Aurora’s P.O.V
My heart skipped a beat as I turned to see Caleb standing there, his expression shadowed under the dim lights of the near empty kitchen.
“Caleb?” I whispered, my voice laced with surprise. “What are you doing up so late?” My arms instinctively folded across my chest, a mixture of curiosity and unease spreading through me.
He hesitated for a moment, running a hand through his dark hair, his usual calm demeanor replaced by something more unsettled.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted, his voice low but steady. “I came down to get something to drink, and… I might’ve overheard the conversation.” His gaze flickered toward Harmona, who stood a few feet away, her eyes narrowing slightly as though gauging his sincerity.
I frowned, a sharp pang of worry twisting in my chest. “You overheard? Caleb, what did you—”
Before I could finish, he stepped forward, his hands held up in a silent plea for patience. “Aurora, I’d like to talk to you. Alone,” he said, his tone carrying a weight I wasn’t used to hearing from him. He looked past me to Harmona. “If you don’t mind.”
Harmona didn’t argue, though the way she glanced between us told me she wasn’t thrilled about leaving. “Of course,” she said curtly, brushing past Caleb without another word, leaving the faint sound of her heels clicking down the hallway as she disappeared.
I exhaled sharply, turning back to Caleb, my brows furrowing. “What’s going on?”
“Come with me,” he said, his voice softer now, almost gentle. He didn’t wait for me to answer, just turned and started walking toward the staircase. Something about his demeanor made me follow without question, though my thoughts raced with possibilities.
We climbed the stairs in silence, the tension between us thick but unspoken. When we reached the rooftop, the cool night air hit my skin, and I shivered slightly, though it wasn’t from the cold. The dining area was empty, the scattered chairs and tables illuminated by the faint silver light of the moon. The sea stretched out before us, dark and endless, with gentle ripples reflecting the glow of the night sky.
Caleb gestured toward the railing, and I stepped closer, letting the view momentarily distract me. The ocean was calm, almost unnaturally still, and the way the moonlight danced on its surface was mesmerizing. For a second, I almost forgot the heaviness in Caleb’s voice earlier.
But then he broke the silence. “Aurora,” he began, his tone hesitant, as though he was debating if he should speak about whatever was on his mind. I turned to face him, my heartbeat quickening at the intensity in his eyes.
“What is it, Caleb?” I asked, my voice quieter now. “Is everything alright?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “I’ve been hiding something from you,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I can’t do it anymore. You deserve to know the truth.”
My breath caught in my throat, the weight of his words sinking into me like a stone. “What are you talking about?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady, though I felt anything but calm.
“I-I know…I should’ve told you sooner,” he said, stepping closer, his expression a mixture of regret and resolve. “But I didn’t know how. I didn’t want to lose you, Aurora.”
“Lose me?” My mind raced, trying to piece together what he could possibly mean. “Caleb, you’re scaring me. Just say it.”
He hesitated, his hand gripping the railing as if to steady himself. “You’ll hate me for this,” he murmured, his voice barely audible now. “But I can’t keep lying to you. Not when it’s eating me alive.”
The ocean seemed to grow quieter in that moment, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
“Whatever it is, just tell me,” I said, my voice firmer now, though my chest tightened with anticipation. “Please.”
He looked at me then, his eyes searching mine as though trying to gauge how I’d react. And in that moment, I realized that whatever he was about to say would change everything.
"Aurora…" he finally started, his tone low and shaky, and it sent a chill down my spine.
"Caroline and I—we did something. Something bad. Something we knew we shouldn’t have done without your permission, but…everything was getting so complicated..." He stopped there, pressing his lips into a thin line, as though saying the words out loud was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.
I blinked at him, my breath hitching. "What do you mean by 'something bad'? What are you talking about?" My hands were trembling now, and I pressed them together to steady myself. I felt like I was standing on the edge of some great chasm, staring down into darkness, knowing I wouldn’t like what was at the bottom.
He looked at me then, his eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite name—shame, regret, maybe even fear.
"Hearing you talk about your dreams… about your mom," he said, his voice quieter now, "it’s just—God, Aurora, I can’t keep it to myself anymore. I can’t lie to you. You deserve to know the truth."
"Caleb, stop dancing around it and just say it!" I snapped, louder than I intended. "I can’t take this anymore. You’re scaring me. Just tell me what happened!"
He took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world had finally crushed him. "Caroline and I… we… kept something from you. We did…DNA tests…on you, to figure out about your ancestry…and your parents…”
I stood there, staring at Caleb, trying to make sense of the words that had just come out of his mouth. His eyes wouldn’t meet mine at first, but when they finally did, they were heavy with something I couldn’t quite name.
"Caleb," I said, my voice steady even though my insides were churning, "what the hell are you talking about? DNA tests? Caroline? Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out."
He ran a hand through his hair, his usual cool demeanor cracking just enough to show that he was nervous.
"Look, Aurora, I didn’t know how to tell you this. Hell, I didn’t even know if I should tell you this, but Caroline... she... she started spiraling after that incident at the parking lot. She was scared for her life, for your life. It got to her. Badly."
“Caleb, why would that incident affect Caroline’s life?” I asked him, confused. “I know she cares about me, and I care about her too, but—”
“This isn't just about caring for each other as friends.” His voice held something deeper as he tried to explain this to me. “The two of you have a much deeper connection, something that cannot be explained in simple terms.”
"A connection?" I repeated, the word sour in my mouth. "What kind of connection? And why would she need DNA tests to figure it out? That doesn’t make sense, Caleb."
"I know it doesn’t, but you’ve got to listen to me, okay?" He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his eyes locked on mine. "That night at the parking lot, when you stopped breathing…so did Caroline. The two of you are linked, Aurora, not just by fate, but by the Moon Goddess."
I blinked at him, the sheer absurdity of what he was saying making my head spin. "Linked? What on earth does that have to do with DNA tests, Caleb? How did she even do that? And more importantly, why?"
"Because she needed to know," Caleb said, his voice rising slightly. "Aurora, just... let me finish. We needed to know why you stopped breathing that day and why it affected Caroline, but we had a certain theory and after the tests…it seemed that we were on the right track."
"Right about what, Caleb?" I snapped. "What is this connection you keep talking about? Spit it out, Caleb, because I’m losing my patience."
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You and Caroline... you’re Lunar Sisters."
I froze. The words hung in the air, heavy and strange, like they didn’t belong in this conversation—or in any conversation. "Lunar Sisters?" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.
"What the hell does that even mean?"