Moonlit Cemetery
It was the night of Cyrus’ 17th birthday. That morning, he would be greeted with the news that he would be taking over the family business, and that evening, he would be greeted with Juniper’s beaming face and a gift in hand. But none of that was going to happen. Time was up, and Cyrus had to leave; it was now or never. He waited till he knew both of their parents were asleep, and he slipped out of the window. Landing softly on the ground with a light thump, Cyrus made his way to the cemetery gates. Too locked in his thoughts, he didn't hear any approaching footsteps, but finally noticed the person when they called out to them.
“Cyrus?” It was soft and almost quiet enough to be lost to the wind, but Cyrus still heard it and looked up.
It was Juniper, because of course it was.
Dull white met glowing yellow, and Cyrus froze. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to leave, and no one would see him go until he just became a faded memory in their heads, and more importantly, they weren't supposed to see Juniper here. It was for the best, he told himself over and over again. She deserved to be happy with someone who's not a coward, not a failure, not… him. She took a few steps forward with one hand out, like they were approaching a scared animal. Cyrus sure felt like one.
“Hey… What are you doing out here? It’s late, and I sure hope you didn't plan on missing our plans tomorrow,” she says with a half-hearted chuckle.
Cyrus stood still and continued to stare wide-eyed at her. “Um… Listen starlight... I uh I can explain.”
“Can you, though? cause to me it looks like you're about to leave, forever.”
“Sunsh-”
“No, you don't get to use that nickname right now. Tell me what you were doing. What happened to our promise, huh? Please. I love you so much... please don't leave…” she trails off.
Cyrus’ grip on his bag tightened. His heart fluttered a bit when she said she loved him, but he buried that feeling away. He felt so trapped. Why couldn't there be an easier solution? Before his brain could think of the words to say, his body moved on its own, straight towards the gates. Cold wind whipped his hair as his boots hit the ground harshly with each step. Juniper’s eyes widened in shock, and she raced to catch up to him. With her longer stride and athleticism, she was able to make it to him and tackled them to the ground. She wraps her body around them in a makeshift hug, but still keeps him from escaping.
“Moonbeam, please… I still need you,” she says, voice wavering a bit.
Cyrus replies in a low, dejected whisper, “No, you don't”. I could never saddle her with someone as unlovable as me. They deserve someone better, I can't, I can't, I can't.
“What the hell do you mean no, I don't?! Please, please, you can't go. What happened to our promise? Our future plans? Are you going to throw that all away?” more tears falling down their face as she continues.
“Juni, I have to, please, it's for the best. You’ll find someone meant for you, and I'll just be a forgotten memory… please,” he begs. Please just agree with me, I can’t take any more heartbreak, just let me do this.
“No, no, no. You're the only one meant for me. I can't live without you. please don't leave me…”
Cyrus concedes in a barely audible voice, “Yeah… same. I’m sorry,” feeling sickened by the thoughts racing through their head. I have to, it's for the greater good. I’ve never actually tried the spell, but I have to, it's fine, I have to. It's the only way.
“Hey, it's okay. Why don't the two of us go to my place and maybe make some hot cocoa? That sounds nice, right? oh oh, or we can just hang out and maybe have a sleepover that could be fun, right?” Her tone gained more hope and confidence as she continued to talk about stuff they could do together. Cyrus’ mood doesn't change though. The white noise of rustling trees and the cold wind of the night is the only comfort to Cyrus right now.
He interrupts her rambling with a whispered “sorry”. Tears well in his eyes, and a pit of dread forms in his stomach. It's the only way, it's the only way.
Juniper cuts off her rambling and looks over to Cyrus. “What's wrong? Hey, we can talk this through and clear up any misunderstandings, and it’ll be okay.” She smiles at them, and it only makes him feel sicker. He feels magic thrum through his body and around his throat, tears flowing down his face freely now.
Juniper’s expression shifts into a mix of inquisition and horror. “Moonlight…? Wh- What are you doing?”
Cyrus feels nauseous as he shouts “STOP”. The magic thrum under his skin leaving as quickly as it came, giving him a slight headrush.
Juniper’s grip on him slackened, and Cyrus grabbed his backpack and ran. He got a few feet away when he looked back to see if the spell actually worked. Big mistake, Cyrus thought as he looked at her. Their pajamas are ruffled and dirty, her hair is a tangled mess, and her face is... oh, her face. Drooping ear fins frame her face, her eyes a blotchy purple as tears still stream down her cheeks, and a look of dejection on her face. It was too much for Cyrus, and he ran. He ran as far as he could, away from his mistakes, away from the mess he caused.
'I’m sorry.'
And he ran, just like he always did.
An Empty Grave
Cyrus walked for a while after that, his lungs protesting every step he took. The breeze ruffled his hair and the various layers of fabrics that made up their outfit. The cold nipping at the skin unprotected by the heavy scarf they wore. Cyrus shivered a bit as the sun started to dip below the skyline, the moon rising in its stead.
'I should probably find some shelter… or at least somewhere decent to sleep,' Cyrus thought to themself as they looked around for anything that could be considered shelter. Walking around the nearby area, there wasn't much, grassy plains with the occasional tree; wind gently blowing the tall grass and rustling the few leaves left on the trees. The colder months were coming, and maybe Cyrus should have thought their plan through more thoroughly, but it was too late to dwell on that now. They set down their backpack and rifle through its contents, looking for anything that could be useful in this situation. As they look around, their bag keeps tipping, going back and forth due to the uneven surface it was placed on.
'What the… huh?!', Cyrus thinks to himself as he looks at what he placed his backpack on; It's an old-looking shovel. Its handle is smooth and worn by use, the metal covered in dirt and rust. Cyrus gets a little lost in thought, looking at the shovel, who knew a stupid tool could bring up so many memories. It begins to dawn on him now that he actually lost it all, his family, his soulmate, his home, his… everything, all of it gone; all because he couldn't handle responsibility and “becoming an adult”. They knew it wasn't as simple as that, but they still blame themself nonetheless. Tears start to spring in his eyes, but he shakes those thoughts away. Shoving away the reminder of the poor choices he made, the shovel also reminded him of his favorite way to spend a night under the stars, and he got to work.
Over an hour later, Cyrus finally scoops out the last bit of dirt and throws it up to the ground above. It's a bit smaller and shallower than Cyrus is used to and how they were taught, but it's good enough for tonight. They climb out and observe their work. A rectangular-shaped hole now sits where there was once solid grass and dirt.
'Like a grave', He thinks bitterly, 'Exactly like a grave.' After looking down at his work, they abandon the shovel and hop down. The ground isn't as soft and nice as the area he hung around back home, but he’s not really in a position to complain, just happy that there are some things they didn't lose. Lying down and looking at the stars, Cyrus finally let himself break. Fat tears start to roll down his face, and he doesn't even try to get them to stop, sobbing quietly as he continues to look at the night sky. Even if they’re completely alone, they never could break the habit of muffling their sobs so no one would hear. Hugging his backpack close, they mourn all the things they lost. He knows it was mostly his fault for leaving in the first place, but he couldn't help but run; it's all he knew how to do. No matter how much he blamed himself and said that these were the consequences of his actions, it did nothing to stop his tears.
Eventually, Cyrus exhausted all their energy; surprised they even had any left from the events of that day. Slowly, their tears ran dry, and their eyelids grew heavy with fatigue. Their last sluggish thought before passing out was 'I guess I really dug my own grave, and now it's time to lie in it.'
A Dull Sun
Juniper could only helplessly watch as Cyrus ran towards the gates; she didn't even know how or when he learned that spell;
'Did he learn it just to use it on me? Does he really not want to be with me that much? What could I have done to be better?'
Juniper knew those thoughts had no weight but it's all she could think about at the moment. Eventually, the spell wore off but Juniper didn't have the energy to chase after him; what would be the point anyway. He clearly didn't want to be found and Juniper was too frazzled to think straight. Her limbs felt tingly and numb and her thoughts were slow and scattered. Instead of processing everything that happened, she decided she would save that for another day and just sleep for now. Exhaustion weighed heavy on star’s body as star trudged home. The cold night breeze did nothing to comfort her as it blew golden pink strands in her face, she doesn't move to fix it, just continued walking to her house.
Eventually, star stumbled up the few steps leading up to the house and opened the rickety front door. Juniper tried to open it in a way to make the least noise but it still made a loud creak as she pushed it. Cringing a bit at the sound, star crept inside the house; careful to avoid any floorboards star knew would make noise. Her efforts were fruitless as she saw Aspen peak their head out of their room.
“...oh”
Juniper looks away and clears her throat, “Just… go back to bed Aspen, i'm too tired to talk about it right now.”
Aspen gives a look of ‘we’re talking about this tomorrow’ before giving their sister a hug. Juniper all but melts into their grasp as they stand there together in silence. The faint sound of rustling trees and Juniper’s slightly uneven breath is all that could be heard before she pulls away from her sibling's grasp.
Juniper gives Aspen a faint smile and rustles their hair, “Good night Asp”.
Aspen rolls their eyes a bit and gives a small huff at their now mussed hair, “Night Jun”.
The next day brings no answers. She wasn't expecting any but it hurts all the same. Aspen unfornutatly made good on their promise to ask her about it tommorow. She heard knocking on her door but refused to get up, cuddling into the comforter harder hoping it would make the outside world go away.
"Juniper open the door. I'm not stopping until you do." Aspen says, not loudly but with a finality in their tone that she knew meant they'd make good on that promise.