Broken Moon

Disclaimer: I own nada.

AN: Enjoy. Review, please.

Broken and Empty

It had been almost a month since I left my home. I missed her. I missed my dearest mother so much. I felt like my life was in a total eclipse. I could see the light, but there was so much darkness, trying to blind my path. I was alone and I know that it was for the best. I still didn't have a concrete plan of where the fuck I wanted my life to go.

I was hurt and I felt like I was constantly walking on broken glass. Nothing seemed right. I was lost and couldn't find that special place to call home.

I just wandered around the streets of the town and at night, I would hunt for food. I was a vagabond. I was so empty, and the burden of my pain hung heavy on my heart.

One morning, after taking a bath in the river, I decided to go to the plaza and buy some Arroz con habichuelas and mangu (traditional food of the Dominican Republic. Taste like heaven!).

I spotted my mother as she went to the plaza to buy groceries for lunch. I hopped on the highest branch of a tree and then jumped and hid on the roof of an abandoned building in town, hoping that she would not catch my scent. I watched as she wandered through the plaza, going from different kiosks and merchants. She looked so broken and sad. Her blue eyes were dead. There was no light, only sadness.

I cried, because I was the one responsible. I was guilty for her pain, but so were Papito and Addivani. He was the one that believed Addivani. He should be the one that had the sadness in his eyes. I didn't want to hate him, but all the pain I had been feeling was slowly oozing and seeping through my pores.

Papito! Why did it have to be this way? I wish that I could turn back the hands of time and stop time, in that one day... The day Seth Jacob died. I would have given everything to see him alive. Maybe if he was alive, I would not have this empty life.

"Moon," I heard a faint whisper in my mind. I stared around and found no one.

I looked down at the people that walked through the buzzing plaza and saw my mother, disappear under the tarp of a small kiosk. I jumped to another building and tried to hide from my mother's view. I didn't want her to convince me to return.

"Moon," the voice began to get stronger and louder in my head. I felt my heart beat faster and my breath caught in my throat. I knew that soft baby scent. "Turn around, please!"

I did and found Diego Clearwater, staring at me with his large brown eyes. He looked sad and scared. I knew that it was scary to stand in front of me... Addivani had made sure that I looked like the evil guy in my brother's and sisters' eyes.

"Diego," I said surprised.

"Mallory Moon." he whispered, stepping closer to me.

"Y-you can s-speak inside my head?" I stuttered dubiously. When did he... how?

"I can speak telepathically to other people that are near me. I don't need to touch them, like you do." he said, playing with his hands nervously.

Diego looked so handsome as he faced me. He was growing fast and soon he would no longer be a little boy.

"I see. What, um, what are you doing here?" I asked, taking a step back. Smelling my surroundings to make sure that there wasn't anyone else, beside us.

He took a step forward and stopped abruptly, digging his hands in his pockets. He looked like a lost little child. He reminded me so much of daddy. I wanted to run to him and hold him in my arms, but I could never do that.

It was forbidden. I could never show my love towards my brother. Even if I tried, they would cry and think that I was after their blood. They were afraid of me. I guess that I am at fault, for not stopping myself when I suctioned the venom out of Addivani's body. But, I should have stood up for myself when she made unrealistic stories about me sucking the blood of others. I had been weak and my peaceful nature stopped me.

"I smelled your scent." he said, pulling a small brown paper bag out of his pocket. "I knew you were around." he said, looking down at his hands.

"Does mommy knows?" I asked, staring around us nervously. "Does Mom know that I'm still around?" I asked, torn between my thoughts and desires.

I wanted my mother and father to know that I was still around. I wanted them to ask me to return home. I wanted to start again, make a new beginning. But at the same time, I wanted to run away. I just needed time to gather enough money to move out of the island.

Diego shook his head, still staring at the ground. "She doesn't know." he muttered, opening the brown bag with his free hand.

"Oh," I muttered, running my cool hand through my face. I wasn't sweating under the scorching sun of the Caribbean. I never sweat. I was always cold and my temperature ran lower than a normal human. I felt my brother's eyes on me. He looked like he wanted to say something. I wanted to know what was on his mind. I wanted to grasp his hand and just see what was inside his head.

"Moon," he said softly, taking a step forward. "I know what Addivani did! It hurt you very much." he said, clearing his throat. "I always wanted to be stronger to protect you from her." he said, a silent tear running down his perfect bronze face.

I tried to run to him, just to wrap his tiny body in my arms. I wanted to feel how warm his little body would feel next to mine, but I didn't want to scare him.

"You never needed to protect me, Diego. I should be the one that..."

"No!" he yelled, interrupting me and running towards me with his arms opened.

"No! No! Mallory… I should've been the one that protected you from Addison. She was mean and pushed me away from you." he cried, burying his flawless face in my chest. He was crying for me?

"Don't cry!" I pleaded, kneeling down before him. "Please, don't cry for me, Diego." I said, cupping his face in my hand and kissing his rosy cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong to cry. You were young and Addivani is very persistent." I said, offering him a weak smile.

"She's mean. She manipulates Papito, but not anymore." he said, looking at me and smiling contently. "She's pregnant with Ruben's child." he said, placing his warm hand on my cool skin.

"She's pregnant?" I asked, feeling the pain of her betrayal ripping through my heart. I looked down at the floor and saw a tear fall on the pavement.

Diego nodded, placing his small hands on my shoulder. "She is unhappy! She feels sad and abandoned. Ruben doesn't love her, he loves you." he said sadly, pushing stray strands of hair off my face.

"Oh, well, what can we do about it?" I said sarcastically, standing up and looking down at him. "She knew the consequences."

"She wants to have an abortion, but Papito won't allow it. Mom is forcing her to marry Ruben. She feels trapped." he said, kicking a pebble with his foot.

Marry Ruben? That should've been me, not her. I should be the one that carried his child! I should've been happy, but now neither of us is happy. I felt sad for my baby sister.

"She'll be happy, I hope!" I said, smiling down at Diego as I brushed away my tears with my index finger. "I wish her only the best!"

"I don't think so." he muttered, shaking his head. "She'll only be happy if she knows that you're miserable." he said, taking my hand in his.

"Then tell her you saw me and that I looked miserable." I said, squeezing his hand tightly. "I don't think that being unhappy will help the baby's health!" I said, hiding my pain and anguish behind a forced smile.

"You're so kind, Moon." he whispered, placing a skinny arm around my waist.

He still held on to the brown paper bag in his left hand. I looked at him and wanted to know what the hell was in the brown bag. I read his mind and saw my mother in his thoughts. She looked sad and broken, with dark circles under her eyes. My angel, was hurting. I knew what was inside the bag.

"Moon," he said, letting go of my hand and handing me the brown paper bag.

"This is your money, the credit card Edward gave you for your sixteenth birthday, your identifications and passport. Allegra and Alexis found them in your room. They feel sad that you're gone! They miss you." he said.

I looked inside the bag and then at him. He looked so sad. I guess that by bringing me my stuff, he felt like he was protecting me. What a sweetheart!

"Thanks." I muttered, patting his head. "You're the best, Diego." I said, kissing his cheek one last time.

He touched the cheek I had kissed and sighed. "You're living and never looking back, aren't you?" he asked with disappointment in his voice.

I nodded, clutching the bag tightly. "I have to. One of these days, you are going to want to fly on your own." I said pretending to sound cheerful. "It's my turn to fly, Diego. I need to find my place in this world. I need to find my own happiness."

"I will look for you, Moon. When I grow up like Papito, I will look for you and I will protect you!" he cried, turning around from me.

"Diego," I said, touching his small shoulder. "I want you to find me! I promise that I will wait for you." I said, pulling him closer to me.

"I'll grow strong, Mallory! I promise that I will be very strong and I will protect you." he said, holding my hand tightly.

"I know that you'll be as strong as Papito. Probably, stronger than Daddy Jacob. In fact, you'll be so strong that Allegra and Alexis won't want to go anywhere without you." I said, kissing the crown of his head.

He turned to face me. He was smiling behind his tears. Little boy Diego, my little brother, looked so happy. I wanted to go with the memory of at least, making a little boy happy.

"Be happy, Moon." he said, grinning at me. "You deserve to smile and be loved." he said, removing my hand from his and walking towards the edge of the building.

I followed him and stared at his black hair. I could imagine my father looking like him. For a minute, I felt like Leah, overprotective of her little brother Seth. It would've been nice to actually spend time getting to know all my sisters and brother. I guess, I would never know how it would've turned out.

I watched as Diego jumped down the thirty feet tall building and landed softly on his feet. He looked up at me and waved, as he ran towards the crowd. He ran towards Mom, she held him tightly. She could smell my scent on him. She began to cry as she hugged him.

I turned around, feeling a bout of new fresh tears falling down my face. I was tired of hurting and crying. I needed to get away from this island. This place only held sad memories of my childhood. I was broken and empty. I was leaving this place, going away somewhere far. I was leaving, without looking back at what I left behind. I knew, deep in my heart, that I was going to find myself.

I wanted to believe that there was hope for me. I wanted to believe it so badly! I knew that I could find someone that would love and appreciate me.