Novel-novel oleh Hadley Quinn

For three days, Luna drifted between sleep and darkness.Sometimes she heard voices around her. Sometimes she felt someone holding her hand. Other times, she heard Marcus telling her that she needed to wake up.But whenever she tried to open her eyes, everything slipped away again.On the fourth morning, Luna finally woke.Her eyes opened slowly.A white ceiling came into focus first, followed by white walls and the soft beeping of a machine beside her. For several seconds, she couldn't remember where she was.Then the pain came.Her head throbbed, her body felt weak, and when she tried to move her left hand, it barely responded.She frowned."What..."Her voice came out dry and weak.She swallowed and tried again."Where am I?"No one answered.Luna slowly turned her head.The room was empty.Marcus wasn't there.She tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she could recall was walking home, hearing footsteps behind her, and two men grabbing her.Then darkness.A television

The ambulance disappeared into the distance with its siren blaring, leaving the street strangely quiet.Police officers arrived shortly afterward and began examining the scene. Luna's broken bag lay near the pavement, a torn piece of her jacket was caught against the wall, and there were traces of blood where she had fallen.One of the officers crouched near the wall and studied the ground."Someone fought hard," he muttered.His partner nodded."Let's find out who did this."They questioned people in the surrounding area and checked nearby streets, hoping someone had seen the men who attacked Luna. But by the time they finished, there was still no clear description of the attackers.By morning, their investigation had reached the diner.Marcus was behind the counter when two police officers walked through the door."Excuse me."Marcus looked up."Yes?"One of the officers studied him."Do you know a woman named Luna Vance?"Marcus immediately straightened."Yes. Why?"The officer exch

Luna was halfway through her afternoon shift when she noticed something strange.The diner was louder than usual.Customers were talking among themselves, and several people had their eyes fixed on the television mounted above the counter. Luna barely paid attention at first. She was too busy wiping down a table, trying to finish her work before another order came in.Then the volume suddenly increased.**“Breaking news.”**Luna looked up.A familiar face appeared on the screen.Her hand stopped moving.Ethan Blackwood.For a moment, she couldn't breathe.The boy from the alley was gone.In his place sat a grown man in a dark suit, looking calm and powerful. His features had changed with age, but Luna knew those eyes. She could never forget them.She stared at the screen as the reporter smiled.“Mr. Blackwood, thank you for joining us.”Ethan gave a polite nod.“Thank you for having me.”The reporter leaned forward.“You've been away from the state for fourteen years. What made you decide

Luna Vance woke to the sound of her alarm.She groaned and reached for her phone, accidentally knocking it off the small table beside her mattress. It hit the floor with a dull thud. She sighed, stretched down to pick it up, and squinted at the screen.5:42 a.m.Her eyes burned.She had gotten home a little after two in the morning after finishing her shift at the cleaning company. By the time she had showered and eaten the last piece of bread in her kitchen, it had been almost three.Two hours of sleep.That was all she had.Luna slowly sat up and rubbed her face. Her tiny studio apartment was quiet almost too quiet. A small kitchen stood against one wall, while her mattress occupied most of the other side of the room. Her wardrobe had been missing one door for almost a year, and the paint near the window was peeling badly. Whenever it rained, water found its way through the cracked frame.It wasn't much.But it was hers.At least nobody could lock her out of it.She dragged herself

Luna's POV — FlashbackThe rain had been falling for almost an hour, but twelve-year-old Luna Vance had nowhere to go.She stood beneath the tiny roof of an old, closed shop, hugging herself as cold water dripped from her hair onto her torn dress. Her bare feet were dirty and scratched from walking through the streets, but the pain barely registered anymore.All she could hear was Aurora's voice repeating in her head.*Get out!*Luna swallowed hard.Her twin sister had locked her out again.This time, their mother hadn't stopped her. She had simply looked at Luna with that tired, annoyed expression before telling her to stay outside until she learned how to behave.Luna still didn't understand what she had done wrong.She had tried explaining. She had tried apologizing. Nobody had listened.So she had left.The rain suddenly grew heavier, forcing Luna to look for somewhere else to hide. She spotted a narrow alley between two old buildings and hurried inside, wrapping her arms around