The moonstone

Chapter One

The Necklace

Aurelia remembered her mother’s hands.

She remembered how warm they were.

How they always seemed to find hers whenever she was frightened, and how they would gently brush the tears from her cheeks whenever she cried.

Most of all, she remembered the way her mother held her as though nothing in the world could ever hurt her.

Aurelia had been six years old when her mother gave her the necklace.

It was a rainy evening.

She sat on the edge of her little bed, swinging her legs impatiently while her mother brushed her hair.

“Stop moving,” her mother said, laughing softly.

“I’m not moving.”

“You’ve moved at least ten times.”

Aurelia looked down at her feet.

“They’re moving by themselves.”

Her mother smiled.

“Of course they are.”

Aurelia giggled.

Her mother finished brushing her hair and set the brush aside.

For a moment, she simply looked at her daughter.

There was something in her expression that Aurelia didn’t understand.

A softness.

And something else.

Something almost sad.

But then her mother smiled again.

“Close your eyes.”

Aurelia immediately became suspicious.

“Why?”

“I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”

Aurelia considered this.

“Is it a toy?”

“No.”

“A book?”

“No.”

“A puppy?”

Her mother laughed.

“No, Aurelia.”

“A kitten?”

“No.”

“A puppy and a kitten?”

Her mother shook her head, still laughing.

Aurelia sighed.

“Fine.”

She closed her eyes.

She heard a quiet metallic sound.

Then something cool rested against her neck.

“Open them.”

Aurelia looked down.

A delicate silver necklace hung around her neck.

At the center was a small, pale stone.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen.

It wasn’t completely white.

When the firelight moved across it, the stone seemed to hold little shades of silver and blue inside it.

Aurelia touched it carefully.

“It’s pretty.”

Her mother smiled.

“Yes.”

“What’s it called?”

Her mother’s fingers paused against the necklace.

“It’s just a little stone.”

Aurelia looked up at her.

“Just a little stone?”

“Just a little stone.”

“Then why did you give it to me?”

Her mother sat beside her.

“Because I want you to keep it safe.”

Aurelia frowned.

“Is it valuable?”

Her mother smiled.

“Very.”

Aurelia’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“Very.”

“How much?”

Her mother laughed.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Aurelia laughed too.

Her mother gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Just promise me you’ll keep it with you.”

Aurelia wrapped both hands around the necklace.

“I promise.”

Her mother kissed her forehead.

“Good.”

Aurelia smiled.

“Can I sleep with it?”

“You can.”

“Can I wear it tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“Can I wear it every day?”

Her mother hesitated.

Then she smiled.

“Every day.”

Aurelia hugged her.

Her mother held her tightly.

For a little while, neither of them said anything.

Outside, rain continued tapping against the windows.

Aurelia didn’t understand why her mother was holding her so tightly.

She didn’t know why her mother closed her eyes for a moment as though trying to memorize the feeling.

She only knew that she felt safe.

Loved.

And happy.

That was all that mattered.

Seventeen years later, Aurelia still wore the necklace.

She stood by her bedroom window, fastening her hair while the morning sun slipped through the curtains.

The little stone rested against her collarbone.

She touched it without thinking.

She had worn it for so long that she barely noticed it anymore.

It had simply always been there.

A part of her.

A piece of childhood she had carried into adulthood.

Aurelia glanced outside.

The village below was already awake.

Shopkeepers opened their doors. People walked along the stone paths. Somewhere nearby, someone was arguing with a rooster.

Aurelia smiled.

She had no idea how a rooster could possibly cause so much trouble before breakfast.

She grabbed her book from the table and headed toward the door.

Then she stopped.

Something felt different.

She looked back at the window.

Nothing.

Just sunlight.

Trees.

And the distant forest beyond the hills.

Aurelia frowned.

For a moment, she thought she had seen something between the trees.

A flicker.

A shadow.

Perhaps someone standing there.

She stepped closer to the window.

Nothing.

“Probably a bird.”

She shrugged.

Then she noticed her necklace.

The little stone was perfectly still against her chest.

Aurelia smiled faintly.

“I really need to stop imagining things.”

She left the room.

Outside, the morning air was cool and fresh.

Aurelia walked down the garden path, her book tucked beneath her arm.

A tiny white butterfly landed on her shoulder.

She stopped.

“Hello.”

The butterfly remained there.

Aurelia smiled.

“You know, you’re very brave.”

The butterfly fluttered away.

She watched it disappear into the flowers.

Then she continued walking.

She didn’t know that the quiet life she had always known was beginning to change.

She didn’t know that some things she believed about herself were not quite what they seemed.

And she certainly didn’t know that the little stone her mother had placed around her neck seventeen years ago was connected to a secret far older than she could imagine.

For now, though, Aurelia knew only one thing.

It was hers.

And she had promised her mother she would keep it safe.