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Eto spent a lot of her time peering into the dark forest on the outskirts of town, as if she could expose its many veiled secrets through the sheer force of her will. She would spend her days perched on the wooden fence, meant to keep the animals - or the wild creatures that not even the adults dared to utter the names of out loud - away. (Or perhaps, it was to keep the townsfolk in.) Swinging her legs, peering into the shadowy depths between the curved bones of the skeletal trees, she would absent-mindedly hum any tune that would pop into her mind. It was not a melody she could actively remember when she was not seated here, but it draped a warm comfort over her.
Her parents had tried to convince her to spend her time reading, playing with the other children, or tending to the garden. When that had failed, they had once dragged her by the hair back to their cosy little house in this quaint little town. But the next day, she had found her way right back, ignoring the bruise that still flowered on her arm. They had sighed and declared her a lost cause, deciding to leave her to her own devices. Now, whenever she was home, silence would descend, tense as she glided through the kitchen like a ghost, her mother giving her a wide berth with an angry flick of her wrist.
The house was nice and warm. Her parents had been kind and loving, initially. The town was beautiful, with picturesque views of the mountain. Everything was perfect, and yet she couldn't resist the thread tied around her heart that tugged in the direction of the forest. It was almost like a siren song, even though the forest itself was unnaturally quiet. No scurrying of critters, no chirping of birds, no croaking of frogs.
She spent more time out of her house than in it, spending her nights sleeping under the stars on hay. She was alone more often than not. The adults avoided her like the plague, whispers and rumours following her like a thorny cloak. The other children would sneak closer and then run away giggling when they were spotted, somewhat heeding their parents' hissed instructions to stay far from the strange girl who seemed to belong more to the forest than to the town.
The forest seemed to whisper to her, calling out with open arms to embrace her. Little voices crawling into her ear, inviting her to become part of the underbrush. To slither with the snakes, tasting the air with an outstretched tongue. To crawl with the spiders up the trunks of trees to feel the sun's rays. To flap her wings with the birds and ride the currents of freedom.
Her gaze could pierce through the all-encompassing darkness, picking out patches of dirt, creeping roots, and fallen branches. This was what she did, day after day. And day after day, there was nothing to see.
Until a pair of blue eyes stared back.
Luna spent her days helping the faeries. Even though her ears were not pointed like the rest, and she could not draw the magic of the forest around herself, she was perfectly capable of helping with the menial tasks. She could weave the baskets, pick the fruits, and stir the cauldrons, even if she couldn't do it as fast or as gracefully as the other faerie children.
She understood her status as a changeling - a result of a snap decision the family that had taken her had committed to because they thought it would be fun. Her name was a remnant of the night she had been stolen away beneath the full moon, leaving only an open window and her true parents none the wiser. The other children teased her endlessly about her origin, though always in a roundabout way. Even though they couldn't utter a single lie, they had already mastered the skill of talking circles around her. They would compliment her quickly increasing height with nasty grins full of fangs, subtly pointing out how fast she was changing, how fast she was maturing. The sharpened words often left her holding back tears, aggressively rubbing them away when no one was watching. She didn't want to leave everyone behind. More than that, she didn't want to be left behind.
They never let her accompany them to anything. Not the monthly full moon rituals, nor the coming-of-spring dance. They giggled and said she couldn't weave as fast as them. She couldn't even charm. What use would she be if they invited her?
As the decades passed, she would be so easily forgotten until no one remembered that a young girl named Luna had ever existed.
Sometimes, she wondered if there was any point in staying here. What if she ran off to the human town next to the forest, to be with people who were like her? Any attempt to escape to the human town, however, would result in her being slain before she could even raise a finger, her blood used to fill the cauldrons. While she was still useful, she would be put to work. Once she was a threat, she would be eliminated.
It was nothing more than a little daydream that she would never go through with. She loved the forest too much to leave. The dew that glittered with starlight after a long night, clinging to the giant mushrooms. The plants with flowers that bloomed in the darkness, glowing a luminous blue. The shy spirits that flitted about in the day as spheres of coloured light, sometimes bold enough to land on her open palm.
But still, she would sometimes be curious about what it would be like to live in the town. So she would wander close to the edge of the forest, peeking into the lives of the human townspeople and their curious day-to-day. Many times, she would spot her doppelganger sitting on the border fence with her legs crossed, staring up at the sky - the girl who had snatched her true name and left her with nothing but the moon for company.
It was like staring into a mirror. Same blue eyes, same golden hair, swaying gently in the wind. But with some of the essence of the forest within her, Luna could spot the true girl hovering behind the glamour that sought to disguise her in hostile territory - piercing purple eyes and hair of the same colour, with pointed ears indicating her true heritage.
What was her life like? Was she happy? Was she accepted?
Some time in the future, she might remember where she came from and return to claim her birthright.
What would happen to Luna then?
Pondering that question, she observed her other half.
Until those purple eyes met hers.
In an instant, Eto had pushed herself off the fence and was crashing through the underbrush, racing after the traces of gold that kept vanishing into the shadows. The other girl was masterful at slipping away, her feetfall barely making any noise as she deftly avoided piles of leaves and dried twigs.
But Eto, despite never having stepped foot in the forest, found that her feet were falling into a rhythm, following the barely visible footprints left behind by her counterpart. The forest was shimmering around her, the illusion of darkness falling away as she plunged through bright landscapes with flowers that bloomed a hundred colours. She paid them no mind, continuing her pursuit through this strange wonderland.
An idea formed in her head, a pulse echoing in her blood. A truth she had already suspected long ago.
And finally, she caught the hand of the other girl over a rushing river, jerking her back and forcing her to turn.
It was like looking into a mirror - the other girl had the same face, the same eyes, the same hair. She was still, her chest barely rising and falling, as Eto reached out a hand. As if drawn in by a strange spell, the other girl reached out as well, until they had interlaced their fingers and pulled each other closer, separated only by the water rushing between their feet.
"Hello, sister," Eto mumbled.
Eto shifted in the bed at the creak of the window opening, another person slipping into the blankets next to her.
"Hello, Luna," the familiar presence whispered.
"Eto" grinned, turning to face her other half and dropping the act. Eto smirked back, her glamour falling away to reveal her true features. In the safety of the darkness, they could both be their true selves, not needing to hide from anyone.
"How was it?" Luna asked, snuggling closer to the girl she could only describe as a twin. The word failed to capture the depth of their bond - they would each raze the world to ashes to ensure no harm came to the other. They were the only ones who knew the true faces of the other, and they would take each other's secrets to the grave. In this whole wide world, Eto was the only one Luna could trust fully. The faeries cared for neither of them, and the humans would turn on them the moment they suspected the truth.
"Great! No one suspected a thing." Eto flung an arm around her.
Since the moment they had come face-to-face in the forest, they'd been taking turns living each other's lives. They were, after all, identical when Eto's glamour was up. Now that she had seen through it, she could twist and weave the misty magic with her own fingers whenever she needed to, masking her figure with whatever image she wanted.
Today was meant to be another handover. But Luna had something else to say.
"I heard something today," she whispered, squeezing Eto's hand. "A rumour of a fountain deep in the land of the Fae. A fountain that can grant a single wish to anyone daring enough to reach it."
Eto shivered. She knew why Luna had brought it up. Their respective lifespans were one of the only points of contention between them - Luna had tried to bring it up once, and she had shut the discussion down in tears, heart tight in her chest. Luna would die long before she would, and she could not stand the idea. Soon, she would stop feeling the hands of time, while Luna continued to race ahead.
But the Fae always told stories about how to grant one's wishes mockingly, for anyone foolish enough to chase after a hopeless fantasy would suffer a terrible death. The journey was almost always impossible, filled to the brim with dangerous traps and realistic illusions that lured people to their demise.
More than likely, they would both die in the attempt. But would that be so horrible? To die hand-in-hand, knowing they were loved by the other and had perished trying to stay together for their own eternity?
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. For tonight, can we just go to bed?"
And pretend that everything will be alright?
"Alright," Luna whispered softly, her breath tickling her neck as she burrowed into the pillow.
Gazing upon her slumbering sister, Eto drifted into peaceful dreams.
From that very day onwards, there were occasional glimpses of two girls - uncannily similar in appearance, drifting through the world like phantasms. Their mannerisms were identical, and so were their smiles, hidden away in darkness as they stepped from shadow to shadow, hand-in-hand.