Moonrise.

The deafening silence fell over the cold, cracked ground like dry snow. Any sound that dared to make a dent in the earth could be heard for miles. Suddenly, the earth started to move and the dense trees in the forest rumbled in their roots. Out of the dark green brush, Madelyn Danby sprints forcefully towards the clearing. She looks back at the old red barn with the rusted doors and sees her pet owl, Arlo dart into the sky. She takes a deep breath as she sees his ivory feathers paint the night. His sapphire eyes glimmer in the moonlight. It’s almost time. His talons cut through the thin air as he heads towards the clearing. Clasped gently in his beak is the emerald necklace. Even from 50 ft below, Madelyn can still see it shine. She hears the loud footsteps of the two men catching up to her. She doesn’t have much time. Her lungs are on fire and her bare feet are raw from running against the frozen sticks and pine needles that cake the forest floor. “Get her! We can’t let her get away again!” She hears one of the men shout to the other. Time is of the essence. She’s almost to the clearing, but she might not have enough time once she gets there. She could cast a spell, but they aren’t quite close enough. No, it’s too risky. The spell could bounce off something and hit an animal or rebound on her. Madelyn’s long brown hair sticks to her cheeks as she runs for dear life. “1, 2, 3, 4…” She starts counting her steps, counting down until she makes it to the clearing. It’s something her sister, Evelyn does…did.

She keeps counting in her head and she can finally see the clearing. But suddenly, she trips over a large branch. She hits the ground, hard. She looks down and notices the deep cuts on her knees and hands. Pieces of pinecones and shards of rocks were now embedded in her skin. Blood is dripping down her legs. “No…oh no.” She whispers to herself. Her blood was exactly what they needed to complete the transition. And this was more than enough. She looks back and can see the shadows of the two men. It’s time. “Transformare morphis!” She whispers sharply and stretches out her hand. Suddenly, the two men fall to the ground and quickly transform into mushrooms. Tiny screams erupt as they shrink down into the shrub. A gleam of guilt falls over Madelyn. Mother always taught her to only use her powers for good. But this is to save Evelyn. If they had captured her, they’d have her blood to use for the potion to complete the transition. They would give it to Samael and with Evelyn under his control, he would be ruler of Haereamia again. Samael would kill her and Evelyn…well Evelyn would have it worse, much worse. Being alive and under Samael’s control is worse than being dead.

Madelyn pulls herself up off the ground, covered in mud and blood. She takes a deep breath and races towards the clearing. The moon is now completely out. It’s full tonight. This was the perfect moment. It couldn’t have waited any longer. She knows she made the right decision. She sees Arlo perched on a nearby tree. He squawks and swoops towards her. He drops the necklace in her hands and with shaky fingers, she whispers “unbatla.” The emerald necklace unlocks, and flies open. A bright ball of yellow light emerges from the necklace and draws itself towards Madelyn. Then, beautiful, large white and indigo feathered wings emerge from Madelyn’s shoulders. She starts to run again, but this time she takes flight into the night sky. Arlo follows behind her and they make their way off into the night.