Chapter 6

In the Queen's Chamber, Jessica sat and brooded. The symbol still haunted her. The Crescent with the Lightning was driven deep into her memory; it was something she didn't want to remember at all.

I won't let some prophecy stop me from achieving my goal. I won't let it, Thought Jessica. She hated lightning bolts and thunder and all that phenomena that only Earth experienced. Jessica preferred the quiet climate of the Moon and its underground cities. The door opened and in came in Nathan.

"It's almost ready, Jessie. Just give me two more hours," he said.

"Alright." she answered. He nodded and left her chamber.

Jessica turned her attention to a picture of Viviane on the wall to her left. The picture was taken when she was only six years of age in one of the Moon's artificial grass clearings or it could have been a prairie. Jessica didn't know; she wasn't there for the picture. She smiled a bit and sighed.

She was so innocent back then. I shouldn't have wasted so much time away from her.

She kept staring at her, dreaming and wishing.

So young…

Jessica always wondered why her people had to get old and die. She would look at the elders whenever she roamed the halls of the palace when she was younger. They always had a smile on their face but she knew that inside, they were hurting. Old age was something she didn't want to reach. Back then, she didn't have to worry about it. But one day, she was summoned to her grandmother's side as she was dying. Jessica's grandmother was the oldest Angel that had lived. She was wise and benevolent and did much for her people. Seeing her on that bed in anguish as death came for her shocked and saddened Jessica. She didn't even have time to say bye as her grandmother passed on as she walked in. From then on, Jessica grew an ingrained fear of the aging process. She continued to stare at the picture.

So beautiful…

When Jessica was seven, she had accompanied her parents to a trip to Earth. She was shocked at how different the Earth was to the Moon. Her parents weren't though since they've been there many times before. Earth wasn't as clean and perfect as the Moon was, but she loved the diversity and natural beauty of it all. The trip was perfect until they went to a certain mountainous region where it was known to rain constantly. The mountain lived up to its name as the family made its way up the mountain to visit just as a severe storm hit. As rain being new to little Jessica, she wandered out her cabin into the storm. Her parents frantically called for her to come out of the storm. Just as she turned to head back inside, a bolt of lightning hit the metal frame above the doorway of the cabin. The force knocked all three several distances away from where the bolt had hit. Jessica was miraculously okay with only a few minor injuries with the worst one running down her neck. Her parents weren't as lucky, as both were killed during the strike. Jessica stood in the rain for hours, staring at the destroyed cabin until she finally managed the nerve to make her way down the road that led her family to the cabin. A friendly driver picked up the shaken Jessica and took her back for treatment.

She hated Earth after that.

Jessica touched her neck, where the deep scar from the strike was made. She then noticed something funny when she looked harder at the picture of Viviane. Her reflection showed the scar but she focused more on the shape. It was in the shape of a lightning bolt. Jessie clenched her fist and sighed deeply, to keep herself from crying and yelling. Again, she focused on the picture of Viviane.

So powerful…
In her teenage years, Jessica delved into the secret world of black magic. It was as forbidden on the Moon as it was on the Earth. Jessie knew this all too well, but she was at the point where curiosity got the best of her. Practice in the dark arts propelled her to the top of her studies. She became one of the Moon's best spellcasters, even besting one of her instructors. Officials had ways of detecting student use of black magic, but since she was of royalty, teachers just assumed it was inherited prowess. When she was out of school, she still practiced late into the night. One of these many nights, she happened to come upon a forbidden book that was in her family library. The book was written in a strange language and hidden inside a small alcove in the back of the library. Lucky for her, some of the incantations were spelled out in her native tongue and she was able to decode the spells within. As she did, a terrible evil leaked out from the book and latched onto her very soul. Sensing the presence, she closed the book and hid it away. The next day, she quit the dark arts but she knew the damage had been done. Strange thing was, she liked what she felt…

Then it dawned on her. She had perfect plan for Viviane. It was something that would satisfy everyone, including Viviane. She smiled a evil smile and left her chamber, rubbing her bolt scar.

"Nathan!" she cried out. He found him preparing himself for the plan.

"Guess what? I…" she started but then something restrained her. Nathan looked at her with a puzzled look.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"Nothing…don't worry about it. Just tell me when you are finished preparing." she said to him. He nodded and went back to work. Jessica returned to her chamber.

Can't tell him, she thought He won't understand. I'll let him know when the time is right.

Jessica returned her gaze to Viviane's picture and smiled. She rose and went over to it, picking it up gently. Jessie ran her finger across her daughter's face and then gently kissed it.

"Mommy's coming to get you, honey…" she said. Looking straight at the wall, the picture slipped through her fingers and shattered all over the floor. Looking unconcerned, she let out a small "Oops!"