I stared down at the faintly glowing marks on my hands, my heart pounding. I clenched my fists, willing the light to fade, but the marks only pulsed brighter, as if they had a mind of their own. Ethan's steady gaze fell on me, his expression caught between worry and something close to awe.
"Maya… what's happening to you?" His voice was soft, but his eyes were anything but. I could see the questions swirling in his mind, questions I wasn't sure I had the answers to.
I pulled my hands away, hiding them in the folds of my sweater. "I don't know, Ethan. I don't know what's happening to me." The words tasted bitter. Not knowing was the worst part. The tingling marks, the strange visions, and now Caleb's warning—each piece felt like a puzzle I couldn't solve.
Ethan took a step closer, his hand finding mine, grounding me. "We'll figure it out, okay? Together." His words were reassuring, but a glance at his hand reminded me just how fragile that promise was. He had his own secrets, his own darkness.
"Maybe… but Caleb… what he said… I don't trust him." I looked away, trying to shove the memories of Caleb's warning out of my mind. But it lingered like a storm cloud, darkening every thought.
Ethan's hand tightened around mine. "We can't ignore him, Maya. He might know more about you than you think."
I bit my lip, debating whether to tell him about the secrets my grandmother, Lyra, had guarded so fiercely. My family's past was cloaked in shadows, secrets, and whispers. But I couldn't keep running from it—not with Caleb breathing down my neck.
Finally, I took a shaky breath. "There's one place we might find some answers." I glanced up at Ethan. "The library."
The suggestion sounded absurd even to me, but the look in Ethan's eyes told me he understood. "Then let's go," he said, voice steady.
The walk through Moonstone was silent. Shadows crept along the ground, and the fog settled low, curling around our ankles. The quiet was eerie, every step weighed down by the mystery of what we might uncover.
We reached the library, its stone facade looming like a watchful guardian. Inside, the air was cool, carrying the smell of old paper and dust. A single lamp cast a pool of light on the librarian's desk, where Margot was flipping through an ancient tome. She looked up, eyes narrowing as she saw us approach.
"Back again, Maya?" Her voice was gentle, but there was a tension behind it, as though she knew what I was searching for. And maybe she did.
I offered a small smile, trying to hide my nerves. "I… I need more answers, Margot. About my family. About what's… happening to me."
Margot's gaze drifted to Ethan, her lips pressing into a thin line. "There's danger in digging too deep. Sometimes, the past is buried for a reason."
I swallowed, feeling a shiver run down my spine. But my resolve only hardened. "I don't have a choice."
Margot studied me for a moment longer, then sighed, her expression softening. "Come with me." She led us through rows of shelves filled with dusty old books, until we reached a narrow, creaky staircase. Shadows danced along the walls as we descended into the archive below.
The air grew colder as we reached the bottom, the silence thickening around us. Margot unlocked a heavy wooden door and gestured for us to enter. Inside, shelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound books and glass cases of strange, gleaming artifacts.
"These are the Blackwood records," Margot said quietly. "But be warned—they don't tell a happy story."
I moved toward a stack of yellowed papers, the weight of my family's history pressing down on me. My fingers brushed over the names of my ancestors, each one marked by strange symbols, the same ones etched into my own hands.
Ethan leaned over my shoulder, frowning as he examined the symbols. "What do these mean?"
Margot's voice took on a distant, almost reverent tone. "They're part of an ancient language, tied to the moon and the cycles that govern us. The Blackwoods have always been its guardians… and its prisoners."
My heart raced, each word filling me with equal parts wonder and dread. I glanced at Ethan, his face unreadable. "So… my family, we're connected to something ancient?"
Margot nodded, her gaze heavy with sympathy. "Yes. But that connection comes with a price. The Blackwoods have always been bound to the moon… and the forces it controls."
A chill ran through me as I looked down at the glowing marks on my hands. The weight of her words settled over me like a shroud. I felt Ethan's hand on my shoulder, his warmth grounding me, but even he couldn't quiet the fear swirling in my chest.
"So… what does this mean for me?" My voice was barely a whisper.
Margot met my gaze, her expression somber. "It means that your powers are tied to forces older and darker than you realize. And if you're not careful, those powers could consume you."
The room seemed to close in on me, each shadow reaching, like they wanted to pull me under. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to run. I couldn't escape my own blood. I couldn't escape this fate.
Ethan squeezed my shoulder, his voice steady. "Then we'll make sure she's careful. Whatever this is… we'll face it together."
Margot's gaze softened, but I saw a shadow of sadness in her eyes. "You're brave, both of you. But bravery alone won't protect you from what's coming."
The heaviness of her words filled the silence that followed. I looked down at the papers in my hands, the symbols blurring before me. The marks on my hands pulsed again, in time with my heartbeat, a steady, rhythmic beat that matched the pounding in my chest.
Then I felt it—a presence in the room, watching. I looked up, my breath catching. In the far corner, a figure stood, faint and ghostly, as if it were part of the shadows. I blinked, and the figure sharpened, becoming a woman with dark hair and piercing eyes. Eyes that I recognized immediately.
"Mom…" The word slipped out before I could stop it, a whisper filled with longing and disbelief.
The ghostly figure gazed at me with an intensity that made my blood run cold. Her lips parted, and though her voice was faint, it filled the room, echoing inside my mind.
"Maya…"
I froze, the weight of her gaze pinning me in place. Her face was as familiar as my own, yet distant, haunted by shadows I couldn't understand.
My mother's form flickered, like a candle guttering in the wind, but her voice lingered, soft and filled with sorrow. "You have to be careful… the path you're on is dangerous. They're watching… waiting…"
And just like that, she was gone, her presence dissolving into the darkness, leaving only a lingering chill.
Ethan's hand tightened around mine, anchoring me. His face was pale, but his voice was steady. "Maya… did you just see—?"
I nodded, unable to find my voice. The room was silent again, the weight of her warning settling over me like a storm cloud.
Margot's voice broke the silence, her words a soft echo. "Your mother… she's been waiting. She has been bound to this place, unable to move on until you're ready to take up her legacy."
Ethan's face filled with determination. "Then we'll find out what she wanted, whatever it takes."
Margot's gaze darkened, her voice filled with caution. "But be warned, Maya. The Blackwood legacy is a heavy burden. And the closer you get to uncovering the truth, the greater the risk you take."
I looked down at my hands, feeling the pulsing warmth of the marks. They felt more like chains than a birthright. But there was no turning back. Whatever secrets my mother had left behind, whatever danger lay ahead—I would face it.
For her. For my family. For myself