She blows off the candle, everywhere goes dark, she meets her mother who is coughing up at her lungs and pats her back "I will get you your medicine mama I promise, I saved enough", Eleanor said.
"You need not worry about me dear, focus on taking care of your siblings" Amelia, Eleanor's mom said to her dear daughter. Eleanor hesitated before speaking again "mama, what if… what if I get the moon sign this full moo…", "stop speaking child you will not, I pray the moon goddess prevents that from happening, it's not easy to be the Luna, you might get killed and you are the only one I depend on to look over your siblings, then someday marry someone and live a normal life", says Eleanor's mom.
Tonight is the full moon. Any female that the has the moon mark will go to the palace in the outskirts of our small village, not all girls get that mark but the few that does goes to the palace, undergoes training, defeats all other girls and become the Luna, who will stand beside the Alpha and rule the Nightshade pack.
≈
The following morning, Eleanor left the house to go to the village doctor, on her way she met palace guards with the village crier announcing all virgins should gather, one of the palace guards brought a list and gave it to the village crier and whispered something to him, to which he nodded "All virgins please come forward yesterday was our full moon, few virgins got the moon mark which our moon goddess found out and wrote the name, please if your name is called step forward. Hazel Livingstone, Athena…, Rebecca…, Elvira…., Eleanor Garzolo, Kyra…" he cried!!, time stood as Eleanor heard her name, she kept moving backwards then ran to her house "mama!!, mama!!, they called my name we need to run", she cried to her mother. Her mother dragged her daughters sleeves up just to see the mark, she slumped on the floor and spoke to her with tears trickling down "there's nothing we can do dear child, you have to go, I will take care of your siblings, I shall pray to the moon goddess for safety". Eleanor went in packed a few stuffs and her diary, that's when the palace guards barged in her home and demanded of her, her mother told them that she was packing, she bid goodbye to her mom and her siblings: Azrael, Raven and Robin, and left with tears in her eyes.
When going she got into the cargo that is carrying the girls away she heard a ruckus and found out it was the village thief Mia, she was also chosen on the full moon but she refuses to go, they eventually bundle her into the cargo, she stays at a spot crying, moved by her tears Eleanor approached her and spoke to her calmly "Nobody is really happy to be picked, I understand your feelings my life just started, I left my mother and siblings, I don't think any of us is up to twenty here except from you who is fifteen, I promise you I will be your big sister and look out for you" Eleanor raised three fingers to air and looked at her, Mia looked at her slowly with tears in her eyes, indeed she was the youngest among all of the and she really see Eleanor as a big sister so why not, she nodded at her and hugged her, Eleanor hugged her back, smiled and hushed her to sleep.
They got to the palace and they got out of the cargo and saw the enormous palace, with the look on some of them faces they had other ideas, there was greed, unsatiable greed. The maids lead them into the palace to a grand hall where the commander-in-chief of warrior girls Roselle Wilde was standing waiting for them, she welcomed them, staring at them as if looking into their soul while speaking "Welcome to the royal palace. you girls know why you were brought here so I won't be explaining myself to anyone here except for the rules that will guide you here, the first is I DO NOT REPEAT MYSELF TWICE; second is you kill to stay; not all of you will go back home in one piece or alive, her eyes landed at Mia and said "this place is not meant for weaklings but for the strong". While a girl not two will end up being the Luna of this our pack, her eyes stopped at Eleanor and smiled, thirdly DO NOT GO TO THE ALPHAS CHAMBERS WITHOUT HIM SUMMONING YOU, is that clear". They all answered, they summoned a maid who took them to their quarters because as always training always begins the next day.