The air at the docks smelled of wood rot, salt-crusted rope, and the strange, electric sweetness of the moonlight jellies. In the distance, the town was a blur of warm lanterns and the low, muffled chatter of families gathered to watch the migration. But out here, at the far end of the pier where the wood was splintered and the shadows were long, the world was quiet.
I found him sitting with his legs dangling over the edge, his heels rhythmically thumping against the mossy pilings. His dark hair covered his face, but I knew him well enough that he was only hiding behind a brooding expression.
"You're going to miss the jellies," I said, my voice barely a whisper against the sound of the tide. "Mayor Lewis has been practicing his speech for an hour. I think he's actually going to cry this year."
Sebastian didn't turn around, but I saw his shoulders drop an inch. "Let him cry. He probably just realized he's been wearing the same suspenders since the seventies. It's a lot to process."
I let out a short breath that was supposed to be a laugh. I sat down next to him, our knees inches apart but not quite touching. "Fair point. Also, I saw Abigail try to eat one of the glow-jellies earlier. Sam dared her. Pierre looks like he's about to have a heart attack."
"Standard Saturday night, then," Sebastian murmured. He finally looked at me, and I could feel my heart skip a beat as our eyes met. "The city won't have this, you know. They don't have glowing fish. They just have... smog. And people who walk too fast."
The mention of the city made the static in my head flare up. Tomorrow. The boxes were already in the hallway. The tape was already sealed. "I know," I said, looking down at my lap. "I'll probably just become a person who walks fast. It's my destiny."
"Doubt it," he said. He sounded uncharacteristically nervous. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie, his fingers fumbling with something small. "I, uh... I found this at one of the stalls earlier. Before the crowd got weird."
He held out his hand. Lying in his palm was a thin, braided cord bracelet with a small, tarnished silver charm shaped like a crescent moon. It wasn't expensive. It was probably something he'd spent his last few gold pieces on while pretending he wasn't looking for a gift.
"Seb," I breathed, my heart doing a slow, heavy roll in my chest. "It's beautiful."
"It's just... so you don't forget the sky here. Since you'll be surrounded by skyscrapers and whatever." He cleared his throat, his ears turning a bright, frantic red. "Want me to put it on?"
I held out my wrist, my skin pale and trembling in the moonlight. His fingers were cold, but his touch was agonizingly careful as he worked the clasp. I watched the way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way he chewed on his lower lip—a habit I knew as well as my own name. The moment stretched, growing heavy with the kind of tension that only exists when you're fourteen and the world is about to change.
When the clasp finally clicked, he didn't pull his hand away. He stayed there, his thumb resting just above the pulse point in my wrist. I looked up, and the silence between us shifted from awkward to something magnetic.
I didn't think about it. If I had, I would have stayed frozen. I leaned in, my movement slow and blurred, and pressed my lips against his.
It was shy—a ghost of a touch that tasted like salt and the peppermint gum he always chewed. For a heartbeat, he was as still as stone. Then, his hand moved from my wrist to the side of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair as he kissed me back. It was desperate and clumsy and the most honest thing I'd ever felt.
But as the heat of it blossomed in my chest, so did the reality. Tomorrow. The car. The endless highway journey bound for Zuzu City. The end of the only world I'd ever known.
I pulled away, the cold air hitting my lips like a physical blow. Tears were already hot and stinging in my eyes, blurring the sight of his stunned, wide-eyed expression.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, the words breaking as they left my throat. "I'm so sorry, Seb."
"Aurora, wait—"
"Goodbye," I choked out.
I didn't give him a chance to move. I scrambled to my feet and ran, the wood of the pier thundering under my Converse. I didn't look back at the glowing water or the boy who was still sitting in the dark. I ran until the sound of the ocean was replaced by the sound of my own frantic breathing, the silver moon on my wrist feeling like a brand.
Behind me, Sebastian stayed on the edge of the pier. He didn't follow. He just sat there in the fading glow of the festival, his fingers slowly rising to trace the place on his lips where I'd been, the ghost of the kiss still lingering in the salt air.
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