Remembering Zoe Awkland

Before noon the next day, I stood under the open sky, the orange woods surrounding me. Whistling winds and singing birds...

“Hurry up, Harry! We wouldn’t want to be late, would we?” Maggie barked orders at the driver, a middle-aged Omega clad in blue blazers and pants.

“Copy that, Maggie.” He adjusted his hat and continued loading our hefty boxes into the trunk of a sleek black limousine with tinted windows.

“Now, you say a proper goodbye to your Luna,” Maggie instructed Sara and me, pointing at Courtney, who was standing at a distance. Elegant as ever.

Sara moved before me, and as soon as she reached Courtney, she lowered her head in reverence.

“Farewell, Luna.”

“Kneel,” Courtney commanded. Stern voice. Rock-hard face.

“Pardon me, ma’am.” Sara cringed visibly and instantly bent the knee.

“Good.” Courtney’s chin rose. “That is how we do it in the Shadow Pack. Respect, honor—over love and admiration.”

I tried to follow suit, drifting to my knees, but Courtney grabbed me, pulling me into a tight hug. I stiffened for a moment, fighting the blush that smeared my cheeks as she sniffed my hair and kissed my forehead and cheeks several times.

“Be a good girl,” she whispered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sara gazing at me as if her eyes could drive a bullet into my skull.

Now I understood. Everything made sense—the hate and jealousy that had driven her to the wall in the previous life. But I just couldn’t stop it. Not that part.

Did that mean I could not prevent the future as well?

“—Promise me,” Courtney’s voice snapped me out of my head.

I blinked.

“Do it.”

“Alright. Yes, I will be good, Courtney,” I said, slowly pulling out of her embrace.

We shared a moment, staring into each other’s eyes deeply, Courtney smiling with shimmering eyes—from the tears that had formed. What I could not understand was this sudden love she had for me. It had never been this intense in my previous life.

Perhaps our conversation about her fate had altered something in the timelines.

Heaving, I finally spoke—rather nervously. “I guess you have a lot of work to do then.”

“You do too, no?”

“Of course. We all do.” I smiled.

She smiled back. Then a heartbeat later…

“Remember me.” Her eyes formed crescents as she said it—words that ended me.

I couldn’t respond, couldn’t feel my limbs. It sent chills down my spine.

“Okay?”

I nodded.

Slowly, she let go of me. Then something switched instantly. Her countenance hardened into a no-nonsense mask. She gazed upon Sara like a ruthless demigod.

“You may rise.”

“Thank you, Luna.”

“…And godspeed.”

At that point, I noticed an unspoken exchange between Courtney and Maggie. Glances. Then a synchronous nod.

“Ready, Harry?” Maggie echoed.

“Anytime you are.”

---

The drive was slow and quiet, the awkwardness unbearably thick. Sara and I sat right in front of Maggie’s unflinching eyes, her red lipstick seeming more evident than anything else.

After a long while, she finally spoke.

“I see you girls don’t understand the dire situation you are in, so I will enlighten you.”

We stayed silent.

“You must not speak to other boys at school. Ever. Especially those in the Tertiary. You never know who is who.”

“The Tertiary?” Sara asked.

“Yes. You will find that the school is divided into three sections. I am hoping the proprietress will educate you more on that. Nevertheless, I must repeat this: do not even look at a male. Your situation with the Elders is a very delicate one. If you mess it up by mating with any of those silly males, then it is over for real. You are dead.”

My throat tightened at her last sentence.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Maggie,” we chorused.

“Perfect.” She adjusted her sleeves. “The good news is, you two are considered wardens of the Crescent Seat, hence, will be treated with more… care. You will most likely be matched with prominent families for mating as well.”

Her words lingered in the air for a while, and for a heartbeat, I wondered if she knew I was only seventeen at the time.

“Sara?” she called.

“Yes, Maggie.”

“Your beauty has not gone unnoticed. You’d better keep your virtue as well. And stay focused. Surely, good things await you. Finally, you can be accepted as someone worth more than a… Lone wolf… urgh!” Her face twisted. “Just the word disgusts me.”

“Madam, we are here,” Harry announced from the driver’s seat, and my heart leapt.

“Alas! Springfield Academy.”

I looked out the window, and my breath caught at the impeccable scenes of architectural brilliance. The highs and lows. The peaks and troughs—vistas of caramel perfection. Buildings, almost celestial, stood like castles cast in the ancient medieval times of elves, dwarves, and fairies.

The feeling of seeing it for the first time was still there, as if I hadn’t already spent years here a lifetime ago. It was hard to understand. The Moon Goddess hadn’t stripped me of memory, but she had slowly taken away the feelings associated with the memories. Now, I had to experience them all over again.

How could I control my reactions if I was feeling everything for the first time again? I wondered.

My hands rubbed against my thigh, an alarm ringing in my head.

Yes, it was time to meet the love of my life.

---

“Remember who you are, and what we discussed in the car.” Maggie’s neck muscles tightened. “My eyes will always be on you, so don’t ever think I’m gone for good or believe this is an opportunity for you to misbehave.”

With that, she swiveled around with emotionless alacrity.

“Harry?”

“Yes, milady.”

“Shall we?” She extended her hand, and he took it like a fragile cup.

“Farewell, Maggie—” Sara bellowed.

“Don’t—” she cut in sharply. And without looking in our direction, she allowed Harry to guide her out of the scene while muttering curses.

“F*ck*ng strays!”

We stood there—Sara and me—alone and lost in a large, heavenly expanse. Our luggage had been dumped in front of us like a pile of rubbish. But to me, it didn’t matter. I was grateful enough to be given another chance to relive my life in this beautiful castle.

I was still gaping around with dropped jaws when I noticed a figure approaching us.

“Look, Sara,” I whispered.

“Yeah, I saw her first,” she retorted.

“Hello girls, and welcome to Springfield Academy!” a short woman hollered.

“Thank you.”

This woman’s wide smile was almost haunting. Her gap teeth were too conspicuous for my liking. Clad in blue dungarees and a pink top, her hair was tied in a ponytail—giving her the likeness of a Barbie in a horror movie.

“I am Miss Ellie. Your Principal,” she said.

“Like… the owner of the school?” Sara scoffed, eyeing her from head to toe.

“No, the principal.”

“I see.”

“So, I got a letter from the Crescent Seat stating that you were coming here. Sara, right?”

“Sara Hawkley.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Can’t say the same…”

They shook hands.

“You must be Zoe Auckland,” she referred to me.

I said nothing, only shrank backward.

She snickered. “Fine then. Just follow me. I know you’re nervous—”

And just like that, we were taken straight to the dormitory and shown a room. For some reason, I was expecting Sara to be my roommate but...

“No, you are staying alone,” Miss Ellie blurted out.

I gave her a puzzled expression, and she shrugged.

“What? Don’t look at me, I’m just following orders.”

“Whose orders?”

“The Grand Luna.”

“Ouch.”

“What about me?” Sara intoned.

“You, my dear, won’t be staying on this floor. You are to live upstairs—six stairs above—and will have a roommate.”

“What if I want to live alone like her?”

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible.”

“What? Why? Am I not a guest of the Crescent Seat as well?”

“Relax, Sara. You are in a higher class. We even had to squeeze out this space for you since our intakes were full for the session. Consider this a privilege from the Crescent Seat. Or perhaps you’d like to come back next year?”

“Whatever,” Sara rolled her eyes. “She always gets the good things anyway…”

“What did you say?” I shot back.

“Nothing.” She straightened.

“Girls, girls! Look at the bright side.” Miss Ellie stood between us, but faced me. “Sara is eighteen and will be joining the Tertiary while you, Zoe, will finish your finals and join her in a bit. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“No,” I said with a straight face. “I don’t.”

“Great! Now, I heard you haven’t turned yet. Is that true?”

“Perhaps…”

“Fair enough. In that case, you should consider yourself lucky to have a sister in the Tertiary to protect you.”

“I don’t need her protection.”

“Oh, you do, my girl…”

With that, she turned to Sara. “I dare say the Tertiary is where all the fun happens. I was once in it, you know. You get to meet the most prominent Alphas and their Sigmas, plus there is a high chance of matching with a renowned family and all. Besides, not all students make it to the Tertiary, so it is a big deal around here.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, we have lost many students during the turning process. What can I say? The Moon Goddess is tricky.”

My heart tightened. Apparently, the turning was not as easy or straightforward as they made it sound.

“Enjoy your time here, Zoe.” Miss Ellie said nothing more. She simply handed me my keys and left with Sara.

—