Author's note: Hey lovely people! I hope you had a good week, and that this update helps kickstart another good week for you. I know the last few chapters, and this one, have been more fluff and less drama, and I hope you haven't minded. More exciting chapters are coming up soon, I promise! As always, please like, follow, and leave a review. You are all awesome!
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Mayar smiled as she wiggled her freshly manicured hands, watching as the pink and silver polish glittered in the lights of the large game room. She had never used nail polish before, having considered it a bit frivolous. And maybe it was. But, perhaps a little frivolity on occasion wasn't such a bad thing. The other girls certainly seemed to be enjoying it. Wynter had selected a deep, shimmering purple, with something called "almond" tips. Starlight had chosen a delicate shade of peach. Eliza had chosen a bold, glittery maroon, specifically to coordinate with the denim jacket she had recently dyed and upcycled for the cooler weather.
It was after dark now, and the pizza had long since been devoured. Mayar was surprised by how much she and Aruna had enjoyed mushroom pizza. Maybe she would try making it at home, the next time she got kitchen duty in the Crater. She was pretty sure everyone would like it. As she thought this, Aruna looked up from her own nails as Wynter applied the final coat of polish, nodding in agreement.
Mayar had been slightly taken aback at how much she and Aruna were enjoying the concept of having a girl's night. It seemed such a strange thing to do, separating individuals by gender. But apparently, this phenomena was commonplace in the Above. And admittedly, it was fun to spend time with the other females. Though she missed her friend Qamar.
I wonder if he's having fun with the other males. Aruna said offhandedly, watching as Willa applied a second coat of shiny lilac nail polish to her left hand.
Why wouldn't he be? Mayar grinned. He's getting to spend some quality time with his favorite person. An image of a very uninhibited Bucky shaking hands with Qamar flashed in her head, and she and Aruna giggled quietly. Willa looked up at Aruna with a slightly quizzical expression, but was distracted by her conversation with Wynter and Bree about camping on the beach after the Shore Day Festival.
You have to admit, though, Mayar continued. They would look cute together.
She pictured her friend Qamar with Bucky in a hypothetical future she could easily imagine for them. An actual, genuine smile on her friend's face, as he held hands with the former cheer captain. They walked along the nearby beach that none of the Lunites had ever yet been to, laughing together as they went. Aruna smiled at the picture Mayar showed her.
It certainly would be different to see him in a good mood all the time. Aruna replied, lifting up her completed left hand to admire as Willa began to work on the other side. Watch, they'll end up being soulmates or something, like you and Wyatt. Can you imagine? She laughed out loud at this.
If that happened, Qamar would totally freak! Mayar said, unable to prevent herself from laughing along.
The other girls were growing used to the fact that the Lunites could silently communicate to one another, and several of them shot the two grins.
"What's so funny?" Eliza asked, as she applied a layer of neon lime green to her own toenails.
"Oh," Aruna said. "We were just talking about dating. Well, about soulmates, actually."
"Wow," Eliza said. "That's a pretty heavy subject." She paused in the act of painting her little toe to look up at Aruna.
"Well, we Lunites mate for life. Kind of like you guys. "Mayar said, nodding towards Wynter and Willa. "We don't really date casually. We find our person, and that's pretty much it for us." She could feel herself blush lightly as she thought of Wyatt's sweet smile and warm brown eyes. She was keenly aware that she needed to discuss these things with him. While she knew that wolves also chose one mate for life, she also knew that there were still conversations that needed to be had with her partner. He didn't know everything that there was to know about Lunites.
"Mayar," Willa said, cutting into her thoughts with a tone that was both casual and concerned. "Is it... I mean, with you and my brother. Is it like that for you guys?" The tone may have been conversational, but Mayar could feel the deep sense of worry and protectiveness that Willa felt for her younger brother. For lack of a better word, she wanted to know what Mayar's intentions were with her brother. She was asking if Mayar loved Wyatt.
"Well," Mayar said, knowing that her face was now a bright periwinkle. "I... Wyatt is my mate. I love him." She smiled at saying the words aloud. "But he and I haven't actually said the words to each other yet. I don't want to overwhelm him by moving too fast. I know that like us, wolves mate for life. But, it's a little different for Lunites. We don't choose our mates, like wolves do. When we meet them, or when the time is right, we just know. There's no choice to be made; fate makes it for us. He is the one for me. The only one."
The room was quiet now, everyone having now turned their full attention to Mayar, which only made her more self-conscious. Willa was thinking this information through, but to Mayar's slight surprise, she was grinning softly.
"I know you're probably nervous about talking to him about this stuff," Willa said. "But I'm telling you, you have nothing to worry about. I've never seen my brother like this before. He may not have said the words to you, but I'm telling you, that pup is in love."
The other girls nodded encouragingly.
"She's so right, Mayar." Starlight said, gently tapping her foot against Mayar's leg to draw her attention. "That werewolf is crazy about you."
"Thank you, guys." Mayar said, feeling slightly better. "But there is still something that Wyatt doesn't know about me, about Lunites, and I'm worried that it will hurt him when he finds out."
"What's that?" Willa asked, once again radiating a deep concern for her brother.
"Our lifespan." Aruna cut in, hoping to take some of the conversational burden off of Mayar. "It is much shorter than that of wolves or zombies, or even humans. Wyatt will live to see 100 years. But a Lunite life cycle is only around 50 years. He will outlive her by decades, and Mayar is worried that this will cause Wyatt pain. That's why she hasn't yet spoken to Wyatt about the fact that he is her soulmate."
The room was silent as everyone absorbed this information. She felt the shock and, unexpectedly, a deep sadness from all of the beings in the room. They were sad to know that they would outlive her and the other Lunites by so long. They didn't like it. This was weirdly comforting to her, in a way. It was nice to know that these friends, though new, liked her and the others enough to feel grieved by such information. Until she had met Wyatt in person, her lifespan had never really been something she gave much thought to. It was a normal part of existence ; not something to dread. Over the last couple of days, though, it was becoming a bigger and bigger source of worry.
"Hey," Willa said, snapping Mayar out of her unpleasant reverie. "Look, love isn't all about sunshine and rainbows, but..." She shot a deeply affectionate glance towards Eliza, who had also turned to look at the packleader. "It's worth all of it. Having a partner who loves and supports you is worth all of the heartache that comes along with a relationship. Wyatt knows that, and I am absolutely sure that together, you guys can make it work, no matter what ups and downs you go through."
Willa gifted Mayar with an uncharacteristically kind smile. "He's tough. He'll get through this, and so will you, as long as you do it together. The important part is to be honest with him."
Mayar felt oddly uplifted by the thoughts of Willa and the others in the room. Their hopefulness and their belief in the power of love made her feel stronger, braver. Willa was right. Wyatt was her partner, and she needed to be completely honest and open with him. He cared for her, and he was a good person, inside and out. Surely, he would accept her as she was, shorter lifespan and all.
"Thank you, all of you." Mayar said, looking gratefully from person to person. "I am so glad to count you all as friends."
Yes, she thought to no one in particular. I definitely like having a "girl's night."
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Wyatt carefully opened the large, wrought-iron gate, which groaned in protest as it scraped against the gravel and leaves on the ground below. A breeze was blowing through the trees, mimicking the sounds of quiet whispering. Normally, it would be quite dark in this part of the forest, but the moon was nearly full as it illuminated the graveyard in a pale blue light. He thought of Mayar, and decided that he would have to bring her here on a walk some night. She would appreciate the view.
He could hear the others behind him, following as Wyatt led them up the steep incline through the weathered headstones. Once they entered the gates, they had all grown silent, though they had been keeping up a lighthearted stream of conversation up until this point. Almost as though they were concerned that they might disturb the residents of the old cemetery. Wyatt had never given it much thought. He and the other wolves his age often came here, to sit at the top of the hill and enjoy the scenery.
The graveyard, which sat atop a large hill, had not been used or frequented by the people of Seabrook since well before the zombie outbreak over fifty years ago. There was a new, modern cemetery closer to town, where the more recent residents of the city were laid to rest. This cemetery, on the other hand, was much older. Its occupants were the original settlers of Seabrook. The ones who had fought the wolves and stolen the moonstone, and who had built up the community that now thrived below them.
The stones they passed were faded, some so eroded that the names and dates were no longer discernible. He heard Zed and Bonzo behind him, starting up a whispered conversation in hushed zombie tongue. His zombie tongue wasn't great, but he was pretty sure that Zed was reassuring Bonzo that ghosts did not, in fact, exist. Wyatt wasn't entirely sure he agreed.
Finally, they approached the top of the hill, where the main part of the cemetery rested. And below them, lights twinkling like little stars, was Seabrook. The group gathered at the crest of the hill, gasping as they took in the amazing view of their town.
"Woah," said Zed, his mouth popping open as he surveyed the city below. "This is... incredible. How did you find this place, Wyatt?"
Wyatt shrugged. "We hang out here sometimes. Wolves have been coming here for decades, actually. It's a great view, especially at night, and no humans ever come up here. This graveyard is abandoned."
"How old is this cemetery?" Bucky asked, glancing around him at the faded stones. He was squinting to read one that stood nearby, tall and grey and leaning to one side as it settled into the soil. Qamar stood to his left, looking at Bucky with a quizzical expression.
"It's the oldest around." Wyatt said. "You're looking at the original human settlers of Seabrook." He looked at Bucky, Zed, and Bonzo. "Actually, you guys might even have ancestors buried here."
But Bucky didn't seem to have heard his reply. He had kneeled in front of the stone now, reaching out to brush his fingers along the name engraved there.
"No way." He exhaled in disbelief.
Brows now dipped downward in confusion, Wyatt, Bonzo, Zed and Qamar all moved to stand behind Bucky, trying to see the name etched into the stone. At first, Wyatt couldn't make out the words. Then, Bucky scraped away a section of moss covering the first half of the name, and he was able to make out the letters.
"HERE LYETH THE BODY OF
BUCKEYE BEULLER BUCHANAN
A FOUNDER OF SEABROOK SETTLEMENT
BORN 1750 IN SAINT FILLANS, SCOTLAND
"Holy Moonstone." Mumbled Wyatt, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Bucky, is that...?" Zed started but trailed off, obviously just as taken aback as the rest of them.
"Yeah." Bucky said in an oddly neutral tone. "This is my... Well, however many greats-grandfather. I'm named after him."
"Buckeye? Seriously?" Wyatt asked. He almost laughed, but something in Bucky's tone stopped him.
Bucky ignored the question, and turned to meet the eyes of Wyatt and the others.
"I'm sorry." Bucky said suddenly.
"Huh?" Wyatt wondered aloud, not understanding what Bucky was apologizing for.
"I'm sorry." Bucky repeated, meeting Wyatt's eyes. "I'm sorry for what my ancestors did to yours. All of your ancestors." He looked over to Zed and Bonzo, who looked similarly flabbergasted at the turn the conversation had taken.
"And I'm sorry for everything I've done to you guys, too." He continued, eyes wide with sincerity. "This," he gestured towards the stone at his feet. "is not who I want to be. This man left a legacy of prejudice and greed. That... isn't the legacy I want to leave. I don't want to end up like him, forgotten in some dingy cemetery in the woods."
Wyatt could feel that his mouth had fallen open, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of a single thing to reply. Luckily for him, Zed could.
"Bucky, it's okay." Zed said, still wearing a similar expression of surprise. "You aren't like him. The fact that you're here with us right now is already proof of that. Right, guys?"
The men all nodded, still not speaking.
"Besides," Zed continued with a grin. "That's the good thing about legacies. We all get to make our own."
"Zah." Bonzo said. Then, the tall zombie reached out, pulling Bucky into a tight bear hug.
"Umph." Bucky mumbled, his voice muffled as he stood stiffly for a moment with his arms straight at his sides. Then, hesitantly, he lifted his hands, offering Bonzo a short, clipped hug in return. Bonzo smiled triumphantly; Wyatt was pretty sure that Bucky was the only person who had ever successfully avoided a hug from Bonzo, up until now. After a quick second, the zombie released him, and Bucky stumbled a moment before regaining his footing on the uneven ground.
Wyatt reached out a hand to Bucky, a bit haltingly.
"Hey," Wyatt said, offering him a lopsided grin. "The past is in the past. What matters is what you do in the present."
Bucky met his gaze, looking uncharacteristically unsure before stretching out his hand and firmly shaking Wyatt's.
"Thanks, man." Bucky replied, as a more confident smile slid back into place.
"And don't worry," Wyatt continued, unable to help himself. "We won't tell anyone how ridiculous your real name is."
At this, the entire group burst into laughter, including the male cheerleader. The comment seemed to break the oddly heavy mood of the moment, much to Wyatt's relief. He had definitely not been expecting this turn of events when he'd decided to lead the guys up here to show off the view of Seabrook.
Turning back to face the twinkling lights of the city below, Wyatt gestured for the others to come sit with him as he lowered himself to the ground. The guys followed his lead, Bonzo stretching out his long legs across the grass and resting his head and arms back against a nearby headstone.
"So," Zed said, "Are you guys all camping with us on the beach Friday night? Ads says the cove is the best place to have a good view of the fireworks."
Wyatt grinned as the conversation continued, resting his own head against a short, rounded stone as he gazed down towards Seabrook.
Beneath them, the bones of the old Seabrook citizens rested, not knowing that their descendants were breaking down all of they had built. They were creating a new Seabrook, one filled with equality rather than division. And in this moment, despite being surrounded by the dead, the future looked brighter than the sparkling lights below.
