Chapter One
Audrey’s P.O.V.
I tossed and turned in my sleep feeling absolutely restless. I shot up in bed covered in sweats. I looked around my purple room and everything seemed greyish. I was dream-walking again. I quickly threw my comforters off and jumped out of bed. Even though everything looked the same when I dream walked nothing really was. It was rare that I saw the moon goddess in person, she usually just left me clues to find. I wasted no time in searching for them. I checked my bedside table first. The top drawer was empty except for a sticky note that read ‘Trust no one child’. Something was about to happen and I needed to find out what. If the moon goddess didn’t want me to trust anyone it had to be for a reason. In the bottom drawer was a picture of me and my sisters, as well as individual pictures of us. The group picture was never taken or at least it hadn’t been yet. Erma looked to be at least 13 but she was only 6 years old right now. Edith and I looked years old too. The moon goddess clearly wants us to stay together, I had no problem with that. I loved my little sisters and would do anything to protect them. The individual photos of us were all similar. They were all pictures of us the day we were born, our eyes had an ice blue ring around them and our hair had a white glow to it. Our mother wasn’t holding us in the photos our father was, no surprise there she hated us always has. What surprised me was that she had a look of fear in her eyes in each photo. What was she afraid of?
Just when I was about to voice my questions hoping to find more clues everything started to fade into white, I was waking up. “Nooo,” I groaned pulling the covers over my face. “Audey wake up,” Erma said, shaking me. “Uggg Erma I was dream-walking why’d you have to wake me?” I grumbled turning away from her. “Ahhh!” she squealed. “Erma!” Edith complained sitting at the foot of the bed, “Quit squealing so early and let Audrey sleep.” Ignoring Edith Erma started bombarding me with questions, “Did you see the moon goddess again? What’d she say?” “Erma hush,” Edith snapped covering her mouth, “Mom can’t know Audrey talks to the moon goddess remember.” “Oopsie,” Erma replied after Edith took her hand away, “Sawwy Audey I forgot.”
“It’s alright Erma but Edith is right we have to be more careful now more than ever,” I said pulling Erma onto my lap as I sat up. I was about to say more when someone knocked on my open door. It was our ‘nanny’ Anita. She always acted like she cared so much for each of us since we were born but today she seemed off. She reeked of fear and was hesitant to enter when she normally doesn’t even knock if the door was already open. “Everything alright Anita?” I asked her. “Oh a yes, yes everything is quite alright. T-today is your birthday and y-y-your mother wants to spend the day with all of y-you,” she replied.
“No offense but it’d be a better birthday to not have to see her at all,” I snapped getting out of bed to grab some clothes from my dresser. “Audrey, your mother explicitly said it wasn’t under negotiation and it isn’t a request that you must spend the day with her,” Anita rushed out in a nervous hurry. Erma and Edith hadn’t moved from the bed watching Anita suspiciously. “Anita, tell mother we’ll be down shortly,” I said, giving my sisters a look that they knew meant not to say anything. “R-really?” Anita stammered nervously. I guess she expected me to protest more, and honestly if it wasn’t for needing to find out more about what was going on I would protest a lot more.
“Tell her now Anita before she has a reason to be cross with you today,” I snapped impatiently. She ran down the hallway at that. “Edith, help Erma get ready. I’ve got a plan and I’ll need both of your help,” I instructed them. They didn’t hesitate. Now I know what you’re thinking. Is it really a good idea to have a 6 yr old help with a plan? Don’t little kids have loose lips and blab about everything? Well most do but our mother showed Erma her true colors since the beginning always being cold and distant with her but when she turned 2 she started beating her. That’s when Erma realised our mom couldn’t be trusted and that she would never love her. Erma is actually a great informant because no one keeps their guard up around her. She’s great at pretending she isn’t paying attention and is in her own little kiddy world when in fact she’s taking in every word you say. She’s a key part of a lot of my past plans for that very reason.
After I had selected a dark purple blouse and some dark jeans, I grabbed my undergarments and purple converse and my waning crescent moon necklace my dad gave me 3 years ago and headed into my en suite bathroom to get ready. While I shampooed, conditioned, and cleaned up I thought more about my dream-walking. Mom was scared of something in those photos and in each phone she was staring directly at us. Is it possible it’s us she’s scared of? No that’s ridiculous we were just infants why would anyone be scared of infants. I mean I have dream-walking abilities but she couldn’t have known I would have when I was born and even if she did that’s not a scary ability. Think Audrey think there’s got to be a clue there.
After racking my brain for so long I realised the water had gone cold so I turned it off and got out. I couldn’t help but keep thinking about the sticky note and photos even as I brushed my teeth. Then looking at my reflection as I still stood in my towel it hit me. In the photos we each had a birthmark just below our collar bone on the right side. Mine had me a waning crescent moon just like the necklace dad gave me. But the strange thing is looking at my reflection I had no such birthmark. Was it ever really there? Or had it just been another clue from the moon goddess? Maybe the necklace itself means something? I threw the thoughts to the back of my mind as I dressed and left the bathroom. Somehow I had to figure everything out and I wouldn’t stop until I did.
