Julian was more than willing to take a trip to Sunny Acres Retirement Village later that afternoon. In fact, it had been his idea to go now instead of waiting another day.

"I don't know if they're even open," I'd argued, not ready to hear whatever unbelievable story was coming our way.

But Julian was ready with a comeback. "I've already called. Visiting hours are until 8:00 pm. Let's go."

"Why are you so persistent?"

"I'm really not; you just can't resist me."

I start to tell him that isn't even close to the truth, but I realize it is actually more accurate than I've even admitted to myself.

Walking into the nursing home is creepy; not that I find old people scary or anything, but everything in there is just so...still. It's late on a Monday afternoon, but it's silent, almost as if they're trying not to awaken some malevolent spirit.

"Excuse me," Julian says to a woman at the nurses' station in the middle of the building where the labyrinth hallways of the facility converge.

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asks, her voice warmer than I'd expected judging from her no-nonsense, Nurse Ratched exterior.

"We're looking for her great-grandma, Pearl Mayes? We think she's in the dementia wing?"

She looks surprised for a moment before nodding. "Th-that's correct. Miss Pearl is down the far hall in room 5602."

"Why do you look so surprised?" I blurt before I can stop myself.

The nurse's face flushes, and she shuffles some papers around on her desk. "My apologies. It's just...no one has been to visit Miss Pearl in quite some time...years, even. I was just a little taken aback, that's all."

The knowledge that no one has been to visit one of my relatives in years while she sits all alone in a nursing home makes me sad, and I feel a twinge of shame. Even if I didn't know about her, I still feel like I could've done more.

But Julian speaks up before I can spiral too far. "What should we expect when we go in?"

"She's having an okay day today, so she will at least be lucid. She likely will not know who you are, but she shouldn't be in any distress or pain. Just be quiet when you go in, introduce yourself, and act natural," she says in a gentle voice, like she can sense the nervousness in the pit of my stomach.

She won't know who I am because I never knew she existed before today. My heart constricts, and all I can manage is a small, "Okay."

We turn to go when the nurse says, "Wait, one more thing. There are days that she thinks she's seventeen years old again."

Julian and I share a glance and take a deep breath in unison before continuing to the far end of the hall.

"You okay?" Julian asks as we get closer to room 5602, and I don't miss the way his hand brushes against mine as he stops me from walking any further.

I nod, blowing a long breath out through my nose. "I'm good. Let's do this."

The woman sitting in the wheelchair in front of the window is small, her brown skin so wrinkled and thin that she looks like she's covered in tissue paper. The shock of hair on the top of her head is white, and I am surprised at how thick it looks. She was beautiful once; I can tell by the way her eyes sparkle when she looks up from her lap, the hazel in them nearly identical to mine.

Her voice is little more than a whispering breath when she says, "Luna?"

Once again, I feel something inside my chest clench, and it's only when Julian squeezes my hand do I speak. "No, I'm not Luna. I'm Camryn, your—" I start to say great-granddaughter, but then I remember what the nurse said, and I have no idea what kind of day this woman is having. "I'm actually here to ask about Luna."

Julian looks at me with wide eyes as if to say what the hell are you doing? I shake my head, looking back at Pearl, whose face hasn't changed expression.

Finally, she says, "Come sit down." Looking at Julian, she raises an eyebrow as we sit side-by-side on the tattered leather sofa. "And who is this young fellow?" she asks as she rolls toward us.

"This is my friend, Julian. He's new to town and I'm showing him around today. We thought we'd drop by and have a little chat."

She narrows her eyes at him, then nods in approval. "He's quite handsome. But he needs a haircut."

I cover my mouth to hide my laughter, and a blushing Julian elbows me in the ribs. "I'll get right on that," he mumbles.

"Pearl," I start again. "I was wondering—"

But she cuts me off as she leans forward in her chair, her hazel eyes alight with recognition. "Luna, I knew it was only a matter of time before you came back."

I glance at Julian and he lifts one shoulder. "But I'm not—" I pause and switch gears. "What do you mean?"

"I knew you couldn't have just disappeared like that...the stories...they were all true," Pearl murmurs, and the emotion on her ancient face is so raw that I almost forget that she is making zero sense.

"What stories?"

"Luna, where have you been all this time?"

Julian nudges my knee with his, and my heart hammers in my chest. She believes I'm Luna. Is it wrong to take advantage of this situation to find out more?

I just have a few seconds to decide, but in the end, I make the only choice that will help me solve this mystery.

"I've been exactly where you think I've been," I say in a low voice, keeping my face flat and emotionless.

"She did it, then. Momma really did it. She succeeded and did what she set out to do that night."

I nod, chewing the inside of my cheek. "What are the stories, Pearl? What did they say about me while I was gone?"

Pearl sits back in her wheelchair and adjusts the blankets over her lap. "I don't know if I should tell you, auntie. There's no telling what you're going to do now that you're free."

Free? "I don't plan to do anything to hurt anyone," I say, but I have a feeling that's going to sound like nothing but a pack of lies coming from Luna Blackwood.

Pearl scoffs and shakes her head. "You expect me to believe you over my momma? I don't think so. I will not be swayed; you'll find I'm just as strong as her, even if I don't have the same abilities."

"Abilities?"

"I know about the Sun and Moon...she told me before she passed. She told me I had to watch out for you. That she did her best to trap you, but you might come back, and she prayed to all things holy that I'd be dead before you did," Pearl hisses, her voice getting stronger with every word. "But I'm here, and I'm warning you; you need to stop what you're doing."

"What is it you think I'm doing, Pearl?"

"I didn't get the power...neither did my girl Louise or her girl Clara." Tears spring to my eyes at the mention of my mother's name. "But I never thought they would. The timing wouldn't be right. But it is now, isn't it, Luna? It's been 102 years."

Panic rises in my chest, and I feel like I can't breathe, but I have to keep going. "And which power is that, Pearl?"

"The power you so desperately want back. The darkness...the shadows...the power you can wield by the moon." Pearl laughs and wheels over toward the window, pointing out at the setting sun in the dusky sky. "But what you don't know is she's got the light in her too. It may not be the sun, but by God, it's the stars."

Me. She's talking about me. "Are you saying you don't think I can take it back?"

Pearl doesn't look back at us as she says, "Oh, you could. But she will not make it easy for you. It's not a guarantee, Luna. My mother made sure of that. Now leave. And do not come back." She stares out the window, never making eye contact again.

I am numb when we step out into the evening humidity, and my skin is a frosty layer over the frozen blood in my veins.