Chapter Text
August 15th, 2008
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The room was stuffy.
The air smelled of old wood, damp linen, and something sour. Morning light leaked through dusty curtains — spilling across the floor like milk, climbing slowly up the walls. It was early, but footsteps could already be heard somewhere beyond — creaking boards, muffled voices, the distant clatter of dishes.
Ben didn’t move.
He lay on his side, facing the wall, wrapped tightly in his blanket as if trying to shut something out. In his chest — anxiety, a dull knot, a familiar feeling: something was wrong. As if someone were watching him. Not a gaze, no — a presence.
He felt a pulse behind his closed eyelids — not the light from the window. Something else. A flickering impulse, faint, like something was calling him.
“You’re late.”
A voice. Lifeless, hollow, not heard with ears but inside his head. Not his father’s, not Nick’s. Someone else entirely.
Ben tensed, but didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want to wake up. Not today. Not yet.
A sharp sound — the curtains yanked open. Light hit his face like a slap.
— “Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. It’s nine twenty.”
The sarcasm was familiar. Nick.
Ben groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.
— “Five minutes… please…”
— “Tell that to Kelbris.” Nick stepped closer, leaning on the edge of the bed. “But first, figure out how to survive another minus three points for discipline. I’m not covering for you again.”
— “You always cover for me…” Ben mumbled, almost gently, but quiet.
— “Only because you always forget to set the alarm.” Nick sighed, though his voice held no anger. He brushed his hand through Ben’s hair — quickly, almost unconsciously — and pulled it back. “Come on, kid. No time.”
Ben sat up sharply, hair a mess, eyes wide.
— “Nine twenty?!” He glanced at the clock — 8:32. He frowned. “Wait, that’s not—”
But Nick was already at the door, yawning lazily.
— “See you downstairs. Run while you still can.”
He left. The door shut.
The room seemed to exhale. Silence. Even the floorboards stopped creaking. In the corner — a camera. No light, no movement, just a black eye in the wall. But Ben knew it was on. They were watching. They always watched.
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He ran to the shower, stripping on the way. The water was cold, but he didn’t mind — it made him feel alive, for a moment. Sharp contrast. As the stream beat against his head, his father’s voice echoed in his ears:
“If you can’t get up on time, you’re not needed here at all.”
He scrubbed those words off his skin, off his face — but they stayed anyway.
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He burst from the bathroom, pulling on a gray shirt. In the hallway he nearly collided with Rosa — younger, freckled, smiling.
— “Ben! Watch your step!” She laughed, as if everything here was normal.
— “Sorry…” he muttered, hurrying past. Rosa shouted something after him, but he didn’t catch it.
The lights in the corridor flickered, like a heartbeat. One-two. Pause. Again. The bulbs in this building never stayed steady. He knew — either they weren’t fixed on purpose, or… or it was a reminder. They weren’t alone here.
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The cafeteria. South wing. A wide room with windows covered by heavy curtains. The space was lit by trembling yellow lamps. The walls were lined with embroidered mottos, prayers, and quotes. Above the main table hung a massive banner:
“The Moon sees you. Don’t look away.”
Ben was the last to enter. He slid into his seat beside Nick.
— “Right on the minute,” Nick muttered without looking. “I was about to drag you by the ears.”
— “Thanks…” Ben exhaled. His plate: omelet, bacon strips, pancakes. Standard. But he wasn’t hungry.
He could feel Nick’s hand near his — fingers faintly trembling. Nick was nervous, though he hid it well. Ben pretended not to notice.
The door creaked. Everyone stood at once, like at a signal.
Kelbris.
A shadow wearing human form. Tall, somber, hair like silver thread. A robe marked with the crescent symbol. His movements — precise, mechanical. His eyes — piercing.
He took his place and raised his hands.
— “Blessings to the morning light. May the Moon guide us through day and darkness alike.”
— “Amen.”
Silence. A pause. His gaze moved across them, slow and deliberate. When it landed on Ben — the boy’s heart clenched. He knows. Somehow, Kelbris always knew who he was.
— “Today is an important day,” he began. His voice was steady, cold. “Time moves forward. We have relocated. We are ready. The preparation for Ascension begins now.”
A whisper rippled through the hall.
Ben felt Nick lean slightly closer, subtle, protective. Their shoulders almost touched.
— “Those pure of heart may come to me voluntarily. Before 10:30. The rest…” He paused. “The rest will wait for the gathering. Two weeks from now. It will be the last.”
— “What do you mean, the last?” Ben whispered.
— “Don’t ask.” Nick’s tone was sharp, quiet.
The light flickered. The camera in the corner hissed — one short burst of static.
“One of you is already chosen.”
The words echoed inside his mind. Not Kelbris’s voice. The other one. From the dream? Or not?
Someone raised a hand — Alex.
— “And if we’re… not ready?” his voice shook.
— “Then you will stay with us. Forever.” Kelbris said, without emotion.
Ben stared at his plate. He saw only circles. Lunar. Alien. They pulsed softly.
“You are needed.”
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