A Marriage Promised by Moonlight

Prologue

It’s blazing hot.

I wish my mom would just let me go home and finish my LEGO build. But she says I should stay and play with my friends, which really means that she just wants me to watch out for my siblings.

So here I am, sitting on the swing. I’m not swinging—I’m too old for that now—just shuffling my feet in the dirt.

Puffs of dirt swirl in the air, landing on my sneakers.

I keep an ear out for my siblings and Ellie.

They’re playing tag with some of the other kids on the playground.

I’m too fast for tag with them. It wouldn’t be fun. Or fair.

A bigger kid named Lewis is “it” right now.

He’s chasing after my brother, Asher, who easily evades him, running up the slide.

Lewis pivots to Ellie, who’s giggling like girls always do.

Her feet churn in the mulch and Lewis tags her but way too hard.

Ellie falls, her hands splayed out, and hits the ground with a thump.

I scramble out of the swing and run to where she is.

The other kids stop running, staring at where Ellie is lying out like a starfish on the ground.

Lewis, the big chump, is laughing at Ellie while she clutches her wrist. Something in my stomach tightens.

“Ellie?” I say, helping her stand. “You okay?”

Her bottom lip is quivering and she’s got mulch stuck in her braids, but she’s not bleeding. So that’s good.

“You ain’t fast like me,” Lewis brags. He’s from the Tennessee side of Starlight Valley.

Figures.

“Don’t be such a brute, Lewis,” I say. He scrunches his nose at me.

He clearly doesn’t know what “brute” means.

And to be fair, I’m not totally sure I know either.

But my mom says it in situations like this, so it’s gotta be right.

“You can play tag, dude, but don’t push anybody. Or I’m gonna go get my dad.”

Lewis nods, no longer confused. My dad can be scary. But, like, in a good way. At least, it’s good when you’re not on the receiving end of his scariness.

“You got something to say to Ellie?” I ask him.

Lewis shrugs. “Sorry?”

Ellie nods and Lewis walks off to where the rest of the kids are waiting to keep playing.

“You okay?” I ask again as I check Ellie’s wrist. “Can you move it?” She circles her hand around just fine. Her palms are a little red and her knees are a bit scraped, but she’ll be okay. I pick a couple of pieces of mulch out of her braids.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she says. She wipes her face with dirty fingers, and now she’s got streaks of mud on her cheek. It looks kind of cool, like she’s going to war or something. “Thanks, Huntie,” she says, squeezing me in a hug that makes me feel weird. But, like, in a good way. I think.

I remember all the times my mom said that it’s my responsibility as the oldest to look out for the younger ones.

And how my dad said that we always have a duty to watch out for people who can’t help themselves and need protection.

I always thought I understood what they meant, like I’d just get blamed first if something went wrong.

But today … it feels different. Like I really get it now.

And it’s a good feeling, like my chest is full of more air or something.

I watch Ellie run off to keep playing tag. A few steps from me, she turns and asks, “You gonna play with us?”

I shrug. “Sure.” Playing tag doesn’t seem like a half bad idea now.