Black Moon by Rebecca A. Rogers

strolls up behind me and lightly presses a cloth to my gashes.
    “Does that hurt?” he asks, low and gruff.
    “No,” I squeak, “not at all.”
    An awkward hush fills the air. I don’t know what to say to him. I’m furious and embarrassed and wondering if he’s purposely doing this to me.
    “When we turned,” says Ben, slashing through the thick atmosphere between him and me, even though we’re inches apart, “the cosmos decided we’d have reincarnated souls living inside us.” He mentions this randomly, like it’s an afterthought, like it’s not a big deal to have restored souls living inside us. “Centuries ago, two of our ancestors fell in love. They were from opposing sides. Families warring against each other and all.”
    “Sounds familiar,” I joke.
    He doesn’t laugh. Instead, he replies, “The problem with these two, though, is not that they were enemies, or that they happened to love one another; it’s that they were Ancients. The one who dwells inside me— Ulric —has a brother— Alaric. ” Can’t say their names.
    I know. Remembering what Maggie told me a few months ago about Ancients, and how speaking their name is a direct summons, I understand why Ben can’t verbalize.
    He carries on with the story. “And the one who lives in you was the object of affection for both brothers.”
    Alaric and Ulric ?
    “Right. Al decides that if he can’t have her— Daciana —then no one will. So, he kills them.”
    I turn around this time, still covering myself, of course, but I have to see his face to confirm what I’m hearing. “He killed his own brother?”
    Grimacing, Ben nods. “Yes. But before their souls departed Earth, Al banished them to the Otherworld—a location neither the living nor the dead want to go.”
    “Why not?”
    “From what I’ve heard, it’s purgatory. There’s nobody to converse with, and you can’t leave. Once you’re there, you’re there forever.”
    I can’t believe Alaric would do something so selfish. “So, are we . . . ourselves? I mean, can they takeover our bodies?”
    “They already have, which is why we saved you. I figured your parents didn’t explain just yet—and I was right. By the time we reached your house, you had already changed into Daci .”
    “My parents knew? Why didn’t they . . .” I let my voice trail off. Why didn’t they what—explain everything? It’s a joke how they refuse to inform me of what’s happening.
    Ben shrugs. “Maybe they wanted to focus on one issue at a time. That night just happened to be your transformation; the next day might’ve included the legend. Your mom mentioned something about they were going to let you know, but I doubted whether they would.”
    I glare at him. “Don’t talk about my mom like that.”
    “Sorry, but they’ve already withheld too much. When do you think they would’ve told you about this part? Did they even have a spell to control Daci’s soul, or were they going to let you continue living as her?”
    “I don’t know, okay? But this is big, so they had to realize they needed to be prepared. Instead, you guys ride in on white horses to save the day, kidnapping me in the process. Now I’ll die here unless they save me.”
    “Hey,” he says, moving forward and placing his hands on my upper arms. “I won’t let them kill you. We’re the link, Candra. We have to undo the past of our families.”
    “Oh, yeah? And how will we manage that?”
    “My family wants your power to bring back the Ancients, so we have them on our side.” But you and I, we could release them so they’d be at peace.
    “I don’t even have my power yet, so why are they convinced I’ll be the one that holds the key to bringing them back?”
    He frees my arms and steps away, not really looking at me, or anything else. “Because our powers are the exact same as Ul’s and Daci’s . I’ve already received mine, so that leaves yours. We already know what it’ll be; we just have to