“Back then, life was normal…”

  I slowly opened my eyes, groggy and unwilling to leave the warmth of my bed. The voice of my mother pierced through the morning fog.

  "Christian, if you don’t get up now, you’re going to be te!"

  I groaned, rolling over and pulling the bnket tighter around me. "Just one more minute…"

  Her footsteps grew louder. "I swear, Christian—!"

  "Fine, fine! I'm up!" I grumbled, forcing myself upright. I blinked blearily at the clothes id out for me on the chair.

  "Good. Now hurry up and get dressed," she said before heading downstairs.

  As I sat on the edge of my bed, my cat, Lana, stretched zily before hopping onto my p. She purred, nudging my arm for attention.

  "You've got it easy," I muttered, scratching behind her ears before standing up. I threw on the clothes my mom had picked, stretched, and walked out of my room. After brushing my teeth and lifting up my shirt to sp on some deodorant, I headed to the living room.

  "You want something to eat?" Mom asked, her earlier frustration gone now that I was finally up.

  I shook my head. "Nah, I'm good."

  "You sure? You need energy to grow," she teased, giving me a pyful smile.

  I smirked, towering over her. "Wouldn’t want to surpass you too badly."

  She ughed and kissed my cheek. "Drive safe."

  "I will. Love you."

  "Love you too."

  With that, I grabbed my backpack, tossed it into the back of my truck, and hopped into the driver’s seat.

  The drive to school was uneventful. I pulled into the student parking lot a little early, so I waited in my truck for a few minutes.

  When the clock hit 7:17, I hopped out and headed inside. I saw a few friends in the hall, but I decided to just head to css.

  First and second period? Slept through them.

  Third through fifth? Just talked with friends.

  Sixth? I Had to actually focus.

  Seventh? A mix of paying attention and joking around.

  During 7th period my sign nguage css, I turned to my friend. “Hey dude you know how to sign this?” He shrugs, “Dude I don’t know I was about to ask you.” We both scratch our heads, and I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my notifications. The family group chat was buzzing. My dad had sent a news article.

  “Blood Moon Tonight! Rare Celestial Event Visible Across the Country!"

  I liked the message but didn’t think much of it. Instead, I switched over to some random mobile game.

  The rest of the day blurred by. As soon as the final bell rang, I bolted to my truck to beat the parking lot traffic.

  Luckily, today wasn’t bad. Only two light cycles, and I was out.

  By 3:12, I pulled into the driveway. My older brother, Kyle, was outside waiting.

  “You got here early,” he noted.

  “Yeah, traffic wasn’t terrible today.” I grabbed my backpack and walked toward the house, Kyle following behind. “How was your day?”

  "It was fine," he said ftly.

  We stepped inside, and almost immediately, I heard a soft whine. I looked around and spotted Lana peeking out from under the coffee table.

  "Oh, Lana, come here," I called, scooping her up. She purred, rubbing against my hand as Kyle scratched behind her ears.

  Mom walked in from the kitchen. "How was your day, Christian?"

  "Good. Nothing much. Might have homework, but I’m not sure."

  "Well, let me know if you do, and we’ll knock it out," she said with a reassuring smile.

  "Yeah, I will," I replied, setting Lana down.

  I headed to my room and checked my phone. The family group chat was still talking about the blood moon.

  “There’s a nice field a few miles south of our house," my aunt suggested. From there, the conversation turned into pns around that idea.

  The afternoon passed quickly, and soon, it was dinner time.

  Around 5:45, Mom knocked on my door, carrying a pte of food. She set it on my bed.

  “Thanks,” I said, eyes still on the TV.

  Mom didn’t leave right away. “Do you want to go see it?”

  I turned to her. “See what?”

  “The blood moon. Haven’t you seen the messages? We’re pnning to go to a field near Aunt Kiki’s.”

  I thought for a moment. “Yeah, sure. What time?”

  “We’ll leave around 9:30 and hang out until 10.”

  I frowned. “Isn’t it a school night?”

  She smirked. “You stay up way ter than that. You’ll be fine.”

  I sighed. "Fair point. I’ll go. Is Kyle or Avia going?"

  She shook her head. "You know your brother. He doesn’t want to do anything. As for you little sister she’s not feeling to well so probably not."

  I just nodded and turned back to the TV.

  Mom left the room, and I started eating my food, watching whatever random show was on. From time to time, someone came in to talk to me, but I mostly just rexed.

  By 9:15, I wandered downstairs. Mom was still on the couch watching a crime documentary.

  “Hey, are we still going to see it?”

  She jumped slightly. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot. What time is it?"

  "9:20. We’ve got a few minutes."

  She sighed in relief. "Okay, let me get ready and then we can go." “Sounds good to me.” I say falling back onto the couch while she heads to the bathroom to freshen up. Soon enough a few minutes ter. she comes back. “Ready to go?”

  I slipped on my shoes and followed her to the car. As we drove, I gnced up.

  "The moon's already turning red," I pointed out.

  "The news said it'll be at its peak when we get there," Mom said.

  Soon, we turned onto a bumpy dirt road. In the distance, I spotted my aunt’s white SUV and my younger cousins running around.

  As soon as I stepped out, they yelled, "Christian!" before dog piling me into the grass.

  A familiar voice chuckled. "Thanks for taking the attention off me."

  I Look through the bodies of kids on top of me. "Aunt Kiki!" I drop the act that I’m weak and push off the kids on top of me, much to their Disappointment.

  I imminently bring Aunt Kiki into a hug, and she looked me up and down. "You’ve grown." I smile at the comment and ask. “Have I really?” I collective giggle from my aunt and younger cousins at that statement.

  Before the conversation could continue Mom called out. "Guys, it’s almost time!"

  “We found a good spot to watch it before you 2 got here.” My Aunt states, my cousins filled with excitement start dragging me to the spot my feet can barely keep up.

  When we get there, my mom checks her phone. "One more minute, guys."

  I looked up. The moon was deep crimson now.

  10:09.

  Then

  A streak of molten gold ripped through the sky. A meteor.

  The air hummed charged with something unnatural. For a brief moment, night became day. The fiery orb roared overhead, its golden tail stretching across the horizon then Silence.

  My cousins gasped. My mom and aunt stood frozen in awe. I would of had the same face.

  But something felt wrong.

  A pulling sensation formed just above my right shoulder, like something was being drawn toward me.

  Before I could dwell on it, Mom’s phone vibrated. Then Kiki’s. Then mine.

  Mom’s face went pale. Her fingers trembled as she tapped her screen.

  Behind me, my aunt whispered in a shaky voice.

  “Oh my god…"

  A pit formed in my stomach my mind running through thing that could have happened.

  I bring out my phone and read.

  “BREAKING NEWS: Massive Fires Engulf New York City in Rapidly Developing Crisis Early Reports Bme Unidentified Individual with Fire Based Powers.”

  I stared at the screen, my heart pounding.

  Slowly, I looked up at the blood red moon. The golden scar of the meteor still burned across the sky.

  I swallowed hard.

  “What is happening…?”