Chapter Eleven
The first bell cuts through me like a bullet to the brain. I groan and force myself to roll out of bed. My head is pounding, and I can feel my heartbeat in my temples. I wince and use my fingers to rub the sides of my head in circles to soothe the feeling. What the fuck happened last night?
I look over at Nala’s empty bed. She must’ve stayed the night with Charlie. I don’t remember getting back to my dorm room. I rub my eyes in hopes that it will paint a clearer picture on the blank space in my mind, but I am none the wiser. What the hell was in that liquor?
Dragging myself to the bathroom confused, I stare at my wild hair in the reflection.
My fingers fight through its strands, trying to conquer the curls and knots, but give in, not strong enough to tame the beast that is my hair.
I throw it up into a messy bun. My eye is still bruised, and I use my finger to lightly dab concealer over it, which, although it doesn’t do much, definitely hides some of the redness.
My stare intensifies as I look hard at myself.
I’m still wearing the same clothes as last night. I must’ve just passed out.
My eyes then focus on my reflection, trying to find the missing pieces of the puzzle—the party, the drinks, River’s friends, the kiss and then Ryder.
My cheeks grow hot thinking about him, and my stomach flutters.
What did he mean when he said, ‘I was different?’ I’m sure he’s just trying to mess with my head. He’s a Moon; they can’t be trusted.
I shake the thought off and unclasp my bra, but a light shuffle on the floor distracts me. I look down. Something has fallen out of it.
My eyes follow the sound down to the bathroom floor to see a small, folded piece of paper. Did I put that in my bra last night?
I bend down and pick it up, the blood rushing to my head momentarily. I unfurl the first fold, hoping it will iron out the creases of my mind.
‘Sun Woman Missing Kidnapped by Moon!’
There is a date in the top left-hand corner; it’s a newspaper article from twenty years ago. I unfold it again, and I stare at it in shock. A woman who looks just like me is plastered on the front page.
‘Laura Windsor, kidnapped from Sun Sovereign in the early hours of the morning. Witnesses speculate that she was taken by a criminal Moon. The RHE still do not know the Moon’s motives with Laura and are currently doing everything they can to find her and bring her back safely.’
I can’t hide my shock. It’s her… It’s my mother. My mum was kidnapped by a Moon? Why didn’t my dad tell me any of this?!
My eyes scatter aimlessly over the page, the words not really processing in my head. I pause for a moment.
‘Luca Thorncroft suspected of the kidnapping… Moon Terrorist to be put to death for conspiring against Sun people… ￡10000 Reward for anyone that finds him dead or alive.’
I repeat the name in my head a few times until I finally realise where I know it from.
I run to the suitcase under my bed and pull out the Moon yearbook, frantically flipping through the pages until I see a glimpse of the man holding my mother’s suitcase.
Luca Thorncroft is staring back at me in photo form. My mother’s kidnapper. I go cold.
My stomach churns and sloshes, and I feel a pressure building at the back of my throat.
I run to the toilet and arch myself over its rim, surrendering to the feeling, retching and heaving out the contents of my stomach; pink liquid spatters into the toilet bowl, and I heave again until I can’t bring up anymore.
My stomach feels hollow now. Every remnant of last night is gone, expelled from my body, including my memories.
How did that newspaper article get in there?
I peel myself away from the toilet seat and splash my face with cold water in the sink.
I’ve probably missed first meals now, but I don’t care; the thought of eating anything makes me gag.
My body feels weak and limp, I drag myself over to my wardrobe and throw on a cream jumper and black leggings. This will have to do.
Nala is next to me in Medicinal Potions class. She looks as rough as I feel. I haven’t been paying attention to Mr Evelyn. My mind is filled with inconsistencies. I keep running through last night’s events in my head. I remember leaving Ryder but then… Nothing, it’s all blank.
Then there’s the news article. I must’ve gone back into the archives and found it. That’s the only logical explanation. I think I would’ve noticed if someone had placed a folded piece of paper into my bra. Wouldn’t I?
Nala turns her head towards me and leans close.
“How did it go between you and River in the end?” she barely whispers, interrupting my thoughts.
“Ummm, it went okay. He’s really lovely,” I reply, thinking about our kiss last night.
“Really lovely?” she repeats my words back to me, and I shrug my shoulders.
“That’s it….?” She gives me a serious look and pries further.
“Wow, you really don’t like him like that, do you?
” Her face is shocked, and I am honestly just as shocked as she is.
I don’t know why I don’t have feelings for him. He seems like the perfect guy for me.
“Is it that obvious?” I feel guilty as I say this, guilty that my stupid heart beats faster for a Moon than for a Sun.
“What happened?” she asks as she rests her hand on my shoulder.
“We get on really well, but it just doesn’t feel like how I expected it to feel, you know?” I think about Ryder, about the surge of heat that ran through my body when I saw him.
“I get it. Maybe you just need to see him again,” she replies matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, maybe.” I shrug my shoulders, knowing deep down that River is not the one that I want.
“We did share a kiss though,” I whisper, lifting an eyebrow in her direction.
“Asha, you dirty dog, you kept that quiet.” She chuckles quietly.
“You’re one to talk. I saw you making out with Charlie all night,” I reply, making her gently tap my arm in jest.
“I thought you’d never ask…” She smiles up at the ceiling. “Charlie is amazing. I really like him.”
“That’s good Nala, I’m really happy for you,” I say with a genuine smile. She beams at me.
“What time did you get in?” Nala asks, turning her attention back to our professor.
“Hmmm, I’m not too sure. I don’t remember much past one thirty-ish. I’m hoping River can fill me in on the rest,” I whisper, trying not to gain the attention of the teacher.
“Wow. You must have been proper wasted not to remember getting home,” she says with concern.
“Yeah, it was that stupid love potion,” I whisper, still not facing her entirely.
“What?!” Her eyes bulge at me. Of course, she doesn’t know.
“Oh yeah, you didn’t know. The pink liquor pretty much makes you feel all loved up and aroused. River’s friends were practically feeding me that shit. He made sure to watch out for me though,” I whisper, trying not to alert the professor of our conversation.
“Ahhh. That explains a lot,” Nala says, and her eyes roll to the side of the room where Charlie is sitting and back to me. “Me and Charlie tried every bowl, and the pink one was the nicest, so we filled up on that.” She laughs. “I’m just glad you got home alright.”
“Yeah, same,” I say. “I’m sure I have River to thank for that. I’m going to try to find him after class.”
Nala nods in my direction.
“Miss Calloway and Miss Reed, care to share with the class what you’re talking about? It must be a lot more important than what I’m teaching,” the professor interrupts, his voice laced with sarcasm. He takes his glasses off and looks in our direction.
“Erm… No, sorry, sir,” I say insecurely as the whole class turns to face us.
“That’s what I thought,” he states, then clears his throat.
“I’ll repeat the question: does anyone know what happens when you mix a frox wood leaf with a cazowe berry?
” He motions to each object on the desk in front of him and looks around, waiting for a hand to fly up. Ciara’s hand shoots up in front of me.
“Does it create a chain reaction that kick starts the healing process?” she questions. Always healing with her.
“Not quite. You are right though, the cazowe berry on its own mixed with water from the valleys can quicken the healing in some bruises and small cuts. Anyone else?” His eyes land on me. “Miss Calloway, want to give it a go? You were so talkative earlier.”
My cheeks redden with embarrassment as the whole class waits for me to speak.
“Umm, a frox wood leaf and a cazowe berry, when mixed at a forty-degree temperature, can create a truth serum. The RHE use this mixture to question the enemies caught during battle.”
The class falls silent and turns to look from me to a very surprised professor.
“That is correct. Well done, Miss Calloway. You clearly have a good knowledge of potions, but don’t let me catch you disrespecting me again. I think this class may suit you well.” He smiles quickly and then becomes stern again.
Nala looks over at me.
“Wow, you’re literally a nerd,” she jokes.
“Shut up,” I mouth to her, and a giggle escapes her lips.
I still feel so rough. My eyes dart to the paper in front of me.
I know a lot about potions due to my insomnia reading.
I look at the diagrams of berries and natural remedies: ‘The blue shell berry can enhance your hearing.’ I read about this; it is only found on the north side of Palidonia.
‘The little brick leaf only grows on one thousand-year-old tortoise shells; if ingested it can immobilise and paralyse. The seismic bulb when cracked open and inhaled is always fatal.’ Why are most of them deadly?
If I could get my hands on a froxwood leaf and a cazowe berry, I might be able to get the answers I need about my mother. But who would know the truth? I need to get back down into those archives. Someone at Moon ought to know about Luca Thorncroft, and I know just the person to start with.