Sarah Allen - The Girl Who Chased the Moon

“Everyone who was there that night,” he said from the darkness. “My family made sure no one has seen it since.”

“But they know that you’re the light in the woods?”

“Yes. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, but plenty of my ancestors did it before me.”

“Why did you want me to see it?”

He hesitated, as if he wasn’t entirely sure now. She suddenly felt horrible, like she’d let him down. Her mother had raised her better than this. She’d raised her to accept and respect, to help and to never be afraid to get involved. All her life had been leading up to this, and she’d failed. She’d failed Win. She’d failed her mother.

She was still in the history loop. She was scared now, scared for herself, scared for Win, knowing how this had turned out last time.

“I’ve never known how to step up to people and say, ‘This is me. Accept me for who I am,’” Win finally said. “I knew from the moment I met you, I was meant to show you. I thought you were meant to help.”

“How?” she asked immediately. “How can I help you? I don’t understand.”

“You can tell me that, now that you’ve seen this, your feelings are no different than they are in the daytime. That’s all.”

She squared her shoulders and backed farther into the open park. “Come down here, Win.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He walked back down and his skin started burning again. He looked ready to bolt back up the steps if necessary. She held her ground, even though her stomach was leaping.

When he finally made it to her, she reached out and took his hand in hers right away, to steady herself as much as him. She was surprised that his hand was simply warm, as warm as it always was, not scorching hot. “Does it hurt?” she asked.

“No.”

She swallowed. She was trembling. Could he feel it? “I think it’s beautiful. I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

He stood there, glowing like the sun, and stared at her like she was the unbelievable one. He angled closer to her, and the closer he came, the more the glowing seemed to stretch out to her. It felt like walking into sunshine from the shade. His light surrounded them both, jumping around as if saying, Together, together, now! She saw him tilt his head slightly.

He’s going to kiss me , she suddenly thought. She knew it in a way she couldn’t explain. Like how you know a certain day is going to be good the moment you wake up. She’d thought about this a lot, more than she cared to admit, but somehow she’d never imagined it quite like this. It was nothing like she’d expected. And yet… it was strangely perfect.

But before it could happen, they jerked away from each other, startled, when they heard quick footsteps. Win’s sister was running across the park toward them.

“Win! What are you doing?” Kylie said breathlessly, skidding to a stop on the dewy grass. “Dad wants you to come back inside. Right now .”

Emily and Win exchanged glances. She wasn’t used to seeing him this unsure. “What happens now?” Emily asked.

“Now we deal with the consequences and move on. Just like last time, only-”

“Better,” she finished for him.

He touched her cheek and smiled, then ran across the park toward his house. Emily and Kylie watched him go. What a ravishing sight he was.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kylie said.

Emily turned to her warily, surprised she was being so nice to her now. “Yes,” she said softly.

“I would love to do what he does. He has no idea.” Kylie paused. “All my life, I’ve heard stories of that night with my uncle and your mother. I thought you’d be like her. I’m glad you’re not.” She smiled, like she’d just given a compliment. Emily took it in the spirit it was intended, but would never get used to how the town thought of her mother, even now. The broken circle of history should have let all the animosity pour out. But it didn’t. Emily might fit in here now. Her mother never would, though. “I better go see what’s going on in there. I’ll see you around. With Win, no doubt.”

With no light to her skin, Kylie soon faded into the night. Emily stood there for a while before finally walking home.

EMILY WOKE to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. She sat up quickly. She’d been too stunned, too exhausted, to turn on her MP3 player before she’d gone to bed. When she looked around, the new phases-of-the-moon wallpaper took her aback for a moment. That’s when it all came rushing back to her, everything she’d seen last night.

He glowed .

Then, out of nowhere, the thought: He almost kissed me .

The pounding continued and Emily climbed out of bed. She’d slept in her clothes, so she immediately jogged to her bedroom door and down the stairs.

To her surprise, the first thing she noticed was that the front door was closed. Vance usually left it open when he went to breakfast. She’d just reached the bottom stair when the accordion door to Vance’s room swung open. Grandpa Vance walked out, comb marks still in his wet hair. He hadn’t left for breakfast yet. How early was it?

Vance didn’t notice her on the staircase as he walked to the front door and unlocked it.

“We need to talk,” Morgan Coffey said from the porch. His white linen suit was rumpled, like he’d been wearing it all night. His dark hair, normally gelled, was falling across his forehead. It made him look younger, more like Win.

“Morgan?” Vance said, obviously surprised. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

“Believe me, I would have been here earlier, but I had to wait until light.”

“Come in.” Vance stepped back and Morgan entered the foyer. “What’s wrong?”

Morgan noticed Emily right away and stiffened. His hatred rushed at her in one great wave. She actually took a step back up the staircase. “I take it your granddaughter hasn’t told you yet,” he said, nudging his chin at her. His stare was so hard that Vance put himself between them, as if protecting her. “Why did you let her come here in the first place, Vance? Hasn’t your family done enough to hurt mine?”

“What happened?” Vance demanded.

“It happened,” Morgan said. “Your granddaughter lured my son into the park last night. Just like last time.”

“Emily had nothing to do with it,” Win said from the porch. He opened the screen door and stepped inside. “I asked her to meet me there. And it was nothing like last time. Emily and I were the only two in the park.”

“I told you to stay at home,” Morgan said.

“This has to do with me. I am going to be here for it.”

Grandpa Vance looked confused. He turned to her. “Emily?”

“I thought I would show up and he would do something to humiliate me, to get back at my mom for what she did. I didn’t believe him when he said he glowed. I didn’t believe him when he said to meet him and he’d show me.”

“Child, why did you go if you thought he was going to humiliate you?” Vance asked incredulously.

“I thought it would help make up for-”

Vance held up one skillet-sized hand. “Stop, stop right there. You don’t have to make up for anything your mother did. Morgan, this ends now.”

“You’re letting her off the hook, just like you did your daughter.”

Grandpa Vance’s face tightened. He was angry. And an angry giant was a sight to behold. “I never made excuses for Dulcie, and I have always accepted blame for what happened, for not being able to control her. But listen to me well, my granddaughter is not Dulcie and I will not have her treated this way.”