1st Rd Sm Press Contest #16 - Against the Falling Moon

Against the Falling Moons
YA light fantasy romance
95,000

Query:

Luc's sixth birthday is marked by tragedy when his best friend, Auri, falls through a rip in the fabric of Trillua and disappears into a parallel world--Earth. But Luc soon discovers that the strange bond he always shared with Auri survived. Over the next ten years he watches through his dreams as she grows into a beautiful sixteen-year old girl who doesn't trust anyone.

When the leaders of Trillua open a Portal to travel to Earth, Luc risks banishment from the home he loves to hijack a spot on their mission and rescue Auri. But the fall has wiped Auri's mind of all that came before it. Luc has just one month to convince her she belongs with him before the Portal home closes.

As the clock ticks down, Luc realizes that his proximity to Auri has somehow made him faster, stronger and almost invulnerable to pain or injury. He knows his unheard of powers seem like magic, something punishable by death on his world. Unlike his dreams of Auri, his new abilities are impossible to hide. When the leaders learn the truth, they demand he Portal home to be examined as a potential danger to Trillua. If he fails to immediately return, his family will be banished into the treacherous Outerlands.

Now Luc must choose. Abandon the girl he was born to love, or save the family who's depending on him for their survival.  

First 150 Words

Outside, the glow of the ThriceMoon is being replaced by the glare of the rising sun. Absorbed in my notes on Auri's world, it takes me a few seconds to understand. The sun? I bolt upright from Sin's desk chair, scattering my papers to the floor. Half-asleep on his bed, Sin startles. "Blast it, Luc! I'm trying to slee..." Seeing my face, he trails off. "What?"

I point at the window that takes up the west wall of Sin's bedroom. Beyond it, the blue stretch of valley is steadily brightening. Black emotion-trails erupt around me. I wave my hand, as if I can physically brush them aside.

Sin's eyes widen. "It's daybreak? But your..."

"Test is today. I know. Emelina will banish me if she realizes I've been out all night."

Sin's voice takes on a lilt, "I cannot convey the importance of a good night's sleep, Luc." He does a disturbingly good imitation of Emelina.