She woke up with the same thoughts, as if she had spent the entire night—awake and asleep—thinking about them.
She got up, splashed some water on her face, and looked at herself in the mirror.
That quiet confidence was part of her features now. Her eyes—long, yet wide—gave her face something unusual. She wasn't perfect, but her flaws made Luna's face more striking.
She reached for the dress Aunt Susie had sewn for her: a white dress with tiny yellow flowers.
Out of habit, she walked toward the park. She picked her usual flower and tucked it into her hair. Somehow, it completed her look.
"You like flowers?"
Luna turned around.
Leo again.
Her fingers tightened around the flower in her hair before she realized she was holding it too hard.
He always knew where she was, as if following her was the only thing he did.
Dryly, Luna replied,
"So you must be a bee."
The joke left her lips easily, but her chest didn't loosen.
Leo tilted his head slightly and pointed at his jacket. He always wore coats that were loose, oversized, hanging off his shoulders.
"Too bad. You know, the yellow one had a bee design. But I chose the black one instead—
you know…"
(He was clearly repeating her words from yesterday, about how black made things look even better.)
Luna pressed her lips together.
"That's great."
She quickened her steps, clearly trying to put distance between them.
With a few long strides, Leo caught up. He placed his hand lightly on her head and said,
"Hey, careful. Your steps shouldn't be longer than your height."
"Hah," Luna scoffed. "Are you bragging about being tall now?"
"I'm just making sure you don't disappear."
"Take your hand off my hair. You're making it greasy."
"Hah. You mean my hand is dirty?"
"No. I'm just making sure that when I disappear, the only thing left of me won't be dirt."
Leo flashed his usual crooked smile.
"So bitter. Where are you going?"
"The library."
His smile faded.
Serious now, he said, "Can you not go there?"
Luna laughed.
"What, trying to ban a regular from the library?"
"I'm not joking," Leo said, his tone sharp.
"If you're serious," Luna replied calmly,
"then my answer is no. The library is the only place I belong to."
Leo scoffed softly.
"How different we are."
As if something suddenly occurred to him, he slowed his steps and said cautiously,
"Then don't spend too much time face-to-face with my mom."
***
Tears were streaming from the boy's eyes, but the red color within them made everything feel wrong.
It was as if he were falling into a dark pit.
Luna reached out to grab him.
The boy tried to stop himself from falling, but couldn't. His hand came close—just the tip of his finger brushed against Luna's.
For a moment, the dark pit closed.
The red in his eyes shifted into green, and he was thrown upward.
Luna was breathing fast.
"You survived!" she cried.
That same crooked smile appeared.
"Did you really think I would?"
She lifted her head, eyes wide, and looked around.
She was in the library.
It seemed that thinking so much about yesterday had exhausted her—so much that she had fallen asleep while reading.
She took a deep breath.
Even though the dream had ended, she still felt as if something was brushing against her fingertip—
a lingering sensation that refused to fade, like a memory her skin hadn't let go of yet.
She lifted her head and stared at her hand.
Leo's fingertip was gently tracing hers.
Luna pulled her hand back sharply.
"What are you doing?"
"Were you having a nightmare again?"
*Again?*
*How does he know I have nightmares?*
"No. I don't have nightmares. Ever."
Leo stood up from the chair, his voice strangely calm.
"Yeah, sure. You're right. But you know what's funny? The moment I touched your finger, that damn frown disappeared."
Luna felt uneasy.
"It was nothing. Really."
Leo muttered something quickly—almost angrily.
It sounded like a spell.
"Tininoru."
Luna's eyes fluttered slightly, as if she were mentally breaking the word apart, letter by letter.
Without realizing it, she said softly,
"I love fantasy books because they do the things that—if I tried them in real life—someone would die."
She slammed her hand on the table.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"What was that? A spell?"
Leo was still stuck on her answer. He slowly lifted his head.
"It was nothing."
Luna scoffed.
"Oh yeah? Sure.Tininoro."
Leo smirked.
"You can't even pronounce it. And even if you could, it wouldn't work on me. You're not like me."
Luna repeated quietly,
"Tininoru."
Leo's lips parted before he could stop himself.
"I love oversized clothes because they're the only ones that let me breathe."
He froze.
Then, sharply, "How did you do that?"
Luna looked confused.
"I don't know."
She tried again.
"Tininoru."
Leo's crooked smile returned.
"That spell only reveals one thing," he said softly.
"A secret."
Luna asked quietly,
"So… you're a witch?"
"Of course not."
The sound of the door opening echoed through the library.
Luna turned instinctively, trying to see who it was.
"Leo? Are you here?"
It was Jaline's voice—cold and firm, unmistakable.
Just like her footsteps, it had a rhythm that belonged only to her.
"Is someone inside the library?"
"No, Mom. There's no one here."
"Good. Then we'll wait."
Luna pointed at herself with both hands, disbelief written all over her face.
Leo grabbed her shoulders and guided her in the opposite direction of his mother, pushing her toward the exit. He shut the door behind them and said in a low voice,
"Don't come back here until tomorrow."
"But my book—it's important," Luna protested.
Leo simply nudged her away.
"If it was that important, you wouldn't have fallen asleep."
He gave her a quick wave and closed the door in her face.
Luna turned around, stomping her foot against the ground in frustration. She reached for her phone to call Sabrina—her closest friend, the one who always made Luna's messiest nights lighter.
Her phone wasn't there.
"No. I left it inside."
*But Leo said not to come back until tomorrow…*
A woman passed by and opened the library door.
Luna hesitated—then convinced herself and slipped inside behind her. Keeping to the less visible side, she moved toward the table, grabbed her phone, and turned to leave.
Then—
A sudden crash.
Someone falling.
Luna ducked under a table, shifting slightly to get a clearer view through the gaps between the shelves.
"What—?"
Jaline was sitting there, a black cloak pulled over her face.
Leo had both hands gripping the shoulders of the woman who had entered with Luna. He was dragging her across the floor—
not violently, but with an unsettling ease, as if the woman's weight meant nothing to him.
Her shoes scraped against the ground. Her hands clawed weakly at the floor.
Leo's expression was cold. Focused. Unfamiliar.
Tears welled up in Luna's eyes.
This time, not from sadness.
From fear.
Questions swirled violently in her mind.
But one drowned out all the others.
*Who is Leo—really?*