The sun had barely risen, and the forest was still draped in silver mist. Khalil Jace Ashford rubbed his eyes, trying to wake from a restless sleep curled against his sister, Mira, and the ever-watchful Meredith.
Their stomachs ached from days without proper food, and every shadow seemed to whisper danger.
"Are we… safe?" Mira asked, her small voice trembling.
Meredith shook her head gently but firmly. "Safe? Not yet. But we'll rest here for now. You both need strength."
Khalil's jaw tightened. Hunger gnawed at him, but more than that, he felt a strange pull in his chest, a restlessness he didn't understand. He couldn't sit still.
Without warning, he slipped quietly away from the small clearing where they had slept, weaving between the thick trees, his bare feet brushing roots and damp leaves. The forest seemed alive, whispering secrets only he could feel.
Then he saw her.
A girl, sitting on a vibrant picnic blanket, laughing softly as her friends played nearby. The sun caught her hair, and Khalil froze. His stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger, but his eyes… they couldn't leave her.
She turned suddenly, as if sensing him, and looked directly toward the shadows where he crouched. Khalil froze, heart pounding.
A swish of leaves betrayed his hiding spot.
"Who's there?" she called, her voice steady but curious.
Khalil stepped out, trembling, unsure of what to do. The girl's friends gasped, and guards nearby tensed. He panicked, stumbling backward, and fell hard onto the mossy ground. Pain shot through his ankle, but he forced himself to his feet, desperate to run.
He didn't notice the path back to Meredith and Mira.
He only ran, heart hammering.
The girl ran after him, calling to him, her laughter soft but persistent. "Wait! Are you okay?"
Meredith emerged from the trees, Mira clinging to her skirts, just as the girl and her friends reached them. The guards approached, hands on weapons, ready to enforce authority, but the girl stepped forward, her eyes soft and commanding.
"Leave them," she said. "They've done nothing wrong."
Khalil froze, confusion and fear warring inside him. The girl's gaze swept over the forest clearing where they had slept, and for the first time, he felt… pity.
"I'm Luna," she said gently, kneeling down to their level. "LJ. You can stay and eat with us."
Meredith hesitated, scanning the girl's expression, but hunger and fatigue had no patience. She nodded reluctantly.
For the first time in days, Khalil felt a flicker of hope—and something else he didn't yet understand. Destiny, it seemed, had finally led him here.