A shot breaks the glass and Julius’ body goes limp next to her seat. There’s a loud, insistent ringing in her ears. Bullets rain around her. Julius is dead, dead, dead. Luna’s eyes scan the area looking for Tybalt.
Solis is here.
Solis is in a car sitting gunshot in one of their cars.
Solis set them up.
Most importantly: Solis set her up.
Her mother used to tell her the fish in the fountain were a bad omen and a reminder that, no matter what, love could never exist in the Kingdom. She never explained why it was a bad omen, just that it was and for many years, Luna believed it. Especially after falling for Rosa. Love could never be between the two of them and Luna eventually accepted it, moving on.
Does it endure? Her own voice repeats in her head, an echo of a bittersweet memory.
Everything crashes around Luna.
The love never falters, said the seer.
Then Solis appeared, brighter than the sun, with a smile so pure it made worshippers out of heathens. Luna’s beliefs faltered on their axis.
The ringing in Luna’s ears only becomes stronger when she sees Tybalt on the ground.
Her mind goes back to a big bed, white sheets pooling around her waist, Solis’ lips briefly touching her shoulder before standing up to reach for a piece of paper. Luna pushes the door open, getting out of the car in a fluid movement she didn’t know she was capable of. Solis passes it to her: an address. Her hair sticks to her face where Julius’ blood stains her face. Solis’ tiny smile when they crossed paths earlier that day.
I’m afraid these souls may never align. Luna’s palms feel sticky with sweat, her cheek touches the cold metal of the car, her heart is beating faster than ever before. These souls may never align. Tybalt’s body is lying lifeless next to her motorbike. Never align. She sees an opening, runs to the bike and climbs on just as a gun fires, it whispers a warning somewhere near her left ear.
Out of the corner of her eye, Solis moves and gets out of the car barely a second after Luna passes him. He’s a blur behind the bloody mirror in seconds. Tears run down her face and a sob escapes her throat, unbidden.
These souls can never align. Wrong person, wrong time.
The prophecy must be a lie: Love cannot be, no matter what. If anything, this Kingdom is where love comes to die.
The seer said it didn’t have to be like this, there was another path, but Luna got the message loud and clear.
If Solis wanted war, all he had to do was ask.