Selene’s Pov:
“Stay back!” I yelled as my rival shot another attack. I raised my hand with my last strength, trying to cast another spell. One mistake and I could burn the entire forest to ashes.
“Selene!” Isla called out to me. “Focus! Don’t lose control!”
But that seemed almost impossible.
My opponent, a vampire, moved too fast for me to keep up with. He attacked from every angle and no matter how many spells I cast, I was no match for him.
I gave up and collapsed to the ground.
Finally, he threw his last punch and took off, leaving me and my best friend, Isla, almost half dead.
For centuries, the witch and vampire clans have been at war. Both taught to hate the other, and neither side questioned why.
As witches, we were taught to guard and protect the Eclipsera, an ancient object holding power neither witch nor vampire could possess. The vampires claimed it was theirs and fought for possession, but no one knew who its true owner was.
Isla knelt beside me, her arms and face covered in blood. She looked at me with her usual calm but frustrated expression.
“You can’t keep doing this, Selene,” she said softly as she checked my wounds.
“I almost had him this time,” I said, forcing a smile.
“You also almost died. Again.”
I looked away, ashamed, silently questioning why I was this weak.
I glanced around the now quiet forest, remembering the vampire’s words.
“Why would he say that?” I murmured under my breath.
Isla looked at me, confused.
“Say what?”
“When he got close to me, he said I was different. That I wasn’t like other witches. What do you think he meant?”
“Vampires lie all the time, Selene. Don’t let them get into your head.”
She helped me up and we started walking back to the Academy. My hand was still trembling from the force of my own magic.
“We’re going to get in trouble for fighting on our own,” Isla warned.
But I could barely hear her.
All I could think about was what the vampire said to me and how oddly familiar his eyes looked.
Sleep didn’t come easy that night.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that vampire left me with.
After hours of staring at the ceiling, exhaustion finally pulled me under.
I saw them again.
Those familiar eyes.
Only this time there was no figure attached to them.
Everything else was blurry, but the eyes looked directly at me.
Every time I tried to reach them, they seemed to move farther away.
As soon as I got close enough, I heard a voice.
“Save me, Celeste.”
I woke up gasping, almost frozen in place.
I stayed awake for the rest of the night, trying to contain the magic that was now spiraling out of control.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the bright light surrounding the figure.
But what bothered me most was what it said.
Why would it call me Celeste?
And why did it need me to save it?
⸻
The next morning, I met up with Isla at the training grounds where she was sparring with Rowan, my cousin and our personal trainer.
I told them about the dream and the strange feeling it left me with.
Both looked concerned, but neither seemed convinced.
“Dreams like that are usually a result of fear, Selene,” Isla said. “You’ve been training too hard.”
“Yeah,” Rowan agreed. “You’re overthinking it too much. Take today off and rest. Me and Isla can train alone.”
I could tell neither of them believed it was anything more than a dream.
Still, I listened and went back to my dorm.
Part of me wanted to sleep.
The other part hoped I’d see the figure again.
And I did.
This time, it felt real.
Like I was actually speaking to him.
“Save me, Celeste. You’re the only one who can.”
“Who’s Celeste?” I asked.
“What do you need saving from?”
“Who… what are you?”
The figure seemed to take a closer look at me.
Then he disappeared.
I woke up immediately, more confused than before.
Now I was sure of one thing.
It wasn’t just a dream.
I had no choice but to tell my parents.
Margot and Dorian Thorne.
The strongest witches in our clan.
I told them everything.
The dream, the voice, the name.
Surprisingly, they looked afraid.
Something I had never seen before.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
“Mom,” I said carefully. “You tell me everything. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, Selene,” she answered hesitantly. “You’re overthinking it. Focus on learning your spells.”
“Yes, Selene,” my father added. “Why aren’t you with Rowan and Isla anyway?”
“I wanted to rest. I barely slept because of the same dream. Don’t change the subject.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You know something, don’t you?”
“Selene, if I did, I’d tell you. You know that.”
“I don’t believe you right now.”
I stormed out.
I ran as fast as I could to the same place where I had fought the vampire.
I had no idea what I planned to do when I got there.
I just felt like I had to go.
A small part of me even hoped I would run into him again.
I didn’t.
Out of frustration, I started casting spells.
Nothing dangerous.
Just enough to destroy a few trees.
A familiar voice interrupted me.
“Why don’t you channel this energy into training, huh?”
I turned.
Isla.
“My parents are hiding something,” I said.
“And I don’t like it.”
“Aunt Margot would never keep things from you and you know that,” she replied. “Calm down and give them time to figure it out.”
Reluctantly, I followed her back.
But when we arrived, both my parents were already waiting.
“Selene, we need to talk about something important,” my mother said.
“If it’s not about my dreams, I don’t want to hear it.”
“Selene, it’s not safe here anymore. You’ll have to go to the real world temporarily.”
“What?!”
Isla, Rowan and I all spoke at once.
“The real world isn’t fit for people like us, Aunt Margot,” Rowan protested.
Isla nodded in agreement.
“The attacks from the vampire clan are increasing,” my mother continued. “And Selene still doesn’t know how to control her powers. We can’t afford for something to happen to her.”
I laughed.
“That sounds more like an excuse to get rid of me while you figure out the truth behind my dreams.”
“Well, if we discover something while you’re gone, that’s a plus for us, isn’t it?” my father said.
“It’s temporary, Selene. Just until the war settles down.”
“I can’t believe both of you.”
“You’ll leave tomorrow. Get your things ready. Everything you need will be provided.”
They turned to leave.
“No!”
My voice echoed through the courtyard.
“You don’t get to walk away from this!”
Everyone went silent.
“It’s already bad enough that I, the daughter of the strongest witches in this clan, am weak and pathetic.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Now my powers are spiraling out of control and I have to deal with it alone because my own parents don’t care enough to tell me what’s going on.”
My mother sighed.
“Selene, you’re not weak. You just need more time to—”
“Just stop!”
I took a shaky breath.
“None of you know what it’s like for me. I train just as much as everyone else at the Academy and I have nothing to show for it.”
I looked around.
People were staring.
Some looked sympathetic, others looked uncomfortable.
I didn’t care.
“It’s exhausting living under your shadows.”
“Selene, we understand how you feel,” my father said.
“Trust me, we do.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You don’t.”
“Selene,” Isla said softly.
The sadness in her eyes almost made me regret snapping.
Almost.
“I promise it’s temporary, my princess,” my father continued. “As soon as we figure everything out, you’ll come back. Maybe I’ll even train you personally.”
“Well, do I have a choice?”
Neither of them answered.
I already knew the answer.
No.
⸻
Back in my dorm, I packed my bags and tried not to cry.
Tomorrow, I’d be leaving everything behind.
The Academy, Isla, Rowan, my family.
As I zipped up my suitcase, a sharp pain shot through my head.
A voice echoed in my mind.
“Save me, Celeste.”
I froze.
The voice sounded closer, clearer this time. More desperate.
And for the first time, I was certain it wasn’t a dream.
