The evening air carried a restless weight, a thickness that clung to Luna's skin as she left the office. The city lights glowed, but above them the full moon hung, large and silvery, casting a glow so bright it seemed alive.
Jenna walked beside her, balancing her bag. "You look pale, Luna. Are you okay?
"I feel… strange," Luna admitted. She pressed a hand against her chest. Her heart beat faster than usual, her breathing shallow. "Like something inside me is stirring.
Jenna frowned. "Is this about her again? The double?
"No," Luna whispered. Her eyes drifted upward, caught in the pull of the glowing orb above. "This is different. It is not her. It is me.
Later that night, Luna sat in her apartment, unable to relax. The moonlight spilled through her curtains, illuminating the room with a silver glow.
She tried to focus on her laptop, but her fingers trembled over the keyboard. Her senses were sharp, painfully sharp. She could hear the drip of water from her kitchen sink, the footsteps of neighbors in the hallway, the faint hum of the elevator several floors below.
She clutched her temples. "What is happening to me?
Her phone buzzed. Damien's name appeared on the screen. She answered quickly.
"Luna, are you alright?" Damien asked. "You sounded off today.
"I do not know how to explain it," she confessed. "Everything feels heightened. Sounds, smells, even the air. It is overwhelming.
"Where are you right now?" Damien asked.
"At home.
"Stay there. I am coming over.
Within thirty minutes, Damien was at her door. He stepped inside, his eyes scanning her pale face.
"You are sweating," he said softly. "And your eyes.
"What about them?" Luna asked, panicked.
"They look brighter. Almost glowing.
She backed toward the window, the moonlight bathing her skin. Her breathing came faster. "I cannot control it. It feels like… like claws scratching inside me, trying to get out.
Damien moved closer, careful and calm. "Luna, listen to me. Whatever is happening, you are not alone. Breathe. Focus on my voice.
Her hands trembled. She gripped the edge of the curtain. "Damien, I feel like I am changing. Like I am becoming something else.
Jenna called unexpectedly, her voice frantic through the speaker. "Luna, are you feeling it too?"
"What do you mean?" Luna demanded.
"I had this weird dream just now. I saw you under the moon, your eyes glowing. It scared me."
"That is not a dream," Luna whispered.
Damien took the phone. "Jenna, she is not well. I will handle this. Stay calm." He hung up and turned back to Luna.
"Look at me," he urged.
"I can hear your heartbeat," Luna blurted out. Her eyes widened. "Damien, I can hear it. I can smell the cologne you wore yesterday. I can even hear the hum of your watch ticking."
Damien froze. "You should not be able to do that.
"I know," Luna whispered. "But I can. And it terrifies me.
The pull of the moon grew stronger, almost like a rope around her chest. Luna stumbled toward the balcony. The city stretched below, but her attention was only on the night sky.
"Do not go out there," Damien warned gently.
"I need to," Luna replied, her voice shaking. "Something inside me is demanding it.
She pushed open the balcony door. The cold air hit her skin like ice, yet it made her feel alive. Her eyes locked onto the full moon, and a rush of energy surged through her veins. Her breath came in ragged gasps.
"Damien," she cried, gripping the railing, "I cannot fight it.
"Then do not fight," he said carefully. "But do not lose yourself either. Hold onto who you are.
Her nails scraped against the railing, sharper than she remembered them being. She looked down at her hands. Her fingertips looked different, harder, like tiny claws pressing through.
"No," she whispered in horror. "This is not possible.
Damien reached for her. "Luna, listen to me. Whatever this is, it is part of you. Not something to fear.
She turned toward him, her eyes glowing faintly gold in the moonlight.
"I feel like an animal," she said. "Wild. Hungry. Angry. All at once.
"But you are still Luna," Damien reminded her. "The same woman who walked into the office this morning, the same woman who cares, who works hard, who fights for what she believes. That part of you is still here. Do not lose it.
Suddenly, a knock echoed on her door. Jenna's voice called out. "Luna, open up. Please. I was too scared to stay home.
Damien rushed to the door, pulling Jenna inside. She froze when she saw Luna's glowing eyes.
"Luna," Jenna whispered, "you look… different.
"I am different," Luna said, her voice low. "The moon has awakened something in me. Something I cannot control.
Jenna trembled. "Does this mean… you are not human?
Luna turned her face away. "I do not know what I am anymore.
Damien placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"You are still you. Do not let fear tell you otherwise.
For hours, Luna sat on the floor, her back against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest. Damien stayed beside her, and Jenna hovered nervously near the kitchen.
The night dragged on, the moonlight shifting across the room. Each time Luna tried to rest, her body jolted awake, instincts flaring with unnatural sharpness. She could hear the rustle of leaves outside, the scurry of rats in the alley, the distant bark of dogs blocks away.
At one point she whispered, "I could chase them.
I could run faster than I ever have before. I could hunt.
Damien's voice was steady.
"But you will not. Because you control your choices, not the moon.
She looked at him with wild eyes. "What if one day I cannot control it?
"Then we will face that day together," he replied simply.
By dawn, the moon's pull faded, leaving Luna exhausted, pale, and trembling.
She leaned her head against Damien's shoulder, her body weak.
"It is gone," she whispered.
"The sharpness, the hunger. I feel almost normal again.
Jenna knelt beside her. "That was terrifying. But you survived it.
Luna closed her eyes. "I do not know how many times I can survive it.
Damien brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"You will. Because you are stronger than you think. And maybe this… whatever it is… might not be only a curse.
Luna let the words settle, though fear still gnawed at her. For the first time, she knew without doubt that she was not just fighting Selina. She was fighting herself too.