The sun rose above the horizon, spilling its light over Luna and Theia's house.
It was a delicate thing, this light. Not a sudden blaze, but a slow, patient pour of liquid gold that first touched Luna's face.
The light irritated Luna. She felt it first as a warmth on her eyelids, a persistent summons. It slowly turned into a scorching heat. She lay still for a moment, listening.
Immediately after, she felt as if someone had struck her with a hammer on the forehead. She groaned as throbbing pain struck her repeatedly.
Disoriented, she pushed herself upright and her foot caught on something, on Theia's leg. She tripped while her vision pulsed rhythmically and the room spun around her. Luna hit the ground with a loud thud and a cry.
"Wh— where am I? Why don't I remember—" Luna covered her mouth as her stomach lurched, bile rising in her throat.
I don't like this, I don't like this, I don't like this at all!
I feel like puking, but at the same time my throat is so dry… What did I do yesterday?
Luna planted a hand against the floor and pushed herself up, but the moment she did, light spilled into her eyes, she flinched and forcing them shut instantly. Every part of her body ached.
I don't like those side effects. Does alcohol do that? No… I just drank too much.
"I hate this… but the voices stopped. I guess I have to drink less of it when they return," Luna mumbled under her breath, slowly crawling out of her room as the world spun, through the living room and into the kitchen.
She pushed herself up, bracing her arms against the counter, and stood. She reached for the wooden cup; her legs trembled.
She tried to remember how to use magic to summon water, but something fogged the memory of it. Her legs gave out, and she fell on her back. The thud rang through the silent house.
"It's because I drank it for the first time… and overdid it. I'm sure of it. I'm sure," Luna muttered as her throat screamed for water.
She slowly placed her palm over the cup's lid and imagined rain falling. Seconds passed. Nothing happened. "Why? Why! What did I do? Why?!" Luna muttered to herself.
"Why? What did I do? Why!"
"No, what's wrong with me?"
"Theia!" Luna screamed at the top of her lungs, fear filling her voice. "Please come here!"
Immediately, Theia, half asleep, ran through the doorway and saw Luna on the floor, clinging tightly to the wooden cup.
"What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself? What happened?!" Theia asked, her eyes wide as she rushed to Luna, tightly hugging her.
"Could you… pour water for me? I forgot how to…"
"Nothing happened to you?"
"No… Just a headache… I just got scared because I couldn't pour myself some water."
Theia stepped back immediately, her face flushing red; seeing her own action, her arms flinched as she covered her face. "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I shouldn't have touched y-you so suddenly!"
Luna looked at Theia's face. She tried to hide the redness, but it spread too widely across her skin, as it always did. The headache, nausea, pain, everything faded when Luna saw her usual self.
"Thank you." Luna closed her eyes, slightly regretting giving in to the voices' advice.
"Could you pour me some water, please?" Luna extended her arm, the cup in hand, and smiled from ear to ear, revealing her porcelain white teeth.
Theia looked up and muttered, "Y-yes."
***
Theia picked up Luna from the floor and carried her into the living room. She placed her on a brown sofa and handed her a wooden cup full of water.
Luna immediately took it from her, placing it to her lips; she tilted it upwards. Everything poured all at once into her mouth, and she drank it all without spilling any of it.
She gasped for air afterwards, and while whipping the water off her face, Luna looked up at Theia. "Thank you… It tasted really… really good."
Theia tightly gripped the front of her white dress and lowered her gaze just under Luna's feet. "T-thank… you,"
Theia kept glancing up when she thought Luna was not looking, and she stared at her. But to Luna, she saw every second of it, enjoying the attention she got from her sister.
Why did I do that to her? I don't understand. But what scares me… is that I liked it. I liked it.
Was it the act itself? The feeling of having someone listen only to me? Or the power, total control over someone? I… I don't know.
The silence stretched from corner to corner. To Luna, it wasn't awkward at all; it was like a perfect harmony that family brings. A silent understanding. The same was with Theia, both perfectly feeling comfortable with themselves.
The harmony was interrupted with knocks to the door, continuous and non-threatening.
Theia stared right at the doors and, without hesitating, said, "I'll open."
"And now you're not flustered. You are confusing, in a good way," Luna muttered to herself.
Theia opened the door, and there was her, Elwing, and her nickname was El.
Theia furrowed her eyebrows when she saw her, an unpleasant feeling; she felt that El doesn't belong here, but she let go of it for Luna's sake. "Oh… It's you."
"Yes~ It's me!" El warmly smiled.
Her long, silky white hair reached her ankles, and her tender pink eyes watched her with warmth and generosity. Her pinkish lips opened. "Is Luna home? I heard that she was very sick! So I had to visit her; I couldn't leave my best friend alone!"
Best friend? Alone? Theia thought a tight, disgusting feeling arose in her, but she stepped aside and let her go in. "Yes, Luna. My sister. Is home."
"She is?! That's wonderful, Luna! I brought herbs to soothe your sickness!"
"Thank you… I'm glad you did," Luna murmured, her voice barely audible. But El's long, pointed ears, a hallmark of the hielves, picked up every word, even from that distance.
"Can I come in?" El tilted her head.
Theia sighed, rolling her eyes, "Of course~ you can."
"Thank you," El said as she went in, and Theia closed the door behind.