Leaving Home

"Oh my god I'm so excited, we are finally going to college" Zara's best friend Luna gushes to her friend, the two of them had travelled out of Bourbon before but have never been away from their families for more than a day and now they will live miles away from them. Zara was not as excited as Luna about moving away from Bourbon, Zara forced a smile "yeah it will be great" she had a strange feeling that something or someone was lurking in the shadows waiting for her to show herself. "Come on Zara you can't still be hung up about that stupid dream you had, half the time the things you dream never even happen you need to relax we're gonna have so much fun together and just think about the boys". Luna's mom walked in "did someone say boys? Uh huh I don't think so, maybe it's not a good idea that you two go to that college. There are colleges right here in Bourbon you can attend and not Shadow colleges where you can see all your human friends". Luna's mother did not want her daughter to go away but not for the same reason Zara's mom was apprehensive, she was just scared because Luna was a little trouble maker and she did not want problems on the other hand Zara's mother was scared of what would happen if her daughter found out who she truly was the consequences that could come from that after all they spent her whole life protecting her and the world from the truth. "Hi Mrs H, I'm gonna go pick up my stuff from home and say goodbye to mom and dad, I will come by and pick you up in about an hour, Zara said to Luna "Bye Mrs H" she said giving the woman she loved like a mother a big long hug.

"Hey mom, Luna is almost done packing I'm just gonna get a few more stuff and we gonna go, don't wanna get there too late especially tonight seeing as it's a full moon and all I'm sure Luna would prefer to not have to hunt her best friend". Zara laughed at that but her mom just blankly stared at her, she could tell something was wrong, ever since the topic of college came up and a shadow college at that her mom and dad had been acting strange and she couldn't figure out why. "Hey mom are you listening?" She said snapping her fingers in front of her mother's face. "Yeah I'm listening Zara, and who are you snapping those finger at?. I'm glad you're all done packing sweetheart, now come sit down I need to talk to you about something important". Zara did not like her mother's gloom and doom tone, those were usually for when she did something magically wrong like massive kinda like the time she accidentally opened a portal to hell she had no idea witches could even do that or something bigger was coming like when her mom and dad had to go help fight the battle of Karugan. She was dreading this conversation already especially with the dreams she's been having lately she swore they felt as real as the sun on her skin and the person in her dream she felt like she knew him, something about all this was a miss. Zara sat down besides her mother and for the first time in her life she felt the familial bond between straining, it felt like it was hanging on by a string and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. "So what do you want to talk about mom? Is everything alright with dad I noticed he didn't sleep here last night" she asked her mother. "No, no your dad is fine Zara he should be home before you leave, he had some important things to take care of. Now about this conversation I need you to listen to me very carefully and don't take my words lightly or as ramblings of a worried mother because her child will be so far away although of course any mother would be worried". Zara was taken aback by the look on her mom's face, she has never seen the look in her eyes in the entire 17 years of existence the look of terror, fear. Her mom was never afraid, the Selena she knew feared nothing and no one but that seems to have changed.

"Mom you're scaring me what's wrong" Zara asked her mother. "Oh sweetheart there's nothing to be scared of, I just want you to be careful out there living in the shadow world. That world is not the same as this one you grew up in, there is all kinds of evil lurking in the shadows and waiting to snatch pure souls like yours. You need to be careful who you trust Zara and that includes Luna because you will both change and when that happens you will start to question loyalties and friendships and that is not a bad thing because not everyone can be trusted. People will come after you my darling, all that offensive magic I thought you was not to hurt people but to defend yourself because the time will come when you have to sooner than your father and I expected." Zara was a little freaked out but at the same time she wondered if her mother was having some kind of mental meltdown "mom what are you talking about? Why would anyone come after me? I'm just a 17 year old witch from nowhere and what do you mean sooner than you expected?" Zara really didn't understand what her mother was talking about, she was confused but she also didn't miss the look in her eyes it was a silent apology but she had no idea what her mother was apologizing for. "Your dad is here, get your stuff he will drop you off at the airport, I'm surprised Luna hasn't called yet the girl can get impatient aaah spoke to sooner." Zara picked up her ringing phone and headed upstairs go get her bags.

Selena had a head in her hands when her husband walked in "have you told her yet?" He was standing by the doorway looking at his wife with sad eyes. "No, I tried but somehow I just couldn't get the words out, how do you tell your daughter that she is not your daughter? That she is your dead best friend's daughter who you took to hide away from the devil that's been searching for her?" Luke walked to his wife and engulfed her in a hug, holding her close while she trembled in his arms. He spoke to her softly "You at least have to warn her about him, he's searching for her and he is close because even though she doesn't know it she is the one fueling the connect and trying to reach him as well and we can't let that happen." Selena looked into her husband's eyes and he could see the sadness and despair, she felt helpless because as much as the have done their best to protect Zara they always knew the day would come and that there was nothing they could do to stop it. "She's already dreaming about him, she talks to herself in her room she has no idea she's actually talking to him. Their connection is stronger than I ever imagined it would be, it's like the older she gets, the stronger she gets the stronger their connection becomes and the faster he will find her or by the way things are looking she will find him. She doesn't know it but she is searching for him, she always felt like something within her was missing because it was, her heart I'm just really terrified about what will happen when she finally gets it, what will happen to the world when she finally meets him."

Thirty minutes later Zara and Luna were I her dad's car headed for the airport, Luna as always was chatting non stop about the things she can't wait to do in shadow country and the shadow University. It will definitely be good for Luna to around other werewolves, Bourbon doesn't exactly have many werewolves since they prefer to live amongst their own so Luna never had any werewolf friends just witches, elementals, humans and vampires although I wouldn't go as far as calling a vampire her friend. Zara was happy that her friend was excited enough for both of them because she was nervous, she had this feeling she just couldn't shake especially after the dire warning her mother gave her, even though it might have seemed like she wasn't paying attention to what her mother was saying her body language and eyes spoke volumes and that made her understand how serious she was. "We are almost at the airport, Earth to Zara" Luna said waving her hand in front of Zara's face "where did you go, I swear you looked like you were dreaming. Were you thinking about him again?" Luna said to Zara. Zara gave her a death stare but that not seem to face Luna "who are we talking about, who's is she dreaming about?" Zara's dad asked looking back between the two girls. "Zara's dream man, he has her under a spell because for a dream she describes him quiet vividly you'd swear he was a real person she even has sketches of him in her note book." Now Zara was really giving her a death look and a "I will deal with you later" look. "Dad it's nothing it's just a dream no need for anyone especially Luna with her interesting choice in boyfriends to make a big deal out of it". Luna feigned hurt and put her hand on her chest "It was one vampire duchbag and I will never leaving down, well we can't all have dreamy, perfect looking, hot imaginary boyfriends now can we? I mean like seriously the guy is too hot to be real, wait he isn't real". She chuckled girl loved to taunt her best friend. They arrived at the after after an hour, the girls got their language out of the car with the help of a security guard and Zara's dad. He couldn't go in with them because he had to move his car from the drop off zone. "Hey baby girl, I'm gonna miss you so much. You know anytime you wanna come home just say the word and we'll have you back here". Luna was talking in the background more to herself than Zara's dad "yea that's not gonna happen, no one is coming home not on my watch, Luna hugged Zara's dad "Bye Mr D and tell my mom not to worry so much I won't burn down the school" she walked over to the entrance giving them some privacy. "Hey you look after yourself out there, trust your instincts and trust the goodness inside you. You are more powerful than you know and when the times comes you will shine, just always remember who you are inside and never let anything dim your shine. I love you baby girl" Zara hugged her dad tight "I love you too dad, so much". And with that the girls left Bourbon behind to go start a new life in the unknown.