Chapter 1: The Mystery of Madag Forest (Part 1)

[Luna Syesha McCleen]

“Mama! Papa! We’re leaving!” Leena said goodbye to our parents.

“Be careful, my babies! We love you both!” Mama and papa said. They only kissed Leena because they couldn't see me. I walked towards them and kissed their cheeks, though they couldn't feel me. Leena turned to me and smiled. “Let’s go?” I nodded, then we walked towards the entrance where the car was waiting for us. 

“Are you still sad? Aren’t you still getting used to it?” she asked in a worried tone. I let out a deep sigh. “It’s not like that, Leena. I’m sad because they still can’t hear me and see me either…” I said with sadness in my voice. Leena stopped in her tracks and hugged me. “Shh, don’t worry, okay? Mama and papa are trying their best to look for a way to see you. So, stay positive, okay?” she said while smiling at me, and I forced a smile.

We got inside the car and the driver drove away to school. I’m so lucky to have a twin like Leena because she accepted me for who I am and is always there for me. But I am still not used to being invisible. Also, I envy Leena for having the life I want. Sometimes I wonder why I was born when it was so useless because people don’t see me either. When I was born, they even heard my cries and they could still see me even though I was vanishing. But when I turned 1-year-old, they couldn’t see or hear me anymore except Leena.

Am I cursed? Why am I so unlucky? My parents don’t remember if someone cursed me. No one can explain what my condition is, and it bothered me so much. This is a big question mark on my entire existence.

But I have always had this dream, that I am on the moon. I don’t know, but I have these urges that I want to go there. Every night I stared at the moon, and it was calling out to me, but I felt scared to respond.

“Hey! Are you okay? We’re here!” It startled me a bit when Leena snapped her fingers in front of my face. She got out of the car first and I followed. Leena wore a wide smile as she walked inside the campus, and every student greeted her as we passed by.

“Hi, Princess Leena! Good Morning!”

“Princess Leena is so beautiful, right?”

“Yeah, she’s so kind too.”

“And she’s perfect!”

“Aye!” I turned my back when someone called Leena. It was Ameera, wearing a beautiful smile. They kissed each other’s cheeks as a greeting. And I just watched them. 

“Where’s Jasmine and Ella?” Leena asked.

“I don’t know. They’re always late, anyway.” Ameera replied while shrugging her shoulders. 

The two of them just talked while I just followed with a bored expression. Sometimes it’s also annoying to follow Leena around all the time. When I got the chance, I ran away from Leena. I teleported to the lake at the back of the school. A smile plastered on my lips as I looked around. This place is beautiful. I also play here sometimes. Since no one was around, I played with the water; I created a small whirlwind as I walked through the water. It is peaceful here and there is no disturbance. 

But I was wrong...

“Who are you? Show yourself or else!” I looked to my right, and a guy stared in my direction, but he couldn't see me. I paused for a moment and stared at him. He has quiff cut brown hair which makes him look subtle, with mesmerizing eyes, a perfect set of eyebrows, a long nose, and kissable lips. In short, perfect!

“Speak! I know you’re there,” he added.

“Tsk. You can’t even hear me.” I murmured, and an idea popped into my head about how to communicate with him. I walked beside him and let out a snow-ice that surprised him, and I wrote a word there. He read what I wrote.

“You can’t see me nor hear me.” He read. “But why?” he said and frowned. 

I wrote again. ‘I don’t know?’

“What? Why don’t you know?” he asked, puzzled.

‘I just don't know.’

“Tsk. Are you a boy or a girl?” he asked. 

‘Girl.’

“Ok. I’m Bryle Henderson. What’s your name?” He said and smiled. Holy sh*t! He's so handsome! 

‘Luna.’ I wrote.

“Luna?”

‘Just Luna.’

“Fine. Why are you here?”

‘I like it here because this place is peaceful.’

“Yeah. You’re right. I always come here often. But why didn’t I feel you before?” huh? He’s always here too? Oh, yeah. 

‘I didn’t see you either. Maybe we didn’t cross each other.’

“Yeah, maybe. And I just came here early. I stayed out here after class.” Oh, that’s why! I looked into his eyes and he looked so sad.

‘You have a problem. Is that why you always come here?’ I wrote and stared at his face. 

“How did you know?” he asked, puzzled. I smiled. 

‘Because I have a problem, too. You know I’m sad because you can’t see and hear me.’ I wrote again and released a deep sigh. 

“Your problem is worse than mine,” he said in a sad tone.

‘All right, I have to go. Until I see you again. Bye.’ I wrote and stood up. 

“All right. It’s already class time. Bye, Luna.” he said, then stood up too and walked away. I teleported back to the classroom. Leena frowned when she saw me. I know she will ask me again where I went. I just sat in the empty seat next to her. She reserved the chair for me.

She looked at me with ‘Where-did-you-go-look’.

“I was just in the lake at the back of the school.” She nodded and turned her attention to the front and listened to what the professor discussed.

“I’m going to the library. It’s boring here,” I said, and before she could confirm, I already teleported to the library. I walked toward the bookshelves and selected some books, but an old book on the far end of the shelf caught my attention. It was full of dust, so I used my powers to get rid of the dust.

‘The Moon’ is the title of the book. The title seems interesting, so I read it.

A long time ago, there was a girl named Luna who lived alone on the moon. One day, she went down into the Moondrous World and interacted with a gifted human. She then meets Lucas, the prince of the Faraway Kingdom, and later on becomes her boyfriend. Lucas didn’t know that Luna was a goddess. They get married and give birth to a child named Lumeena. The Gods and goddesses knew she was having an affair with a gifted human below. As a result, the Gods and goddesses punished her for breaking the sacred rules not to fall in love and have an affair with a gifted human below. They sent Luna back to the moon and could never go down again. Luna didn’t know the consequences of loving a human below, but Goddess Athena of Wisdom told her the consequences later on. And that is, her generation is the one who will suffer the consequences.

Despite Luna’s sadness, looking at her family below makes her happy and content. She promised to guide them by her light. Although, she's sad because her family can't see or hear her anymore, at the same time she’s happy just by seeing her daughter grow up so beautiful and strong.

“Huh? It’s cut out? Where’s the next page?” I groaned and put the book back on the bookshelves.