NinaThe Luna held her ghostly pale hand out to me with the promise of letting my friends and the town of Mountainview survive so long as I agreed to become her puppet. I reached out to take it despite the fact that everything in me was telling me not to do it; but I had to try to save my friends. I
NinaWhy wasn’t I dying yet?Selena had died at the Luna’s hands. The prophecy foretold that one twin must not live without the other… But I felt fine. Selena was dead, and I was still standing. I looked up at Enzo, who looked back down at me with an equal amount of surprise, confusion, and joy.Sud
NinaI planned to talk to my father the next day, when I was feeling better. But for now, it was late and I needed to rest.Once my father left, Enzo relaxed beside me. He seemed a bit territorial after everything that had happened, and I didn’t blame him. But at the same time, it made me wonder if
NinaThe next morning, I finally met with my father for the first time. Not in a state of dire stress or danger, but instead…Breakfast.Enzo and I walked into the large dining room together to see a long chestnut table, at one end of which was a stunning array of fragrant breakfast foods, brightly
NinaThe next morning, Enzo and I woke early to go to my sister’s funeral.The Luna had no funeral. I couldn’t decide if that made me feel good or bad, though. It seemed as though she had no real family, no one who cared that she had died. Even my father seemed completely unfazed by her death, and s
Nina“Let’s go for a walk,” I said to Enzo. I nodded my head toward the forest, past where the groundskeeper was filling in my twin sister’s grave with moist dirt. Over our heads, the wind was howling fiercely and the sky was darkening at a rapid rate while a freezing, sharp rain was beginning to fa
NinaWhen I looked up at the full moon peeking out from behind the clouds, I felt an overwhelming urge to shift. Even though we had somehow been standing in that spot for hours without realizing it, I wasn’t ready to go inside just yet. I still had a decision to make: would I return to Mountainview
Nina“I’ve made my decision,” I said as I stood in front of my father.We were in my father’s study, which was lit by a few small lamps and a fire in the fireplace. My father was seated in a tufted armchair by the fire and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring solemnly into the fire.
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied