"Nova needs a new science tutor," Genevieve said over breakfast the next day. "Last year's tutor didn't teach her anything. She tried to teach Nova geology, but—"
"Geology isn't a real science," I said into my bowl of cereal.
"—Nova was disinterested. Any ideas, Jonathan?" Genevieve finished, looking to my father.
"Yes, I've got someone in mind," my dad said. "I'll make some phone calls."
"I don't want to learn anything," Nova said. "I don't want a new tutor. I hate science."
"It's either we get you a new tutor or you've got to go to public school," Genevieve said, setting a bowl of fruit on the table.
Nova had been homeschooled her entire life. I had always gone to public school. Nova was a much more shelte
I awoke at nine the next morning, getting myself ready quickly and going into Nova's room beside mine to wake her up. She was draped across her bed in deep sleep, her ebony hair sprawled out across her pillow and her pink lips agape in peaceful slumber.I walked over her window and threw open the curtains, allowing the lazy autumn sun to spear through the paned glass. "Wake up, Nova, your tutor's going to be here in an hour."She groaned and opened one eye at me. "I hate science. Let me sleep.""My dad got a good tutor for you this time. You won't have to learn geology again.""How do you know?""Because your tutor's an environmentalist, which means he studies the Earth and what lives on it, basically. Don't you want to learn about plants and animals?"
Nova held my hand as we followed Eric down the forest path the next day, the sun cutting through the treetops and casting skinny beams across the ground. It was a clear day, but the temperature was cool enough that we each wore jackets."Tell me, Nova," Eric said as we walked. "What is the most important thing in the world?""Love," Nova said almost automatically."Wrong.""What?""That wasn't an opinion question," he said. "If I had wanted to know what the most important thing in the world was in your opinion, I would have asked what you think the most important thing in the world is. But I asked you for a fact, not an opinion." He half smiled.Nova looked at Eric with a look of confusion, curiosity and a touch of awe. "What is t
I thought about him as I gave the peony in my room fresh water, setting it back on my windowsill and watching the sun set in the distance.I remember thinking of his eyes tracing the treetops in the forest, his lips rested in a faint smile.I wished I loved some thing just as much as Eric loved the world.Over the next few weeks, Eric came to tutor Nova every weekday, sometimes staying at home for her lessons and sometimes going into the forest.I would tag along with them some days, sitting with Eric while Nova collected samples of plants and insects in the woods.Eric brought her a notebook one morning, telling her she can make her drawings in there from now on. I watched her carefully pen the words "Nova's Nature Journal" on the front of it that night.
Eric held my gaze from across the table. A flash of lightning lit up the kitchen briefly, followed by a quick snap of thunder."So Nova has a phobia of thunderstorms," he said, folding his hands on top of the table."Yeah," I said. "Ever since she was really young.""What are your phobias?"I thought about this for a moment. "Drowning.""Drowning," he repeated, the word rolling slowly off his tongue. "Explain.""I don't know," I said. "I guess…it's just, like, being dragged down and running out of oxygen and not being able to do anything about it.""Yeah," he agreed. "That is scary.""How about you?""I'm deat
Three nights later I was awakened in the middle of the night by the soft chiming of my phone. I reached over to my bedside table and slid my thumb across the screen of the phone without thinking, holding it to my ear.I hardly had time to utter a sleep deprived greeting before sound drifted through the phone's speaker."Luna, I'm in the forest. I just saw the owl —Dinah, or whoever —yeah, I saw the owl maybe two minutes ago."I sat up, putting a hand to my forehead and glancing briefly at my bedside clock. "Eric? It's two in the morning, what are you doing in the forest?""Owls are nocturnal, don't you know! And you said you'd help me find the nest. Now's the time to do it, and I've just seen the owl fly by, probably hunting."I sighed. Do I go back to sleep, or do I go
He looked at me with his lips slightly parted for a few seconds before a slow smile spread across his face and he reached into his pocket, unfolding his map and smoothing it out.At this point, a little more than a third of the paper was drawn on; Eric's slanted writing crammed beside small drawings of what must be personal landmarks he had drawn.He handed me the map and reached into the pocket of his jacket for a small flashlight, clicking it on and we stood over the map together, deciding where next to go.We stood close to each other, and I could hear his light breathing as he poured over the map, the limited light from the flashlight illuminating his features. His brow was pulled low in concentration as he read his map, one of his fingers tracing over the smooth paper."Right," he said after a few moments.
Things were different, after that. Clearly. You can't just share a kiss with someone in the forest in the middle of the night and expect things to instantly resume into normality. I didn't quite know what to do, how to proceed from there. On the weekdays Eric would come by to tutor Nova I would try to busy myself with other things; sometimes cleaning my room or watering the plants in the backyard or walking down to City Hall to see if my father needed any help with anything. It did quite seem like I was avoiding him, and I didn't mean to-I just didn't know what else to do. Eric didn't seem to mind my change in behavior. He would smile at me when I answered the door to him and talk to me about the weather while I would make him coffee as we would wait fo
I felt Genevieve looking at me."Are you alright, Luna?""Yes, why?""You seem a bit down lately.""What does that mean?""I don't know…you haven't spent much time with Nova…. mean, I'm not saying you have to but you usually do anyhow.""She's been busy with her tutoring.""You don't like Eric?"I raised an eyebrow, lifting my gaze to look at Genevieve quizzically. "Where did you deduce that from?""You seemed a bit resentful when you spoke of her tutoring.""No, Eric's fine. It's not him, don't wo
I didn’t realize where I was going until I rammed into something -more like someone.- I looked over towards the person I slammed into as I quickly got back onto my feet again. It was Eric and his precious map of his torn in half, I’m assuming due to our collision. It looked like he had seen a ghost for a second before he quickly stood up and stepped towards me. “Luna,” he said breathlessly as he reached out for me to wrap his arms around me. I couldn’t. I chose this path, I couldn’t bring him down along with me. He had already gotten arrested because of his links with my father and my family in general. Even though I just met Eric not that long ago, I already felt so much love toward
~ three months later ~James. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but during the past three months since I’ve been held captive, I’ve found comfort in his words.He didn’t really try so hard to make me his, either.-It was like I saw the James that was underneath all the cockyness, and his rich entitlement.I would often ask about Nova and Eric...and if I was ever going to get out of here or not. He would only reply with how Nova was doing and would completely ignore my questions about Eric and myself leaving this Greenwood castle or not.James told me that Nova has become depressed since I’ve disappeared, and that he&rsq
I didn’t and couldn’t recognize the voice, or think of who that voice could belong to.But it for some reason sounded familiar, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.Before I had the chance to turn around, a cloth was placed over my mouth.I started to struggle to get away, but everything around me started to get hazy.The last thing I remember was James Greenwood’s vintage light blue car pulling up next to me.What was happening?I faded out of consciousness.-
-Three months later-“Do you know this man?” The police officer placed multiple pictures of the same man in various places in Madison.I looked at the pictures, shrugging and shaking my head no.“No, I don’t” I said looking back up at the cop.“Have you seen him around Madison lately?” The middle aged man pressed on.“No, I lived in Madison my whole life, I have not seen or met this man.” I looked at the pictures one more time before sliding them back over to the cop sitting across from me. “ He’s definitely not a local.”Based on the thin line tight lip facial expression, with his eyebrow raised, it didn’t seem like I
“The voices came from the black wood stained house...with the tall slightly dead hedges in the front.” Eric finally told me when he sipped his coffee as we sat in his car in an empty parking lot a few towns away from Madison. He had to stop for coffee, or he would’ve had struggles staying awake.I knew exactly which house he was talking about...that house belongs to Robert Killian. -even though I had complete utter shock painted all over my face as I processed these new findings. I wasn’t actually surprised by this outcome.Eric looked at me with a curious expression across his face, he sipped his coffee silently raising his eyebrows.“That house you just described belongs to Robert Killian.” he nearly choked on his coffee when I shared that information with him.
Nova.Where was Nova?That was the only thing that kept me awake while I lay soaking wet on the ground in a forgotten cemetery, unable to move my body.I prayed that Nova was safe. - not stuck out here, like I was. I’m so stupid.I don’t even know how long I’ve been out here in the storm; It felt like morning should come any minute now, it felt like I was out here for hours and hours. -but it could’ve been just seconds and minutes.I tried to get up, but my body ached so bad. -I knew I’d die out here if I didn’t get up right now.I still chose to get up even though my brain and body was telling me not to. The pins and needles feeling rushe
I could feel the blood pumping through my veins - My heart beated so loud in my ears. I could barely hear my own sobs.I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe what I've just heard.Yet Genevieve's voice was loud and clear even though she was lying ill in front of me.I still couldn't believe what she was admitting to me.All this time. Nine years later. After nine whole years.Genevieve eyes burned holes into my soul and all that I believed during the past nine years.My life was a lie.I was living a life made out of Genevieve's lies, and my father's secrets followed by his dishonesty."Luna, my daughter must not know any of this," she rushed out before she started coughing uncontrollably.
I paced across the room, everything coming together in my mind. Eric stood still, his mouth slightly agape in resonating shock. I tried my best to remember the days and weeks preceding my mother's passing. In my mind everything had been normal-I was ten, my mother wasn't working, my father was still mayor. Every Sunday morning my mother and I went to Corrie's bakery for breakfast. She died in the summer when I didn't have school. Before she got sick I would run up and down the streets of Madison with my childhood friends, feeling invincible. I would walk into the forest at my mother's heels, picking flowers for her. That was only the shiny exterior, I realized. What I saw was a façade. Behind it all was my father's infidelity. Had my mother known the whole time? If she hadn't, did she ever know at all? "Who would have poisoned your
I walked slowly down Main Street, one hand holding my phone to my ear and the other in my pocket. I had left Eric's just after he woke up about an hour after I awoke, and I told him I had to go out. Nova was still asleep. "Hello?" "Hey, Celia," I said, surprised that she had actually picked up so early-it was nearing eight o'clock. "Are you busy?" "Not really," she said. "I'm just about to run some errands for my mom. Is everything okay?" "I need a favor," I said. "It has to do with my father's case." There was a pause and when she spoke Celia's voice was lowered. "Alright…" Celia picked me up in her car. It was odd driving through Madison when my entire life I had just walked