with them.
How enchanting this was, an unforgettable happening we’d hold in our hearts for years.
But I longed to disappear, to become one with the grass, the dirt.
Water lined my eyes, and I tried to pretend it was an indication of my unforgiving happiness.
Only, I existed in a realm of agony and torture, ripping at pieces of myself instead.
We persisted, dancing until my feet were numb, and at the start of a slower song, Seven was hauled away to dance with someone else.
“I’ll be back,” he promised, and I exhaled for the first time in hours.
There was no delay getting back to my seat. I made myself comfortable, leaning against the table, hand beneath my chin as I watched the crowd with greedy eyes, yearning for a world that didn’t aspire to destroy me.
Eventually, I found myself scrolling on my phone, until a shadowy figure appeared by the edge of my seat. “I hoped I’d find you on the dance floor, having the time of your life. Imagine my surprise when I found you here instead.”
My gaze trailed upward, landing on Julian.